PerfectexposureAdobe Photoshop Elements 8APs guidetoPart 3: Fast and effective editswww.amateurphotographer.co.ukSaturday 13 February 2010TESTED: LIGHT PANELS FOR YOUR HOTSHOEHOW ONE PHOTOGRAPHER CHANGED THE WORLDON TESTEXPERT ADVICECreate sublime histograms for snowy scenes with Lee Frost2.40Massive prints at home: We test the Epson 3880Colour in ight: Learn how from Steve BloomwwSS cover 13-2 withdd4ar 1 2/2/10 16:23:21P002_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:35Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comAmateur Photographer For everyone who loves photographyNews, views and reviews5 NewsNational Trust opens doors to amateurs; Pentax unveils Optio I-10; Win a Canon DSLR; Samsung refreshes compact line-up10 Review The latest books, exhibitions and websites12LettersAP readers speak out on the weeks issues13 BackchatAP reader Mick Bidewell on why World Press Photo competition organisers were right to ban manipulated images90 The nal frameMoth and dust doth corrupt. Roger Hicks thinks St Matthew may have been on to somethingTechnique14 Photo insightCOVER STORY Steve Bloom on how he captured an exhilarating image of a macaw in ight, and why hell never look at a caged bird in the same way again On test and technical43 TestbenchCOVER STORYThe Leung hotshoe-mounted LED light and Avanquest Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 45 Epson Stylus Pro 3880COVER STORY Richard Sibley tests a new A2 printer from Epson that could make large-format prints a reality for home users48 Q&A Our experts answer your questions 51 Photoshop Elements 8COVER STORY In part three of our guide to Elements 8, we focus on the automated Quick Photo Edit and Guided Photo Edit modes, which let you make quick and easy adjustmentsYour pictures31 Gallery Another selection of superb reader images40 AppraisalDamien Demolder examines your images, offering words of wisdom and constructive adviceFeatures19 Whiter than white COVER STORYAre you struggling to get the exposure just right when shooting winter landscapes? Lee Frost explains how to get the perfect histogram24 Changing livesCOVER STORY Former press photographer Benjamin Rusnak on how his current job as a staff photographer for the international charity Food For The Poor allows him to see at rst hand how photography can change lives36 Icons of photography James Dean in Times Square is an atmospheric photograph of the actor taken when he was still largely unknown, and is today one of the great movie-star portraits. David Clark reveals the story behind Dennis Stocks iconic imageContentsFrom the Editorsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 3I wonder whether you believe that photography can change the world. I am told that the pictures sent home during the Vietnam War helped to bring the conflict to an early close, and Im certain the images of starvation that dominated our screens and newspapers in the summer of 1985 helped to contribute to the massive amount of money raised by Live Aid. There is a difference, though, between photography altering the course of world events and photography changing the world. There is no doubt that world events did change as a result of the population being exposed to a measure of the realities these situations conjured up, but for a world to change attitudes have to be altered for good. Im not convinced we have learnt to avoid the horrors of war or of famine, as both have played a significant role in the planets recent and current history. But maybe the world came to know more about what those words mean.The world has a memory as short as its attention span, but that only means we should employ photography more often to remind it. Photography can bring us jolly things, too, but as Benjamin Rusnak shows us all this week, its weightiest role is to show us what we can do to change the world for others. Changing the worldDamienDemolderEditorOur address and other contact detailsAmateur Photographer,IPC Media, Blue Fin Building,110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SUAP Editorial Telephone: 0203 148 4138Fax 0203 148 8130Email amateurphotographer@ipcmedia.comAP Advertising Telephone: 0203 148 2517Email lee_morris@ipcmedia.comAP Subscriptions Telephone: 0845 676 7778Email ipcsubs@qss-uk.comAP test reports Telephone: 01707 273 773www.testreports.co.uk/photography/apSend us your picturesTo have your pictures published in Gallery, send in a selection of up to ten images. They can be either a selection of different images or all have the same theme. Digital les sent on CD should be saved in a Photoshop-compatible format, such as JPEG or TIFF, with a contact sheet and submission form. Visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/apgallery for details. We cannot publish images without the necessary technical details. Each RGB image should be a minimum of 2480 pixels along its longest length. Transparencies and prints are also accepted. We recommend that transparencies are sent without glass mounts and posted via Special Delivery. For transparencies, prints or discs to be returned you must include an SAE with sufcient postage. BENJAMIN RUSNAK/FOOD FOR THE POOR, INCFind out how photography can change peoples livesPage 24Our questionf the weekThis week we askCan photography change current world affairs?A Yes B No C Dont knowVote onlinewww.amateurphotographer.co.ukPage 19 LEE FROSTCOVER PICTURES LEE FROST, STEVE BLOOMIn AP 30 January we askedHave you ever owned a Pentax or K-mount SLR?You answered A Yes 61%B No 36%CUsed, but not owned 3%Get your exposures just right when shooting in the snowA A61%B36%C3%3 Contents FEB 13.indd 3 3/2/10 15:43:45www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comP004_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:37Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 5News I Analysis I Comment I PhotoDiary 13/2/09 Magnum sell-offAs we went to press, it emerged that Magnum Photos entire archive of prints billed as the most valuable collection in the history of photography has been sold to an investment rm run by the boss of computer giant Dell. Blad takes on Leica S2Hasselblad has announced a professional medium-format digital SLR that looks set to go head-to-head against the Leica S2. The H4D-40 features a 40-million-pixel CCD imaging sensor measuring 33x44mm. It will cost t13,995, including a viewnder and 80mm lens. Ricoh CX3 dueRicoh is set to launch the CX3, a ten-million-pixel digital compact camera featuring a back-illuminated imaging sensor to help deliver more detail in low light. With a back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a noise-reduction function incorporating the algorithm used on the GR Digital III, the new CX3 has dramatically improved image-quality performance when shooting in low-light scenes, claimed a spokesman. The user can set the noise-reduction level to Off, Auto, Weak, Strong or Max. The CX3 sports a lens designed to deliver the 35mm viewing angle equivalent of a 28-300mm zoom. It also features an HD movie option (1280x720 pixels). For more see next weeks News.SNAPSHOTIN an unexpected move, the National Trust has changed its rules to allow amateur photography inside its historic properties.The decision followed a campaign for a change in policy led by a group of photographers on the social networking website Facebook.The Trust had previously placed a complete ban on indoor photos when its properties are open to visitors.The National Trust website now states: Amateur photography (including lming) without ash is now permitted in historic interiors at the property managers discretion.Among those welcoming the move is Mark Taylor, who set up a Facebook-based campaign group a few months ago.He said: I felt their policy was onerous and I linked to this on the [National Trust] Flickr group.I only gained 55 members, but perhaps it had an effect.John Stachiewicz, publisher and head of the National Trusts media group, told us that the move was part of a deliberate shift in attitude towards photographers.But he denied it was a direct response to complaints.Stachiewicz, who plays a major role in drawing up the Trusts photo policy, admitted that, in the past, the Trust has adopted a rather harsh stance towards amateur photography.Some of our signage was sending out messages saying, Dont do this, dont do that. This was too rigid and prescriptive.He said the policy towards amateur photographers stemmed from a long-held and now outdated security concern that pictures taken by visitors inside National Trust properties could be used to plan a robbery.Arguments like that no longer hold water and are not a reason for not allowing interior photography.Asked to clarify the Trusts policy on using tripods indoors, Stachiewicz told us: The property manager has to make a call. If there is no one around and a visitor gets a tripod out, then thats not the end of the world.He explained that the manager would make a decision based on whether the use of a tripod would interfere with other visitors enjoyment. A photographer may be asked not to take photos if there was a bottleneck of visitors developing at a given property, for example.Flash is banned because, he said, it is known to have an effect on the retina of the eye that can be irritating for other visitors.Anyone who wants to be certain they will be allowed to take photos should check with the property beforehand.He stressed: Its always best to ask.However, the Trust warns that visitors must be aware that at some places there may be copyright issues, and further permissions may be required in respect of collections not owned by us.National Trust rule reversallAmateur interior shots now allowedDo you have a story?Contact Chris Cheesman Telephone 0203 148 4129 Fax 0203 148 8130Email amateurphotographer@ipcmedia.comLatest news everydayamateurphotographer.co.ukWere giving one lucky photographer the chance to own the Holy Grail of bags Canon prize in Katas design-a-bag competition, page 6CONSUMERS are promised faster and cheaper access to 3D photo printing thanks to a new 3D dye-sublimation system, which Fujilm plans to roll out across the UK. The 3D Print System service is due to become available in early summer, bringing a novel offering to on-site print services, ideal for event photographers, tourist attractions and theme parks, according to Fujilm.It will use dye-sublimation technology to print onto the base of a lenticular sheet.Currently, consumers wanting 3D prints have to order them online, but these are printed in Japan and can take several weeks to reach the customer. It costs 3.99 for a 6x4in print and there is a 4.99 delivery charge per order.Fuji promises faster, cheaper 3D photo printingRIGHTSWATCHCommitted to defendingyour photographic rights!National Trust opens doors to amateurs However, under the UK-based system, Fujilm promises that consumers will receive their prints in days, and the cost per print will be reduced signicantly.The company has yet to release price details.The announcement should spell good news for users of the FinePix 3D Real W1 digital camera, which allows viewing of 3D images on-camera without the need for special glasses.Using Fujilms proprietary Image Intelligence technology and 3D Image Processing, high-quality, lifelike prints are produced in a matter of minutes, claimed the rm.NT/CHRISTOPHER SIMON SYKES5-7 NEWS feb 13.indd 5 3/2/10 16:38:33www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com6 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I13 February 2010subscribe 0845 676 7778NewsPhotoDiaryA week of photographic opportunitySATURDAY13 FEBRUARYEXHIBITION STHLM by photographer Jannica Honey, until 13 February at Zed Art, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 556 2265. EXHIBITION Rock n Roll Animals by Sophie Jarry, until 21 March at Proud Camden, London NW1 8AH. Tel: 0207 482 3867. Visit www.proud.co.uk. SUNDAY14 FEBRUARYDONT MISS 25th Annual Jorvik Viking Festival at Jorvik Viking Centre, York YO1 9WT. Tel: 01904 543 400. Visit www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk. EXHIBITION Paris je taime: Photography by Ivan Massar, until 28 March at Proud Chelsea, London SW1 5XP. Tel: 0207 349 0822. Visit www.proud.co.uk. MONDAY 15 FEBRUARYEXHIBITION Guns and Roses by Guido Mocafico, until 20 February at Hamiltons Gallery, London W1K 2EU. Tel: 0207 499 9493. Visit www.hamiltonsgallery.com. EXHIBITION Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin, until 13 June at Imperial War Museum North, Manchester M17 1TZ. Tel: 0161 836 4000. Visit www.iwm.org.uk. FRIDAY12 FEBRUARYEXHIBITION Crazy God by Yvonne De Rosa, until 6 March at Diemer/Noble Photography, London W1T 3PY. Tel: 0207 636 5375. Visit www.diemarnoblephotography.com. EXHIBITION Look Both Ways by Matt Stuart, until 26 February at KesselsKramer, London N1 6PB. Tel: 0207 033 7680. Visit www.kkoutlet.com. PENTAX has unveiled a retro-style, sub-200 digital compact camera that is designed to look like an SLR.The 12.1-million-pixel Optio I-10 boasts CCD-shift Shake Reduction and a function called Pet Detection, which aims to detect the presence of subjects such as dogs and cats, as well as people, in a scene, and subsequently optimise focus and exposure for their faces.A Pentax spokesman said: The Optio I-10s unique, eye-catching design is reminiscent of the beloved SLR cameras of yesteryear and will surely create a sense of nostalgia for many years.Due in February priced 199.99, features include a lens designed to deliver the 35mm viewing angle equivalent of 28-140mm.Also on board is a maximum equivalent sensitivity of ISO 6400, and movie recording at 1280x720 pixels.A new Subscreen Input function displays a thumbnail of a recorded image in the upper-left corner of the 2.7in LCD screen.This is handy when the photographer wants to use a recorded image as a reference image to shoot subjects from the same angle and at the same image size every time (such as photographing prepared food in the same way to compile a recipe le), explains Pentax.It could also help to retain a favourite image on the screen, adds the rm.The near-centred lens and the positioning of the Pentax logo just above it enhances the cameras likeness to an SLR, says Pentax.THURSDAY11 FEBRUARY EXHIBITION Circus by Anderson and Low, until 11 April at The Lowry, Greater Manchester M50 3AZ. Tel: 0870 787 5793. Visit www.thelowry.com. EXHIBITION Jane Bown: Exposures 100 Portraits, until 19 February at University Gallery, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST. Tel: 0191 227 4424. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/universitygallery. DAVID WALA/WWW.DAVIDWALA.COMPentax unveils SLRstyled Optio I-10WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARYEXHIBITION No Expectations by David Wala, until 12 February at The Settle Down Caf, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 4AW. Visit www.thesettledown.com.DONT MISS Digital Photography Workshop by photographer Adrian Oakes, at Castle Drogo (10am-4pm), Drewsteighton, near Exeter, Devon. Tel: 01647 433 306. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk.Design a bag and win a Canon DSLRPHOTOGRAPHERS have been set an unusual assignment to design the ultimate camera bag in a competition that boasts a Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR as top prize.A team of professional photographers will join the head of R&D at bag maker Kata, the organiser of the competition, to select the best design.At Kata we know a photographers bag is the keeper of his or her most precious kit, making it not just important but a highly personal choice, said the rms UK product manager Andy Bennett.With the dream bag competition were going one step further and giving one lucky photographer the chance to own the Holy Grail of bags one that they have designed themselves.The winner will be presented with their newly designed bag, set to contain around 3,000 worth of kit, including a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon lenses and a Gitzo Traveler tripod. For details visit www.dreambagchallenge.com or call 01293 583 300. The closing date is 1 March 2010. GINA GLOVERTUESDAY 16 FEBRUARYEXHIBITION by Gina Glover, until 5 March at Hoopers Gallery, London EC1R OAA. Tel: 0207 490 3907. Visit www.hoopersgallery.co.uk. DONT MISS Rehab UK Parliamentary Pancake Race due to take place 10-10.30am in Victoria Gardens (opposite College Green) near Houses of Parliament, London.5-7 NEWS feb 13.indd 6 3/2/10 16:50:35www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 7Do you have a story?Contact Chris Cheesman Telephone 0203 148 4129 Fax 0203 148 8130Email amateurphotographer@ipcmedia.comPaint Shop revampCorel this month releases the revamped software Paint Shop Photo Pro X3 that includes enhanced raw-file processing. Photographers can use the Camera Raw Lab to manually adjust variables such as white balance and noise reduction, rather than having it done automatically. These settings can then be applied to multiple raw photos to help speed up the photographers workflow, adds the firm. New adjustment tools include local tone mapping, colour balance and contrast, which can be saved to the raw file. Features include Smart Carver, which aims to seamlessly remove objects from an image. Photo slideshows, with HD video, can be put together using the Project Creator feature. Corel Paint Shop Photo Pro X3 costs 79. Existing users can upgrade for 59. Corel has also announced Video Studio Pro X3, also priced at 79. For free 30-day trials visit www.corel.com. A review of Paint Shop Photo Pro X3 will appear in AP 27 February. Nikon compact boasts Full HDNikon has unveiled the Coolpix P100, a bridge camera boasting a Full HD movie option.The Coolpix P100 features a 10.3-million-pixel CMOS imaging sensor, a 26x zoom and a 3in vari-angle LCD screen. It will cost 349.99 and is due to arrive in UK shops in mid-March, according to Nikon. For details see next weeks News.NX10 out in March, says SamsungSamsung has put back the launch of its NX10 interchangeable-lens digital compact camera until March. The mirrorless NX10, which carries an APS-C-size CMOS imaging sensor, had originally been expected to go on sale in mid-January. The 14.6-million-pixel NX10 will cost 599.99 in a kit that includes an 18-55mm lens. SNAPSHOTAS we went to press, Olympus released details of its soon-to-be-launched Pen E-PL1, a new hybrid camera boasting SLR performance and a built-in ash.The 12.3MP Pen E-PL1 is billed as the ideal camera for consumers who are put off buying a DSLR because DSLRs are too complicated.Due out in mid-March priced 549 (including a 14-42mm lens), the Micro Four Thirds model houses the same imaging sensor and image processor as previous Pen digital models, said Olympus UKs Consumer Products marketing manager Mark Thackara.He added: Shooting great pictures has never been so easy. Quality, size and ease of use, these are the key messages.The Pen E-PL1 includes a new Live Guide designed to give the user easier control over key image features.The Live Guide aims to help consumers control SLR effects such as depth of eld, and monitor the changes on the 2.7in LCD screen.In a statement, Olympus said: i-Enhance, for example, makes sure all colours in your picture spectrum are vivid and rich. It is automatically applied in conjunction with i-Auto mode, which recognises what kind of scene or subject youre taking and adjusts settings accordingly, or it can be used alone.There is also a one-touch [HD] video button.The Pen E-PL1 can record up to seven minutes of 1280x720-pixel video at one time, according to Olympus.Also on board are six Art Filters, including Gentle Sepia and Pop Art.The Pen E-PL1 will be compatible with Olympuss optional VF-2 electronic viewnder. Olympus E-PL1 is a flash actOlympus and Fujifilm set for 30x zoom warOLYMPUS and Fujilm are set to compete for the biggest slice of their newly created 30x optical zoom compact camera market.Olympus has unveiled the SP-800UZ, a digital compact camera boasting a 30x zoom lens, designed to deliver the 35mm viewing angle equivalent of a 28-840mm zoom, according to Olympus.The 14-million-pixel SP-800UZ will cost 369.99 when it goes on sale in March.Features include 2GB of internal memory and a 3in [16:9 format] LCD screen (230,000-pixel resolution), plus HD movie recording (720 pixels).Also on board is built-in image stabilisation and 10fps shooting (at 3MP resolution).On the same day, Fujilm announced the FinePix HS10, which also has a 30x zoom lens in this case a 24-720mm equivalent lens.Billed as an all-in-one camera, the 10MP HS10 will carry a street price of 399 when it hits shops in April.Fujilm claims that the CMOS-sensor-based model is aimed at serious photographers wanting versatility and performance of an SLR system without the bulk or expense. Features include a 3in tilting monitor, 10fps burst rate and Full HD video (1080p).Big freeze boosts camera sales, claims GfKCAMERA sales rocketed 8% in December, boosted by consumers buying more expensive models to take pictures of the snow, according to GfK Retail and Technology UK.Over the New Year, sales were up 30% on the same period a year earlier, in value terms.Weve all seen the photos of wintry scenes and frolicking in the snow proliferating online, and clearly this has tempted many to dip into the photo market and purchase a new and upgraded camera, said a GfK spokesman.Although sales revenues shot up, the number of cameras sold fell 7% in December.The rm claims that consumers are now prepared to spend more on cameras, signalling a clear vote of condence in the future of the photography sector as an aspirational market.Value sales for digital cameras as a whole were up by 8% compared to December 2008, yet in the New Year week (ending 2 January) they rose by a staggering 30%, the spokesman said.The average buyer spent 13% more on a xed-lens camera in December than the same month in 2008 and an enormous 30% more on a changeable-lens camera, according to GfK, which said this partly reects price increases sparked by exchange rate uctuations.GfK added: December 2009 proved a strong month for the sale of digital cameras, with sales in the Christmas and New Year week in particular outperforming just about every other consumer technology product.wwa a m m a a t t e e u u r r p p h h o o t t o o g g r r a a p p h h e e r r c c o o . . u u k kII77kk Snow, seen here in London a year ago, prompted consumers to upgrade their digital cameras during the latest big freezeCHRIS CHEESMAN5-7 NEWS feb 13.indd 7 3/2/10 16:47:33www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comAPs weekly round-up of club news from all over BritainNewsDull winter days should not dissuade the photographer from venturing out to the local park, according to APs issue dated 14 February 1911. Pictures taken at this time of the year have an atmosphere and charm all of their own, wrote AV Wilkinson. Among likely subjects are parks with children, swans and waterfowl, and the usual small crowd of inquisitive onlookers gazing at the photographer. (Fast forward 99 years and the innocent photos of children may attract more than inquisitive onlookers).Unfortunately, Mr Wilkinson continued, on this particular morning the rain came down in torrents and quickly drove the human bipeds to shelter. The swans and waterfowl simply ignored the rain, so with the aid of an umbrella to keep the camera dry, two or three exposures were madeCamera banTourists will be banned from taking photos at the National Archives exhibition hall in Washington, USA, according to press reports. The institution already bans ash photography to protect its historic documents from light. The move aims to improve the ow of visitor trafc, according to The Washington Post.Nikon starsLandscape photographer Andy Rouse and Sir Paul McCartneys photographer brother Mike will be among the speakers at the Focus on Imaging Show in Birmingham. Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes will also be giving a presentation at the Nikon stand, where visitors will be able to enter a competition to win a Nikon D90. The show takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 7-10 March.EF milestoneCanon has announced production of its 50 millionth EF lens. The landmark was achieved during the manufacture of the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, said the rm, which has produced more than ten million lenses in less than two years.SNAPSHOT1 9 11This week in8 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010subscribe 0845 676 7778Send club news to: apevents@ipcmedia.comPHOTOGRAPHERS have called for 11 February to be named Talbot Day in memory of British photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, who was born on that day in 1800.This year also coincides with the 175th anniversary of the year that Fox Talbot created the rst photographic negative.The British inventor is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern photography. He investigated the action of light on paper, which was treated at rst with nitrate of silver and later with chloride of silver, after using a camera lucida on a trip to Italy in 1833.In 1835 his experiments led him to produce a picture at his Lacock Abbey home in Wiltshire.Talbot created what is believed to be the earliest surviving photographic negative, from an image of a latticed window in Lacock Abbeys south gallery.The treasured photograph is now stored at the National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire.A group of Wiltshire-based photographers plan to mark 11 February with a special dinner at the George Inn in Lacock.This part of the historic public house used to be the carpenters shop where the original wooden camera now known as the Mousetrap was made for Talbot, says the group, led by press photographer Trevor Porter.Guest of honour will be Roger Watson, curator of the Fox Talbot Museum.Photographers call for Talbot DayStamford Photographic SocietyOn 18 February, Janet Davies ARPS is due to deliver a talk about Judging Techniques. For details visit www.stamford-photosoc.org.uk. Club chairman John Hillier can be reached on 01572 747 706.SAMSUNG has announced the upcoming release of ve new digital compacts.Due to land on the UK high street this month are the ST70 (179.99) and ST60 (149.99), boasting 14.2-million-pixel and 12.2-million-pixel resolutions respectively.The ST70 comes with a 27mm and the ST60 a 27.5mm (35mm viewing angle equivalent) zoom lens.The ST60 and ST70 (pictured) also feature digital effects such as DeFog Clear/Fog Lifting, which aims to improve the clarity of photos.Meanwhile, due out in March are the 12.2-million-pixel WB650 (299.99) and WB600 (249.99), which will replace the existing WB550 and WB500 models.They both come equipped with a 24mm Schneider Kreuznach lens capable of extending up to 15x.The WB650 is equipped with a 3in AMOLED screen and built-in GPS technology designed to allow users to geo-tag their images. Meanwhile, the WB600 comes with a 3in LCD monitor.Features on both include an HD (720p at 30 frames per second) movie mode.Also unveiled is the PL80, a 12.2-million-pixel camera sporting a 28-140mm equivalent zoom.It is due to go on sale in March, priced 129.99.Stockton Camera ClubThe club hosts a talk by photographer Steve Gosling entitled Lensless landscapes on 10 February. Steves monochrome images were captured using a pinhole camera. Tickets cost 3 and can be booked by calling 07803 136 598. The event takes place from 7.30pm-9.45pm at The Wilson Centre, Darlington Road, Long Newton, Teesside TS21 1DD.11 99 11Vale of Evesham Camera ClubThe club is organising its 2010 National Internet Exhibition, the entry form and details of which can be downloaded at www.photo2010.net. The closing date is 17 February 2010.Samsung refreshes compact line-up008 NEWS feb 13.indd 8 2/2/10 08:56:07www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comP009_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:37Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com10 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778ReviewYour guide to the latest photography books, exhibitions and websites robert mapplethorpe foundationArtist Rooms: Robert MapplethorpeUntil 27 March. Graves Gallery, Surrey Street, Shefeld S1 1XZ. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. Tel: 0114 278 2600. Website: www.museums-shefeld.org.uk. Admission freeThere is little doubt that Robert Mapplethorpes work divides opinion. During hislife, Mapplethorpe was seen by many as a controversial photographer indeed, the sexually explicit nature of his studies of the male form is well documented. Yet these images are just part of Mapplethorpes expansive body of work. As well as studyingthe human form, he produced copious images of close friends and acquaintances, celebrity portraits and still-life studies of owers.In a unique exhibition, more than 35 prominent images from Mapplethorpes career are on display. It is the rst time the photographers work has been shown in Shefeld. The exhibition is part of an initiative called Artist Rooms, a touring collection of artwork by some of the most inuential artists and photographers of the 20th century, assembled over many years by collector and curator Anthony dOffay. Eighteen galleries and museums are involved in the tour, which sees single rooms devoted to the work of a particular artist. Among the images on show at Graves Gallery are Mapplethorpes self-portraits (see bottom right) and iconic images of celebrities including Patti Smith (above), Andy Warhol (top right) and Marianne Faithfull (centre right). For more information on Artist Rooms visit www.artfund.org/artistrooms. Gemma Padley robert mapplethorpe foundationExhibition010-11 REVIEW 13-2.indd 10 29/1/10 11:27:29www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comEdgar Martins forced himself into our consciousness a few years ago with his wonderful book, Topologies, which was a stunning collection of night-time landscapes taken on Portugals beaches, highways and in drought-starved forests. It was an artful and timely comment on the impact of modern life upon the landscape, and in When Light Casts No Shadow he delves further into the subject this time stripping down what before were already minimalist scenes into stark black scenes whose only features are the scars inicted by man.Airports feature heavily in Martins latest exploration, with his camera trained low and wide over runways so that every blade of grass poking through the painted arrows and markings becomes visible. Later he moves indoors to capture the barren isolation of the interiors. A little too literal for the abstract, contemporary crowd, yet not classic enough for the traditionalists, Martins has found a style that is uniquely his own and should bring him great things in future. Jeff MeyerReviewsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 11http://1x.com/If you are looking for an alternative to Flickr, then Onexposure could be it. Billed as an arts project and photo community with a difference, the site is essentially an online gallery. It is free to set up an account, and there are currently more than 4,700 photographers signed up. The breadth and quality of the work here is breathtaking, which is due in part to the strict quality control of the organisers, who screen every photo to maintain a high standard. There are various ways to view images. You can browse by artist or theme, or click on the Photos tab, which sorts images into sub-categories such as latest, popular, exhibitions and shufe, which is a great way to view images across a range of subjects.The clear, uncluttered layout and high-quality content make this site stand out, and you will be hard-pushed not to nd an image you like. Gemma Padley ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE FOUNDATION ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE FOUNDATION ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE FOUNDATIONPractical HDRA complete guide to creating High Dynamic Range images with your digital SLRBy David Nightingale Ilex Press, paperback, 160 pages,14.29, ISBN 978-1-905814-63-3When Light Casts No ShadowBy Edgar Martins. Dewi Lewis, hardback, 84 pages, 30, ISBN 978-1-904587-81-1As David Nightingale astutely notes, HDR is both a technical solution to the limitations of digital camera sensors, and a creative tool that can give any image more impact. HDR gets a bad reputation because the results often dont look realistic, but its important to remember that last point that its just one of many creative tools, like tobacco-coloured lters or the noise lter in Photoshop. In Practical HDR, Nightingale provides thoughtful discussion on the balance between realistic and hyper-real images, and argues that each has its place, depending on your subject and intentions. In meticulous detail, Nightingale then explores the techniques involved in creating both styles, providing step-by-step examples and images of each subject. This is one of the most even-handed and contemplative guides to HDR that weve seen. Jeff MeyerBook reviewcc R R a a n n g g e ei i m m a a g g e e s sw w i i t t h hy y o o u u r rd d i i g g i i t t gg gg hh y y ggBook reviewWebsite EDGAR MARTINS DAVID NIGHTINGALE010-11 REVIEW 13-2.indd 11 29/1/10 11:28:00www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comwins a 20-roll pack of 36-exposure Fujilm Superia ISO 200 35mm lm or a Fujilm 4GB media card (in a choice of CompactFlash, SD or Memory Stick)* Write to Letters, Amateur Photographer, IPC Media, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SUfax to 020 3148 8130 or email to amateurphotographer@ipcmedia.com * Please indicate whether you would like to receive Fujilm lm or a memory card (please state type preferred) and include your full postal address12 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778Share your views and opinions with fellow AP readers every week The bigger pictureAs much as I applaud Jade Lord for producing a great feature about MOD photographers in Afghanistan, and admire Sergeant Harmers excellent pictures (Point & shoot, AP 23 January), I do detect a little bit of trumpet blowing on the part of Sgt Harmer when he says that even the Navy are no longer part of the Combat Camera Team because the environment is so demanding. Not so, Im afraid.Over the past few years the RN Photography Branch has had a succession of naval photographers in-theatre, with countless images gracing the pages of the national press and much footage shown on national TV all of which is published without a byline. If Jade were to have gained access to Defence News Imagery and conducted a search, she would have gained access to many pictures taken in Afghanistan by these naval personnel.Congratulations to Sgt Harmer for highlighting the role of the MOD photographer, but I do think he should be a little more careful of the words he uses when referring to photographers from other services. After all, hes only been a photographer for a few years and hasnt yet learnt the signicance of the bigger picture.Ian Arthur, GlasgowOf course, Mr Arthur. But isnt it standard practice for the Army to pretend the Navy doesnt exist? Until they need a lift, that is Damien Demolder, EditorA satised customerIt was interesting to read Neil Mudfords Backchat article in AP 30 January relating to the backup of images to protect against hardware failure. Until recently, I was following a very similar regime to Neil, using mirrored disks on my PC and then backing up to a server.There are now numerous online backup services on offer, some more photo-centric than others. The service Im using at the moment is by a company called Dropbox (www.dropbox.com). What Dropbox does is synchronise the contents of a folder on your Mac/PC with the servers hosted by Dropbox. The application achieves this by use of a small software program that is available in Mac, Linux and Windows versions. It runs in the background and syncs the contents of the folder to the Dropbox server; you can also add more PCs and sync to those as well, giving multiple copies of data for ultimate protection.The program works well for me as it backs up not only my images but also other important documents. The company even produces an iPhone app that allows you to view your images and documents on your iPhone or iPod Touch. It also allows access via your web browser, so you can access your les from anywhere with an internet connection.The service costs $10 per month (around 6), which, if you offset this against the extra hardware required and the electricity needed to run a server, works out quite well and means your data is backed up off-site. A free version is offered with a 2GB limit.John New, Tyne & WearUnder or over?Looking at James Cleggs pictures in Gallery in AP 30 January, I was intrigued with his image Snowy Road (page 28) image and its caption, which said, James compensated by +0.3EV to ensure the snow wasnt overexposed. Should that not say underexposed, as I thought camera metering systems tended Dont forget the NavyI am writing to you after reading your feature on Sergeant Daniel Harmer of the Armys Combat Camera Team (Point & shoot, AP 23 January). I have been a Royal Navy photographer for nearly four years, having been a Royal Marine for eight years previously. The article gave the impression that Royal Navy photographers dont deploy to Afghanistan.However, I was deployed on Operation Herrick VII as 40 Commandos Unit Photographer. Each of the Royal Marines Commando Units (40, 42 and 45 Commando, around 650 personnel each) has its own assigned photographer. The Unit Photographer will spend the whole six months deployed in Afghanistan, living, working, patrolling and under re with the Royal Marines. During Operation Herrick IX last year, with the deployment of 3 Commando Brigade, there were three Royal Navy photographers deployed.It is very frustrating to think that people have the impression that Navy photographers arent able to cope with the rigours of the front line in Afghanistan.Leading Airman (Photographer) AJ MacLeod, Argyll & Bute12-13 letters feb13seen by DD 12 3/2/10 14:36:16www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comYour thoughts or views (about 500 words) should be sent to Backchat at the usual AP address (see page 3). A fee of 50 will be paid on publicationsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13to underexpose bright objects and overexpose dark objects?John Harbidge, West YorkshireYou are quite right, John Damien Demolder, EditorLend a handLike Terry Hamilton (Backchat, AP 23 January), I too was disappointed at the lack of an informative handbook for my Canon PowerShot G11. However, there is a solution. If Terry contacts Robert Scott on 01869 331 741, he will receive the handbook free of charge the following day. Over the years I have received four handbooks for my various Canon cameras.Leonore Ham, SomersetYou can also get handbooks for all cameras, old and new, from Old Timer Cameras. Visit www.f22.co.uk Damien Demolder, EditorLens vs sensor ISI enjoyed Angela Nicholsons article on stabilisation systems in AP 23 January. At this point I have to declare an interest for a number of years I worked as a development engineer involved in the design of sightline and image-stabilisation systems in a company producing electro-optical equipment. The problems encountered were much the same as those involved in producing stabilisation systems for consumer-type cameras, although our solutions used rather different methods from the ones Angela describes.However, unless I have misunderstood her, there is one point where I think she is mistaken. She states that only a lens-based system can correct for angular movements such as pitch and yaw. Such movements displace the image vertically or horizontally respectively and can be compensated for by moving the sensor. The problem as I see it is that when using a very long focus lens, a small angular disturbance can send an image almost right off the sensor, which may therefore tend to hit the buffers. On the other hand, in a lens-based system, since the compensation is done by means of a correction element located in the lens barrel somewhere in front of the sensor plane, a much smaller movement will sufce.For this reason, my preference is for a lens-based system, as I am keen on using long-focus lenses for wildlife photography. Other photographers who do not use very long lenses may that nd sensor-based systems serve them very well and cost them less.Robin Cormack, EdinburghWhile sensor-based stabilisation systems can correct vertical and horizontal movements, they cannot correct for a slight tipping of the camera that might occur when pressing the shutter-release button, for example, unlike the stabilisation element in a lens Angela Nicholson, technical editorHungry like the wolf?In respect to the separation of Jos Luis Rodriguez from his honour of winning the 2009 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (News, AP 30 January), I can say that I too was taken in by the picture. However, with the benet of hindsight it is obvious to me now that it is not a photograph of a wild animal. Why? Well, imagine you are the hungry wolf out looking for a meal. You go around following your nose, trying not to advertise your presence. As you are very hungry you dont want to make any unnecessary noises that would frighten away any prey. You come to a gate and have the choice of either stepping quietly through and cautiously observing whatever tasty snack might be on the other side, or expending valuable energy by jumping over and frightening away any possible prey in the process. What would you do? Plus, I am not 100% sure that wolves even hunt at night, anyway perhaps they dont.Dave Smith, CheshireIm not even certain its a real gate Damien Demolder, EditorAPART from integrity-free photographers, who will see the World Press Photos crackdown on manipulated images (News, AP 12 December) as anything but a smart move? Digital imaging is brilliant stuff, but it can also be deceitful. I recall a photo by wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen about eight years ago. It showed a bear catching salmon in a river, and a fish was about to leap into its mouth. It was a beautifully timed shot, yet Tom was asked whether it was digitally manipulated. Although it was testament to his skills it meant an established photographers honesty was being questioned.All these years and a digital revolution later, is it any wonder people are sceptical about image manipulation? Most of us who process digital files manipulate images, albeit to suit our personal taste. If such photos arent passed off as being straight shots then theres no harm done. If, however, manipulated images were to be entered into a prestigious event like the World Press Photo competition as straight shots, then the photographers concerned would be laying a minefield for honest contributors.Im intrigued by the World Press Photos insistence that only retouching that conforms to current standards will be allowed. It needs to elaborate on what those standards are so that photographers do not overstep the mark in their interpretation of their images. I spoke with a photographer online recently who showed some of his landscapes. One was a beautiful sunset over a tranquil harbour. It was a record shot taken under what the photographer called lucky conditions and printed straight apart from a bit of sharpening. Another interpretation of the shot was heavily manipulated via a vivid red sky courtesy of a mammoth boost in Levels. My online buddy said he much preferred the latter because it had clout.It was to be sent into a magazine and I predicted it was likely to appear on a photo critique page. He retorted that I was a safe photographer afraid to bend the rules. Well, If safe means not manipulating an image to within an inch of its life, then I am safe.In most cases photographers will come clean over what has been manipulated, but when photographers go overboard yet claim otherwise, it does no one any favours. In the case of the World Press Photo submissions, winning by hook or by crook is the name of the game for some. Demanding the original files be shown as proof besmirches a competition for professionals. When it comes to winning, those photographers who have to resort to dishonest enhancement are not being at all professional.AP reader Mick Bidewell on why the World Press Photo competition was right to ban manipulated images When it comes to winning, those who have to resort to dishonest enhancement are not being at all professional oou u uu ll Y Y aar r o o u u n n d d f f o o l l l l o o w w i i n n g g y y o o u u r r n n o o s s e e , ,uu 12-13 letters feb13seen by DD 13 3/2/10 14:36:38www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comIT may sound strange, but I have a thing about birds in cages. As a small child we used to have a budgie as a pet and I didnt think too much about the fact it wasnt free. I could never keep a bird as a pet now. Seeing and photographing birds in the wild really changed my thoughts about keeping them in cages. One of the great things about photography and there are many is its capacity to change the way you feel about things, not only when you are making a picture but also when looking at the photographs of others. Now when I see a picture of a caged bird I feel a huge sense of discomfort, and I remember what it is like to see these birds ying freely. Birds have wings for a reason, and it seems a terrible injustice to cage them.I included this image in my book Spirit of the Wild and used quotations alongside the images to remind people of animals rights. The quote with this image reads: God loved the birds and invented trees; man loved the birds and invented cages. It was important to me that the book captured something of the freedom of these wild birds.I was in Peru when I captured this macaw in a urry of colour. I had long wanted to photograph macaws in the wild, but had only ever seen them in captivity. Ive always loved these birds: the intense reds and blues of their feathers with the streak of yellow is a magnicent sight to behold.I visited the Amazon with a guide and my then 15-year-old son, and took a two-day boat ride down the Tambopata River to our camping spot Photo Insight Steve Bloom14 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778STEVE BLOOM EXPLAINS HOW HE TOOK THIS EXHILARATING IMAGE OF A MACAW IN FLIGHT AND WHY HE COULD NEVER LOOK AT A CAGED BIRD IN THE SAME WAY AGAINThe AP expertsEach week, one of our team of experts of Steve Bloom, David Clapp, Tom Mackie and Clive Nichols will reveal the secrets behind one of their great images. This week its Steve Bloom STEVE BLOOM WildlifeThe worlds leading wildlife photographer is bringing his expertise to AP. Steve has written dozens of books on wildlife photographyat the bottom of the Amazon basin. When we arrived it was unbearably hot and humid, there were caiman and piranhas in the surrounding water and we were eaten alive by insects. I think my son must have wondered if this was some kind of punishment! We were looking for what is known as a clay lick, a wall where the birds cluster together and peck at the clay to nd nutrients and minerals (see right). We trekked through the undergrowth until we found a clearing and there they were: clusters of macaws in all their splendour. We crossed the river and I set up my Canon EOS-1Ds camera on a tripod. From there I was able to capture some interesting shots of the birds uttering around the clay lick. The birds were actually quite far away and it was difcult to get close to them, so most of the time I used a 500mm lens with 2x converter. Then, without warning, a macaw landed on a nearby branch and sat there, quite close to me. I knew this was my chance to capture something special, but I had to think fast. I quickly attached my 300mm lens to my camera, removed it from the tripod and panned with the bird as it ew off. The Canon 300mm optic is a fast lens and the cameras autofocus is very quick so I was able to achieve a sharp image. When photographing birds in ight, I always focus on the eye as to me this is the key to capturing a meaningful image. The wing nearest to the camera was moving at some speed so there is more blur than on the birds head, but I think this adds to the exciting urry of movement in the picture.Getting a correct exposure wasnt too difcult on this occasion. It was early morning and the light was slightly hazy, so the conditions were ideal. Stark sunlight can cause problems with exposure. The autoexposure of modern DSLRs is so good that there is less need to worry about under or overexposing an image. It is only when the scene is very contrasty that extra care is necessary with the exposure.As DSLR technology advances, noise levels at high ISO speeds are decreasing. This improved quality means that faster shutter speeds can be used and tripods are less of I used blur to capture this whoosh of colour and give the impression of brush strokes on canvas 14-15 insight FEB 13 oc.indd 14 29/1/10 11:31:48www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comSteve Bloom Photo Insightsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 15 STEVE BLOOMTo see more images by Steve visit www.stevebloomphoto.com. Signed copies of Steves book Spirit of the Wild, published by Thames & Hudson and priced 18.95, are available from www.stevebloomshop.comensure that my images look faithful to the original scene, and as these birds are naturally very bright it was just a case of tweaking the saturation until I had accurately rendered the macaws true colours.We are emotionally inuenced by colour, whether individually or in combination. While I couldnt alter the fundamental hue of the macaws feathers they will always be bright red and blue I could use blur to capture this whoosh of colour and give the impression of brush strokes on canvas. The composition follows the Rule of Thirds: the birds head is in the top third of the frame on the right, which creates a balanced composition. For a subject that demands fast reactions, you need to be ahead of what is happening. Its all too easy to chop off the birds head or tail feathers completely. If I had included the whole bird it would have been much smaller in the frame and the image would have had less impact. Here, though, the macaw is literally in your face. Keeping the space around the edges to a minimum and the background simple reinforces this by concentrating the viewers attention on the subject. I believe that composing the shot in this way creates a greater sense of immediacy. You can almost feel the swish of the wings as the bird darts by. My son was making a video when I took this shot and I turned to the camera looking very pleased with myself. Its that wonderful feeling of knowing you have achieved something great. In hindsight, this was the image of the trip. It can be utterly soul destroying when you come back from a shoot and realise you didnt get anything great, especially if youve spent a lot of time, money and discomfort in trying to do so. However, when you get the result you were hoping for, feelings of elation more than make up for any discomfort you experienced at the time. If you walk away with one image you are really pleased with, it has been worthwhile. I only need to look at this picture to remind myself of what a magnicent sight these birds are in the wild. APa necessity, which is especially useful in wildlife photography. I took this at approximately 1/250sec with the camera set to AWB. I shot in raw format as I always do so I can make adjustments to the image afterwards. The macaws head is tilted at such an angle that it looks as though it is making eye contact. It is hugely satisfying to capture the detail in an animals face and show something of their expressions. I used Focus Magic software (www.focusmagic.com) to sharpen the eye slightly, and while it is a useful program any sharpening should be applied sparingly. There is no substitute for a properly focused image in-camera. Likewise, when retouching, be careful not to oversaturate the image, particularly in the reds, as this can cause you to lose detail; keeping a good amount of cyan in the image helps to preserve detail and texture. I always try to In the wild, macaws gather at exposed areas of soil known as clay licks where they peck at the clay to retrieve the sodium content, which is a vital part of their diet. Many of these clay licks can be found in the Amazon along parts of the Tambopata River. One the largest is located in the Tambopata National Reserve in south-east Amazonian Peru. Macaws ock to the clay lick throughout the year and can be seen in large numbers from July to September. For information visit www.tambopata-peru.info.14-15 insight FEB 13 oc.indd 15 29/1/10 11:32:09www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comP016_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:38Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comP017_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:39Page 2www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com18|www.amateurphotographer.co.uk|13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778P018_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:40Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comExposure Winter Landscapessubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 19Whiter than whiteDo you struggle to get the exposure right when shooting winter scenes? Landscape expert Lee Frost explains how to get theperfect histogram in a winter wonderlandThanks to last months freak weather which seemed to affect pretty much every corner of the British Isles this winter is one well never forget. Like the assassination of JFk or the death of Elvis, the question, so where were you in January 2010? is one people will be asking for decades to come.I was in northumberland, where more snow fell in the space of a week than in the previous ve years combined. Even the beach didnt escape a dose of the white stuff, and new Years Day was a sight to behold despite the hangover.needless to say, it didnt take long before I was wearing more 19-23 frost feb13.frmJM.indd 19 3/2/10 09:29:30www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comWinter Landscapes Exposure20 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778Modern metering systems would cope fairly well with this scene as it has a mix of light and dark tones, but you still need to take careCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 24-70mm, 1/30sec at f/11, ISO 100, polariserThis scene required an extra stop over the metered exposure to get it just rightCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 70-200mm, 1/30secat f/11, ISO 100layers than an Eskimo and trudging through the snowy wastes in search of inspiration, which appeared at every turn and kept me going even when my toes were so cold I was convinced theyd need immediate amputation. And it would have been worth losing my toes. Honest!Snow does that to you. Maybe its because we dont see it very often, so like kids at Christmas we come over all giddy. Or maybe its because in the space of a few minutes it can transform the dullest scene into a winter wonderland and instantly turn anyone with a camera into a keen photographer. Such is its magic that I recently found myself getting excited about taking photographs of the village golf course and I hate golf.Get the exposure rightThe rst thing that struck me when I started shooting this winters snow was how badly my cameras integral metering system was 19-23 frost feb13.frmJM.indd 20 3/2/10 11:25:37www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comExposure Winter Landscapessubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 21The problem is that the metering system in my camera and everyone elses, for that matter is designed to correctly expose average scenesWhite balanceWhen youre shooting winter scenes you must consider the white balance because the colour temperature of the light can vary considerably, especially at dawn or dusk when images often come out with a strong blue cast. If you shoot in raw you can always adjust the colour temperature during post-processing, but many photographers prefer to get it right in camera.I tend to shoot with my white balance set to auto (AWB) and I am generally happy with the results. Others might choose the daylight setting, in which the Kelvin value is xed, or they might vary the colour temperature setting from shot to shot to achieve a natural colour balance.To give you an idea of how changes to the white balance can alter the look of a winter scene, I shot the same scene using different white balance settings (see above).White uorescent (approx 4,000K)Tungsten (approx 3,200K)Cloudy (approx 6,000K)Shade (approx 7,000K)Daylight (approx 5,200K)Auto white balancecoping with the usually simple act of getting the exposure right. I use a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, one of the most sophisticated (and expensive) digital SLRs around. It uses Canons legendary evaluative metering pattern, which normally takes tricky lighting in its stride. However, the winter landscape is a law unto itself especially when covered in inches of freshly fallen snow.The problem is that the metering system in my camera and everyone elses, for that matter is designed to correctly expose average scenes. An average scene is one that contains a fairly even number of light and dark tones and reects approximately 18% of the light falling on it. Think green eld under blue sky on a sunny day and you wont be far off. Even easier, think mid-grey colour and x that image in your mind.If you point your camera at a wall that has been painted mid-grey, it will give you a perfectly exposed A cameras meter can be easily confused by so much whiteCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm, 1/10sec at f/11ALL PICTURES LEE FROST19-23 frost feb13.frmJM.indd 21 3/2/10 11:26:32www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comWinter Landscapes Exposure22 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010subscribe 0845 676 7778photograph of the wall because thats what its designed to do. This is also why a grey card used to be a common accessory among photographers. When faced with an overly light or dark subject, all they had to do was hold their grey card in the same light as the subject, take a meter reading from it and, hey presto, problem solved.Metering systems these days are much more sophisticated than they were, say, 20 years ago, so things like grey cards are no longer necessary. Modern multi-pattern metering systems like Canons evaluative and Nikons matrix systems are able to take numerous light readings from different parts of a scene, assess the data gathered and set the exposure accordingly. This is why they get it right more often than not, even if a scene or subject isnt quite average.However, winter scenes are different. They are about as far from average as you can get, and this confuses the camera because it doesnt know what to do. Its programmed to see everything as average, so if a scene isnt average the camera tries to force it to be. Point your camera at a eld covered in snow, and even though its almost pure white your camera thinks, Nah, Im having none of this. That eld should be grey. It therefore underexposes the image and the white snow turns out grey.In the days of lm, shooting winter landscapes was a bit of a nightmare because you knew your camera was going to underexpose, but by how much was difcult to say. I never found negative lm too bad because it has loads of exposure latitude, so providing I got within a stop of correct exposure it would be ne. However, I tended to shoot with colour slide lm Fujichrome Velvia, mostly and that needs to be perfectly exposed. The only solution I had was to bracket exposures and accept that 70% of what I shot would probably end up in the bin.Fortunately, for the majority of us this is a thing of the past, because while our camera meters still struggle when pointed at snowy winter scenes, theyre now inside digital cameras that let us see the results instantly and allow us to correct any errors to ensure we never miss a great shot. If you shoot in raw mode, theres also a reasonable amount of latitude to correct exposure error during post-processing although you still need to take care.Highlight warningThe golden rule with digital capture is: never blow the highlights! If you do, it means no detail has been recorded in those areas so theres nothing to rescue other than pure white and if you darken white it goes grey. Heeding this rule is even more important when shooting winter scenes because you have much larger highlight areas to deal with especially after snow, when most of the scene will consist of light and midtones with shadows few and far between.What I do is mount my camera on a tripod, compose the scene, then attach and align any lters I intend to use: usually an ND Creating the perfect histogramThis set of images shows how to expose for winter scenes using your cameras integral metering system. The initial exposure was way out and the resulting image is underexposed. Note the position of the tones on the histogram. Increasing the exposure to +1EV has brightened the image and shifted the histogram more to the right. In the end, however, the exposure had to be increased to +2EV over the metered reading to achieve a satisfactory result, with the tones shifted much further to the right of the histogram without being clipped.Metered exposureExposure increased to +1EVExposure increased to +2EVFinal edited image19-23 frost feb13.frmJM.indd 22 3/2/10 09:30:58www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comExposure Winter Landscapessubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 23grad, sometimes a polariser, occasionally both together. Next, with the exposure-mode dial set to aperture priority and the lens stopped down to the desired aperture, I take a shot with no exposure adjustment applied. This is my exposure test shot a digital Polaroid if you like to see how the camera is coping.I always expect a degree of underexposure and Im rarely disappointed, so after looking at the preview image and its histogram I dial in extra exposure using the cameras exposure compensation facility. I may start with as little as +1/3EV or as much as +1EV, and I may end up going to +2EV or even +3EV to get the effect I want. The level of exposure compensation required varies from scene to scene, but on average its probably around +2EV.The key is to pay attention to the histogram as you increase the exposure, because the tones in the histogram will shift gradually to the right. What you dont want to do is move it so far to the right that the highlights start to blow, because with a winter scene, where the histogram tends to be fairly condensed, this can be catastrophic. Clip the highlights in a normal scene and you may get a few tiny areas where no detail records. Clip them in a snow scene and half the image ends up pure white. You dont want that, because while snow is white, its not pure white and it does have texture, which you need to retain.So, I increase the exposure in 1/3EV increments as much as I can before the highlights touch the right side of the histogram and highlight warnings ash on the preview image. This gives me a raw le where texture and detail are recorded in the lighter/higher tones the snow, ice and frost but with plenty of shadow detail, too.I process my raw les using Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CS3. In the top right corner of the Camera Raw window is a histogram for the image and two arrows. If you click the right arrow, it shows any clipped highlights in bright red. This is a good way to check if youve pushed the exposure too far when shooting winter scenes. If you have,its just a simple case of choosing the previous raw le in the sequence, which would have received 1/3EV less exposure, and it should be spot on.By working in this way, you should never mess up the exposure of a winter shot. And if you choose the right raw les from your captured sequence, it will require very little work in post-production before youre admiring another perfectly exposed winter masterpiece that looks so realistic you feel like you could walk right into it. Just remember to wrap up before you do! APIf youre using a DSLR for a winter landscape shot, just check the histogram, preview the image and increase the exposure as required. Use an ND grad to stop the sky blowing outCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 24-70mm, 1/10sec at f/11,ISO 100, 0.6ND hard gradWater increases the risk of underexposure. Lee used a 0.45ND hard grad to balance the top half of this scene with its reection and increased the exposure by +1EVCanon EOS-1Ds Mark III, 16-35mm, 1/5sec at f/11, ISO 100, 0.45NDhard grad19-23 frost feb13.frmJM.indd 23 3/2/10 11:27:21www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com24-28 Rusnak feb13 oc.indd 24 29/1/10 12:43:53www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comBenjamin Rusnak Documentary PhotographyChanging livesA young girl cries after another child stole a toy she found at a garbage dump outside Quetzaltenango in GuatemalaAs a press photographer he came face-to-lens with poverty all the time, but the daily nature of the news meant he had to take a picture and move on. Now the staff photographer at an international charity, Benjamin Rusnak explains to Jeff Meyer how he gets to see rst-hand how photography can change lives 24-28 Rusnak feb13 oc.indd 25 29/1/10 12:44:28www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comDocumentary Photography Benjamin Rusnak26 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778I like to call what I do humanitarian journalism, Benjamin says. Working for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) is in many ways similar to the job of a press photographer, save for two major differences. Most people who work in traditional journalism are a bit liberal and want to solve injustice on a general scale, he explains, but the extent of their ability to right wrongs is to put information out there and hope that someone does something with it. In my nine years in journalism I can count on one hand the instances in which my work made someones life better, Benjamin says. But at an NGO like Food For The Poor you can quantify how much good your work does by the donations that come in as a result of your images on circulars, for example, or the houses that are built from these donations. The second difference from traditional journalism, he says, is that when you tell someones story and raise money in their name, you are morally inclined to help them. In journalism your responsibility ends when you publish their story, he explains. But when you raise money in someones name you become responsible for their outcome and need to follow through with it.Its because of the moral responsibility from this second difference that Benjamin discovered he needed to learn a skill that he never thought hed have to use as a journalist: marketing. Immediately, Benjamin was ushered into strategy meetings where WhIle he wishes he could say it was spurred by personal motivation, it was really a case of love and sacrice that propelled Benjamin Rusnak into his unique role atthe charity Food For The Poor. Ten years ago and newly married, Benjamin Rusnaks wife, a journalist, left the newspaper at which they both worked in Fort Myers, Florida, to take a job at another publication elsewhere in the Sunshine State. For the rst six months of their marriage, they lived apart and rarely saw each other. It got to be too much relying on phone calls and weekend visits, so eventually Benjamin quit his job too, leaving the Fort Myers News Press for something nearer to his wife.I had done a bit of freelancing in the past, so I asked a guy I befriended in my new city if he had any leads on jobs, Benjamin says. he was a full-time freelancer and was moving away, so he gave me his contacts. One of them was Food For The Poor. When I rang to enquire about work, they said they needed someone full-time. The next thingI knew I was at an interview. Coming from my press background, I couldnt imagine there was such a job like this where I could travel to exotic locations and help people with my photography. I couldnt imagine this was real and that they would pay me. Benjamin was quickly hired, and on his rst day he ew to Jamaica. Ten years later, hes still helping people through his photography.From Benjamins series exploring the links between poverty and disability, children in Chinandega, Nicaragua, live in temporary housing after losing their homes to Hurricane MitchAt a garbage dump outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras, vultures compete with humans forscraps of food24-28 Rusnak feb13 oc.indd 26 29/1/10 12:44:48www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comBenjamin Rusnak Documentary Photographysubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 27the team would discuss upcoming mass mailings or internet campaigns. In these meetings they decide precisely who they want to target with their campaign, then craft a brief for the types of pictures they want to illustrate it with.In a web campaign, for instance, the charity will probably want to use close-cropped shots of peoples faces because the pictures tend to be smaller in the design than they would be in a paper circular. The real substantive differences in style, he says, are determined by which type of donor the charity is targeting.Food For The Poor has a general le that gets distributed to everyone on their list, which is about 500,000 people. These are everyday people who send in modest donations several times a year, and for these types of mailings Benjamin will need to take pictures that have a general appeal to the average persons emotional nature. These are usually dramatic, attention-grabbing images that can appeal immediately to someone who may be uninformed and win them over. Usually these images relate to housing, food or water. There is another le of donors, however, who donate substantially higher sums typically businesses and the wealthy and for this group Benjamins style changes quite dramatically. The higher donors are already on your side, he explains, so we have to talk to them quite differently. They want to know about development and what were doing to break the cycle of poverty. So to better communicate with this crowd, Benjamin will take pictures of shing projects and the construction of villages.Ive come to see marketing in a completely new way than I did when I was at the newspapers, Benjamin says. Everything is planned. When we go into the eld to tell a story about a poor family, we choose the family that will represent our story best. And when you do this, you need to choose the family that has the classical appearance of being poor. Americans arent going to give money to people who are chubby or wearing jewellery, or those who look too hard or mean-looking. Poverty can make you very hard and mean-looking, but thats not always the easiest thing to photograph.Likewise, images of single men will never raise money, he says. If he were to rank the subjects that will most motivate the average, uninformed person to donate, it is children, followed by women and the elderly in that order. These are the faces of Food For The Poors campaigns. This was all new to me at rst, he adds, but I realised that in traditional journalism youre doing the same thing. If you attend a political rally, you will choose to photograph someone who you think will tell the story the strongest. What youre doing is marketing your photo to be the most powerful imagein the paper to get on the front page.Benjamins assignments largely fall within the Caribbean and Latin American region, particularly Haiti (where, at the time of writing, he is documenting earthquake rescue efforts) and Guatemala, where he has spent considerable time. He can count on about 15 assignments a year and being gone at least one week out of every month.On any given trip, Benjamin is looking for photographs to illustrate several topics: shots of development works, dramatic urgent appeal images or before and after success stories, for example. Trips usually last ve or six days, and hell travel with a writer and a projects coordinator. Benjamin will also have partners in the country to whom he and his team have given a list of the types of stories theyre after, such as lack of water or malnutrition. When Benjamin arrives, these partners will then take him to places that t those topics. Not all these locations are suitable, so he might not shoot them at all. As much planning, research and leg work as possible is done before they arrive so as not to waste time and resources and, most importantly, to avoid letting anybody down.One thing were really keen on is not making empty promises, Benjaminexplains. These people have been letdown so many times, and just our being there insinuates a promise. Before we even get out of the car we have to ask ourselves if were really going to work in this location. Can I take the pictures I need here? Can our trucks get up here to build houses? Every question and picture is decided by will this make money?Its a much different way of working to what Benjamin was accustomed to at the newspapers, and you really have to develop a keen business sense, he says. Its not about how your pictures are powerful, but rather how your Right: Guillermo, aged six, can only stand for a few seconds without falling due to chronic malnutrition. His death a month later deeply affected BenjaminTop left: Zuleyca Cha Choc wasnear death dueto malnutrition, weighing just6lb at seven months oldBottom left:Six monthsafter receiving treatment from care workers and Food For The Poor, Zuleyca is on the road to recoveryall pictures benjamin rusnak/food for the poor, inc24-28 Rusnak feb13 oc.indd 27 1/2/10 11:03:45www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comDocumentary Photography Benjamin Rusnak28 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010subscribe 0845 676 7778powerful pictures can further your message and lift this person out of desperation. With it comes huge emotional pressure. I love my job, but the things I take pictures of dont make me feel like a very good person, Benjamin admits. This is something I struggle with a lot. I have a tendency to make children cry, he says. Its awful. There are a lot of kids in these villages, and Im not the rst white person theyve seen, but theyre not used to seeing so many of them, particularly with big cameras. The hardest part about my job is that if Im going to get the picture I need, I cant draw back when I make a child cry. I need shots that are very close-up and hard-hitting, so Ive learned over the years that I have to move closer to these children when they cry even though it goes against everything Im feeling. I try to tell myself that Im doing this because at other times in the day theyre crying because theyre hungry. So while in most cases they are crying because of me, Im using the truth of that emotion in that moment to record a ction that will ultimately help improve their situation. It was around year seven in his decade of service that Benjamin met Guillermo. He was shooting an assignment in Guatemala for a campaign on malnutrition. Guillermo (see page 27) was a young boy, emaciated from lack of food. Benjamin was fond of him, and he became the subject of a number of his images. It wasnt the rst time he heard that one of his subjects had died, but when he heard that Guillermo passed away a few weeks later it really got to him.I got really depressed, but I ignored it, says Benjamin. If I acknowledged it, I was afraid I might nd out that I couldnt do this job any more. Eventually I went to therapy, and in a couple months I was ne. Theres a tendency to think that you have no right to feel depressed like this, but you need to realise that your feelings are genuine. Anyone who shoots something so emotional needs to take care of themselves, too. APAbove: Isleus Clerville loads garbage into a wheelbarrow to create a path for the poor to build homes in this Haitian swampRight: Young Haitian boys jostle for position after waiting hours to receive foodBottom: Workers at a garbage dump in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, raise their hands when asked if they dream of a better lifeTo see more of Benjamins images visitwww.benjaminrusnak.com24-28 Rusnak feb13 oc.indd 28 29/1/10 12:45:36www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comP029_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:41Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com30|www.amateurphotographer.co.uk|13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778P030_AMP_FEB132/2/1008:42Page 1www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comReader PicturesPhilip EagleseldBucksWinding roadPhilip positioned his camera at just the right angle to capture the stream of light as it fell on this deserted Dorset road Sony Alpha 700, 50mm macro, 1/125sec at f/8GGa a l l l l e e r r y y GGa a l l l l e e r rSend us a selection of your pictures and see your work printed in Amateur PhotographerVisit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/apgallery for detailssubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 31Editors ChoiceThere is a real sense of fantasy about this image as though the scene is a lm set. The golden glow stands out from its desaturated surroundings as the light appears to ow down the street towards us. I wonder what will be coming with it Damien Demolder, Editor31-35 Galleryfeb13forart.indd 31 29/1/10 12:59:33www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com32 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010subscribe 0845 676 7778Reader PicturesFerns and trees1 Philip used a wideangle lens to emphasise the ferns in the foreground and create an atmospheric compositionSony Alpha 700, 10-20mm, 1/30sec at f/4, ISO 400River calm2 For this HDR shot Philip created three images from his raw le, which he combined using PhotomatixSony Alpha 700, 10-20mm, 1/50sec at f/6.3, ISO 200Boat detail3 Clashing shapes and a tightly framed composition give this standard coastal scene an abstract edge Sony Alpha 700, 50mm, 1/6sec at f/22, ISO 100Funfair4 This is a classic long-exposure shot that has been done many times, but I fancied having a go myself, says PhilipSony Alpha 700, 10-20mm, 1/4sec at f/22, ISO 400, tripod, cable release11 31-35 Galleryfeb13forart.indd 32 1/2/10 11:07:28www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 33Reader PicturesPhilip EagleseldBuckinghamshireAfter taking pictures at a wedding last summer using a small compact camera, Philip, 38, resolved to buy a DSLR. When I uploaded the pictures to my computer, many of the shots that I thought looked good on the LCD screen were in fact hopeless, he says. However, since buying my Sony Alpha 700 I have been taking pictures obsessively and am hooked. I love nding new locations and am looking forward to following the changing seasons with my new hobby33 44 22 31-35 Galleryfeb13forart.indd 33 29/1/10 13:00:00www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com 34 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778Reader Pictures Mike Harvey-PentonEast SussexMike regularly submits photographs to the AP Gallery and in the 15 August 2009 issue he contributed a feature on digital infrared photography. Always keen to experiment with his images, Mike says digital imaging has opened up many possibilities. There is so much you can do, he says. You are limited only by your imagination.Cob3 Using Nik Softwares Color Efex Pro 2, Mike selected the Photo Styler Copper lter to emphasise the golden tones in the cornNikon D300, 14-24mm, 1sec at f/14, ISO 200Wheat2 I used my in-camera ash to light the composition and the Poster Edges lter to create this textured image, says MikeNikon D300, 105mm, 1/250sec at f/16, ISO 200Stones1 Mike desaturated his image and used the Poster Edges lter in Photoshop to bring out texture in the stones and pavementNikon D200, 18-70mm, 1/8sec at f/16, ISO 16022 331131-35 Galleryfeb13forart.indd 34 1/2/10 11:06:31www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 35Reader PicturesThe Editors Choice winsa National Geographic Earth Explorer shoulder bagSend us your pictures and you could win an Earth Explorer shoulder bag from National Geographic. The bag, which is made from hemp, has a wide shoulder strap, is designed to hold and protect a small DSLR or compact camera, and is water-resistant. PLUSEach featuredreader receives50Please see the Send us your pictures section on page 3 for details or visit www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/apgalleryHow to submit images to GalleryMiroslaw Fryca LondonMiroslaw, 44, was passionate about photography when he was growing up and recently decided to start taking photographs seriously. His favourite subject is nature, especially birds. I love making people aware ofthe wildlife that is out there and the way animals behave, he saysKingsher1 Soft light brings out the greens of the foliage, creating a colourful backgroundCanon EOS 40D, 400mm, 1/640sec at f/6.3, ISO 640, tripodMagpie2 Miroslaw red the shutter as the magpie took off to show the full spread of its wingsCanon EOS EOS 40D, 400mm, 1/800sec at f/6.3, ISO 250, tripodWhite heron3 I wanted to capture a feeling of freedom and grace in this image, says MiroslawCanon EOS 40D, 400mm, 1/2000sec at f/6.3, ISO 400, tripod223311Worth more than 50www.manfrottodistribution.co.uk31-35 Galleryfeb13forart.indd 35 29/1/10 13:00:40www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com36 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 7778Icons of Photography James Dean In Times Square DENNIS STOCK/MAGNUM PHOTOS036-38 ICON FEB 13.indd 36 1/2/10 11:00:07www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comsubscribe 0845 676 777813 February 2010 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 37 As Jimmy and I roamed Fairmount, I came to know, or at least to glimpse, the real James Dean OFPHOTOGRAPHY DENNIS STOCK/MAGNUM PHOTOSWHEN Dennis Stock attended a screening of James Deans rst lm, East of Eden, he knew he wanted to photograph him. He sensed that this charismatic young actor would soon join Marlon Brando and Paul Newman as one of the major lm stars of his generation. Stock, who had met Dean at a Hollywood party in January 1955, asked him to be the subject of a photo essay. Dean, who was not yet famous, readily accepted the invitation. Stock then approached Life magazine with the idea and within a week the assignment was agreed. It took two months to complete.At the time, Stock was a 26-year-old photojournalist. He had joined the Magnum agency in 1951 and became a full member in 1954. From the beginning of his career he had been mainly interested in producing a sequence of images that told a story about a given subject. In his photographs of Dean, he aimed to show a young movie star in both his professional and personal life. The rst part of the assignment involved taking Dean back to his home town of Fairmount, Indiana. For Jimmy, it was going home, Stock later wrote, but it was also the realisation that the meteoric rise to fame had already begun to cut him off forever from his small-town Midwestern origins, and that he could never really go home again. Still, in those bitter-cold late winter days, as Jimmy and I roamed the town and farm and elds of Fairmount, visiting family and friends, I came to know, or at least to glimpse, the real James Dean.Stocks photographs showed Dean in various locations: at home with family members, in a classroom at his old school and in a pigsty at his uncles farm. In one bizarre sequence, Dean was shown posing in an open cofn at a local funeral parlour. The pictures were intended to be darkly amusing but now seem strangely prophetic; seven months later, Dean was dead.The rest of the assignment included images of Dean in New York, then in rehearsal and on lm sets in California. Away from his home environment, Dean became unpredictable. The moment we hit New York he started seeing old friends and ending up in bars for hours on end, Stock later said. He became an insomniac and very hard to work with, often not turning up at appointments. But I knew where to nd him. I was simply tenacious. While in New York, Dean attended classes at the famous Actors Studio, ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHJames Dean in Times SquareDennis Stocks atmospheric photograph of Hollywood actor James Dean is one of the great movie-star portraits. David Clark looks at the story behind the pictureby Dennis Stockdirected by Lee Strasberg. While on the way to the studio one day, Stock photographed Dean in nearby Times Square. Rain was falling heavily and a light mist hung in the distance. Stock asked Dean to walk towards him a couple of times and shot just four frames with the actor at different distances from the camera.Three of the four frames showed Dean at the centre of the image, his outline conicting with a building behind him. However, one of the shots was perfectly composed, with Dean placed against a clearer background and roughly one third of the way across the frame. Stock had instinctively used Deans reection in the wet street as part of his composition, and further strengthened the image by using the pavement and Dennis Stocks iconic image of the American actor James Dean in New York. The picture was chosen from a set of four frames (see contact sheet, left)036-38 ICON FEB 13.indd 37 1/2/10 11:00:24www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com38 I www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 13 February 2010 subscribe 0845 676 77785 April Sir Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, due to ill health. He is succeeded by Anthony Eden 18 April Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein dies in New Jersey, aged 765 May West Germany is declared a sovereign country and becomesa member of NATO14 MayThe mutual defence treaty known as the Warsaw Pact is signed by eight Communist Bloc countries13 July Ruth Ellis, 28, is hanged for murdering her lover, David Blakely. She is the last woman to be executed in the UK 24 Sept American President Dwight D Eisenhower suffers a heart attack while on holiday in Denver, Colorado30 Sept James Dean is killed when his sports car is involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle in Cholame, California1 Dec Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. Her action leads to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the founding of the Civil Rights Movementin the USoFPhotograPhyEvents of 1955Books The full story of Dennis Stocks photo essay on James Dean is told in James Dean: Fifty Years Ago (published by Abrams, 2005). More of Dennis Stocks work is published in Made in the USA: Photographs 1951-1971. It is currently out of print, but available (albeit expensively) from www.amazon.co.uk.WebsitesMore than 80 images from Stocks James Dean portfolio can be seen in his section on the Magnum website at www.magnumphotos.com. An audio recording of Stock talking about the photographs is also on the site in the Magnum in Motion section. The site includes a broad selection of work from Stocks many other assignments.railings on the right to lead into the subject.As well as having theideal composition, the weather conditions lent the image a moody atmosphere that expressed something about Deans character.He looks solitary and battered bythe elements, but at the same time looks coolly resilient to his surroundings. The picture also has a biographical element in that the background includes the awningsof cinemas where, as a young actor, he aspired to appear.For Stock, the photographs success is due to several factors. As he told me in an interview in 2004, The picture has legs because it shows two symbols, not one: James Dean, a glamorous movie star who died young, and Times Square, New York. As a Hollywood portrait its extremely peculiar because of the size of Dean. Its rare that you have a movie star who is that small in the picture. The implication is that I didnt photograph him as a movie star; here the surroundings are as important as the star.Another small detail added to the photographs impact. In those days, we all had dangling cigarettes, Stock continued. We all looked like we were a little bit in pain, a bit menacing. In the picture, your eye goes to the cigarette in his mouth; if the cigarette wasnt there, it wouldnt have worked.Deans fame was almost entirely posthumous; his two other lms, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, were released after he was killed in a road accident later that year. Although intended as part of a wider biographical story, Stocks Times Square photograph has, in retrospect, become the single iconic picture that characterises James Dean and encapsulates his image as a tragic and doomed lm star.Dennis Stock died on 11 January 2010, aged 81. ap magnum collection/magnum photosRecommended In the picture, your eye goes to the cigarette in his mouth; if the cigarette wasnt there, it wouldnthave worked Icons of Photography James Dean In Times SquareDennis Stock spent two months photographing James Dean in 1955 after seeing Deansrst lm, East of Eden036-38 ICON FEB 13.indd 38 1/2/10 11:02:03www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.comJIMMY BO 500 CRUMPLER BAG:Large bag suitable for SLRs, camcorders & hybrid products. Manufactured from 1000D Chicken Tex Supreme, and incorporating a shoulder strap which doubles as a waist band. The Jimmy Bo range also features soft Nylex lining for camera protection, a exible divider inside with pockets, and a third strap for your leg. Size: 23 x 17(top) 7.5(bottom) x 11cm when you subscribe toAmateur Photographer FREEDIRECTDEBITGUARANTEE: This guaranteeis offeredbyall banks andbuildingsocieties that takepart intheDirect Debit Scheme. Theefciency and security of the Scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society. If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change, IPCMediaLtdwill notifyyouat least tendays inadvanceof your account beingdebitedor as otherwiseagreed. If anerror is madebyIPC MediaLtdor your bankor buildingsociety, youareguaranteedafull andimmediaterefundfromyour branchof theamount paid. Youcancancel a Direct Debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society. Please also send a copy of the letter to us. Direct Debits can ONLY be paid throughabankorbuildingsociety. YourDirec