Welcome

NEW SKILLS FOR SPRING PhotoPlus editor Peter

This issue’s contributors…

Clive Nichols Top Canon pro Clive helps our

GORGEOUS GARDENS

Canon professional garden photographer Clive Nichols gives our PhotoPlus reader a flowers macro masterclass at RHS Wisley

CREATIVE CANON TECHNIQUES

We share some killer pro secrets to help you benefit from the latest technology to improve your Canon photography

Back-button focusing

Speed up your work by reassigning AF tasks

Flash blending

Work flash into any image for maximum lighting control and subtlety

Handheld with long exposures

Make the most of the latest stabilization features to capture dynamic images

Focus racking

Master this must-have technique for better stills and video

Exposure blending

Create naturally dramatic images by increasing file depth

Try vertical compositions

Learn to make the most of ‘portrait’ format frames and maximise image versatility

Shallow focus scenics

Embrace restricted focus for a contemporary look

Shoot ‘flat’ images

Create edit-ready images in the field

Create custom white balance

With Raw editing, you can make colour adjustments on the fly, so does that spell the end for specialist hardware accessories?

Command AF behaviour

Take control of your Canon’s many AF modes

PHOTOSTORIES

Photo essays from PhotoPlus readers and professional photographers alike

After the raptor

Steve used his experience photographing aircraft to bag some brilliant pictures of kestrels and red kites soaring overhead

BACKISSUES

Catch up on what you’ve missed by buying a recent issue either in print or via digital download

FOCUSPOINT

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine and all things photographic! Email us at photoplus@futurenet.com

Keukenhof flower art

Lisse and The Hague, The Netherlands. 8 April 2017. 12:26pm

canon skills

Sharpen up your photography skills with our all-new photo projects and expert guides

Painting with water colours

James Paterson shows you how to create vibrant abstract shapes over water by painting with light, and how to use Photoshop for artistic finish

ON LOCATION LIGHT PAINTING AT THE BEACH

Swing and splash a torch in the shallows after dark for colourful light trails

TOP TIPS LIGHT PAINTING SKILLS

Set your camera up for shooting long exposures after dark

STEP BY STEP BLEND FRAMES WITH PHOTOSHOP

Warp your set of light painting images into abstract shapes in Photoshop CC

TOP TIPS WARPING SKILLS

Learn how to reshape layers in Photoshop

Get to grips with colour theory

There’s a kaleidoscope of colour out there just waiting to be captured, join us as Rod Lawton shares everything you need to know...

Steady as she goes

Dan Mold explains why a ‘plamp’ should be your next accessory for your kit bag if you’re interested in macro and still life photography

THE SETUP USING PLAMPS AND ACCESSORIES

Get to grips with the different types of plamps and the optional extras available

USE A PLAMP

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE http://bit.ly/pp_203_3 TIP 1

Beautiful bluebells

Bluebell season is fleeting, so you need to be in the right place at the right time, ready with your Canon gear to get the best shots, says Peter Travers

CANON SETUP SHOOT BLUEBELL FOREST SCENES

Learn the crucial Canon camera settings and lens tips for stunning flowery forest shots

PRO TIPS HOW FOCAL LENGTH AFFECTS YOUR SHOTS

Wide-angle lenses are great, but it’s better to zoom in and go longer for your bluebell scenes

GO PANORAMIC COMBINE MULTIPLE IMAGES

Learn how to create a Raw HDR panorama for a massive, more detailed image

GET CREATIVE BLUEBELL IMAGERY

Use different techniques to capture a variety of bluebell photos

Fix your landscapes with Lightroom

Discover the essential processes that make any landscape photo look great, plus no more wonky horizons, says Sean McCormack

LIGHTROOM CLASSIC LANDSCAPE EDITING TIPS

Keep landscape images consistent and boost dynamic ranges for outstanding results

Enhance videos in Photoshop

James Paterson shows you how to put your editing skills to work on moving images in Photoshop CC

STEP BY STEP USE PHOTOSHOP TO PRODUCE VIDEOS

Expand your editing skills to produce movie projects from editing to adding layer effects

Bare necessities

James Paterson shares the fundamentals of layers and masks in Affinity Photo so you can get ‘beary’ creative with your composites

STEP BY STEP CREATIVE COMPOSITING

Combine two images into a playful composite in Affinity Photo

Making movies

Shooting a film with your EOS camera

Take a still image from a movie

Have you considered shooting a movie and extracting an image? You can using DPP!

EOS S.O.S

Our technical guru is here to help. No Canon conundrum is too big or small. Get in touch today at EOSSOS@futurenet.com

Pick of the crop

Understanding EOS R-series cameras’ crop mode

CANON EOS R8

Remarkably light and powerful full-framer, the R8 tries to balance the latest technology with some ergonomic compromises, says DCW reviews editor Gareth Bevan

CANON RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

This super wide lens for mirrorless goes large on viewing angles while keeping the size and cost relatively small

LENSES FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE

Squeeze more of the scene you see into your Canon camera’s frame with a proper wide-angle lens. Here are the best buys...

CANON EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM £249/$299

Compact, lightweight and affordable, it’s the obvious choice for APS-C format Canon EOS DSLRs

HOW WE TEST

We combine real-world shooting results with rigorous lab testing to arrive at our overall ratings

CANON EF 11-24mm f/4L USM £3,099/$2,899

Canon’s full-frame whopper comes up trumps for viewing angle but you’ll need specialist filters

DISTORTION

Here’s how distortion compares for all of the lenses on test

CANON EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM £1,389/$1,299

This is an easily manageable full-frame compatible lens with sturdy L-series build quality

CANON EF 8-15mm f/4L FISHEYE USM £1,269/$1,249

Fisheye options for ultra-wide-angle viewing include a two-in-one Canon zoom

CANON RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM £1,749/$1,499

Ultra-wide yet super-small for a full-frame lens, with a generous zoom range and spectacular stabilization

CANON EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM £369/$399

This ultra-wide zoom for EOS M system cameras is a retractable revelation

CANON RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM £2,389/$1,999

Canon’s ‘trinity’ wide-angle zoom for EOS R mirrorless cameras goes a little wider than its EF cousin

COLOUR FRINGING

Lateral chromatic aberration can be an issue

CANON RF 16mm F2.8 STM £299/$279

This ultra-wide-angle prime is remarkably compact, especially considering its fast f/2.8 aperture

CANON EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM III £2,199/$1,999

The latest edition of Canon’s ‘trinity’ EF-mount ultra-wide zoom

SIGMA 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM ART £1,269/$1,239

The revision of an old Sigma wide-angle favourite, this ‘Art’ lens goes XXL on viewing big angles

SIGMA 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM ART £1,269/$1,299

Sigma’s latest ultra-wide EF-mount zoom really delivers

SIGMA 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM ART £1,399/$1,599

This Sigma prime is unique in combining a 14mm focal length with a really fast f/1.8 aperture

TOKINA ATX-I 11-20mm f/2.8 CF £600/$529

Tokina offers a brace of new ‘interactive’ lenses for APS-C format cameras

COMPARISON TABLE

THE WINNER IS... CANON RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM

There’s a lot to love about this little Canon ultra wide-angle L-series lens

BUYERS’ GUIDE

With prices ranging from a couple of hundred to a few thousand, Canon has an EOS camera to suit everyone, from the complete beginner to most demanding pro…

BUYERS’ GUIDE

With over 200 lenses we’ve listed for Canon EOS cameras, picking the right one can be tough. Here’s the lowdown!