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TREE-MENDOUS
PHOTOGRAPHY

Join our Canon pro
David Noton as he
teaches our Apprentice
how to take beautiful
photos of trees in a
range of locations and

light on Page 8

Peter Travers Welcome OUR GUARANTEE
Editor
We’re all friends here, so I’m going to share a secret. I bloody love • We’re the only photo magazine in the
Subscribe for trees. I love them all, whether it’s a cluster of birch trees or a newsagent that’s 100% DEDICATED
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Page 38 the seasons. This issue Canon pro and landscape photography legend means we’re free to publish what we
David Noton shows our Apprentice how to capture a variety of trees in feel is best for EVERY CANON DSLR
his local locations, under different lighting conditions, from page 8. OR MIRRORLESS PHOTOGRAPHER
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Also in this issue, we gather four of the best Canon pros to reveal their full-time professionals.
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sports and extreme sports, you can learn how to capture it all with your • We’re CANON ENTHUSIASTS and, with
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The Canon Magazine 3

CONTENTS

44

28 CANON EOS SKILLS 20
Pro’s tips for
action photos

Never miss the action, whether sports or
wildlife, with our 21 top tips for great shots

ESSENTIALS CANON PROS NEW TESTS

20Inspirations 08The Apprentice 88 Canon RF 600 & 88
Take it slow with this month’s Discover how to use light to bring your 800mm lenses
PhotoCrowd competition, where the treescapes to life with our ace Canon pro
entrants utilize slower shutter speeds Will this pair of RF super-
40David Noton On Location telephoto prime F11 lenses
28Canon action photography David Noton talks about a rare, recent deliver the results you need
Never miss that sporting moment or trip to the heart of the Alps in Switzerland in a lightweight package?
fast-moving wildlife with our 21 top tips from
the best Canon professional photographers 74 My Kit 90 Minitest: Versatile
Find out how 18-year-old James ball heads
38Xmas Subscription Offer Manning uses lockdown to his advantage
Great Christmas subscriptions offer Our top picks for the most
with a free Lowepro bag worth £64.95 CANON SCHOOL versatile tripod heads that offer
76Canon EOS Solutions stability and smoothness
62Pro interview
Canon pro photographer Stuart Dunn Find out how to extract a frame from a 92 Super Test: Affordable tripods
takes us all around the world with his photos movie clip and turn it into a great still image You don’t need to break the bank to
get a tripod that will support you to the ends
70Photo Stories 78Digital EOS Essentials of the earth! These are eight of the best picks
This month we reveal reader’s amazing Our Canon expert uncovers all there
comet photos and reveal some scary story is to know about time-lapse photography 102 Buyers’ Guides
shots before bedtime – spooky! Make sense of all the latest Canon
82EOS S.O.S EOS cameras and every Canon-Àt lens
114 Focus Point Brian answers your technical questions on the market
Your letters, stats and web news –
stay up to date with the world of PhotoPlus 92

4 www.digitalcameraworld.com

IAMLALGVOOEFNHI-DELOODIEUNIWTROEINVNPGGTIEAAUGWOVTEIIHDPDSVEEHE4IOOWE4SSTE-WO6CBO0APL!NNROINOLUBKJIEESRNCVOETIENAWNEDD ISSUE 171

OTVLNIHDINTEWEKHOSESAVTPOOTIANDGCVLEEIIEHNSOWE!S

62 VIDEOGUIDES#171

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www.digitalcameraworld.com



THEAPPRENTICE

TREMENDOUS

TREESCAPES
Learn how our Apprentice captures scenic tree images with
legendary landscape and Canon pro photographer David Noton

CANON PRO APPRENTICE

NAME: NAME:

DAVID NOTON ROBERT CRONK

CAMERA: CAMERA:

CANON EOS R5 CANON EOS 5D Mk IV

DAVID IS a landscape and travel ROBERT, 57, is a chartered
photographer based in Somerset surveyor from Berkshire and has
with over 35 (and counting!) years been a photo enthusiast for 50 of
experience as a professional. those years! He started with an
During his photographic career ‘instamatic’ and made his way
he’s travelled to just about every through manual and semi-auto
corner of the globe. Despite now SLRs, and a range of DSLRs, now
being considered a veteran in using the EOS 5D Mk IV. He loves
many ways David still feels as shooting all sorts of images from
if he’s only just getting started. travelling around Europe (when we
He believes that he is only just could) to local landscapes.
scratching the surface in his
understanding of the subtleties www.digitalcameraworld.com
of light. www.davidnoton.com

8

SHOOT WITH A PRO

The Canon Magazine 9

THEAPPRENTICE
HOT
SHOT
#1

Lens Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Exposure 1/10 sec, f/11, ISO100

PLANNING TOP GEAR #1

YOU DON’T need Polarizer filter
to travel far when
planning locations “ALTHOUGH I’D mostly
to photograph, in use a polarizer when it’s
fact David planned sunny with fluffy white
a good trip with some photogenic trees, clouds in the scene to
all within a few miles of his local area boost the blue skies and
around Sherborne, in Dorset. This is also contrast, I will use one
ideal in these times when we aren’t even if there’s no blue sky
allowed to or don’t want to be going too with clouds as it helps to reduce the haze – a problem we had on the
far outside our local area. days we were shooting – and add a little contrast,” says David.

10 www.digitalcameraworld.com

ROBERT’S COMMENT SHOOT WITH A PRO

We started off by trekking to TECHNIQUE
this lovely lone tree in a field ASSESSMENT
near the small hamlet of Purse
Caundle. It was mid-afternoon and To ensure Robert could see the wood for the
the sun was still quite high in the sky, trees, David helped him set up his Canon camera
so we moved to create some side light on the tree.
Moving back and zooming in at 50mm on my AV MODE
24-105mm for the best composition. I used an aperture
of f/11 so the tree and hillside were sharp. A herd of “I USE Av mode
cows slowly came into view. David explained that rather as I’m only
than try and avoid them in shot, we should use them to concerned with
enhance our composition and take shots with using an aperture
them under the tree and in the foreground. around f/11 to
f/16 – for optimal
sharpness across
the frame, and
also this will capture a good DoF, so the whole scene
is in focus from foreground to horizon. If my shots
are too bright or dark, I leave the ISO at 100, and
just ride exposure comp to adjust the shutter speed.
As I always shoot using a tripod, it’s not a problem if
the shutter speed slows, I still get sharp shots.”

DAYLIGHT WB

DAVID USES the
preset Daylight
white balance
setting on his
Canon EOS R5 to
ensure that his
images have a
consistent colour
temperature. The preset white balance options on
your Canon camera allow you to change the colour
balance of your shots for more accurate results.
If you set your camera to AWB (Auto White Balance),
you can end up with sunrise or sunset colours that
are too cool.

SHOOT HANDHELD FIRST 11

FIRST COMPOSE with your Canon camera handheld to find
the best position to shoot from, moving back and forwards,
and trying compositions both high and low, zoom in and out,
before getting locked on the tripod to take the shot.

The Canon Magazine

THEAPPRENTICE

EXPERT INSIGHT

AF POINTS
TOUCH
SCREEN

ONE OF the big
benefits of using
an EOS mirrorless
camera is the ability
to touch anywhere on the LCD screen and you can
lock the focus. Whereas when shooting with EOS
DSLRs, depending on the model, you can be
restricted to how many AF points they have to
either focus through the viewfinder or a smaller
area to focus using the LCD Live View. “My Canon
EOS R5 mirrorless has 5940 autofocus positions
across the whole screen for easier focusing and
sharper scenic shots,” explains David.

WALK THE WALK EXPERT INSIGHT

WALK AROUND your AUTO EXPOSURE
local countryside to BRACKETING
discover new locations.
“I’ve spent 20 years WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING
walking around the high-contrast scenes in the
fields and hills of my local area around forest, with bright highlights and
Milborne Port. It’s meant that I’ve dark shadows, you won’t be able
discovered some amazing locations for to capture all the tones in a single
stunning scenic photos that simply shot. Instead, take a sequence
wouldn’t be accessible by car – even in that brackets the entire tonal
my Land Rover. All the walking keeps me range using your camera’s Auto
fit and active as well!” laughs David. Exposure Bracketing (AEB) feature; setting your camera to 3 to 5
exposures bracketing of -2 and -1 stops, level and +1 and +2 stops.
Always shoot with AEB on a tripod to make it easier to merge and align
the images together as an HDR image in Photoshop later.

12 www.digitalcameraworld.com

HOT
SHOT

#2

Lens Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L
Exposure 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 & 2 secs, f/16, ISO100

IS OFF WHEN TOP GEAR #2 ROBERT’S COMMENT
ON A TRIPOD
Canon EOS full- For our next
MANY LENSES come frame mirrorless location, David took
equipped with image us to his local woods and a
stabilization (IS), “I SWITCHED to a beautiful, huge, old beech
however you want to Canon EOS full-frame tree. We started off with our
switch this off mirrorless system from Canon wide-angle lenses, but to include more
whenever you put your EOS DSLRs for a more compact set up. This of its long, sprawling branches, and because
camera and lens on a means I can take all I need comfortably in one bag of the dark shadows in the forest and bright
tripod. This is because on my adventures. I did have the EOS R, but the sky beyond, it needed something more. So I
the IS on some lenses brilliant EOS R5 is a real step up in tech specs and first switched to my tilt-shift lens to correct
can actually introduce image quality. The R5 is noticeably smaller than the converging verticals to avoid the huge tree
blur because the an EOS-1D X body, but it’s the RF lenses that, leaning back, then I set up to bracket five
gyroscopic elements as well as being sharper, are both smaller and exposures (from -2 stops to +2 stops) to
inside don’t realize the more compact so I can carry the RF 15-35mm, capture the full tonal range, as well as
camera is stationary. RF 24-105mm, and RF 70-200mm in my bag shooting the tree vertically in six sections for a
without breaking my back!” reveals David. panoramic. Then I used the Merge to HDR
The Canon Magazine Panorama setting in Lightroom with all 30
Raw images to create a huge 9051x
5222-pixel wide-screen HDR image!

13

THEAPPRENTICE www.digitalcameraworld.com

DAVID GETS OUT OF HIS TREE!

Canon pro David’s photos of trees through the seasons

INFRARED IN
SUMMER

A SKY full of drama
captured on a
summer’s day using
my old 1Ds Mk II
which has been
converted for
infrared (IR). IR shots
work best when shot
in the hard light of
the middle of the day.

WINTER IS COMING

RACE HORSES
being exercised in
the snow in
Somerset. Bare trees
in winter can provide
graphic, stark,
shapes to hang a
composition on,
particularly on a
frosty or snowy day
in winter.

AUTUMN COLOURS

THE LAST of the
autumn colours
clinging on in the
Cerne Valley, Dorset.
A long lens
perspective and the
low side-lighting of
late afternoon in
autumn is a combo I
keep coming back to
again and again.

EVALUATIVE
METERING

IN UNISON with Av
mode, David uses the
popular Evaluative
Metering mode on his
Canon EOS R5, so his camera can measure the light across
the whole frame to help capture a balanced exposure of the
scene. If you find your main focal point, such as a tree with a
bright sky, appears too dark, use Exposure Compensation to
brighten the exposure. If it’s a high-contrast scene, then
consider bracketing and creating an HDR (more on page 12).

14

TOP GEAR #3 HOT
SHOT
Telephoto zooms for treescape shots
#3
“MANY PEOPLE on my workshops used
to say, ‘I’ve only brought my wide-angle Lens Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
landscape lens as we are shooting
landscapes!’ However I often use my longer lenses to photograph wide Exposure 1/13 sec, f/11, ISO100
spanning vistas, so I can zoom in to more interesting parts of the scene,
rather than just trying to capture one big wide shot with no clear focal DAVID’S COMMENT
point. Long lenses are also great for compressing perspective, which can
help bring far away elements within a scene closer together for a denser I’d timed our photo shoot
composition. I use the super-sharp RF 70-200mm, which is also very knowing that, in the early
compact when set to 70mm so it fits easily in my bag,” smiles David. evening, the sun would hit this avenue
of trees leading towards Ven House
The Canon Magazine (out of shot) with Milborne Port in the
background. The sky was still bright and hazy and a bit
featureless, so in this situation I zoomed in with my RF
70-200mm to around 100mm only include a hint of sky
in the top of my frame, focusing on the line of trees and
their long shadows. I rarely shoot sunsets, instead it’s
about using the lower, softer sun to light the scene
beautifully. Shooting in Av mode, I dialled in -1 & 2/3
stops negative exposure compensation to
control the highlights and retain detail.

15

THEAPPRENTICE

DAVID NOTON’S TOP 10 EXPERT INSIGHT
LANDSCAPE PHOTO TIPS
HISTOGRAM FOR BETTER
1 Plan your shoot EXPOSURES
Great shots don’t happen by accident, they are
usually the product of painstaking planning and THE HISTOGRAM is a
preparation. Finding a good location is the first graph on your Canon
priority. And there’s no substitute for getting the camera’s LCD showing the
boots on and eyeballing the location. brightness level on the
horizontal axis; darker
2 Have an idea shadow tones on the left,
The more you can pre-visualize the picture and plan and brighter highlights on
the lighting you need the better the likelihood of the right, while the vertical
success. Be prepared to return to the same location axis indicates the
until you get the right light and conditions. brightness level. If tones
are ‘clipped’ off either end of the graph, you will need to increase or
3 Be meticulous decrease your exposure compensation to retain detail. Bear in mind,
With your photographic technique, always check though, the histogram is based on the tones in a JPEG, so when
focus, depth of field, exposure and tripod stability shooting in Raw, your image will capture slightly more detail in the
to make sure you are getting the best from your shadows and highlights than the graph shows on your camera’s LCD.
equipment. Familiarity with your gear is essential.
TOP GEAR #4
4 Keep it simple
Successfully composed images always have a Set-up for sharper shots
harmonious arrangement of strong shapes within
the frame with no distracting detail to rob the “AS WELL as always using my
picture of impact. Know what to leave out. Canon camera and lens on my
solid Manfrotto three-way head,
5 Be Original with sturdy Gitzo GT3533LS big
Search out locations and ideas which are a child carbon-fibre legs, I also used my
solely of your imagination and photographic eye. trusty and well-used Canon
Originality isn’t easy but far more rewarding than TC-80N3 remote control – this set
reproducing what’s been done before. up means my Canon gear remains
rock-solid, plus I don’t need to
6 Enjoy yourself touch the camera to take the shot.
The best pictures will come when you are enjoying This is important with longer
your photography the most. When the weather or exposures as pressing the shutter
circumstances turn against you relax, and have button can be enough to nudge
faith in your own skills. the camera, which equals blurry
shots. With the remote, it’s also
7 Stop moving very easy to take the bracketed
A good idea is worth flogging to death, and a exposures quickly, again without
strong location is always worth a return to extract touching the camera,” says David.
its maximum picture potential.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
8 Just go for it
Mother Nature is unpredictable and it is her varying
moods that will produce the best photographic
situations. And there is more than a grain of truth
behind the old adage that the worst weather
produces the best pictures.

9 Understanding light
Knowing how light changes over the 24-hour cycle
is a key skill for a landscape photographer.

10 Quality not quantity
Always remember that it is better to return with
one strong picture, rather than 20 mediocre
efforts. Blasting away indiscriminately hoping that
something will turn out okay never works, you just
end up with memory cards full of rubbish.

16

ROBERT’S COMMENT SHOOT WITH A PRO

After dark we had a session HOT
close to the avenue of trees at SHOT
around 22:00, and although there was
a bit of light pollution, not helped by the #4
haze, the Milky Way was evident thanks
to David’s knowledge of knowing which way we needed
to shoot. He explained that you need to get as much light
into the sensor when shooting at night, so that means
shooting wide a wide focal length of 16mm, and an
exposure of f/2.8, pushing the ISO to 6400 on my
EOS 5D Mark IV, and a 20-second exposure – any longer
will mean the stars start to streak due to the rotation
of the Earth. My Raw image needed the colour
temp reducing and some Photoshop
processing to emphasize the night stars.

The Canon Magazine Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 20 secs, f/2.8, ISO6400

17

THEAPPRENTICE DAVID’S VERDICT

For our morning location, we were
looking into the rising run behind some
great trees at the aptly-named Canon Court
Farm, again near Milborne Port. Although I don’t
usually shoot towards the rising sun, the orange
colours in the sky and haze controlling the bright sun combined
wonderfully for a picturesque scene. Without prompting, Robert
went straight for his EF 100-400mm lens to compose around
125mm to fill the frame with one of the bigger trees on the right,
leaving space for the sun to the left. Robert is an experienced and
well-travelled enthusiast and only needed a few pointers
to take his scenic shots to the next level.

18 www.digitalcameraworld.com

ROBERT’S VERDICT SHOT
OF THE
Despite taking photos for nearly 50 years,
I still class myself as ‘a beginner’, DAY!
especially alongside David, a total master of his
craft. I feel like my knowledge and understanding Lens Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
has been significantly increased thanks to Exposure 1/20 sec, f/11, ISO200
spending time with David; it’s just down to me to maintain my skill
level and to keep finding inspiration such as shooting stunning
scenes like this sunrise. It was such a pleasure to see and capture
the light and the strong sunrise colours, plus for me, the
herd of cows under the trees really bring this scene to life.

The Canon Magazine 19

STUNNING IMAGERY FROM THE WORLD OF CANON PHOTOGRAPHY

20 www.digitalcameraworld.com

FANTASTIC CANON PHOTOGRAPHY

01 WINNNER MORNING RAGA OF VENICE
BY SUMANTA BHANDARY
We loved the way the cool morning colours
have mixed beautifully with the warm
orange and yellow sunrise tones breaking
through the clouds. The extended shutter
speed clocks in at just over a minute and a
half, which was enough to turn the clouds
into a painterly blur and smooth out any
ripples in the water to give it a mirror
finish. Sumanta tells us, “It was a January
morning, cold and bright at the Academia
bridge in Venice and the clouds were going
in the direction of the sunrise.”

Lens Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

Exposure 95 secs, f/22, ISO100

The Canon Magazine 21

INSPIRATIONS

02

All the images in this gallery 02 RIDER BY RAY DUMASIA 03
were entrants to the Ray’s shutter speed of 1/125 sec would be 04
PhotoPlus ‘Slow Shutter pretty quick for most scenarios, but when
Speeds’ competition hosted panning with racing bikes, it’s actually
on Photocrowd – a website slow enough to turn the background into a
where a public vote on the colourful rush of movement as he tracked
best-liked images is pitted Tito Rabat on his Marc VDS Honda.
against expert opinion.
To enter our current contest, Lens Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
and vote on your favourite
photos, simply visit Exposure 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO100
www.photocrowd.com
03 HARVESTING SALT BY NGUYEN TAN TUAN
This is a wonderful travel shot from
Nguyen who’s managed to backlight these
salt harvesters with the low setting sun.
This has provided a sensational colour
palette and turned the five figures into
striking silhouettes. Nguyen has utilized
a high aperture value of f/16 to help
creating this subtle, but incredibly striking,
sunburst effect.

Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM

Exposure 1/6 sec, f/16, ISO200

04 SKÓGAFOSS BY HOWARD MASON
Skógafoss waterfall is a hugely popular
location for tourists and photographers
alike in Iceland, and Howard’s shutter
speed of six seconds is just right. It was
enough to turn the rushing water into milky
streaks and create a ghostly mist effect
on the ground that compliments the black
and white conversion brilliantly.

Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

Exposure 6 secs, f/11, ISO50

22 www.digitalcameraworld.com

FANTASTIC CANON PHOTOGRAPHY

05 DUNSTANBURGH CASTLE BY PAUL KENT 05
There’s an incredible amount of depth in
Paul’s shot. From the glossy sheen on the 23
rocky foreground, through to the castle,
the sunrise and moody sky on the horizon.
Paul tells us, “I took this photograph using
a Lee Little Stopper, which blocks six stops
of light so I could shoot for 30 seconds.
I also used a Lee graduated soft ND filter to
darken down the bright sunrise, so the top
portion of the frame didn’t burn out and
lose any detail.”

Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 30 secs, f/16, ISO50

The Canon Magazine

06 DUBAI BY NAWFAL JIRJEES
Nawfal has done a great job at framing up
on such a busy scene with so much going
on in Dubai. The busy and complex road
network in the foreground works well,
contrasting the totally clear skies above
and there’s an interesting shift from the
warming colours at the bottom of the
frame, to the cooler ones in the sky. The
Burj Khalifa stands out proud against the
sky and makes for an obvious focal point.
His slow shutter speed of 0.8 seconds was
just enough to blur the car headlights and
brake lights, making the city roads appear
even busier, again contrasting against the
clear and calm sky above.

Lens Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Exposure 0.8 sec, f/5.6, ISO200

06

24 www.digitalcameraworld.com

FANTASTIC CANON PHOTOGRAPHY

07

07 SPITFIRE BY DWAYNE ANDREJCZUK 08
This is a superb panning shot of a spitfire
from Dwayne, he tells us, “I took this at the All the images in this gallery were entrants to
2017 Aviation Nation air show in Las Vegas. the PhotoPlus ‘Slow Shutter Speeds’
It’s easy to capture a prop plane nice and competition hosted on Photocrowd – a website
sharp with a rapid shutter speed, but the where a public vote on the best-liked images
real challenge is shooting at slower shutter is pitted against expert opinion. To enter our
speeds to blur the background.” The current contest, and vote on your favourite
spitfire here is brilliantly sharp and framed photos, simply visit www.photocrowd.com
well in the centre of the picture, while the
background lines are uniform and don’t
pull the eye away from the focal point.

Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM

Exposure 1/80 sec, f/18, ISO200

08 WILD BARN OWL BY KEN JENSEN
Ken has done remarkably well to get a shot
of barn owl flying directly towards him in
the beautifully soft glow from the setting
sun. Its head is pin-sharp and there’s some
lovely motion blur in the wings which
emphasizes the owl’s speed. He tells us,
“I went out looking for the barn owl and
found him sat quite a distance away on
a fence post. I waited for what seemed
like an age and never thought that he
would come close enough to photograph.
Suddenly, however, he took off and headed
straight for me. He came so close that
this image is totally uncropped. My ‘slow’
shutter speed of 1/100 sec was purely
because the light levels were so low, but I
think it’s a happy accident that’s provided
some wonderful movement in the wings.”

Lens Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM & 2x III Extender

Exposure 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO1600

The Canon Magazine 25

INSPIRATIONS

09

09 LANDMARK 81 BY AZIM KHAN RONNIE 10
Azim has used a slow shutter speed of
30 seconds to create a juxtaposition All the images in this gallery were entrants to
between the pin-sharp skyscrapers and the PhotoPlus ‘Slow Shutter Speeds’
the moving clouds that have been turned competition hosted on Photocrowd – a website
into streaks. He’s chosen an interesting where a public vote on the best-liked images
choice of viewpoint by looking directly is pitted against expert opinion. To enter our
upwards, which makes his image even current contest, and vote on your favourite
more head-turning. He tells us, “Landmark photos, simply visit www.photocrowd.com
81 is a super-tall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam. It’s the tallest building in www.digitalcameraworld.com
Vietnam, the tallest completed building in
Southeast Asia as of July 2018 and the 17th
tallest building in the world”.

Lens Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM

Exposure 30 secs, f/18, ISO50

10 MANHATTAN BEACH PIER SUNSET BY
ALAIN BOULARAN
This is a beautiful sunset scene from Alain
who’s achieved a long shutter speed of
two whole minutes by using a 10 stop
Neutral Density (ND) filter to blur the soft
pastel blues, pinks, yellows and oranges
together with striking effect, it has this
fantastic dreamy and painterly quality.
The composition works remarkably well,
conforming to the rule of thirds with the
end of the pier positioned a third of the way
in from the top left corner and the horizon
placed about a third of the way down from
the top of the frame.

Lens Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

Exposure 120 secs, f/8, ISO100

26



CANONPROTIPS

CANON EOS SKILLS

CAPTURE
THE ACTION
Never miss the moment again with our 21 tips for great action
photos from our Canon pro sports and wildlife photographers

Martin Bissig ction photography in That being said, the challenge is mountain biking races in Pakistan,
genres like sports and half the fun! There’s no greater World Endurance Championship
wildlife, where you feeling than when overcoming all racing, the Olympics and more.
odds to get the perfect image. This
often need lightning- month, we get insight from four top Read on to see how you can
fast reÁe[es to Canon pros Drew Buckley, Marc perfect your autofocus technique;
capture Áeeting Aspland, Martin Bissig and Drew uncover the Canon settings you
Gibson. Between them, these pros need for razor-sharp images; when
moments as a high have shot everything from pufÀns to slow down your shutter speed;
speed subject zooms past on Skomer island in Wales to how to incorporate Áash; and Ànd
your lens, will really put the gear you need to get started.
your skills to the test.

28 www.digitalcameraworld.com

CAMERA SKILLS

CONTENTS

• Wildlife Drew Buckley p30
• Motorsports Drew Gibson p32

• Sports Marc Aspland p34
• Extreme sports
Martin Bissig p36

The Canon Magazine 29

CANONPROTIPS

WILDLIFE PHOTOS Try to capture a little
DREW BUCKLEY movement in bird wings

Our Canon pro’s tips on how to take 02 WHILE MANY prefer a sunny visit to
Skomer in the summer, I enjoy the more
award-winning nature-in-action photos
overcast, rainier days, as the subdued lighting

helps to expose the black and white subjects

better. By not having to deal with distracting

harsh highlights and shadows, it makes for

Freeze action with a rapid shutter speed the perfect conditions to use panning

techniques and slower shutter speeds.

Shooting handheld gave me the freedom to

USING A fast shutter speed where the squirrel’s eyes were on consistently pan and track incoming birds
of 1/3200 sec enabled me to the focus plane. I was shooting
01 with an EF 500mm IS lens and with my Canon EOS-1D X Mark II and Canon
with low light in the woodland, so I
capture this red squirrel frozen in had to use a wide open aperture of EF 500mm f/4L IS lens. Experimenting with
f/4 and bump the ISO to 2500
mid-flight, jumping between – enabling a faster shutter speed. shutter speeds down to 1/200 sec, there
Ultimately, this freezes movement,
branches. Coupled with the rendering the subject pin-sharp were many outright blurry images. But, when
and banishing any blur.
blistering 16fps continuous drive the rain was not affecting my vision too much,

mode on the Canon EOS-1D X I managed to track and focus on a few birds

Mark II, meant I had a multitude of perfectly. With their head and body sharp,

images from the sequence to while the wings and background are blurred,

choose from – I picked the one giving a great sense of motion.

Use flash once the sun sets

03 COMBINING
AMBIENT light

and fill flash can

always provide

varied results and

there is usually

some trial and

error. With daylight

fading and sunset

over, I thought I

would try some experiments

with panning, slow shutter speeds of 1/25 sec (to

blur the sunset clouds behind) and a small blast of

fill flash (front curtain sync on a Speedlite 580EX II

in an Ezybox) to freeze the puffin in front of the

motion-blur background. Using Manual mode and

settings exposed for the sky, I was limited by not

having enough daylight to aid continuous auto

focusing. Therefore, I thought the best way was to

Drew used a rapid 16fps burst manually pre-focus at the edge of the cliffs where
mode to improve his chances of
the many birds were. This, coupled with an aperture
getting a sharp squirrel shot
of f/9, was just enough depth of field to render a

bird entering the focal plane, for a sharp result.

30 www.digitalcameraworld.com

DREW BUCKLEY

Practice, practice
& practice more!

05 OUT OF all these images it is
important to remember that

the shutter speed is what controls

the overall ‘look’ and therefore

feeling of the shot. The aesthetics

of any action image, and how

motion is portrayed, is all down to

changing the shutter speed. It’s

good to experiment with simple

subjects, such as dogs running at

the beach, birds flying or people

passing by, only then will you start

to learn what shutter speed you

require depending on the subject’s

own speed of motion. It’s this

practised knowledge that will help

you reap rewards, when it comes

to dialling in settings quickly and

accurately, when it’s needed most

out in the wild.

A shutter speed of 1/200 sec “The aesthetics of any
was slow enough to blur the action image and how
puffin’s wings beautifully motion is portrayed is
all down to changing the
shutter speed”

Wait to capture the
perfect moment

04 WHEN I’M looking for wildlife I
always have my DSLR set up

ready to go. It’s no good taking shots

if the shutter speed or ISO are set to

unsuitable settings that would lead to

high levels of noise or camera shake.

I pre-set my ISO, aperture and

shutter speeds, as well as enable AI

Servo autofocus for continuous AF

tracking and select an AF Case that’s

suitable for my subject. Mountain

hares are masters of disguise,

especially in winter when their coats

turn white to blend in with the snowy All images Drew Buckley

scenery. When I saw this hare I fired

off six shots and this was my

favourite of the bunch with all four of

its legs off the ground. As my settings

were already taken care of, all I had to

do was quickly compose, focus and Shooting in Manual mode, Drew pre-set his aperture, ISO and shutter speed and fine-tuned the autofocus
settings too. He could then concentrate on taking the perfect moment this mountain hare hopped along
take the shot.

The Canon Magazine 31

CANONPROTIPS Right place, right time

MOTORSPORTS 07 TRY TO make the best use of the
DREW GIBSON available light. Having checked the

Fast and furious photo tips schedule for this race I saw it ran through
with car pro Drew Gibson
sunset, so made sure I was in a good position

on the track to capture the setting sun behind

the cars. I’ll often walk a circuit the day before

the cars are on track to check locations, but

you can also use Google maps, weather apps

and even computer games to plan your

pictures in almost any sport. Even if you don’t

have dramatic light, you can still plan to make

the best use of any available lighting scenario.

Perfect your panning

06 USING SLOW shutter speeds allows you to add
movement and a sense of speed to a still image.

Pre-focus where you want to take the picture (a spot

with a good backdrop) and make sure you are standing

square to pan 180-degrees to track your subject for as

long as possible, firing a few frames as it passes. For

race cars, start with a shutter speed around 1/80 sec

and go slower if feeling brave – I shot this at 1/13 sec.

Include your
surroundings

08 IT’S EASY to get obsessed
focusing in on the action, but

try and see the bigger picture and

use attractive backdrops too. For

this image I used a slow shutter

speed to give a sense of speed and

blur the messy paddock, but you

can still make out the attractive

scenery and Mount Fuji in the

background. A manual exposure

helped me control the highlights.

“It’s easy to get
obsessed focusing in on
the action, but try and
see the bigger picture”

32 www.digitalcameraworld.com

DREW GIBSON

Action shots aren’t just about speed,
Drew got some brilliantly atmospheric
shots from the pits at night here

Activate back
button focusing

10 USE BACK button focus.
Most EOS cameras have this

custom function, it will seem

strange to use at first, but after

some practise it should

dramatically improve both slow

and fast shutter speed pictures.

I pre-focus on the ground or on

another car prior to taking a

picture using either manual or

back button focus. I don’t use any

All images Drew Gibson autofocus while capturing my

Even if you can’t get lighting action pictures, this allows me
conditions as these, try to be on
to concentrate on keeping the
site just before last light
subject in the same place in the

frame as I compose.

Banish blur

09 FAST SHUTTER speeds are a
great way to freeze the action

if you are capturing a dramatic

scene. Here, the cars were running

wide off track and kicking up the

dirt on the outside of this corner,

so I pre-focused, set a fast shutter

speed and fired a burst as the cars

passed. I was well back from the

circuit and behind some fencing,

so I laid down to compose. Be

aware of your surroundings and

always put your safety first.

A rapid shutter speed of 1/1000
sec or faster will help you freeze
the moment in time

The Canon Magazine 33

CANONPROTIPS Get the ‘right’ kind of blur

12 SHOOTING SPORTS in low light can
make it a challenge to get sharp shots of

SPORTS IN ACTION the action. For The Times I always try to shoot
MARC ASPLAND
at around 1/1000 sec, otherwise football or
Chief Staff Sports Photographer for
The Times runs through his top tips rugby players come out blurry and can be

rejected by the paper. But, it can be fun to

experiment with some intentional movement

for creative effect by opting for a slower

shutter speed and panning the image. This is

where I track and follow the movement of the

subject before, during and after the exposure

to make them sharp but blur the background.

Better AF performance

11 YOU HAVE to adapt to focus on
your moving subjects accordingly,

as this can vary wildly between different

sports, from galloping horses to

sprinting footballers. You can give your

camera a helping hand when it comes to

improving the effectiveness of its AI

Servo AF mode for

continual tracking

focus as many Canon

DSLRs and mirrorless

cameras have various

cases to change how

the AI Servo behaves.

Case 4 is ideal for the

energetic movements

of American Olympic Marc caught this panning shot
by tracking the riders during
athlete Simone Biles his 1/15 sec exposure

on the balance beam

in this example.

Great sports shots can be taken Try out a wide-angle
by getting super close from the or fisheye lens
sidelines with a wide-angle lens

13 I LIKE to keep a varied
portfolio and capture lots of

tight close-ups, as well as wider

shots too, as this provides a better

scope of the event for the paper by

adding context to include the

surrounding environment. I often

reach for my Canon EF 16-35mm

f/2.8L II USM, or even EF 15mm

f/2.8 fisheye, to get really wide

with loads of barrel distortion if

needed. It all gives my editor extra

choices when designing the article.

“I like to keep a varied
portfolio and capture
lots of tight close-ups
as well as wider shots”

34 www.digitalcameraworld.com

MARC ASPLAND

Fast Canon glass

15 EVEN WITH a really high ISO
setting you may struggle to

get a fast enough shutter speed

with your lenses, this is where

having a lens with a wide maximum

aperture can really help. These

lenses are often called ‘fast’, not

just because they’re quick at

focusing (they usually are), but

because they have wide maximum

apertures of f/2.8, which will flood

the sensor with light and allow you

to shoot at faster shutter speeds.

An f/2.8 aperture allows twice as

much light in as at f/4, and four

times the light of an f/5.6 aperture.

I love to work with my Canon EF

All images Marc Aspland 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

lenses and usually use a monopod

to stabilize them and reduce

camera shake even further.

Get a grip!

14 CANON’S EOS
1D X range is

the firm’s top-end

DSLR aimed at

rapid action like

sports and wildlife.

It has a built-in

battery grip, but you

can get a peripheral

battery grip for Use shadows
from floodlights
other DSLRs and, indeed, mirrorless models too. This
or low sun for
benefits action photography in multiple ways because more creative
compositions
they can house an extra battery, helping you shoot for

longer, and not risking your batteries going flat when

you need to shoot that all important perfect moment.

They also allow you

to shoot in the Shadowplay positive of sport during COVID-19
is we photographers can get into
portrait orientation empty grandstands, usually
out-of-bounds, to take shots like
easily too, with an this I took at the Saracens vs
Gloucester Premiership Rugby
extra shutter 16 YOUR CAMERA doesn’t match. These elongated
have to focused on your shadows were caught from a
button on the side. high viewpoint in the stands
using an EF 70-200mm lens.
Despite rumours, subject to create an eye-catching

they do not boost shot, in fact, I sometimes go

your camera’s more abstract and try to shoot

maximum fps shadows of the players cast by

burst rate. strong sun or the floodlights. One

The Canon Magazine 35

CANONPROTIPS

EXTREME SPORTS
MARTIN BISSIG

Push your photography to the limit

with Martin’s extreme sports tips

Incorporate Sometimes it can be difficult to
foreground detail find a foreground to compose your
shot. Move your camera all the
17 TRY TO have a foreground in way to the ground, or use a
your images, it gives a certain telephoto lens and go further away,
so that you can shoot through
depth to it. Use a wide aperture so trees or flowers etc. Depending on
the location, it sometimes makes
that the foreground is blurry while sense to focus on the foreground
and leave your main subject out of
your main subject is in focus. If you focus for an artistic result.

shoot with a wide-angle lens, you

can move closer to the foreground.

Shooting a burst of JPEGs
will put less strain on your
camera’s memory buffer

Off camera flash

18 SOMETIMES I need to shoot under harsh
sunlight. My models usually wear helmets and

their faces are in the shade. Using off camera flash

allows me to brighten up the rider and gives it a

more 3D look. I never use on-camera flash: if the

Look for foreground detail light is being reflected from exact same angle as I
like these dandelions to
anchor your pictures shoot, it looks boring and flat. Shooting off camera

flash with Canon’s High-Speed Sync allows me to

freeze the action up to 1/8000 sec!

36 www.digitalcameraworld.com

CAMERA SKILLS

Raw detail vs JPEG speed

19 WHEN SHOOTING in your burst mode
you can keep shooting as long as the

shutter button is held down, though you’ll

want a really fast shutter speed to access the

top fps of your camera. Some cameras shoot

a little faster, and clear their memory buffers

faster, when shooting smaller, compressed

JPEG images. You’ll have to weigh up whether

you want the extra detail of a Raw file and

more strain on the buffer, or lose some detail

but not have to worry about the buffer filling Use a wide lens to
add a narrative
and stopping you missing key action shots.

21 WHEN I am travelling, I need
to show the viewers where I

am. If I am too close on my subject

with a tele lens, the photo might be

technically perfect but it doesn’t

tell a story – it could be anywhere.

I see myself more as a landscape

photographer that is trying to fit

an athlete in the frame. Using a

wide angle allows me to show the

athletes and their surroundings,

whether it’s Pakistan, Oman,

Tibet or wherever I am.

“I see myself more as a
landscape photographer
that is trying to fit an
athlete in the frame”

Getty

EOS R5 mirrorless Many cameras have a Group
AF mode that gives you a
20 I’VE BEEN lucky enough to use bigger target to focus on
an EOS R5 since May and I get

close to 100% of my shots in focus.

The intelligent AF of the R5 is so

insanely fast and accurate that I only

shoot in AI Servo and with wide

apertures like f/1.2! It also allows me

to extract 35Mp from its 8K video

which can be shot at a staggering

25fps – it still blows my mind!

All images Martin Bissig

The Canon Magazine 37

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DAVIDNOTONONLOCATION

The Larches
of Balavaux

Balavaux, Valais, Switzerland. 11:56am. 08 April 2020.

In the last of his travel photography columns for us David Noton
talks about a rare, recent trip to the heart of the Alps in Switzerland

t feels good to be on the getting used to the dynamic range of
move again. It seems likely the R5; it’ll take some months to really
the drawbridge will be get a feel for what I can retrieve from
raised again soon, maybe seemingly blocked shadows and harsh
while we’re still here, highlights, but one thing is clear to me,
necessitating self-isolation the tonal range this sensor can record
on return, but que sera sera. while still producing a punchy image
I’m a roving photographer again with pleasing contrast is impressive.
on a mountain path high above le You’re going to want a Àgure I can’t
Valais with a camera in my hand. give, so all I’ll say is the R5 has plenty
The valley is that of the upper Rhone of dynamic range (DR), more than I
here in the French part of Switzerland, and need, to the point where I’d have to
the camera is the EOS R5, which has screw up royally to under- or
quickly become not only my main body, DAVID NOTON overexpose a Raw. Frankly if you Ànd
but my only body. Yes, the transition to yourself needing more DR then the R5
mirrorless is complete. Most of my array of Pro travel & landscape photographer has, you should take a look at your

DSLRs and EF lenses have already gone, to DAVID IS AN AWARD-WINNING Canon technique. The result is I can’t
be replaced by a comparatively minimal, remember when I last used a ND Grad
but capable, setup of just one mirrorless photographer with more than 30 years’ Àlter, and I love the look, tonality and

body (the R5) and three RF lenses; the professional experience. During his career colours of the Raws the R5 produces.

15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, the 24-105mm David has travelled to just about every I frame, focus and shoot, then check

F4L IS USM and the superb 70-200mm corner of the globe. In 2012, Canon invited for highlight alerts to ascertain if I can

F2.8L IS USM. I haven’t owned just three David into its Ambassador Program by afford to dial in more positive exposure

lenses since the early ’80s. It feels strange, designating him an Official Canon Explorer. comp. Doing so will beneÀt my shadow

but this is the way ahead; portable, paired Info and photos at www.davidnoton.com detail, but I must not sacriÀce the tones

down and Áexible. in the cloud. I dial in 0.7 exposure
It's been raining for days, but it’s now comp and get on with the shot.
starting to clear, and through the gaps in the swirling cloud With my right eye pressed to the eyepiece I concentrate on
below we glimpse the interlocking ridges of Le Valais. Over the the composition. I want it as tight as possible to accentuate the
mountain to our west is the posh resort of Verbier, but this side interlocking diagonals. I know some shoot by holding the
the main attraction is the Alpage de Balavaux and its larches; camera at arm’s length and composing using the screen on the
ancient, gnarled specimens, which are some of the largest and back, but I like an eyepiece. Scenes just look so much better in
oldest trees in Europe. One 1000 year-old veteran has a the R5’s EVF, to the point where I’m not really conscious of the
circumference of 14.6 metres, but the tree that’s caught my eye difference between an OVF and EVF. I’m used to using an EVF
is actually dead. The victim of a thunderbolt its shattered trunk now, and do recognise their advantages, particularly in low-light
stands alone, waiting for me to include it in a composition. situations, but I still have to remind myself to switch the camera
The light is sombre and the colours muted, but the scene of on before squinting through the eyepiece.
rain bearing clouds draped over the ridges is atmospheric. But See David in action teaching our PhotoPlus Apprentice
even under the grey skies contrast is an issue. Or is it? I’m still how to capture stunning treescape photos on page 8.

40 www.digitalcameraworld.com

A lightning shattered larch tree
Balavaux, Valais, Switzerland

Lens Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM

Exposure 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO100







IAMLALGVOOEFNHI-DELOODIEUNIWTROEINVNPGGTIEAAUGWOVTEIIHDPDSVEEHE4IOOWE4SSTE-WO6CBO0APL!NNROINOLUBKJIEESRNCVOETIENAWNEDD VIDEO GUIDES #171

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

Dan Mold New projects with video guides

Technique editor Follow our Canon camera walkthrough guides and Photoshop editing videos

[email protected]

Welcome...

IT’S FAIR to say that this 44 48Boost dynamic range Using a 50mm lens
year has shaken things up Increase depth and detail of
and many social events like We run through some top
weddings have had to be
re-arranged. However, as your landscapes with B&W HDRs tips when using a ‘nifty’ fifty lens
they’re starting to become
possible again we’re running 54Shoot for the moon 56 Go vintage and retro 50 Ease wedding worries
through some top tips to Get pin-sharp shots of the Frame your shots and add Find out what you need to
help you get started when moon with entry-level Canon kit flare for cool vintage-look images know to shoot your first wedding
shooting socially-distanced
weddings, see page 50. VIEW THE VIDEOS
I’ve been enjoying the great
outdoors and I hope you WHENEVER you see
have too, of course my EOS
is always with me and if this icon you’ll find
you’re looking for a fresh
way to capture landscapes an accompanying
then you’ll love our B&W
HDR project (page 44). video to watch VIEW THE VIDEO
A 50mm lens is one of the online so you
most affordable optics you can follow along.
can buy, so we reveal their
benefits on page 48, while I You can view
show you how to get frame
filling shots of the moon the videos on a
from your home (page 54).
To improve your image 58 60Photoshop CC Affinity Photo smartphone, tablet or
editing, read our Photoshop, Create a punchy black-and-
Elements and Affinity Learn how to use Liquify in computer. See the links
tutorials this month where
you’ll find out how to use
your free frame template to
create a vintage Polaroid-
esque look, on page 56.

white image in Adobe Photoshop CC Affinity to create surreal portraits on the project pages.

The Canon Magazine 43

THE MISSION The beauty of
black and white HDR
Photograph a Shoot and edit black-and-white HDR landscapes with James Paterson
bracketed
landscape then High Dynamic Range fact, with black and white HDRs balance bright skies with darker
merge the frames (HDR) photos are we have a few advantages. The lands. The problem is exacerbated
for a black and usually associated with lack of colour leads to a subtler in sunset scenes like this, as the
white HDR image bold colours and HDR treatment. What’s more, imbalance between sky and land
eye-popping images, and several of the traits of HDR increases further. By tone
Time needed less so with black and white – crunchy textures, bold clouds mapping our HDR image, we’re
1-2 hours photography. So if the and enhanced shadow detail - can able to tease out details in the
colours are part of the draw soften look more natural in bright sky and dark foreground.
Skill level of HDR, why utilize it in monochrome than in colour.
Intermediate your mono images? HDR is all Here we’ll go through the
about expanding the dynamic In essence, black and white technique of shooting for an HDR,
Kit needed range of a photo to encompass the photography hinges on the play of then go on to look at the editing
• Tripod very brightest and darkest parts of light and shade across an image, stages in creating monochrome
• Adobe Lightroom a scene, and this can be just as and HDR can give us more options HDR landscapes. Along the way
useful for monochrome images, to control the very lightest and we’ll look at essential camera
which are all about tonality. In darkest areas. It’s especially useful skills like exposing for landscapes
for landscapes, as it’s often hard to and bracketing your shots.

44 www.digitalcameraworld.com

VIEW THE VIDEO WATCH VIDEO ONLINE MONO HDR LANDSCAPES
http://bit.ly/pp_171_1

PROJECT 1

STEP BY STEP SHOOT FOR AN HDR

Get set up for HDR landscapes with a tripod and your camera’s bracketing mode

01 USE A TRIPOD 02 SET UP BRACKETING WHAT IS HDR?

We need to shoot several frames for an HDR image, Over our series of frames we need to capture detail in High Dynamic Range
and these need to be in alignment. Although you can the brightest and darkest areas of the scene. Set up imaging is used to
sometimes get away with hand-holding the camera your camera’s bracketing feature – on most you’ll be expand the range of
while firing off your shots, it’s better to use a tripod so able to set the number of shots and the increments detail in a scene that
that the alignment is more precise in Photoshop later. between them. We’ve used 3 shots at 1 stop intervals. includes very bright and
very dark areas. A digital
camera typically has
around 10-14 stops
of dynamic range if
you shoot in Raw, and
less for JPEG. In very
high-contrast scenes
this could result in the
highlights or shadows
clipping to white or
black. By shooting a
bracketed sequence and
then merging them to an
HDR you can get around
this problem and record
the optimum amount of
detail in the shadows
and highlights.

03 SET THE EXPOSURE 04 PREVENT CAMERA SHAKE

Set the camera to Aperture Priority mode with the When the light is low and our shutter speeds are
aperture at f/16 and ISO100 – ideal for landscapes. drawn out we need to guard against camera shake.
The shutter speed will adapt to the scene and vary For DSLRs we should use Mirror Lockup or Live View.
across your sequence of frames. In low light, use Live Use a cable release or set a 2 second timer so that
View or mirror lockup to help prevent camera shake. pressing the shutter button doesn’t cause shake.

TOP TIPS PHOTOGRAPHING RIVERS

When it comes to landscape photography you can’t beat a good river, but what’s the best way to shoot it?

A LOW angle can often WHEN SHOOTING
be ideal when shooting at the edges of a river try
rivers, as it means you looking for calm pools,
can exaggerate the where the water is
foreground – especially slower. Here you’ll be
when using a wide-angle able to see through the
lens. Rocks and pebbles water to the bottom. Of
can look great, and they course, it’s best if the
help to draw the eye into river bed is covered in
the frame and towards attractive rocks rather
distant scenery. than mud!

The Canon Magazine 45

WATCH VIDEO ONLINE VIEW THE VIDEO

http://bit.ly/pp_171_1

PROJECT 1

STEP BY STEP MERGE YOUR MONO HDRS IN LIGHTROOM

Get to grips with the HDR Merge command and find out how to convert your landscapes to black and white

LIGHTROOM
BLACK AND
WHITE TOOLS

Lightroom offers a great 01 LAUNCH HDR MERGE 02 AUTO ALIGN AND AUTO-TONE
array of black and white
tools. For starters, there’s Import your bracketed sequence into Lightroom. The Auto-Align setting in the HDR merge dialog can
the Profile Browser in the There’s no need to make any tonal changes, as these correct for slight misalignment between the frames,
Basic panel. Here you will not be copied over to the merged HDR, so better so check it if you think this could be a issue. The
can choose a ready- to merge and make tonal changes after. Highlight all Auto-tone applies an automatic tonal fix akin to
made treatment with a the images you’d like by Cmd/Ctrl+clicking them, clicking Auto in the Basic panel. It’s non-destructive,
single click or – for Raw then right-click and choose Photomerge>HDR. once your HDR is merged you can tweak the settings
files - select the Adobe
Monochrome Profile, 03 CORRECT FOR MOVEMENT 04 ENHANCE THE TONES
which optimizes your
Raw for further black and The Deghost settings try to fix any areas where there Once you’re happy click Merge. A new file will appear
white edits. If you prefer might be movement in frame, such as the water and alongside your originals with the suffix -hdr. This is a
to control the conversion clouds in a landscape. When discrepancies are 16-bit Raw in the Adobe DNG format. Now you can
yourself then you can detected, the tool will choose a single frame to fill the begin tone-mapping the HDR to tease out details in
alter the brightness of area. Pick different strengths depending on how much different areas. Note how the Exposure slider range
eight different colour movement there is within the frame. has increased dramatically – from -10 to +10!
ranges with the Black
and White Mix panel.
Keep in mind that the
Temperature and Tint
sliders can be used to
subtly alter your black
and white conversion
by shifting the original
colours in the scene.

05 REMOVE THE COLOUR 06 MAKE LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS

Go to the Treatment options in the Basic panel and We can use Lightroom’s local adjustment tools to pull
click Black and White. Next, go to the Black and White detail out of the brightest and darkest areas. Grab the
Mix panel. Click the target icon in the panel, then drag Adjustment Brush and paint over an area then use the
up or down over parts of the image to fine-tune it by sliders to tweak the tones and enhance the details to
lightening or darkening the different colour ranges. your heart’s desire.

46 www.digitalcameraworld.com

MONO HDR LANDSCAPES

TOP TIPS OTHER HDR EDITING SOFTWARE

If you want to expand your HDR and monochrome editing options then try these out

01 HDR IN AFFINITY PHOTO 02 PHOTOMATIX PRO 03 SILVER EFEX PRO

The budget Photoshop rival offers plenty Photomatix Pro is regarded as one of the Not an HDR tool, but it is one of the best
of excellent HDR tools. There’s an HDR best HDR tools. It also works as an black and white plugins. So after merging
command for merging your set of images extension for Lightroom. The HDR settings an HDR in Lightroom you can send the
and a dedicated Tone-Mapping Persona include deghosting controls and other colour image into Silver Efex Pro to convert
(Affinity’s term for different workspaces) merging features, while the tone-mapping to mono (once installed, you can right-click
with useful presets for your merged workflow offers a range of monochrome an image in Lightroom to open it) and pick
photos – including black and white effects. presets and customizable settings. from the ace black and white presets.

TOP TIPS WHICH HDR PHOTOS WORK IN MONOCHROME? 47

The HDR look isn’t for every scene or subject, but it can add another dimension of detail to your photos...

A BLACK and white
conversion will
emphasize the form and
texture of the scene, so
it’s ideal for images with
lots of detailed textures
like landscapes and
architectural photos. It’s
not always clear which
images will suit this
conversion, so when
making HDRs it’s usually
best to merge a colour
version first, before
converting to black and
white afterwards. Scenes
with bright and dark
areas can benefit from
the HDR technique, as it
means you can tease
detail out of the tonal
extremes. But we needn’t
be obsessed with detail,
sometimes a bold,
contrasty treatment will
be better. With time, you
learn to recognize which
shots will benefit from
the B&W HDR look, and
which won’t.

The Canon Magazine