Nature Photo Magazine 2012/2

summer / 2012/2.

nature photo magazine

ÂŽ

online photo magazine

travel | wildlife | landscape | people-cultures | test

summer photography | Tips and tricks Nikon D800 / D800 E | Field test INDIA | People-cultures-cities

Welcome Dear Reader, In our summer issue 2012/2 we are the first to report the field tests of two new camera shells Nikon D800 E and D800.

Our magazine is three years old now and this is our twelfth issue. I must admit I would not thought it at the start. The digital development has not stopped, in fact it is just beginning to gain ground in Hungary now, so our editorial team has decided to make prescription for the magazine possible in iPad and Android formats. But we do not want to offer a traditional PDF reader interface to our readers but a fully interactive content with advertisements. Of course, our present online magazine remains free, only a simple registration needed by the reader.

The downloadable version, which can be prescribed in the DIMAG system, offers many advantages. For instance , you do not have to have a permanent Internet access as you can take the digital interactive issues of Nature Photo Magazine wherever you want. Moreover, soon all the previous issues of the magazine will be available retrospectively with more content and photos and many interactive options.

In our coming issues we place a special emphasis on the Android and iPad versions.

A foretaste of our coming issue: „Our adventure tour”: in the East-Africa series now we give an insight into the wildlife of the famous Masai Mara National Park through the photos of Anikó Imre and Tamás Imre and their travel mates.

We tried out the Nikon D800 and D800 E camera bodies , we wore the latter out for more than a week in Toscana.

In the “Tips and Tricks” column László Suhayda and Árpád Krivánszky give helpful advices for summer photography.

Béla Szabó provides help for the processing of black and white pictures.

We welcome in our “Portfolio” column Ferenc Somodi, a well-known nature photographer who has participated in several national and international photo competitions.

In our “Life under water” column photographer Dániel Selmeczi draws our attention to the tiny creatures of diving photography - through his wonderful pictures we can have an insight into the secrets of underwater macro photography.

Rajasthan was the destination in the present article of the “People, Cultures and Cities” column: “A glance at India”. Desert, camels, people, cranes and the unforgettable train journey in India through the pictures of Anikó imre, Tamás Imre and the video film of Pál Teravágimov.

Please receive our twelfth issue with love, even in iPad and Android version as well!

Tamás Imre Editor-in-Chief

Photo: © Tamás Imre Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 200 mm f/2 L IS USM 1/80sec f/16 ISO 100

Photo adventures

18 East Africa, Part 2.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, EF 200 mm f/2 L IS USM 1/200 sec f/8 ISO 400 Field test nikon d800 / D800 e

6

We have just finished the test of Nikon D4 and now here comes another novelty, Nikon D800, moreover, not just one but two versions of it. Unfortunately I could not test the two bodies at the same time but only in two different environments.

However, I still had plenty of opportunities to try them out.

I had the Nikon D800 for four days in the famous Ramsoms meadow of Somogy county where I could check out the strengths of the 36-megapixel resolution.

portfolio - ferenc somodi

38

I was born in 1975, in KecskemĂŠt, I grew up on a farm where I still live with my wife and two children. I work here on the farm, I am a qualified agricultural engineer. I have been watching every moments of the nature since my childhood and nature became the part of my life early. I have been doing nature photography since the age of 14, in every free minutes of my life.

A glance at india, part 4

60

Rajasthan cannot be compared to other states of India, its colourful palaces and rich wildlife are unique. Jaipur is the capital city of the province and among the most famous places is Jodhpur, one of the three kingdoms of the Thar Desert. We took our equipments and set off the next part of our series. Rajasthan cannot be compared to other states of India, its colourful palaces and rich wildlife are unique.

© Anikó Imre

Tips and tricks - Summer photos

82

life underwater

90

interesting places SZEPESSÉG - slovakia

30

photo school

black and white

54

interview István Kerekes M.

Summer is not one of our favorite shooting seasons.

Only through painful efforts can the sun be beaten which reaches the high skies in no time changing its light to bluish-white with contrasts becoming deep along with shadows becoming very short. In the sticky conditions the colors of landscapes get lost in the blue fog even in a medium distance.

I have been thinking seriously over the years that the future is unfortunately not about the “big-fish” dives.

Most of the divers always want to see something HUGE under the water. Dolphins, barracudas, sharks, we could say it does not matter what but it must be something BIG. But after hundreds of dives it gradually begins to change...

100

Field Test

Nikon d800 / D800 E

We have just finished the test of Nikon D4 and now here comes another novelty, Nikon D800, moreover, not just one but two versions of it. Unfortunately I could not test the two bodies at the same time but only in two different environments. However, I still had plenty of opportunities to try them out.

I had the Nikon D800 for four days in the famous Ramsoms meadow of Somogy county where I could check out the strengths of the 36-megapixel resolution. I received a Nikkor 12-24 mm lens for the test. And I could take the Nikon D800 E camera with me to the fantastic land of Tuscany, in Italy in the company of a Nikkor f/2,8 400 mm VR. For one or two city photos my travel mate lent me a 8 mm DX fisheye lens.

Technological novelties The soul of Nikon D800 is a 36,3-megapixel FX format (full-frame) CMOS-sensor. Presently this is the highest resolution DSLR on the market. So far such mobility at so high resolution has not been available. Moreover, the CMOS-sensor applies a technology through which we can achieve better details and saturation. I do not describe the AF system now as I did it in the previous issue at the Nikon D4 camera body test and the two cameras are basically equal in this field.

Nikon secures a shutter life-cycle of 200,000 exposures but of course it can be even more.

The HDR function is also available here, and it made me especially happy as high resolution can be fully exploited primarily in landscape photography.

The test The Nikon D800 arrived in our editorial first and I immediately took it with me to the famous ramsons woods in Somogy. I went there because Ramsons (or wild garlic) flowers blooms usually in early May when all the forests is full of these flowers. The best way to photograph millions of Ramsons flourishing in the nice and clearer woodlands is to compose them into a landscape. I was curious of many things but first I checked up the resolution. The details of pictures speak for themselves, and that is exactly what a nature photographer interested in.

For that reason we have to consider carefully what to shoot as any tiny flaw can easily be seen.

Nikon D800

100% zoom

Nikon D800 E

Photography in the woods has always been a difficult task but HDR function helps a lot and can be set as follows. First we have to set the format of the image file to TIFF or JPG. This is necessary for using this function as it is not available in RAW format. First I found it strange, although it is logical as to make HDR, i.e. high dynamic range pictures can only possible in a final image file formats. After setting we can select the difference of light values which can be 1 LV, 2 LV or 3 LV. In this case the camera does several exposures one after the other, then it summarizes the differences of light intensity and puts the shady and highlighted fields in one photo. Many landscape photographers dream about a higher dynamic range which still produce photo realistic pictures. It cannot be seen at first glance that it is a HDR photo, it rather looks like a picture taken with an exact exposure by a landscape photographer.

Of course, HDR pictures always must be taken from a tripod, since the frame moves it will result in a blurred picture. During the analysis of the ready pictures the forests and the plants appeared with fantastic richness of details.

My other test subject, Nikon D800 E travelled with me to Tuscany. I do not have to mention that it was an excellent test opportunity as in that region we often need long focal-length telephoto lens to cover hundreds of metres and in such cases even the atmospheric flaws can be seen in the high-resolution pictures. This is a real challenge, but before analysing the result it is worth learning the difference between the two camera bodies. The optical filter of Nikon D800 E does not include anti-aliasing, so the low-pass filter works differently than at the D800 model. The point of that is that because of the very high resolution D800 was equipped with - to reduce colour distortion and moirĂŠ effect - a low-pass filter which corresponds to normal resolution. The D800 E does not include it, so it can produce the sharpest image possible but we have to be very careful at those themes in which colour distortion can occur.

The solution is to use only the best quality Nikon lenses, which are able to eliminate colour distortion by built-in glass lenses. The result speaks for itself: we receive such line sharpness in the ready pictures which is suitable for any purpose. Except for the optical filter, every other function equals to those of D800.

Nikon D800 E

Nikon D800

100% zoom

Nikon D800 E

Nikon D800 E - DX format with Fisheye lens

The ISO sensivity was intensely debated among photographers, namely, how would so many pixels in such a sensor work in higher ISO range.

The ISO-range of D800 can be set between 100 and 6400. During the test at ISO 100 to 400 there was no noise at all, at ISO 800 to 1600 noise was negligible but at ISO 3200 noise appears.

At ISO 6400 it only gave proper result by compression. Compared to Nikon D4 this camera provides one or two light value less at 100 % resolution. But now comes the point: if we compress a higher range, say ISO 3200, image to half of its pixels than noise will be reduced exponentially. But where do you have to photograph with such sensitivity? Higher ISO sensitivity is primarily used by theatre, wedding and report photographers who do not publish their pictures on euro posters.

It is OK in DX size too I had the chance to photograph with one of my friend’s DX-sized 8 mm fisheye in a little and intimate Tuscan town. If we set the menu to recognise the lens, it will automatically switch to DX-format. It was interesting to see a smaller square within the full frame which shows the DX-format. We could use this on Nikon FX cameras too, but now it really makes sense as the resolution of the pictures at this function is 18-megapixel which is sufficient for a general picture. At first it was a bit strange but I got used to it in about ten minutes.

I processed the pictures with Nikon Capture NX and Adobe Lightroom softwares and I only adjusted contrast, sharpness and saturation, nothing else.

Nikon D800 E - DX format with Fisheye lens

Overall, both Nikon D800 and D800E DSLR camera bodies come with FX sensors and an incredible resolution. Those who only want to do landscape photography can feel free to choose D800E. We recommend it for everybody who wants to fulfill his or her dreams.

We would like to thank Nikon Ltd for the long test opportunity.

Tester: TamĂĄs Imre

Photo adventure

East-Africa (Masai Mara National Park, Kenya) Part 2 In the previous part we introduced the Nakuru National Park to you, and now we invite you to the Masai Mara plain of Kenya.

On the plain interspersed with acacia trees, where the endless sea of grass waves in the wind, flocks of lions live and hunt for the gnus which return there every year. The area of Kenya’s most popular national park is about 1510 km2. It offers an excellent opportunity to get familiar with the wildlife of Africa, and we can also watch the great migration here. The area which surrounded by the rivers Mara and Talek, holds the most diverse animal population in Africa.

© Péter Tellér Nikon D300S, Nikkor 600mm f/4+1.4x 1/320 sec f/4 ISO 200

We can watch and photograph enormous number of game in the reserve: almost one million gnus, half a million gazelles and zebras and ten thousands of impalas live here providing sufficient food supply for lions, leopards and cheetahs. One who has ever been touched

by Africa, never forgets the visit here.

Man comes to this land to be purified.

George Schaller naturalist wrote about this place: “Experiencing the calm pace of life revives our torn souls and brings back the feeling of bonding with nature. No one can return from the Serengeti or Masai Mara without being changed since the sight of the yellowbrownish lions forever imprinted on our souls and the huge herds flood our imagination.�

Masai Mara National Park In the second part of our series we would like to show you the game population of Masai Mara reserve giving an unforgettable adventure to you. As we mentioned before any time of the year is worth visiting but the most favourable period is from July to September and from February to May. The main target of our expedition was to photograph the herds of gnus of Masai Mara.

Sticking to the designated roads is taken the most seriously in this national park. We chose our jeeps the way that four photographer was seated in one car, although these cars normally can seat nine. You have to take bean bags, video head and stabilised lenses for the trip.

We have to skip the breakfast time in the lodge otherwise we would waste the most beautiful lights and the predators attack the most at dawn when the weather is suitably cool so they could use their energy the most efficiently.

We went out to the filed at 5 in the morning with equipments and desire for adventure.

Our team set off with three Land Rovers to the pitch dark savanna. Besides the voices of hyenas and lions we could almost hear the scream of their prey in the dark. We could not wait for the dawn as we were on the spot in vein if the sensors of our cameras are not set on darkness.

© Tamás Imre Canon EOS 7D, EF 200 mm f/2 L IS USM 1/250 sec f/9 ISO 320

© László Somosi Nikon D700, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4

1/50 sec f/11 ISO 800

© Anikó Imre Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS USM

1/15 sec f/32 ISO100

When we were starting to see, we spotted a mating lion couple. The male and the female copulates dozens of times in this 4-5 days period to achieve success but the penetration of the male is not painless so their ritual wedding associated with howling and snarling.

The next moment a cheetah seized its prey, a young gnu. Life is balanced on a knifeedge here and for the one who relaxes only for a moment not too much time left to live. When the sun rose we could see the multitudes of the inhabitants of the savanna, the groups in the infinite plain reminded us playgrounds for kids.

Zebras are close to each other and always fight for the favours of the mares, while the herds of impalas walk graciously scattered around the clearer, free spaces but taking care of each other. The eat like this: two or three chews, then they look around, then chewing again and looking around again. This permanent sense of danger mostly due to the leopards, lions and cheetahs but there are also smaller groups of jackals, servals, wildcats, hyenas and wild dogs around.

During the day it is worth going back to the hostel or to a picnic site and wait until 3 in the afternoon, then set off again for the rest of the day. It is highly important to stay in the park until sunset as lights at that time are the most beautiful.

But can be done only for those who hold a permission as the basic rule is that by 6 pm you have to leave the reserve. Do not be afraid to shoot but be cautious.

Herds and predators are used to the sights of the jeeps. But to disturb an attack or a river crossing just to take better pictures is not only unethical but results in heavy penalties. From their Ranger cars the guards on duty watch the cars of the safaris permanently, at first they only give a warning, but sometimes they impose severe fines.

© Tamás Imre Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS USM 1/100 sec f/4 ISO 800

© László Gelesz Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 OS 1/250 sec f/2.8 ISO 800

© Gábor Lukács

Nikon D3, Nikkor 500mm f/4 VR 1/1000 sec f/5 ISO 640

0

© Tamás Imre Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 IS USM 1/400 sec f/5 ISO 640

0

© Gábor Lukács

Nikon D3, Nikkor 500mm f/4 VR 1/800 sec f/4 ISO 400

It is a huge adrenalin bomb to see and photograph so many animals live, such as a cheetah eating its food then scavengers fight for the leftovers, struggling for survival.

It was a fantastic experience to photograph the wildlife of Masai Mara that close up. We spent a whole week in God’s Garden of Eden, an unforgettable experience.

Text: Tamás Imre Photo: Anikó Imre and Tamás Imre

Planning Place: East Africa, Kenya.

Accessibility: From the airport of Nairobi (Kenya).

What to shoot: predator mammals, millions of herbivores, birds and landscapes.

What to take with us: wide-angle lens, minimum 300 mm telephoto lens with 1,4x teleconverter if possible, tripod, ND graduated filter, memory cards and batteries as much as possible.

Accommodation: The Masai Mara reserve offers a wide range of accommodation of different categories suit any requirements.

The best time to go: from July to September and from February to May, but you can photograph nice themes all year round.

© Zoltán Laki Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM

1/1000

0 sec f/4.5 ISO 640

© Pál Teravágimov Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS USM 1/13 sec f/7.1 ISO 400

© Zala Péter

Interesting places

SZEPES COUNTY THE TREASURE CHEST OF SLOVAKIA The Szepesség (Spiš in Slovakian) is really gifted with wonderful and varied beauties of nature. It is bordered with the mighty and mysterious peaks of the High-Tátra from the north, the Lőcsei Mountains with the famous Branyiszkó from the east, the Szepes-Gömöri Ore Mountains (Slovenské rudohorie) and the fantastic cliffs and canyons of the neighbouring Slovakian Paradise (Káposztafalvi Mountains) from the south.

Its western hills are the part of the European Watershed.

Fuji Finepix S2 Pro Voigtlander 19-35mm 1/4 sec f/13

The rivers of Szepesség run towards the north and the east, while those of Liptó run towards the west. The spine of Szepes County is made up by the rivers Hernád and Poprád, and the Poprád is the only river of Slovakia which runs towards the north, to the Baltic Sea. The rivers with their newly cleared water attract anglers.

The Tátra Mountains call for skiers in winter and hikers all year round. Not only the Slovakian Paradise but the Magurántúl (Zamagurie) and Pieninek are equally attract tourists. This region is cut in two by the river Dunajec where rafting is a centuriesold tradition. Today it is an excellent tourists attraction. At the bank of the river is the famous Red Monastery which was established by the Carthusian monks in the early 14th century. The local people speak the Gorale dialect and have a rich folklore.

The Ore Mountains provided livelihood for the locals for centuries by mining and processing precious metal, copper and iron. Its coniferous forests which cover a significant area of Szepesség, offer touristic fascinating sights besides the livelihood of local people. The mountain glades and meadows are used for sheep and cow grazing in the summer, and serve the snow sports in the winter. Szepesség is a haven for numerous protected plants and animals, it is testified by several conservation districts and three national parks: The Tátra, the Pienini and the Slovakian Paradise National Park. Szepesség was always inhabited by different ethnics and nationalities with different religions, more and less peacefully.

People of Slavic origins have lived here for a long time and gives the majority of the inhabitants. From the 12th century German settlers arrived who received privileges from the Hungarian kings and as a result - plenty of free royal cities and villages were established with significant strata of craftsmen and merchants. They were the Saxons of Szepes. Certainly the border guards were also settled here by the Hungarian kings in the 12th century.

Canon EOS 5D, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM 1/8 sec f/14 ISO 100

Canon EOS 5D, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM 1/25 sec f/8 ISO 100

The dialect of the Gorals who live on the northern edge of the region is similar to the Polish language. From the 14th centura the highlying areas were populated by Ruthenian and Ukrainian immigrants. Besides their language and culture, they also brought their Eastern Christian religion in. The Szepes County is a very rich treasure chest of historical and artistic values at the same time. In every village can be found some precious value. Several historic sites of Szepes County are on the UNESCO World Heritage List (the Castle of Szepes, Zsigra, the Ice Cave of Dobsina). The Saint James Church of Lőcse (Levoča), the work of Master Paul of Lőcse (Levoča) is counted as a national treasure.

The majority of the historical cities of Slovakia can be found in Slovakia: Lőcse and Késmárk (Kežmarok). Not to mention the multitude of other heritage sites, the Gothic and Renaissance architecture, sculpture, frescoes and paintings, goldsmith’s craft and other fields of craftsmanship. The folklore of Szepesség developed a diverse culture, the folk architecture, costumes, customs, folk songs and dances, the folk art are equally remarkable. They all fit harmoniously into the landscape as the organic elements of the material and spiritual culture.

The city of Lőcse is the richest in historical heritage in Szepes County. Lőcse, as an administrative and cultural centre, was one of the most significant free royal cities of the Hungarian Kingdom from the Middle Ages to 1922. The other cultural centre was Késmárk which preserved its Saxon characteristics until recently, the German Lutheran Lyceum was the city’s most prestigious school. The religious centre of Szepes County was Szepeshely, the seat of an abbey from the 12th century and today the centre of the Diocese. Later further significant cities of Szepes County were established, some of them were pawned by the Hungarian Kingdom to Poland in 1412. This condition lasted until 1772.

We, photographers, have a special bond with this region. József Petzval, the inventor of the first objective lens for photographic purposes, was born in Szepesbéla. A museum commemorates him in his home town.

Text and photo: Béla Szabó www.belafoto.hu

Canon EOS 5D, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM 1/160 sec f/10 ISO 100

Ferenc Somodi

I was born in 1975, in Kecskemét, I grew up on a farm where I still live with my wife and two children. I work here on the farm, I am a qualified agricultural engineer. I have been watching every moments of the nature since my childhood and nature became the part of my life early. I have been doing nature photography since the age of 14, in every free minutes of my life. My main fields are macro photography, recently I do underwater macros too, and I do landscapes as well. I won several national and international awards, such as the European Nature Photographer of the Year and the Hungarian Nature Photographer of the Year awards. I won “The Best Press Photographer of the Year” award on the Hungarian Press Photography competition in 2009. It is my vocation from the beginning to serve to the glory of God through my pictures!

“The one who approaches nature with open eyes and open ears, sooner or later must also open his heart for it. He bows his head before the wonder of nature and becomes its enthusiastic disciple, confidential friend, “the child of nature”. And “mother nature”, worthy of the name, adopts him and take him to its heart. Nature provides him permanent spiritual support, solace and relief. Has the life-tormented man got any better pharmacy, has his beggarly mind got any wiser counsellor and his Godseeking soul any more sacred church than the solitude of the forest?”

(Zsigmond Széchenyi)

Portfolio

End of winter by the banks

Deep in t

the forest

Butte

erflies

Gyalui-H

Havasok

Yellow

w-blue

Green-

-yellow

Aprico

ot tree

Happy

y frog

Canon EOS 5D, EF 2,8/15 Fisheye

10 sec f/22 ISO 50

Photo school

A little black and white exercise

Article sponsor

Canon EOS 5D, EF 2,8/24-70 L USM 15 sec f/22 ISO 50

I have already written an article on black and white photography in a previous issue (2011/3.)

I discussed in that article the theory of black and white photography and what chances we have to create a nice monochrome picture. Now would like to show you how to make a nice black and white photo in practice. I have been hiking in the Bakony mountains for years and photograph its natural beauties and values. I have taken

uncountable pictures there so far. A selection of these photos will be published in the second half of this year in my book titled “A Bakony - Rómer Flóris nyomában fényképezőgéppel” (The Bakony - In the Footsteps of Rómer Flóris with a Camera), commemorating the great scientist who gave the first scientific description of this region in 1860.

One of my favourite places in the valley of Gaja Stream. The man is dwarfed by the huge cliffs of

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 2,8/70-200 L USM 8 sec f/32 ISO 50

the waterfall. The stream falls down several metres from above, raging at snow melting time or after rain and peacefully at other times but it always has water. I invited a group here to photograph last autumn. It is a wonderful place. These picture were taken at that time. The pictures were made in RAW format, the exact Exif data can be found at the pictures. I processed the pictures with the help of Lightroom, taking advantage of the level

indication of the software. I tried to visualise as wide tonal range as possible. During processing I tried to avoid punctures. If could not manage to solve it for some reason, I touched them up by Photoshop. I used to make colours more vivid with the help of Prefence/Vibrance function. I also use the Preference/Saturation function if necessary.

I export TIF files of 16-bit colour depth from these pictures.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 2,8/70-200 L USM 30 sec f/10 ISO 100

Then I do the necessary touch-ups, the elimination of dust on the sensor. If there is any disturbing puncture anywhere, I retouch them also at this phase. I also eliminate the unnecessary elements which could not be avoided on the spot, such as branches hanging down into the picture, a possible rubbish around, etc. I prefer to do the subsequent work rather than damage nature by

breaking down a disturbing branch.

Thus I have a processed coloured picture with 16-bit colour depth. If necessary, I can also use it any time. After this I adjust the shade conditions with the help of Photoshop Image/Adjustments/ Black&White function to get a nice and tone-rich picture. I can adjust the red - yellow - green - cyan - blue - purple colours in monochrome tone.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 2,8/24-70 L USM, ND 64 filter 118 sec f/16 ISO 100

I have another favourite processing method which is the same until the phase when I retouch the picture exported from Lightroom. I open the this way processed picture in Silver Efex Pro software.

This tool is specially designed for monochrome photo processing, so we can select from different predefined effects and we can modify them too.

It is possible to save a well-done setting for later

application, and I did so. I created my own tone after lengthy experimentation and adjustment which provides a warm shaded black and white tonal world. I am happy to use this monochrome world. I hope that by this little support I was able to attract more fans of the wonderful world of monochrome / black and white pictures.

Text and photo: BĂŠla SzabĂł

Rajasthani old man

People, Cultures, Cities

A glance at India Rajasthan, Part 4

Rajasthan cannot be compared to other states of India, its colourful palaces and rich wildlife are unique. Jaipur is the capital city of the province and among the most famous places is Jodhpur, one of the three kingdoms of the Thar Desert. We took our equipments and set off the next part of our series.

Crowd

© Pál Teravágimov - Video

Balance of nature and soul

Crowded train

As a continuation of the third part, our plane landed in the capital of India again, then we were taken immediately to the second biggest railway station of Delhi.

If you want to get to know India really close up, then take a train. We chose the hardest option: a 13 hours night journey to Jodhpur. The mass at the railway station was unbearable and the chaos is just indescribable. Everybody’s luggage was whipped up by a porter and they ran away with them so quickly that we even did not know where they took them. Then we tried to decode our reserved seat ticket which we had bought in advance but it was full of insoluble signs. We had tickets for the second class but that does not meet the quality of the second class seats on Hungarian trains. It is alright that the sleeping cars had no doors, so we could separate us only with a simple curtain but there were two beds on the corridor too, one above the other. On top of that not just us but local people did not know which tickets belong to which place. This was the point we had enough. The conductor tried to rectify the situation. It was funny: on a bed opposite to my travel mate, two adults and four kids were sleeping on one single place. The worst thing was at night that everybody kept visiting the toilets and the smell on the train was almost unbearable. In addition, the new passengers kept pulling the curtains off and back and looked into our sleeping car, then they realised it was full so they went on, and it was like that until the morning. We had arrived dog-tired, a driver was waiting for us and drive us to our hotel. The hotel was very simple but furnished with authentic Indian furniture which showed us the life of a rajah centuries ago. A quick handwash and we went down for breakfast. We wanted to ask for ham and eggs but the waiter told us that in Rajasthan they do not it any food related to animals. No eggs either.

Covered in veil

Lonely girl

Group photo

Happy kids

Well, we had to be satisfied with toast and jam and of course some tea.

We kept asking about the distance from here to the birds. Not so far, they said, but we will see tomorrow. After breakfast we went out to discover the area and the local people. It was a great experience to see the people here who are very different from those we have seen so far. Although women wore sari but they walked with transparent scarves on their head covering their faces, and men with big mustaches and every kind of colourful turbans on their head, permanently smoking some stuff. It’s almost not worth mentioning that we were the only tourists there so in no time we became a spectacle and the whole village was talking about us.

We were looking around the local high street when a little shop attracted our attention in which several men were sitting and smoking hookahs.

We took some photographs and asked what they were doing. They replied with natural simplicity: smoking opium and politely offered us. Of course we said that it was not customary in our culture.

After shooting we had a little rest during the day, then we went to a farther village as we were told about a man who could organise some programmes for us. After a small talk he showed us a place where on holidays and special occasions the people of the village get together for a little opiate chat. Everybody smokes something here, but, he said, “it is a normal activity.� Soon he escorted us to his village where several elderly men smoked their joints and they let us take photos of them.

They liked us, strangers, so much that everybody had gathered and it did not take an hour and all the people of the village surrounded us. After the shooting we agreed that next afternoon we would go to the desert area where five cameleers and two local women would give us a show.

Wiseman

Next morning at 4 we set off to the gathering place of cranes. Rajasthan is also famous for the enormous number of Demoiselle Cranes wintering in a small place. We floundered out in the darkness and watched the events from the top of the roof of a local man’s house. Our host offered us some tea and ensured us that we are in the right place as the BBC also had filmed from here, not a long time ago.

It began to dawn when the first group of cranes appeared in the sky with extremely loud whooping.

I was very excited as I did not know how close they would fly to us as we stand open on the top of the roof and had no camouflage at all. I was surprised that the first group flew about 4 to 8 meters above our heads. It was a fantastic experience, I had never seen flying cranes so close up in my life: I could hear the sound of their wings beat and I was entirely stunned by the feeling. After taking a small circle, they landed at a distance of about 50 meters from us. After a few minutes two or three thousand bird had been concentrated in one place. I was watching what they were waiting for and I realised that they had been baited. Well, that’s nice, of course, they are coming for the free food! Landing and taking off, that’s what was going on continuously in a small spot in the middle of the village. A small boy sat down on the top of the neighbouring house and was watching the birds from a distance of about 5 metres while brushing his teeth. That’s nice, back home in Hungary these birds would fly away even if we approached them to 500 metres. We were taking photos permanently until 8 o’clock, when all the birds took off and flew away in the blink of an eye. I asked where they went to but locals did not know either, they just said that they would be back tomorrow again. They come here the whole season, sometimes even 10,000 birds a day.

We went back to our hotel and after having lunch and rest, we went to our man to see the cameleers and the dancing girls.

© Pál Teravágimov - Video

Cranes in the moonlight

Working

Demoiselle cranes gathering for food

Relaxing after work

Having an opium sheisha in the common room

Villiage courtyard decorated with henna

Camel carriage with airplane wheels

Indiain women pulling water from the well

Rajasthani camel riders

indian girls in Rajasthani folk clothes

We were bundled into an old jeep - I don’t know of what type. Those who could not fit in to the interior, travelled on the platform, but that was a great fun too. We had travelled about one and a half hour when we arrived at a small Indian village where only women and kids were at home.

They live in nice and tidy houses, the yards were kept surprisingly clean and the front yards were decorated with a special henna paint. Later we learned that they used to decorate their front yards that spectacularly on holidays. We took some pictures, then two beautiful Indian women, dressed in nice national costumes, joined us at departure. We set off again and travelled an hour when we arrived at the place where the cameleers were waiting for us. In the city of Puskar, Rajasthan, takes place the biggest camel race and festival of the world. They explained to us that camels are very appreciated animals here and are used for porterage too. It was interesting to see a camel-drawn cart with huge rubber wheels. Our guide explained that these rubber wheels were of old, withdrawn planes. How imaginative man can be if he thinks and does not dump old stuff!

As a part of the programme, the locals started to drive they camels in the light of the setting sun which was very spectacular in the backlight and the dusty, desert environment. To get a nice background, we had to stand upon the platforms of the jeeps, so we could take nice and interesting photos. After the camels got tired enough, it was the girls’ turn. Wearing decorative necklaces, they performed a local folk dance with great spinning, providing a spectacular photo theme for us. After sunset the air cooled down very quickly so our way back on the platform was not that funny than the trip to here. We said thank you to our guide and the girls the nice show and the good photo opportunity. During our stay here we went out a few times to photograph cranes and we made friend with the local people too. We got to know very nice and friendly people in Rajasthan. Then it was time to go back to Jodhpur. Here we had a chance for a quick sightseeing, then we took the train back to Delhi. The Indian tour ended for most of the group, however, one of our travel mates stayed and he will write the following, final part for you about another landscape of India.

To be continued!

Text: TamĂĄs Imre

Tips and tricks Summer photography

Summer is not one of our favorite shooting seasons. Only through painful efforts can the sun be beaten which reaches the high skies in no time changing its light to bluish-white with contrasts becoming deep along with shadows becoming very short. In the sticky conditions the colors of landscapes get lost in the blue fog even in a medium distance. The postponed sunset is what brings some compensation. On the other hand, summer is when we have the most time because of the vacations in July and August. Many families can afford and have a chance to visit far and exotic lands and take several pictures during those vacations. Our intention with this article is to point out that there are rich subjects worth capturing here in Hungary as well.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, 1/200 sec f/5.6 ISO 200

Wheatfield, Stubble I came across this sizeable field bordering Uny, in the hills. It was because of the spectacular, diagonally wavy-lined clouds that I would fill about 60 percent of the shot with the sky. The richness in detail continued on the ground too. The shading effect of the clouds came through the tones of some of the lanes in the field but there were other things too that defined the colors and shades. © Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 3,5-4,5/28-105 mm f/16 1/40 s ISO 100

The microclimate in the not yet completely ripe field had caused a difference in ripeness which resulted in differences in color shades. The unevenness of the ground, which slopes towards the photographer or the other way, can bring about several shades. I tried to position myself so that the tractor tracks, which were highlighted and stood out of their environment because of their greenish shade, could form a guideline towards the hilltop filled with roofs and I compensated the slanting with the group of trees on the side of the road on the left. In order to get the sharpness of depth I shot it with narrow aperture using a tripod.

A wheat field can be quite interesting, even after the harvest, with its even lanes and scattered bales especially when it is spread across a wavy landscape.

I looked in the direction of the rows with my lens.

Because of the lack of detail in the sky and the buildings on the horizon I decided to leave out the sky completely and I concentrated my lens on the waves of the ground. I had also discovered that the harvested field is tilted to the side as well in the opposite direction which was to the opposite direction.

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 2,8L/80-200 mm f/16 1/30 s ISO 100

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I picked a bale row tilting to the right in the foreground but the waves on the ground in the back tilted to the left. The yellowish color of the field was amplified almost to a golden tone by the low sun which drew long shadows onto the field. As a matter of fact one had to be very careful not to let only a shadow of a bale get in the shot. (because of the non100 percent finder sometimes the picture had to be cropped) I used a tripod and narrow aperture.

Sunflowers It is best to shoot sunflower fields in the morning hours because that is when the sun hits their heads. In the same time beautiful details can be caught in the afternoon also since the backlight shines through the heads of the flowers and the adjacent flowers give fill lighting. I was grabbed by the beauty of sunflowers, the darker middle and the flame-like paddles surrounding it.

I tried to capture this mood with the right composition.

I positioned the only complete flower head slightly to the left of the middle and the surrounding partial flower heads complement the spectacle of this one.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 28-300 mm f/3,5-5,6L Macro IS USM f/16 1/500 s ISO 800

Ellipse If one is able to capture a closed, geometrical shape in the shot, it is always beneficial to the composition. Quite often it is luck that helps make such a thing happen. We were strolling along the artificial lakes of Somogyfajszi looking for water-birds when looking over to the other side of a lake I noticed that the low trees and bushes formed a regular ellipse with their reflection on the water. Why do I say that luck had a factor in this? Because if I had looked over to the other side a few meters sooner, the tree trunks on the right would have cut into the picture and if I had looked later, then such a gap would have opened up between the trees, that would have ruined the ellipse. For a detailed reflection the sun has to shine on the other shore and the sharpness is greatly affected by the wind conditions.

Forest with blue “fog” In summertime fog is naturally scarce compared to other seasons. There can be conditions that remind us of the foggy landscape though. Along one of Matra mountains’ creeks there is a popular picnic spot where people quite often grill. The blueish smoke going up among the trees reminds one of the fog. The sunlight shines back through it, just like through the fog and spectacular light beams appear. All you need to do is wait for the right moment and shoot.

Canon EOS 30D, EF 3,5-4,5/28-105 mm

© Árpád Krivánszky f/5 1/250 s ISO 200

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 3,5-4,5/28-105 mm f/7,1 1/250 s ISO 100

Moon-lit landscape

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 2,8L/80-200 mm f/7,1 1/250 s ISO 200

The full moon with its dignity, rising over the horizon is a great subject if the forefront is interesting enough, just like in this wheat field of Nograd County. Sometimes it takes considerable patience for our night-sky companion to appear and show itself, even partially, from behind the clouds and the mist on the horizon. Upon the start of the „blue hour”, right after sunset the light of the rising moon can be dimmed compared to that of the sky. Conditions are best in the middle of that blue hour, about 15-20 minutes after sunset because by then the moonlight is much stronger then the light of the sky the color of which will no longer be so nice and yellowish-redish.

Mating checkered butterflies At the beginning of the swarming of the checkered butterflies it is easy to spot healthy ones that can be shot with their wings intact, feeding and resting on flowers. If we are lucky we can capture this spectacularly patterned butterfly while mating. Approach them carefully and then during the extended time of mating we can get a chance to pick the best viewpoint and make sure that the background is still which is just as important as our main subject. The even, late afternoon light helped to make this pretty shot happen. © László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 100 mm f/2,8L Macro IS USM f/5,6 1/800 s ISO 640

Ground-squirrel

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 2,8L/80-200 mm f/4 1/400 s ISO 200

This quick little rodent lives in underground tunnels in large numbers. It is curious in nature and therefore with a careful approach, crawling, we can get close enough to take nice pictures with a larger lens. As summer progresses on, the color of its pelt gets closer and closer that of the drying grass. Unfortunately we have to make peace with the fact that the background is given and we have to accept that sometimes it is messy. Since the ground-squirrel is a fastmoving little animal, we have to use a short exposure time.

There is always one or two of them on the lookout that get on their hind legs scoping for predators and their alarming whistle gets the whole herd to quickly disappear in their wholes. Usually, it is not the photographer who they get sturtled by but the scouting predator birds in the sky. Once the danger is gone, the colony goes on with its usual doings.

Snouted grasshopper This prehistoric-looking insect prefers the warm, dry, grassy flats and that is where we alarmed it with our footsteps after which it landed on an open sandy area.

Because of the strong sunlight we had to provide flooding for which the flash was much better than the reflector which could have alarmed our model to jump away from this ideal photo spot. This strange-looking creature stands out nicely from the monochrome surface of the sand and the dry vegetation. If possible, capture it from multiple angles and make you’re a selection that is favorable in all aspects.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 100 mm f/2,8L Macro IS USM f/8 1/500 s ISO 400

Sand lily picture pair This branchy sand lily bloomed in front of a bush so I had a chance to experiment how a certain part of it looked in front of a variety of backgrounds with the different tones it provided. To do so the lens could only be turned a little and the tripod moved only slightly.

In one of the shots we get a view of the lighter background of the not so dense part of the bush whereas in the other picture a shady part of the bush provided the background.

The pictures turned out to have a totally different mood even though they depict the same flower.

Lizard Orchid This maybe the most interesting-looking, illustrious and grand sized flower of the temperate climate, which blooms in July. The whole of the plant can be captured but to be able to do justice to the patterns of the flower and the beauty of the extremely long lips we should only shoot the flower part. We need to make sure not to cut off the stem sharply (this can be done by choosing the right view angle and a wide aperture).

For composition purposes, if possible, it is beneficial to include another flower in the background that is out of focus.

Because of the front-lit scenario the shady parts of the flower have to be flooded.

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 180 mm f/3,5L Macro IS USM f/4,5 1/250 s ISO 800

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 2,8L/80-200 mm+ring f/4,5 1/160 s ISO 250 (both photos)

Immortelle

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 180 mm f/3,5L Macro IS USM f/5 1/3200 s ISO 250

The immortelle can be found in large numbers in its habitat during the summer which fact can be taken advantage of when composing the background.

I emphasized two flowers in the foreground. The one on the left is in full focus and the one on the right is slightly out of focus. The nicely spread background which reminds us of impressionistic paintings is made of green plants with pinkish-purple flowers sticking through them. The contrast of colors and the structure of the flowers elevate the composition. What to be cautious about: in hard and strong lighting the fragile flower paddles can easily burn out. One needs to wait for the softer light or use a diffuser to lessen and spread the strong sunlight.

Mushrooms with water drops

© László Suhayda Canon EOS 5D Mark II, MP-E 65 mm f/2,8 1-5x Macro f/3,2 1/12 s ISO 400

The beautiful world of macro awaits us in summer also.

I came across this trio of mushrooms in a dense pinewood on a bed of moss in weak light conditions. The low, noncontrastive and even light is ideal for shooting moss and water drops as well. The length of these small mushrooms is no longer than two centimeters and their caps are no bigger than a pea. The beautiful surroundings reflect back in a sphere shape through the water drops. These macro themes do not „run away”, there is time for the photographer to think it over and experiment with various settings in order to come up with the most beautiful composition. A tripod is needed because of the long exposure time.

Gentian In the mountains the elegant-looking, deep blue gentian with its turquoise spots and upright narrow cones is in bloom from August on. If we are lucky, we can find some yellow flowers - out of focus – that stand in strong contrast with the blue of this flower. Out of the long plant it is advisable to shot only the blooming flowers close to the tip of it otherwise the individual flower cones would be too small and closer to the bottom the flowers can be wilting.

To shot landscapes take both wide-angle and telephoto lenses with you. Pack a polarizing filter and grey filter too. A macro lens is needed for the small subjects or a good quality series of rings. Make sure to have a reflector, diffuser in your bag or backpack. It is also a good idea to have a tripod and release cord.

Pretty lights! © Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 300, EF 2,8L/80-200 mm+ring f/4,5 1/90 s Fujichrome Velvia 50

Text and photo: Árpád Krivánszky and László Suhayda

© Árpád Krivánszky Canon EOS 30D, EF 80-200 mm f/2,8L f/7,1 1/250s ISO 400

Life underwater

Whale vs. Pygmy seahorse

I have been thinking seriously over the years that the future is unfortunately not about the “big-fish� dives. Most of the divers always want to see something HUGE under the water.

Dolphins, barracudas, sharks, we could say it does not matter what but it must be something BIG. But after hundreds of dives it gradually begins to change...

We begin to recognise the beauties of the macro world and we have an insight of the unseen, secret world of angler fish, pygmy seahorses and harlequin crabs.

So far we have only been watching the blueness to spot if something appears and we wanted to do every dive in another spot. But we only should swim slower and watch more carefully and this way even a few square metres of atoll can offer copious sights even for several dives.

Why am I telling this? Unfortunately big fish are disappearing in recent years, we rarely come across tuna or other open sea species during our dives. Think about it, when was the last you saw in Egypt a flock of barracudas, consisting of hundreds or sometimes thousands of species, whirling like a tornado? Or a flock of mackerels? Unfortunately these phenomena are getting out of sight of divers. Environmental pollution, global overfishing, damages by dynamites are slowly causing irreversible processes in the seas of the world. Or we have to travel such distant places like Cocos, Malpelo or French Polynesia where these problems were recognised long time ago and money and energy have been sacrificed for protection.

Bahama

But how long is it sustainable say in Malpelo of Columbia where the national parks has to be protected by cannons and gunship guards against the reckless fishing vessels? Just consider in mind the business model through which a modern fishing vessel worth millions of dollars brings returns in one or two years!

Since the catch - already in processed state - only has to be transshipped to a freighter and it even does not have to return to the port for months. Or in a world where - far from civilisation they buy 1 kilogramme shark fins for 100 euros from a fisherman working with rudimentary tools, then the posh restaurants make thousands of euros profit just because someone invented how nice and healthy delicacy it is?

But we do not have to go that far, we can stay within the borders of the European Union: the third biggest shark fins importer in the world is Spain.

This is definitely food for thought.

In my opinion, if we want to see special and unique species in the future, we have to look towards the macro world...

Bahama

Have a look with your own eyes and I can promise that it can offer similar excitements than a “big-fish� dive. Just open your eyes, get a handbook and enjoy the dive - as it is still wonderful!

Text and photo: Dรกniel Selmeczi

Interview István Kerekes M. EFIAP/platinum The first Hungarian photographer who received the Excellence FIAP Platinum distinction of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) which is the highest qualification given by the federation.

The artist presently lives in Mosonmagyaróvár, where he is works as a full-time PE teacher in a local school, and committed to quality photography. It is also proved by the the fact that he was the first among Hungarian photographers to receive the EFIAP/platinum title of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP). Even in the world not too many photographers received this recognition.

István Kerekes M. was born in 1977 in Marosvásárhely, Transylvania. He started professional sports from an early age, first he was a swimmer, then he practised athletics. Photography became his passion during his academic years in Kolozsvár. His initial nature photography field has been gradually expanded with social photography over the years.

István M. Kerekes talks about his first successes: „The first stroke which directed my steps “even more” towards photography and gave even more motivation to learn this genre was a national photography competition announced by the Hungarian women’s weekly “Nők Lapja” magazine. The jury,

led by Tamás Féner, granted me the first prize for a photo taken in Transylvania.

By receiving the first prize I was offered a full-time job by the magazine as a press photographer. I was standing at a crossroad.

Since I worked in Marosvásárhely as a professional swimming trainer and at that time I had five swimmers who were multiple national champions in children and junior categories, I turned down this special offer.

Regarding photography, the second surprise hit me in the spring of 2007. I won the grand prix of a competition run by the “Földgömb” Magazine. The reward was a 3-week journey across Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. It was one of my most unforgettable experiences in my life.”

As luck would have it, he relocated to Hungary in 2007. Both in the year of 2008 and 2009 he won the viewers’ choice award of the most prestigious Hungarian Press Photography Competition which was a unique performance in the history of the Hungarian press photography exhibitions.

His pictures have been shown in more than 45 countries so far, and his works have been exhibited more than 2500 times in different national and international competitions and he received more than 300 prizes and awards so far.

His most successful work is a photo titled “Yelena” which has won 48 awards in 22 countries of five continents since the February of 2010 up to present.

István Kerekes M. is a self-taught photographer. His articles are regularly published in the “Földgömb” magazine. www.kerekesistvan.com Text: Béla Szabó

editorial Editor in Chief : Tamás Imre Tamás Imre

Anikó Imre

János Szekeres

Béla Szabó

Árpád Krivánszky

László Suhayda

Adrien Imre

Iván Éder

tamas.imre@naturephotomagazine.com

Editors: Anikó Imre

Árpád Krivánszky

Béla Szabó

János Szekeres László Suhayda Associate Editors: Adrien Imre

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