51 minutes OF VIDEO The definitive guide to SLR & CSC photography

shooting stars Your astrophotography guide The Milky Way Star trails The ISS Meteor showers The moon

Nikon D850 vs Fujifilm GFX 50S

free! With this issue TESTED Sony A9

Is this camera a game changer?

162-PAGE CAMERA GUIDE INTERVIEW Expert Buying advice Will Burrard-Lucas

ALSO INSIDE TIM FLACH INTERVIEW Lighting kits tested

on nocturnal wildlife

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E v e ry t h i n g y o u n e e d t o k n o w a b o u t p h o t o g ra p h y i n 1 5 6 pa g e s !

45 70

Reader shootout Embleton Bay

Editor Ben Brain meets two competitive readers at ‘the rocks of death’ on England’s northeast coast for a spectacular contest

ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALYN WALLACE

Shoot for the moon and capture the wonders of the stars, meteor showers and the Milky Way

94

INTERVIEW TIM FLACH

Fine-art photographer Tim has turned his passion project into an extraordinary book of endangered animals and habitats

ENTER OUR AMAZING COMPETITIONS Total prize pool worth over £12,000!

Photographer of the Year 2018 120 Our amazing photo competitions, Digital Camera’s Photographer of the Year and Young Photographer of the Year, offer fantastic prizes and prestige

SEE PAGE 76 www.digitalcameraworld.com 

Group test LIGHTING KITS

Flash kits are essential for portrait photography – so we’ve found the best for both studio use and shoots on location JANUARY 2018

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SE C TIO N HE A D

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Welcome to the January 2018 issue of Digital Camera

This MONTH’S STAR CONTRIBUTORS…

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F

irst... Here’s to a jolly, fun-filled festive season from me and the Digital Camera team! We’re thrilled this issue to announce the winners of the first two rounds of our Photographer of the Year competition. Congratulations to all who entered: it really was a tough job judging so many fabulous images. There’s still plenty of time to enter the remaining rounds – and remember to use the discount code DCPOTY1850 for half-price entry. If you’re 25 or under, you’ll get one entry free! There are some amazing prizes up for grabs. Turn to page 76 for full details and to see the winning images so far. You may have noticed that there’s a useful little lens cleaning brush with this issue (UK edition only) and a 2018 wall planner featuring the stunning cover shot by Alyn Wallace. To find out how to shoot astro photography yourself, check out Alyn’s great feature on page 45. Enjoy!

Ben Brain Editor, Digital Camera

Save up to 49% on a subscription this season Check out our spectacular offers See page 24 * For new subscribers

Astro photo guide ALYN WALLACE

Stepping out into the dark, Alyn shares advice for astro photography

26

Pattern PROJECT JAMES STANFORD

The artist shares how he creates his intricate mandala images

94

The big interview Tim Flach

Fine-art photographer Tim on his passion for photographing animals

138

LIGHTROOM skills Sean McCormack

The Lightroom pro shows us how to retain huge detail and tonal range

8

HOTSHOTS dPS exhibition

See the very best shots from the Disabled Photographers’ Society

86

Photo answers Andrew James

Our pro advises on the best kit for your needs, and how to use it well

103

The perimeter Quintin Lake

It’s out into the countryside as Quintin meets some friendly folk

142

ARTIST INSIGHT James ABBOTT

Expert in all things Photoshop, James explains the power of Curves

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F R EE GI F TS E v e ry i s s u e w e b r i n g y o u m o r e fr e e b i e s t h an any o t h e r p h o t o m a g az i n e !

162-page buyers’ guide ebook

watch video www.bit.ly/ dc198video

If you’re after some new kit this year, you won’t want to miss your free Camera Shopper ebook, with the best buying advice around. Download the PDF now via www.bit.ly/cshopper17

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Whenever you see these logos on a page in the magazine, you can find related content online

Watch these videos via www.bit.ly/dc198video

Photoshop masterclass

LIGHTROOM Skills

Paint with light the digital way: combine and colourise multiple shots to create amazing light paintings See page 132

Merge bracketed exposures into to an HDR file without losing access to Lightroom’s full raw editing toolset See page 138

TOOL SCHOOL (1)

TOOL SCHOOL (2)

Correct white balance and fix colour casts with Photoshop; you can even apply changes to multiple files at once See page 140

Correct white balance and fix colour casts with Photoshop; you can even apply changes to multiple files at once See page 140

ARTIST INSIGHT

Creative Spotlight

The Curves Adjustment Layer is a powerful tool, opening up precise control of brightness, contrast, even special effects See page 142

With useful templates and effects, the New Document Dialog in Photoshop does much more than you think... See page 146

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JANUARY 2018

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SECTION HEAD

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C O N TE N TS

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Print 26,706 Digital 5,161 Jan–Dec 2016 A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations

Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA Editorial +44 (0)1225 442244 • www.digitalcameraworld.com Subscriptions and Customer Services +44 (0)1604 251 045

I t ’ s an o t h e r ja m - pac k e d i s s u e

EXPERT Photo ADVICE

8 Hotshots

82 Portfolio

18 In Focus 26 Photo Projects

86 Photo Answers

Enjoy photos from the Disabled Photographers’ Society 2017 exhibition

Get up to speed with photo news

Find fresh inspiration in these magical, fun and creative project ideas

45

Astro photography

There’s a star man waiting in the sky, he’s told us not to blow it, so we think we’ll use this guide

58 62 Image Analysis 70 Reader Shootout Back to Basics

We explain lens adapters

How three shots pack a punch

Come to the coast with us and two readers for a photo head-to-head

76 POTY 2018

See the winning travel and black-and-white shots from our contest

Discover student photographer Molly Budd’s bold portraiture project

Your kit and technique queries answered by Andrew James

94 Interview

We pit the mediumformat Fujifilm GFX 50S against the full-frame Nikon D850. Which will win this all-star battle?

103

Advertising Media packs are available on request

The Perimeter

Commercial director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com Senior advertising sales manager Sasha McGregor sasha.mcgregor@futurenet.com Account director Matt Bailey matt.bailey@futurenet.com

104 107 Kit Zone 131 Digital Darkroom

International Digital Camera is available for licensing. Contact the International department to discuss partnership opportunities

Bluffer’s Notes

All about Annie Leibovitz

Big stars and new kit on test

Master HDR, mockup pro products, fix white balance and more

154 Desert Island DSLR Fine-art photographer Jim Naughten spills his secrets

120 Lighting kits

These all-singing flash kits for studio set-ups and portable kits for use

Free gift when you subscribe PAGE 24 JANUARY 2018

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on location will provide flattering lighting

cases 128 Card & wallets Memory cards playing hide and seek? Keep them safe and sorted with these card cases and wallets

Comfort, practicality, versatility and price are

D i g i t a l C a m e ra

Photography Bath Photo Studio All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected

Quintin is enticed inland by the pull of England’s highest peak

118 Photo backpacks

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Contributors James Abbott, Jon Adams, David Clark, Lottie Davies, Paul Gallagher, Andrew James, Quintin Lake, Sean McCormack, Catherine Fitzpatrick, Jason Parnell-Brookes, James Paterson, Matthew Richards, Lauren Scott, Ella Taylor, Alyn Wallace Cover image Alyn Wallace

key considerations as we test six great options for carrying your kit

108

Group editor in chief Chris George chris.george@futurenet.com Senior art editor Rebecca Shaw rebecca.shaw@futurenet.com

Tim Flach tells us how and why he photographed endangered species

Latest CAMERAS AND GEAR

Mediumformat vs full-frame DSLR

Editorial Editor Ben Brain ben.brain@futurenet.com Contributing editor Marcus Hawkins marcus.hawkins@futurenet.com Art editor Roddy Llewellyn richard.llewellyn@futurenet.com Operations editor Richard Hill richard.hill@futurenet.com Online editor Matt Golowczynski matt.golowczynski@futurenet.com Head of testing Rod Lawton rod.lawton@futurenet.com Imaging labs manager Ben Andrews ben.andrews@futurenet.com

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HOT S HOT S S h o t s F R O M TH E D I S A B L E D P HOTO G R A P H E R S ’ S O C I E T Y 2 0 1 7 e x h ibi t i o n

SEND US YOUR SHOTS Your photograph could appear here! Send your best recent shot to digitalcamera @futurenet.com (subject line: Hotshots)

SCOTT SINDEN

ENGLISH STONECROP OVER BEDRUTHAN STEPS, CORNWALL “The stonecrop over the Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall was taken on holiday with a group of photographer friends in June. We shortlisted this National Trust location due to its disabled access and accessible paths and stunning rugged Cornish landscape; I was not  disappointed!” Kit Nikon D800 with 16-35mm f/4 lens, Lee Little Stopper, Lee .6 Hard Grad and Lee 105mm Circular Polariser Exposure 25 sec at ISO 100, f/11

HOT HOTSSHOT HOTSS

ROY HODGKISS WINDOW CLEANER “The window cleaner at our bungalow is actually my brother-in-law.” Kit Bronica ETRSi with Ilford FP4 125 ISO film

SCOTT SINDEN SHADOWS ON THE WALL “This was a Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Creative Dance Lighting Workshop with Jon Gray, FBIPP, held at Square 1 Studios, Leigh. This studio is wheelchair-accessible. It’s a great one-day course, using various modifiers and lighting techniques to create some great poses, with Jon on hand to offer advice and help.” Kit Nikon D800 with 105mm f/2.8 lens Exposure 1/125 sec at f/8, ISO 100 10

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JANUARY 2018

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HOT HOTSSHOT HOTSS

FRANCIS PRINCIPE-GILLESPIE INFO EXCHANGE “I had wanted to take this picture for weeks! Trying out a faulty manual 14mm rectilinear lens with aperture controlled by a bit of wire drilled through the housing, I finally got the chance to take this in the small hours on an uncharacteristic cloud-free night. It was taken in Cleish, a small hamlet near Kinross.” 12

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JANUARY 2018

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