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© JJ Jordan BROOKE SHADEN Photographic artist

Digital Photographer

Future PLC Quay House, The

Gifts & giveaways

Free e-book to download Stunning Wildlife This month,

“Macro photography is often seen as formulaic, but there is plenty of room for artistic licence”

© Geraint Radford Digital cameras are capable of

DJI LAUNCHES TWO NEW GIMBALS

The DJI RS 3 and RS 3 Pro gimbals could revolutionise the way you shoot video

Bird POTY competition finalists revealed

The Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 finalist preview showcases images from the popular contest dedicated to birds and conservation

NiSi releases V7 kit square filter system

Revamped holder and polariser kit simplifies switching

In other news

More snippets of photography news from around the worldI

STORY BEHIND THE STILL

New life “For the most

PREMJITH NARAYANAN

To satisfy his need for speed, petrolhead Premjith has never missed a Formula 1 race at the Bahrain circuit

The Gallery

Sony World Photography Awards 2022

SHOT OF THE MONTH

About the shot: I took this photo of the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen at sunset. It’s one of the most popular places in this amazing city but here it looks so peaceful.

THE BEST OF SMARTPHONE SUCCESS

The winners of our latest contest with Photocrowd have been revealed

Shoot to PRINT

We join landscape photographer and Canson Infinity ambassador Chris Ceaser on a pre-dawn shoot in his hometown ofYork to discuss the value of printed images

Make your first NFT

You may have heard of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), but transforming digital photos into NFTs on the blockchain may be the future of photography. Here’s how to get started

TOP FIVE TIPS FOR GOING VIRAL

A social media presence is now a must for aspiring professional photographers, Claire Gillo shares her advice on getting noticed

Career advice

Claire Gillo offers advice on leading workshops, cleaning your camera and selling stock images

What does running a photography tour involve?

Landscape, architecture, infrared and astro photographer David Clapp explains why he enjoys teaching others

WHY SHOTS WORK

CREATIVITY TAKES FLIGHT

How your smartphone camera makes any moment the right moment

FIELD MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES

Discover the fascinating world of macro photography and learn how to capture images of bugs, insects, plants and fungi in the wild

Working with light

Natural lighting can help create beautiful images, leaving us to focus on getting the composition right

Moving targets

Bugs and insects are constantly on the move, which presents a whole new set of challenges

Include the environment

We often believe that getting closer will create better images, but that’s not always the case

Image processing

Now you have the shots, it’s time to start editing

Top 10 tips

Geraint’s top ten tips he’s picked up over the past decade to help with your macro photography journey

CREATIVE COMPOSITES

Blending image components is an art form. Learn the skills needed to light, shoot and edit composite images to control colour and detail

Essential Lighting gear

© Brooke Shaden CONTROLLED MAIN LIGHT Match the

Capture backgrounds

Shoot the composite environment for your subject

Selecting & extracting

Serge Ramelli

Colour correction and retouching

Finalise your composite with fine colour matching and detail alignment

CAPTURE HARSH LIGHT LANDSCAPES

Learn to master metering, exposure and composition in strong sunlight

All a bit of a blur

Get to grips with AF and exposure to inject motion into your fast-paced action images

Make fast selections with Quick Mask

Don't be afraid to make quick and precise selections thanks to this handy feature

Advanced B&W in Lightroom

Take greater control of your mono conversions using Black & White Mix

MIRRORLESS MACRO MARVELS

For macro, you need a lens that makes the most of your high-res mirrorless camera. We test four of the finest macro lenses on the market

Canon RF 100mm F2.8L MACRO IS USM

Canon’s new kid on the macro block is a superstar that bumps up the magnification

Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S

This top-end Nikon Z-mount lens, the 105mm ‘Micro’,

Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro

Sigma’s latest impressive macro lens, the ‘DN’, is designed for mirrorless cameras

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

A veteran in present company, the Sony still holds up well against newer competition

DJI Mini 3 Pro

Price: £709/$759

Cokin NXSeries Filter System

Cokin’s latest filter system shows that the company can adapt and compete in the modern photographic market

Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR

This standard lens offers quality, build and brightness in equal measure

Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM

Long, lightweight and affordable but has Canon made too many compromises?

ACCESSORIES

A collection of ten fun yet functional products out there for photographers