Clive Greenland
live Greenland’s interest in photography started in the late 1970s with a Canon AE-1. Based in Corsham, on the edge of the Cotswolds, Clive is a committee member of Corsham Photographic Club (www.corsham photographicclub.co.uk). He is also a judge at the Western Counties Photographic Federation, and gives photographic talks on a range of subjects, from nature and wildlife to astrophotography.
Clive’s interest in shooting aviation photography is inspired by being a
Cpilot and flight instructor for the past 29 years. This image of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor was taken at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, while executing a 400-knot high ‘G’ manoeuvre. The aim was to capture the condensation over the wings produced by a high-energy climb, set against a contrasting dark sky after heavy rain showers. The image was enhanced by the sunlight reflecting off the upper surfaces with bright sunlight from the south set against the dark sky to the north, creating a dramatic backdrop.
Diversity
Clive says: “The variety of interests amongst club members provides a diverse range of images, from street to creative photography. Members can find it challenging to get started in certain fields of photography such as creative photography, but there is always someone willing to give guidance.
“My local camera club is a small club with 27 members, and we work actively to promote a diverse membership. We have two female committee members: it’s very important to have a balance of members represented within the committee.”
Opportunity
“Being a camera club member offers the opportunity to socialise at club meetings and meet guest speakers and judges. It provides an opportunity to be among other photographers with similar interests, and to share the knowledge that makes camera clubs special.
“Attending club meetings can open up opportunities by meeting guest presenters from all over the UK. Most photographic clubs like Corsham’s have a Facebook page, which gives members access to all discussions and any images uploaded for viewing and comment.”
Inspiration
“Spending time around other creatives inspires you to try new genres of photography that perhaps you wouldn’t have tried before. Experienced club members can offer support and guidance, which can improve your photography.
“The club sets projects and competitions, which provide opportunities to have images critiqued within the club and by external judges. Photography can be subjective, with everyone having their own ideas on how an image is best improved. The opportunity to ask questions and have debate within the club is very rewarding.”
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f you’re feeling in need of a fresh photo challenge, this month we’re setting you the task of editing two or more photographic images together. You can go about this however you like: the only rule is that you must have taken any images you use. If you want to use multiple images there is no limit on the amount, as long as they’re all yours.
Editing programs such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Affinity Photo will help get you great results – but if you are not a
Icomputer whizz, you can still take part! This challenge does not have to be carried out on a computer: you could print a selection of photographs and re-assemble them in all sorts of interesting ways, then take a shot of the end result.
Look at photo montage artists such as Richard Hamilton, Raoul Hausmann and Dora Maar, all of whom have explored combining photographic images together. So think creatively – and we look forward to seeing your results in due course!
www.benedictbrain.com
Camera: Fujifilm GFX 50R
Lens: Fujifilm GF63mm f/2.8 R WR Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/6.4, ISO 800
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NIall Hampton Editor, Digital Camera
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his issue, we’re continuing our coverage dedicated to helping you get the most from your photography while spending more time at home during lockdown. Restrictions may be starting to ease for some people, but it’s safe to say that we won’t be back to ‘normal’ for a while yet.
So welcome to another series of ideas for the photographic housekeeping that you’ve been meaning to do for ages.
TGet your portfolio online and to a brand-new audience in just a couple of hours
Last month we showed how to scan photo prints and slides using your digital camera. This issue, we have a masterclass in how to print them out. Don’t let your best images languish on a computer for any longer: give them the exposure they deserve!
We also continue our series on getting your images online, and recommend some best-buy products that will really boost your productivity at home. Thanks to our readers for submitting shots taken during lockdown: we’ve given them gallery space!
From computers to printers, webcams to storage drives, these are our top-rated picks
Show readers what you’ve been shooting during quarantine
Leading photographer and educator Glyn Dewis shares his hard-learned secrets
Get inspired by our shot of poppy fields, and follow our tips to create it yourself
dread to think how much time and money I’ve wasted over the years trying to print a halfdecent picture – something that in some way resembles what I can see on my screen. But despite following every bit of advice I have been given, or read and watched, it just never worked out.
“All you need to do is calibrate your display, then just download the profiles for the paper you’re using from the manufacturer’s website...” If only it was that simple.
Eventually, after much frustration I gave in and started sending my files to a lab for them to print on my behalf,
Iresigned to the fact that printing was clearly way beyond me. At the time of writing this guide, that was nine years ago. But since then things have changed – I now fully understand the process. Printing is no longer a dark art reserved for those who completely understand the science behind colour.
If you want to become an expert in colour management and learn to understand the complex mathematical formulas and the science behind colour space, what appears over these three pages isn’t for you.
If, however, you just want to stop wasting time and money, know and understand what settings you need to use and why, and then be able to click ‘Print’ and have the confidence to know that what will come out of your printer will be totally bang on what you wanted, then this article has totally and utterly been written for you.
I’ll take you through the printing process using Lightroom, but for all the screen calibration and paper profiles, you can download my Perfect Prints Guide for free – see opposite.
Here’s how it’s done…
A set of images ready to print Printer with adequate ink supplies Up-to-date printer drivers Paper (see page 38)
Time: 1-2 hours
Review your copies on the screen of your camera to check exposure and sharpness. Don’t worry too much about cropping – it’s easier to do this at the editing stage once you have the digitised image to work with. You’ll probably want to edit your images anyway – adjusting colour balance, removing blemishes, and tweaking the contrast and saturation.
Glyn with a print of the WW2 Royal Navy veteran John King, part of Glyn’s 39-45 Portraits project.
Pretty much all of the time I choose Relative, but here’s a little explanation as to why that is…
Perceptual is what you would choose if you had an image with seriously strong, vibrant colours that are likely ‘out of gamut’ – or to put it another way, way beyond the realms of what is contained within the colour space that you are working and printing in, eg. Adobe RGB. If there are any colours out of gamut, then all of the colours in the image are shifted inwards until those outside of the colour space are squeezed in. Doing so will change the values of all the colours rather than just those that are out of gamut. I hope this explanation makes sense!
Relative, on the other hand, would do things differently. If there were any colours out of gamut, then all that would happen is that they would be replaced with the nearest possible matching colour but the others would all be left well alone. Relative is especially good when printing images that contain skintones.
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