Digital Photographer

Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath,

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Review test shots

We think test shots are important when it

“As experienced photographers, we understand the key to great images is knowing how to use the features at our disposal”

I was out shooting recently when I was

CANON ‘COMPLETES’ ITS HYBRID LENS SERIES WITH 70-200MM, 24MM & 50MM

Canon launches three new hybrid lenses with the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Ztelephoto zoom and RF 50mm F1.4L VCM and RF 24mm F1.4L VCM

Fujifilm X-M5 is a compact powerhouse that shares X100V DNA

© Fujifilm Fujifilm’s new X-M5 is a compact

Tiny pancake lens coming to Sony E-mount

After asuccessful crowdfunding campaign, the Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 FE ‘chip’ is so thin that it’s set to make other pancake lenses look chunky

Panasonic launches three new products

The brand releases the Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens and refreshes its Lumix S5 and S9 cameras

STORY BEHIND THE STILL

Photographer: Traci Arney @traciarneyphoto traciarneyphotoart.com Image

FUELLING HIS PASSION

SHOOT LIKE A PRO

BECOME A MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHER

Further your career by learning the do’s and don’ts of working with magazines

Photo CV

We profile an expert photographer’s career journey for insight on becoming established in the industry

Socially stuck

I’m bored with doing my social media. Do you have any advice to get me back on track? I’m definitely stuck in a rut with it all.

Career advice

This month’s advice is all about branding and style, and how to make your photography business unique to you

How do I stand out from the crowd?

The bold and brilliant Khandie explains how she developed her own style, and what makes her unique in the market

WHY SHOTS WORK

“I don’t take photos to feel fulfilled – photography brings me fulfilment. Living life and having fresh, new experiences inspires me to continue my photography journey daily.”

SHOOT THE COAST

Drama, colour and amazing light are waiting to be captured, as Karolina Konsur explains how to photograph seascapes

Build your kit bag

Opt for weather-sealed cameras, wide-angle lenses and ND filters to tackle harsh conditions

Use a sturdy tripod

Astrong, corrosion-resistant support will keep your shots steady even in wind and rain

Karolina Konsur

Pictured Frozen bay, Kuźnica In this composition,

Choose filters for light control

ND, GND and CPL filters effectively manage light, reduce reflections and balance exposure

Use shutter speed creatively

Experiment with different shooting speeds to capture dynamic scenes, from sharp action to smooth motion effects

Compose unique frames

Use whatever you find along the coast to create narrative and interest

Retouch your coastal images

Enhance colour, detail and tone with Lightroom or Camera Raw

FLASH IT UP!

Uncover the potential of artificial flash lighting indoors and outdoors to expand your photographic options

AVOID BLACK STRIPES

Blue lights If your focus is on

Aguide to using flash

Understand the basics of flash so that you can use it to highlight your photographic work

Triggering off-camera flash

When using speedlights, there are different types of flash triggers

Understand groups and channels

Take greater control and avoid cross-triggering

Control the light

An overview of how to modify, shape and diffuse your flash

Increase the speed

Use high-speed sync to freeze fast-moving details

Flash to highlight

© Mick Hutson SEPARATED SUBJECT The flashlight

Blend in

Balance scenes by supplementing ambient location lighting

Go slow

Make movements visible by using slow-sync flash

Head out late

COLOURFUL LAYERS Heading out before sunset is

Flash on location

Vince Preston explains how to work with speedlights outside your comfort zone

Vince’s lighting system

Here’s why he uses different systems for different purposes

Highlight colour

Capturing natural colours or getting creative with gels? Here’s how it works

Check the colours

How Vince achieves ‘true’ tones working with the ColorChecker tool

The ColorChecker Passport

GREY BALANCE You can set exposure with

Vince’s kitbag

The kit Vince packs for an on-location shoot with flash

Do’s &don’ts in flash photography

Vince’s advice on what to focus on and what to avoid when using flash

Flash Glossary

Useful terms when diving into flash photography

WINTER LANDSCAPES

Ross Hoddinott explains how to take successful shots in the cold, then bring out colour and detail in the warmth of your editing studio

Top tips for better winter landscapes

Five ways to ensure you have asuccessful shoot on awinter’s day

Shoot B&W at night

Create high-contrast scenes to highlight key features

Combine sharpness with controlled blur

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL

Colour grade your images

LIGHTROOM TUTORIAL

Highlight your subject

AFFINITY TUTORIAL

CANDID COMPANIONS

Elke Vogelsang shares the joys and challenges of pet photography with Kim Bunermann, while emphasising the importance of animal welfare

The Gallery Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024

Pictured Tasman Gems Tom Rae’s photo shows the

SHOT OF THE MONTH

About the shot: Taken handheld just before sunrise,

THE BEST OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMES

The winners of our latest contest with Photocrowd have been revealed

Kitintro

The expert and independent reviews of gear we’ve bagged this issue

BEING ‘COLORBLIND’

Xavier Ponce explains how he composes imagery where monochromatic gradations set the tone

Photo Kit Leaderboard 2024

Our real-time report on the very best gear available for you right now

BEST FULL-FRAME CAMERA

If you’re after maximum quality images, its larger pixels mean that afull-frame camera is the best place to start

BEST APS-C CAMERA

Alighter and more compact body

BEST MICRO 4/3 CAMERA OM System OM-1 Mark II

This Micro 4/3 powerhouse has multiple futuristic features

BEST MEDIUM-FORMAT CAMERA

Fujifilm GFX 100 II

BEST EDITING SOFTWARE

DxO PhotoLab 8

BEST DSLR CAMERA

Old-school tech has life in it yet

BEST WIDE-ANGLE LENS

For even greater frame width

BEST STANDARD LENS

Essential for all-round use

BEST SPECIALIST LENS

For something alittle different

BEST TELEPHOTO LENS

Zoom in closer to the action

BEST LIGHTING

Take full control of the lighting conditions

BEST MACRO LENS

For capturing the world up close

BEST TRIPOD

Using atripod is the key to sharper shots

Ricoh GR III HDF

Rod Lawton examines the value of this genuinely pocketable APS-C camera

Zoner Photo Studio X

James Abbott tries out aunique and affordable photo editing solution

7Artisans 60mm F2.8 Macro 2x

Matthew Richards examines this specialist macro lens with magnifying power for extreme close-ups

Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN C

This lens offers afaster alternative to Canon’s RF APS-C equivalent as Matthew Richards discovers

ACCESSORIES

Acollection of the best fun-yet-functional products out there for photographers