July 2008

Beginner's Guide: Exposure overrides
The metering systems found in digital SLRs are highly sophisticated and generally very accurate. However, they are not infallible. If you always rely on the camera’s recommended exposure settings, inevitably there will be times when the results are either under or overexposed due to awkward lighting conditions. By being aware of when these situations arise and knowing how to compensate when necessary, by using the exposure overrides (eg AE-Lock, AEB, Exposure Compensation) available on your DSLR, you can make sure that you get perfect exposures every time. This month’s Beginner’s Guide aims to provide you with all the essential skills (including using histograms) you need as well as some advanced techniques to help you master any tricky lighting situations that you encounter

Expert Gems: Colour
Summer is finally here, and there is no better time of year to explore the wonderful gamut of colours that surrounds us. Plants, animals, clothes, sunsets, and everything else is just packed with colour, so follow the advice of our experts and add extra impact to your images.
While most people enjoy the multitude of colours that are a huge part of our lives, it is not until we start to take photographs or paint with colour that we really appreciate the intricacies and power that it holds. Colour affects most aspects of how a photograph is interpreted, from the mood to the perceived depth of a shot. Colours are also associated with deeper, more symbolic meanings that touch on our subconscious. Our Expert Gems will give you some key tips to using colour in landscapes, nature, still-life and portraits, and each gem can also be applied to other areas of colour photography

Photo Adventures: Fight Night
In April, Las Vegas played host to one of the biggest boxing matches of the millennium, featuring one of the best boxers that Britain has ever produced. Contributor Richard Pelham, the Chief Sports Photographer for The Sun, was there to capture the action.

Win top Canon Digital kit!

Photo Excellence Awards 2008.
Win Canon Digital kit worth £10,000 and achieve a certificate in digital SLR photography! This is your chance to win great prizes and also gain a certificate in digital SLR photography in our major reader photo competition!
This month's theme: Nature close-ups: Plantlife
Nature photography isn’t just about shooting mammals, birds, bugs and beasties. Plant life is an equally good natural subject to photograph and the results can be just as striking…

Digital Convert: Marsel van Oosten
Acclaimed Dutch advertising creative Marsel van Oosten has traded power lunches for the teeming plains of Africa in a bold attempt to combine his business with his hobby. The 40-year old Amsterdam resident now makes a living hosting nature photography tours abroad. Matt Henry finds out how to live the wildlife dream

Main DSLR test: Pentax K200D & Sony Alpha 200
Looking for your first DSLR or a spare to complement one you already own? The latest generation of budget DSLRs has arrived offering more for your money than ever before. How does ten million pixels for £400 sound? Not bad, eh! Step forward Pentax’s K200D and the Alpha 200 from Sony. Both are aimed to appeal to beginners looking for top value for money. Daniel Lezano finds out if these budget bargains are too good to be true

My First DSLR: Part 1
Reader Leigh Anne Walter is lucky enough to have been given an Olympus E-420 and monthly photography lessons with regular contributor Matt Henry. We’ll be following her progress as she gets to use her first DSLR

FREE! 36-page guide to using your DSLR (UK/ROI)
The world of digital SLR photography is one packed with exciting possibilities and rewarding challenges. More than ever, the opportunity to shoot great pictures with relative ease is open to a wider audience, thanks to the affordability, sophistication and ease of use of the current range of digital SLRs. In this guide, we cover the fundamentals of photography and show how you can use your DSLR to capture some brilliant images.