Practical Photography

NOW INCORPORATING 

32 PAGES OF THE BEST 

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIALS 

10 

BEST NEW MIRRORLESS 

CAMERAS UNDER £1500 

March 2017 £5.49 

This is my 

best photo ever! 

n 10 award-winning pros n 10 amazing images 

n Unique insight, inspiration and ideas 

Use reflections to 

add impact & intrigue 

Create truly epic 360º 

panoramic landscapes 

Get more from your 

wireless flash triggers 

Complete test 

Nikon D5600 

Cover image by 

Miles Morgan

March 

136 

On the cover 

136 10 best mirrorless cameras 

034 ‘This is my best photo ever!’ 

058 Use reflections to add impact 

082 Create epic 360º panoramics 

109 Get more from flash triggers 

130 Complete test – Nikon D5600 

Skills&ideas 

08 

Info&insight 

106 

Beyond the lens 

Jaw-dropping images from 

the cutting edge of photography. 

20 

10 clicks 

Whatever you’re into, we’ve 

got the perfect creative project. 

34 

‘My best photo ever!’ 

10 top pros reveal the secrets 

behind their own favourite pictures. 

52 

A feast for the eyes 

Carl Warner invites us into 

his magical world of foodscapes. 

58 

Use reflections 

Discover three artistic ways 

to take your landscapes further. 

100 

Unintended perfection 

Morgan Phillips shares one of 

his epic environmental portraits. 

120 

Digital fairytales 

Linda Blacker turns YouTube 

celebrities into fairytale stars. 

162 

Student showcase 

Dovydas Arlauskas changes 

the way we perceive colour. 

Know your stuff 

Long exposures, wireless 

triggers and studio flash on a budget. 

112 Feedback 

Pro Dan Mold critiques your 

portraits, landscapes and wildlife images. 

38 

58 

Regulars 

06 

On the CD 

Camera & editing videos, 

creative borders and much more. 

30 

Ross Hoddinott 

Our intrepid columnist 

recalls the adventure of a lifetime. 

32 

Lisa-Marie McGinn 

Find out why bathtubs and 

glitter make a great fashion combo. 

127 

Next month 

British wildlife & weddings 

take centre stage in the April issue. 

4 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY

148 

Photoshop 

Genius 

68 

Add creative borders 

Use your free templates to give 

your images the perfect finishing touch. 

72 

Create colour effects 

From retro to high-contrast, discover 

three ways to make new styles in Elements. 

76 

Sharpen your images 

Apply the right amount of sharpening 

to the right areas in Elements. 

80 

Get creative with cropping 

The Crop Tool is simple to use and 

has the power to reframe your work. 

82 

Shoot 360º panoramics 

Capture and create the widest view 

possible for truly immersive images. 

88 

Make a multiple exposure 

Blend a portrait and landscape 

to create a dreamy composite. 

92 

Create fun shapes 

Use Photoshop’s Custom Shapes 

Tool to create composites in minutes. 

96 

Add meaning with text 

Use Layers and Masks to give 

your portraits a more meaningful spin. 

NEW! 

32-PAGE 

EDITING 

GUIDE 

Subscribe 

Save money 

with the latest 

reader offers 

See p50 

92 Use Photoshop’s Custom Shapes 

Tool to create composites in minutes 

111 Create a powerful home studio 

on a modest budget of just £250 

25 

GetIntoGear 

18 

The knowledge 

The five photo products and events 

you need to know about this month. 

130 

Nikon D5600 

The latest DX-format entry-level DSLR 

on the block gets a thorough road test. 

134 

Panasonic GH5 

Boasting 6K video and a new 20.3MP 

sensor, this is a seriously evolved CSC. 

136 

Best mirrorless cameras 

Discover the ten best pro compact 

system cameras under £1500. 

146 

Stylish camera bags 

Accessorise with five messengerstyle 

bags that don’t scream ‘photographer!’ 

148 

Mini tests 

Nikon’s 360º action cam, HDR 

software and a lightweight tripod. 

52 Tuck into artist Carl Warner’s 

incredible foodscapes 

130 Full review 

of Nikon’s D5600

8 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY 

The stories behind the world’s greatest shots

Tree of life 

by Ahmed Altoqi 

l I took this shot in Al Jabal Al Akhbar in 

Oman. This tree, the Juniperus excelsa, 

is a dominant species in the Oman 

highlands and it can live for up to 750 

years. In order to create this shot I had 

to take two images, as the tree was right 

next to some road lights, which affected 

the lighting and meant that I wasn’t able 

to photograph the sky at that location. I 

took the panoramic photos of the Milky 

Way at a different location and then 

combined them later in Photoshop. 

Canon 1D X | 20mm | 30sec | f/6.3 | ISO 3600 

Ahmed Altoqi is a 

professional commercial, 

landscape and portrait 

photographer who has been 

working in the industry for 

over seven years. 

ahmedaltoqi.com 

PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 9

10Clicks 

MONO 

#2 Make a moody fine art portrait 

l A British winter is typically 

composed of cloudy days 

and a generous amount 

of drizzle. This can put a 

dampener on your creativity, 

but why not turn it to your 

advantage like Maren Klemp 

(500px.com/maren_elize)? 

“I have a strict rule when 

it comes to my photography, 

and that’s to never pick up my 

camera unless I have a clear 

idea of how I want the image 

to look. When I’m planning a 

picture I always draw sketches 

and make notes regarding 

the location, wardrobe and 

camera settings. This process 

can take weeks, but I find it 

much easier to achieve a good 

result by working this way. 

“I knew that I wanted this 

self-portrait to have a dreamy 

and ethereal look. The subject 

in the image is running alone 

through a dark and isolated 

landscape, while the umbrella 

symbolises protection. In 

order to make the image 

more dramatic, I created a 

lot of movement with my hair, 

which was actually the most 

challenging part of the shoot. 

“The day I shot this photo 

the weather was absolutely 

terrible. It was raining and 

there was a thick layer of fog 

shrouding the surrounding 

hills. While it might not 

have been particularly nice 

weather, it made the perfect 

backdrop for the image.” 

To convert a colour shot 

into black & white, all you 

need to do is put it into 

Photoshop and open up 

the Layers panel. Click on 

Create new fill or adjustment 

layer and then select Black 

& White... Then simply use 

the sliders to create the 

perfect amount of contrast. 


TIP 

USE AN 

INTERVAL TIMER 

The nature of self-portraiture 

is that no one is behind the 

camera. Use an interval 

timer or remote shutter 

release to take your 

photo. 

Above A high amount of contrast will 

give your shot a moody feeling. 

SEASCAPE 

#3 Freeze unique waves 

l Is there anything so mysterious 

and enigmatic as the sea? Even 

at its calmest, it’s clear that the 

ocean is not something to be 

underestimated. This makes it a great 

photographic subject, as William 

Patino (williampatino.com) found out. 

“This image was captured off-shore 

at dawn on a morning that was 

unfortunately quite calm with minimal 

swell. Occasionally a set would roll 

through, providing fleeting moments 

in time to capture the numerous 

forms of the morphing waves. This 

break is very close to shore, which 

made it dangerous to shoot. 

“I used a telephoto lens to capture 

the finer details and compress the scene. 

I love the fact that no two waves are 

the same, and that every day presents 

new and unforeseen opportunities. 

You can’t really plan an exact shot like 

this, only track and monitor the swell 

and anticipate the brief moments that 

arise. I remember seeing the light rays 

on the horizon and specifically set my 

composition up with those in mind. 

“With waves it’s all about capturing 

a unique form, so when this one arched 

over I knew it was going to be a keeper. 

You’re really at the mercy of the elements 

in these moments, which is partly what 

makes it so enjoyable. I’ve lived on the 

coast my whole life, but it wasn’t until 

I picked up a camera that I began to 

truly appreciate the ocean’s beauty.” 


It’s My Best Photo Ever! 


PHILIP LEE HARVEY 

TRAVEL A young monk boy in traditional dress, Ladakh, India 

What’s the story behind this image? 

I took it back in 1998 in the Indian 

Himalayas. It was a self-funded trip to 

shoot the Festival of the Sun in a town 

called Ladakh. There’s a monastery 

there called Lamayury, and I found this 

young monk, who was in traditional 

dress. I grabbed my camera and managed 

to get three frames of him, and then 

he left, and I didn’t see him after that. 

I’ve no idea what his name was or how 

old he was, and he’s probably never 

seen this shot, which is a shame. This 

was one of those fortunate moments 

where I happened to be in the right 

place at the right time. Two minutes 

later, and I would have missed it. Back 

then, most photographers would have 

used a Polaroid first and taken meter 

readings. I didn’t do either, so I had to 

guess at the exposure. I was always 

pretty good at getting it to within a stop. 

Was there a language barrier? 

We didn’t say a word to each other. 

I assume he didn’t know any English and 

I certainly don’t speak Ladakhi (similar 

to Tibetan), so I had to rely on visual 

communication. He knew I was taking 

an image of him, and didn’t seem to 

mind, but it was such a fleeting moment 

“THIS IMAGE 

HELPED ME 

REALISE WHAT I 

COULD ACHIEVE” 

there was no time to interact. I didn’t 

even pose him – he just happened to be 

standing in the perfect position under 

a veranda outside a temple, which gave 

me that lovely sidelighting on the face. 

The fact that I didn’t set the shot up is 

what makes the expression so natural. 

What do you think makes this 

image so visually appealing? 

This shot works on so many levels. It’s 

perhaps most striking because of the 

minimalism of its colour – this is a classic 

less-is-more image where the frame 

isn’t overcomplicated. I’ve always been 

big on colour theory, and I’ve always 

tried to give my shots a painterly look. 

It probably comes from my Dad, who 

was an artist. As well as the colour, it’s 

really important that the viewer has 

direct eye contact with the subject, 

which almost always makes for a really 

striking portrait. Compositionally, I 

love the way the lines on the hat and 

in the fabric help to draw the viewer 

towards the face, and the rule-of-thirds 

is at work there too which gives the shot 

balance. This image is timeless, and it 

really makes you ask questions about 

the subject. Who is this person? Where’s 

he from? What’s his story? Travel 

photography can work out like that 

sometimes, and that’s the reason I love it. 

How was this shot edited? 

I took this image on a medium-format 

film camera, so of course it wasn’t 

digitally edited. Even though I could 

now take it into Photoshop and tweak it, 

I love it exactly as it is. Sometimes, it’s 

the imperfections that can give a shot its 

character. To be honest, I don’t do much 

editing even these days. This image is 

actually cross-processed. For the film 

geeks out there, I used Fuji 64T tungsten 

transparency film, then processed it as 

C41 to produce a negative. I then printed 

it onto a flat transparency film that wasn’t 

even designed for photography. I shoot 

everything digitally now, but I’m so glad 

I learned the ropes on film cameras – 

it gave me an amazing understanding 

of how images work that you don’t 

always get when shooting digital. 

On a personal level, why is 

it so special to you? 

Not only was this the best shot I took on 

my trip, but it was a turning point in my 

career. It was the first image I took that 

helped me realise what I could achieve. 

It actually changed the way I approached 

travel photography in general – I stopped 

relying on going to dramatic places to 

get dramatic shots, and realised I could 

get them anywhere. It was great for my 

career too, as it won lots of awards. 

THE GEAR 

I USED... 

HASSELBLAD 

503CW 

35mm film wasn’t 

good enough and 

if you’re investing 

that kind of 

money in a trip, 

you want the best 

results possible. I 

wanted to bring a 

higher production 

value to travel 

photography. 

At the time the 

Hasselblad was 

the best quality 

‘portable’ camera 

on the market. 

120MM F/4 LENS 

On mediumformat, 

a 120mm 

focal length is 

the 35mm film 

equivalent of 

an 80mm focal 

length, making 

it ideal for 

portraits. It 

also allows 

a shallower 

effective 

depth-of-field 

than an f/4 lens 

used on a 

standard 35mm 

camera, so 

photographers 

can achieve 

a blurry 

background. 

Philip Lee Harvey is a multi-award winning travel 

photographer. His journey has taken him to 120 

countries, including some of the world’s most 

inhospitable locations. Prints of his images are 

available on his website. philipleeharvey.com 


PROJECT 2 

Mirror dramatic scenes 

to capture attention 

STILL BODIES OF WATER ARE 

nature’s mirror, able to reflect incredible 

sights and create mesmerising 

kaleidoscopic scenes that will enthral 

your viewer. Lakes, ponds and 

rivers often play the starring role in landscape 

photography, but there’s a difference between 

capturing the dynamic beauty of water and shooting 

a perfect reflection. To get the latter technique 

just right, you’ll need a fortuitous combination 

of certain conditions all at the same time. 

Shoot at dawn or dusk 

The rising and setting of the sun tends to produce 

the stillest waters of the day. This is because waves 

are caused by wind blowing over the water. During 

the daytime the sunlight warms up the land at 

an inconsistent rate to the lake. This difference 

in temperature causes wind. When the land and 

water are away from the sun they become the same 

temperature and the wind dies down. Shooting 

during the stillest parts of the day will not only 

give you a beautiful reflection, it also means that 

you’ll get to shoot an amazing sunrise or sunset. 

Use an app like PhotoPills to predict the 

movements of the sun and aim to get to your location 

half an hour before the sun moves above or below 

the horizon, as this will give you plenty of time to 

get set up. Ensure that you’re also checking the 

weather forecast. The maximum wind speed you can 

get away with will really only be a couple of miles 

an hour. If you can feel anything more than a light 

breeze in the air, then it’s not going to be your day! 

Break the rule-of-thirds 

Reflections work best when you lean into their 

symmetrical nature. The standard rule-of-thirds is 

typically a great device for landscape photography, 

but why not try a horizon that sits across the 

middle of the photo for even better reflections. 

Above While this 

shot uses a 

symmetrical 

middle horizon, 

it also employs 

the rule-of-thirds 

by placing the 

mountain on the 

left of the image. 

STILL BODIES OF WATER ARE 

ABLE TO CREATE MESMERISING 

KALEIDOSCOPIC SCENES... 


Creative Reflections 

NO FILTER 

WITH ND FILTER 

LOUISE CAREY 

Pro advice Improve your 

reflections with an ND filter 

TIP 

STAND IN 

THE WATER 

To get rid of any foreground, 

simply step into the water and 

wait a few minutes for the 

ripples to disappear 

before taking your 

shot. 

ACHIM THOMAE 

No matter how ardently 

the weather report 

promises something, we 

all know how contrary 

natural forces can be. 

It can be incredibly 

frustrating to arrive at an 

amazing location that’s 

soaking up the last 

embers of sunset, but 

rather than the still glass 

you were expecting 

you’re greeted with 

choppy waters. While 

an ND filter isn’t strong 

enough to protect against 

gale-force winds, it can 

smooth out those finer 

details and provide a 

milky surface for some 

brilliantly colourful 

reflections. Use a 10-stop 

ND filter, also called a 

Big Stopper, and mount 

it in onto your lens. The 

dark glass will cut out 

the amount of light 

hitting your sensor, 

which will mean that 

you can increase your 

shutter speed and 

smooth the water. If you 

want to intensify your 

reflection even more, 

ensure that you keep 

your tripod low to the 

ground. The lower the 

angle that your camera 

‘sees’ the surface of the 

water, the higher the 

percentage of reflected 

light. In other words, at a 

low angle, your chances 

of seeing the bottom of 

the lake 

are much 

slimmer than 

if you view it 

directly from above. 

Don’t forget that it’s 

absolutely essential that 

the scene above the 

water is visually dynamic 

for an interesting 

reflection to be possible. 

If the best your 

landscape has is some 

sparse shrubbery and an 

unattractive tree that’s 

seen better days, a 

reflection isn’t going to 

improve your shot. 

Bigger is truly better with 

this technique, so search 

for quirky structures or 

imposing mountains. 

Choose the correct settings for perfect reflections 

1 

Perfect your horizon 

Place your camera on a tripod. 

Some cameras have an electronic 

horizon option, which will tell you when 

you’ve got the landscape straight. If you 

don’t have this, use a hotshoe spirit level. 

2 

Set your focal length 

The majority of landscape 

photography requires a wide focal 

length like 20mm. Shoot in aperturepriority, 

then set your ISO to 100 and 

your aperture to f/16 for the best results. 

3 

Trigger your camera 

Even when your camera is on a 

tripod, you can still cause unwanted 

blur by manually pressing the shutter. 

Instead, use a remote trigger or shutter 

release cable to take your shot. 


PHOTOSHOPGENIUS... 

M 

OST DIGITAL IMAGES BENEFIT 

from sharpening, even those shot on 

the latest, high-resolution DSLRs. But 

while sharpening adds definition, it can’t return 

badly focused images to full clarity – sharpening 

adjustments are more about adding local contrast 

to firm up the details. 

Different amounts of sharpening are 

required for different images, and for different 

areas in the same image, so always sharpen 

on a Layer that’s a copy of the original. That 

way you can delete the effect where you don’t 

want it using the Eraser Tool (E) or a Layer 

Mask. Levels of sharpening also vary for 

prints and screen viewing – an image that 

looks over-sharp on screen may be fine or even 

not sharp enough, depending on the paper 

you’re using, so experimentation is key. 

When you’re starting out with Photoshop 

Elements you might use the most simple and 

automatic tools like the Enhance>Auto Sharpen 

option, or the Sharpen Tool (R), which works 

like a brush, sharpening whatever it touches. But 

both lack control, so here are three better ways... 

Sharpen with Unsharp Mask 

Go to Layer>Duplicate 

Layer... call it ‘Sharpen’ and 

hit OK. In the Layers palette 

you’ll now have a Layer 

ready to work on, so go to 

Enhance>Unsharp Mask. In 

the palette are three sliders, 

plus a preview window. Click 

in the window and you can 

toggle a before and after view. 

Start with Threshold, 

which governs the pixels to 

be sharpened. Low settings 

sharpen more pixels, so can 

make pics look noisy (2 to 

25 is better). Radius sets 

the width of the sharpening 

effect in pixels, so again is 

better at low settings like 2 or 

4. Amount sets the strength 

of the effect with 50-150% 

a good setting for most. 

If you see strong fringes 

around the details in the 

image you’ve gone too far. 

Above The settings in the 

Unsharp Mask panel can be 

tweaked to suit an image. 

Right Apply sharpening 

effects to a new Layer for 

a fully adjustable finish. 

TOO HIGH TOO LOW JUST RIGHT 

Above Set the strength of the 

sharpening, size of the affected 

edges and brightness changes. 

Above Different images require different amounts of sharpening, sympathetic to the details in the image. 


ELEMENTS STEP-BY-STEP 

Sharpen using Adjust Sharpness 

Enhance>Adjust Sharpness 

works like an advanced 

Unsharp Mask. The sliders 

give more control, with 

Amount and Radius working 

the same as the former option. 

The Remove option lets you 

sharpen in different styles. 

Gaussian Blur is the same 

as used in Unsharp Mask, 

but Lens Blur offers a finer 

effect allowing greater 

detail and less fringing. 

Motion Blur is for images 

that have been marred by 

camera movement, and won’t 

do much to regular shots. 

With this option you also set 

the angle to a similar direction 

as the blur. At the top of the 

palette you can save settings 

you like, so if you have one 

recipe for print and another 

for screen, record them there. 

GAUSSIAN BLUR MOTION BLUR LENS BLUR 

Above Use the sliders to set 

the amount of sharpening, 

and define the number of 

pixels it affects. 

Left The subject of an image 

will dictate which type of blur 

to use to get the best results, 

depending on the way the 

original image was shot. 

Targeting sharpness 

Different parts of a photo 

often need varying amounts 

of sharpening, but thanks to 

adding the effect with Layers 

(as above), you can put it right 

where it’s required. Here, 

I used the Enhance>Adjust 

Sharpness option to add two 

different strengths of 

sharpening (using Remove: 

Lens Blur) – one for the 

Foreground (300%) and one 

for the Background (500%). 

You can see how the two have 

been labelled in the palette, 

so it’s clear which is which. 

Next, I clicked on the 

Background Layer, then went 

to Layer>Layer Mask>Hide 

All. With a Hide All (black) 

mask added, the Background 

Layer’s sharpening is hidden, 

but you can bring it back just 

where it’s needed, by 

painting White into the Mask 

using the Brush Tool (B). I did 

the same for the Foreground 

Layer, painting white over the 

closest ships to add the 

sharpening there, but not to 

the sky in either case. Finally, 

if your sharpening is causing 

coloured fringes, click 

Normal in the palette and 

change its Blending Mode 

to Luminosity. 


Know Your Stuff 

IMAGE BROKER 

I’ve recently bought 

a 70-300mm lens to 

shoot wildlife, but 

why are some of my pics 

more blurry than those taken 

with my kit lens? 

Graham Bell, Canterbury 

Dan says: Telephoto lenses 

have the ability to magnify 

a scene and make faraway 

subjects, such as birds, appear 

much larger. Any lens with 

a focal length above 50mm 

on a full-frame camera is 

classed as telephoto, as 

these have a narrower, more 

‘zoomed-in’ angle-of-view 

than the human eye. 

The longer your focal 

length, the easier it is for 

camera shake to appear, as 

any tiny vibrations from 

handholding your camera 

become more apparent. But 

there’s an easy rule you can 

follow to stop this distracting 

blur from appearing. 

Left Take control of your 

shutter speed to stop camera 

shake when using a lens with 

a large focal length. 

Why are my telephoto pics blurry? 

The trick is to make 

sure your shutter speed is 

equal to, or higher than the 

‘reciprocal’ of your focal 

length. This means with a 

200mm lens you’ll need to 

shoot at 1/200sec or faster to 

get a sharp shot. Remember 

that on APS-C bodies, such 

as Nikon’s D3400, there’s a 

crop factor to think about, so 

be sure to use the reciprocal 

of the full-frame equivalent 

shutter speed by multiplying 

Above A slow shutter speed will 

record small vibrations from 

handholding, resulting in blurry 

camera shake. 

the lens’ focal length by 

1.5x first. For example, a 

200mm lens on a D3400 

effectively becomes 300mm, 

so you’ll need a shutter 

speed of at least 1/300sec. 

The rule gives the minimum 

shutter speed for a sharp 

shot, but shoot faster if you 

can. The technique only stops 

camera shake and not subject 

blur – for this your minimum 

shutter speed depends on the 

speed your subject is moving. 

Three ways to eliminate camera shake 

Watch your shutter speed 

To make sure your shutter speed is 

equal to, or greater than, the reciprocal 

of your focal length, use aperturepriority 

mode. Open up the aperture to 

let more light in. This may be f/4-5.6 on 

a 70-300mm, or f/2.8-4 on a 70-200mm. 

If the speed is still too slow, up the ISO. 

Frame up on a tripod 

Attaching your camera to the top-plate 

of a tripod is the best way to ensure a 

sharp shot. It eliminates camera shake, 

caused by your hands moving when 

shooting handheld. Be sure to engage 

the 2sec self-timer so you don’t jog the 

camera as you press the shutter button. 

Use image stabilisation 

If your camera has IS it’s worth switching 

it on when shooting handheld. It may be 

built into your camera body or lens, which 

can help get sharp shots when shooting 

at slower shutter speeds. But disable this 

feature when shooting on a locked-off 

tripod as, here, it can introduce blur. 


What do the buttons on 

my triggers do? 

I’m really getting into off-camera flash 

and have purchased a set of radio 

triggers. But I don’t know what all of 

the buttons do. Can you help? 

Jeremy Hill, London 

Tim says: Wireless flash triggers are an 

essential tool for all budding strobists. They 

allow you to fire a flashgun wirelessly away 

from the camera body so that the light 

isn’t striking the subject directly from the 

front. This allows for more creative and 

flattering light. Using larger trigger sets, 

you also can fire several flashguns at once 

from one transmitter, allowing for more 

advanced lighting patterns. Although 

some triggers are very basic, most offer a 

range of different functions. We explain 

the most commonly found features here, 

so you can unlock their full potential... 

Flash sync port 

Studio heads don’t have a 

hotshoe, but connect to the 

trigger via the Strobe Sync 

port. Most have a cable to do 

this, though, if not, you may 

need a 6.3mm jack adapter. 

Signal range 

Some cheaper triggers use 

an infrared signal, so only 

have a range of a few metres. 

Radio triggers are better as 

they work at 100m+, and 

don’t require line of sight. 

Indicator light 

R&T modes 

Triggers are Transmitters 

(T), which sit on the camera 

hotshoe, or Receivers (R), 

which connect to the 

flashgun. Transceivers 

both transmit and receive. 

A green light shows when your triggers 

are working and a red light tells you the 

trigger can’t connect to a flash to fire it. 

This will help you work out if there’s a 

fault, or a loose connection between 

trigger and flash. 

Test button 

Hit this button to check if 

all of your flashes are 

firing as you would expect 

them to. This is built into 

all good transmitters/ 

transceivers, so you can 

check this from your 

camera rather than going 

over to each flash to 

check they’re operating. 

Should I use my 

LCD at night? 

I love shooting night sky 

images, but every time I 

compose with the bright 

screen it’s hard to see in the dark 

again afterwards. Is there a way 

around this? 

Terry Hughes, Fakenham 

Louise says: The rear display has 

to be one of the most useful 

features on your camera – you can 

use it to compose shots, check 

settings and instantly play back 

your images. But a bright screen is 

a problem for astro-photographers 

because it affects night vision. In 

fact, once the human eye is 

adjusted to bright light conditions, 

it can take up to 30 minutes for 

optimal night vision to return. 

Your best bet is to go into the 

menu and adjust your LCD’s 

brightness down to its minimum 

setting. To do this on a Nikon 

DSLR, press Menu, go to the 

Setup tab, find Monitor brightness 

and set it to -5. On a Canon, go to 

the Settings Menu, choose LCD 

brightness, then turn it down to 

the lowest setting. 

You can also help to preserve 

night vision by using a torch with 

red light instead of white. In fact, 

one of the features of Nikon’s astro- 

DSLR, the D810a, is that it displays 

some LCD information in red. You 

can buy an astro torch online for a 

few pounds, or some headtorches 

have a red light option built in. 

NORTHERN NIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY 

Shutter/PC insert port 

This port is where you would tether a flash 

and trigger to your camera via a cable for 

local flash triggering. This is handy for 

holding your flashgun next to the camera 

with one hand, for a slightly off-camera 

angle, but is limited by the PC cable length. 

Channels & Groups 

Channels stop you firing the flashes of 

nearby photographers using identical 

triggers. If this happens, you simply select a 

different channel. Some models allow you to 

group your flashguns together so you can 

adjust settings for several at once. 

Above The brightness of most 

camera screens can be adjusted. 


Feedback 

Shooting at 

eye-level has 

made the pic 

intimate and 

engaging 

Portrait of a leopard 

by Athula Dissanayake 

During an early morning 

game drive in the Yala 

National Park, Sri Lanka, 

I spotted this big male 

leopard by the road. I 

anticipated some action, 

so I set up my Canon 70D and 500mm 

lens, and then waited. It eventually got 

up to stalk a buffalo calf, providing a 

frame-filling shot with an intense 

stare. I steadied the lens on a beanbag 

to reduce camera shake. In Photoshop 

I boosted the brightness, contrast and 

sharpening. 

500px.com/athuladis 

Dan says: It’s not every day that readers 

send in a picture of a leopard. Athula’s 

big cat has a piercing gaze, which is 

sure to turn heads. He focused on the 

eyes to make sure these were the focal 

point and they’re incredibly sharp. 

This is partly thanks to Athula’s first-rate 

camera gear, but also because he used 

a fast shutter speed and a beanbag to 

reduce camera shake. Getting down low 

to the leopard’s eye-level adds intimacy. 

Shooting from ground-level is the easiest 

way to make your wildlife pictures more 

engaging. It may mean getting muddy 

clothes, but it doesn’t cost a penny. 

There’s some fantastic bokeh 

(background blur) in this image, 

which is full of autumnal shades of 

Turn down the noise 

Canon 70D | 500mm | f/4.5 | 1/640sec | ISO 800 

brown and yellow. This complements 

the leopard’s coat to a tee. 

Although this picture is amazingly 

sharp, there’s a fair bit of digital noise. 

This may be because sharpening has been 

applied across the whole image, so the 

background noise has been sharpened 

too. In RAW editing software you can add 

a Sharpening Mask and Noise Reduction 

to make this less apparent (see panel). 

The leopard’s nearest eye falls in 

the middle of the shot, where the more 

reliable central active AF point was 

positioned. This has ensured the eye is 

in focus, though some additional ‘active’ 

space in front of the leopard would make 

for a stronger composition, giving the 

impression it has room to move in to. 

Digital noise is more obvious in pictures taken 

with a high ISO value. Reduce this in Lightroom 

by going to the Develop module and finding the 

Detail tab. Under Noise Reduction set the 

Luminance slider to 30 to remove noise across 

the whole pic. Set the Sharpening Amount to 50 

to bring back detail. Hold the Alt key down and 

adjust the Masking Slider. Tweak the slider until 

areas to sharpen are shown in white – this stops 

you from sharpening the background noise. 


This image 

has all of the 

elements 

needed to 

create a great 

landscape 

Deepdale 

by Steve Whitaker 

When I walked down this 

valley from St Sunday 

Crag in the Lake District 

a couple of years ago, I 

knew it had photographic 

potential. For this return 

visit, I arrived at sunrise to capture the 

moving water. To do this I set my 

camera up on a tripod and used a long 

shutter speed. The sun bathed the 

north-facing crags and some of these 

golden tones were reflected in the river. 

stevewhitakerphotography.co.uk 

Dan says: What a remarkable slice of 

countryside! The fluffy clouds, lush 

green valley, snow-capped mountains 

and rushing stream give this photo all 

of the elements required for a great 

landscape. The temptation would be to 

turn this landscape to mono, but I’m glad 

Steve kept the warm and gentle tones 

intact as they work fantastically well. 

While the light from the sunrise has 

hit the peak in the distance, the valley 

floor is still in shade, so the bottom half 

of the pic is much darker. This could 

have been remedied by using graduated 

ND filters at the time, but is also a 

simple fix in Photoshop (see panel). 

A shutter speed of 0.6sec was used 

to capture a rush of movement in the 

water. The cascading water on the rocks 

mid-stream looks like mini waterfalls. 

Having these larger in the frame could 

make the foreground interest stronger. 

You could physically get closer with a good 

set of wellies and a sturdy tripod (only 

traverse shallow areas of the stream), 

but if you don’t want to risk your camera 

gear getting wet, use a longer lens such as 

a 35mm to zoom in, which would make 

the rocks appear larger in the frame. 

This is a beautiful corner of the country 

and Steve’s commitment to get up early 

and shoot the sunrise has paid off. 

Nikon D800 | 20mm | f/11 | 0.6sec | ISO 100 

Selectively brighten with Levels 

It’s not uncommon for areas 

of a photograph to look too 

dark or bright, but it’s easy to 

fix in Photoshop. Click on the 

Create new fill or adjustment 

layer icon and choose Levels 

from the list that appears. 

There are three sliders under 

the Levels histogram. Drag 

the middle Midtones and 

right Highlights sliders 

towards the left a little to 

brighten the whole picture. 

When you’re done, hit Ctrl+I 

to turn the Layer Mask totally 

black, then use a soft white 

Brush Tool to paint over your 

foreground to lighten it. 


GetIntoGear 

#10 

#9 

LEICA 

Leica has a reputation for topquality 

cameras and top prices too. 

The TL costs a cool £1450, but this 

is affordable for a Leica camera – 

the M costs £5000 and the SL, £5870. 

The TL is identical in size to the T, 

which it replaces, though its edges 

are now slightly chamfered (sloping). 

Its internal memory has been doubled 

to 32GB and it has the same 16MP 

APS-C sensor as the T. It’s not the 

highest resolution, but this could mean 

cleaner pictures at high ISOs. There 

are six TL (APS-C) optics available and 

seven SL (full-frame) lenses for the 

T mount. But with lens prices starting 

at £1280, you’ll need deep pockets. 

A large 3.7in touchscreen sits on 

the back, though it’s surrounded 

by a large border, so doesn’t make 

the most of this space. Adjusting 

settings relies predominantly on finger 

gestures and tapping to navigate the 

user-friendly touch menu system. 

Dials and buttons are sparse, 

but this lo-fi approach gives it a 

very modern feel. Leica is keen 

to stress a better performance 

in the continuous AF mode. 

There’s no built-in electronic 

viewfinder, but an optional Visoflex 

hotshoe EVF is available for £360. 

The TL looks sublime, but its 

5fps burst rate and lack of 4K 

video hinder its value for money. 

uk.leica-camera.com 

Above The TL is 

machined from a 

single block of 

aluminium for a 

simple, clean look. 

PROS 

Solid build 

Large 

touchscreen 

Looks great 

CONS 

Screen can’t be 

flipped or tilted 

EVF costs extra 

5fps max burst 

No 4K video 

SPEC 

Sensor size: 

APS-C 

Pixels: 16MP 

OLYMPUS 

TL £1450 PEN-F £999 

The Pen-F takes full advantage of its 

mirrorless design by being one of the 

lightest and most portable cameras 

on test. Its Micro Four Thirds sensor 

is smaller than an APS-C chip, but 

its maximum resolution of 20.3MP 

is very respectable. Adding to this, 

the whole sensor is stabilised on 

5 axis, so camera shake can be 

reduced with any lens you attach. 

Inside, you’ll find a TruePic VII 

processor, which will fire off RAWs 

at 10fps – twice as fast as Leica’s 

TL. The autofocus is limited to just 

contrast detect, but the 3in LCD has 

touch functionality, so you can tap it 

to quickly place the active point. You 

can also bunch AF points into a group 

of nine, which is great for tracking 

fast-moving subjects. The resolution 

of the screen is fairly low at 1037k-dot, 

but it can be flipped out and tilted to 

help you frame up. The EVF is detailed 

and offers an alternative to the LCD. 

The Pen-F is speedy, shooting as 

quick as 1/8000sec, though it’s not 

the fastest on test. There’s no pop-up 

flash, but an external FL-LM3 hotshoe 

flashgun is included. Built-in Wi-Fi 

allows shooting through a smartphone 

and movies can be recorded in 

Full HD. Sadly, there’s no 4K. 

The Pen-F is a great budget option 

packed with features and retro charm. 

olympus.co.uk 

Above Styled 

around the 1963 

film Pen-F SLR, 

this camera has 

loads of character. 

PROS 

Stabilised 

sensor 

Flip-out screen 

Clear EVF 

Retro charm 

CONS 

No 4K video 

No NFC 

Small MFT 

sensor 

SPEC 

Sensor size: 

Micro Four Thirds 

Pixels: 20.3MP 

RATING 

RATING 


MIRRORLESS CAMERAS UNDER £1500 

#8 #7 

PA NASONIC 

A large build and chunky handgrip 

give the GH4R excellent handling. 

It can shoot at a respectable 12fps 

– a feat unmatched even by top 

APS-C DSLRs. One downside is 

its 16.05MP resolution, which falls 

behind many of its rivals. That said, 

the GH4R can impressively record 

4K footage internally, which is 

a huge must for videographers. 

Its 3in screen is a joy to use and 

the touch interface is very intuitive. 

It’s a little low in resolution at 

1036k-dot, but can be flipped out 

and rotated. Tapping to set the active 

AF point is quick and you can resize 

the point by pinching the screen too. 

The Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) is 

really clear and responsive, and makes 

the GH4R feel more like a DSLR. 

It also has a sensor that engages 

it when brought up to eyelevel. 

The autofocus system is contrast 

detect, though this is very speedy 

at acquiring a subject, thanks to 

its Depth from Defocus (DFD) 

technology. We noted a small amount 

of hunting when searching for focus 

on a subject with low contrast. 

The GH4R is not the most 

portable camera here, but it has 

some brilliant features and similar 

handling to a DSLR. It’s a solid 

choice for videographers. 

panasonic.com/uk 

Above Chunky 

buttons and dials 

are found all over 

the GH4R, making 

it easy to set up. 

PROS 

Tilt touch LCD 

4K video 

12fps RAW 

shooting 

Wi-Fi & NFC 

CONS 

Quite large for a 

mirrorless camera 

Resolution is 

fairly low at 16MP 

SPEC 

Sensor size: 

Micro Four Thirds 


FUJIFILM 

GH4R £999 X-PRO2 £1349 

Fujifilm’s flagship CSC, the X-Pro2, 

comes packed with features. The 

2nd generation model comes with an 

APS-C sensor and sees a resolution 

increase of 51%, taking it to 24.3MP. 

The 3in 1620k-dot LCD has an 

incredible level of detail. But it’s 

fixed in place, so cannot be tilted 

or rotated. It also omits touch 

functionality. The Advanced Hybrid 

Viewfinder performs well and is 

also highly detailed at 2360k-dot. 

The autofocus is now an Intelligent 

Hybrid AF system with phase and 

contrast detect for faster subject 

acquisition. It has more AF points, 

a total of 77, but this is fairly scant 

compared to the likes of the α6500, 

which has 425 phase detect points. 

The X-Processor Pro engine 

grants a top burst speed of 8fps. 

This would be considered quick in 

the DSLR realm, but there are faster 

CSCs on test, such as Fujifilm’s 14fps 

X-T2 and Sony’s 11fps α6500. 

Wi-Fi is included and a secondary 

SD slot is a good addition, though 

a tiltable touchscreen or 4K video 

would be more useful for most 

scenarios, so Fujifilm’s X-T2 may be 

the better choice. Admittedly, the 

X-T2 doesn’t have the rangefinderstyle 

retro charm, so you’ll have to 

weigh up substance against style. 

fujifilm.eu/uk 

Above The top is 

reminiscent of old 

film cameras with 

chunky knobs, 

buttons and dials. 

PROS 

APS-C sensor 

High resolution 

Dual SD slots 

Viewfinder 

CONS 

No 4K video 

LCD has no 

touch functionality 

LCD cannot be 

tilted or rotated 

SPEC 

Sensor size: 

APS-C 


RATING 

RATING

Practical Photography

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