This year marked the 100th anniversary to the October Revolution; the Bolshevik coup lead by Vladamir Lenin that would result in the Russian Civil War (1917-22) and, ultimately, the foundation of the USSR and the communist regime that lasted until 1991. In the BJP’s latest issue, we try to understand something of the vast history of the Eastern Bloc.
The Portrait Issue returns this September just as The British Journal of Photography launches the return of Portrait of Britain, which will once again appear on digital JCDecaux screens across the country, in partnership with photography giant Nikon. Portraits have a rare capacity to capture a person, family and community in a way that reshapes a narrative or empowers an entire group of people. Each photoseries in this issue manages to shed new light on an individual or group and move beyond stereotypes to find a more honest truth – whether with a Roma group in the south of France, or a working class neighbourhood in The Netherlands.
Portrait of Britain returns for a second year with 100 more images that encapsulate life the length and breadth of the UK. From almost 8,000 entries this year, the final hundred will now be displayed in a digital exhibition across JCDecaux screens in shopping centres and commuter hubs around the country throughout September. In partnership with Nikon, the photography giant, Portrait of Britain aims to show the social and cultural diversity of people in the UK and showcase everyday citizens and unsung heroes in a gallery of the people, by the people, for the people. Simon Bainbridge, Editorial Director at the British Journal of Photography, was excited about the latest portraits for 2017, saying, “Collectively, the portraits celebrate the unique heritage and diversity of modern Britain, as much as its thriving photography culture and the myriad styles and approaches they employ in their work.”
The new year opened with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and it proved rich pickings for pro photographers, with new flagship cameras from Nikon and Phase One, some welcome long-lens additions designed for CSC cameras, and the usual array of storage devices, action cams and drones. We round up the most intriguing new photography announcements. Kodak Super 8 Revival Initiative CES’s one genuine surprise came in an announcement from Kodak, stating it plans to revive the Super 8 format, 50 years after it first debuted. Showing a prototype that “combines the classic features of a Super 8 with digital functionality”, and with a new ‘limited edition’ camera planned for autumn, the company says it has devised a roadmap that includes a range of cameras, film development services, post production tools and more, in what amounts to a new “ecosystem for film”. It comes on the back of resurgence of interest in film within Hollywood, according to Kodak, and the new initiative has the backing of filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg and Star Wars writer/director JJ Abrams. Kodak is …
In November 2015 Nikon trailed the news they would soon launch the D5, their latest FX-format digital SLR camera, positioned now as a flagship camera. The camera, which was eventually launched in celebratory style by the Tokyo-based camera manufacturer at CES 2016, is on the outside, largely similar to its predecessor, the D4. But the internal operations are all entirely new, and as cutting edge as anything in the camera manufacturing industry right now. Retailing at £5,199.99 for the body only – lenses accrue a significant extra cost – Nikon have placed a lot of faith in their own engineering capabilities. Their confidence may well be well-founded, as early signs suggest their new invention will lead the professional camera market for some time to come. The D5 includes a new-generation autofocus system with 153 points, a 20-megapixel full-frame sensor, 4K video, and a touchscreen. On first impression, the most obviously impressive aspect of the D5 is the shutter speed. The D5 can take 12 frames per second, up to 14 fps if the mirror remains closed. At full burst, the …
Sony A7 Mark II series The year 2015 saw the arrival of Sony’s full Mark II A7 fleet, adding five-axis full-frame sensor stabilisation to the mirrorless ILC. While the 42-megapixel A7R II [below left] is now acknowledged as the top of the range, the first update, the A7 II (24-megapixels), also improved autofocus, body design, sealing and shutter life. Its on-sensor, phase-detection AF works with many adapted Sony A-mount and Canon EF lenses. The second update (A7R to A7R II) moved from 36- to 42-megapixels with a new shutter and 4k video direct to SDXC card, plus a larger electronic viewfinder (0.78×). The backside-illuminated CMOS sensor allows first curtain electronic and silent shutter modes while curing rangefinder wide-angle colour shading and smearing. The final upgrade, the A7S II, kept 12-megapixels and moonlight-friendly ISO 409,600, while adding the advances of the A7R II and 14-bit uncompressed raw. Finally, Sony gave this to the A7 II/A7R II by a firmware upgrade. www.sony.co.uk Leica Q If you are looking for an absolutely first-class compact camera that will produce results …
“Trust is very important when you ask someone to take their clothes off so you can photograph them nude,” says Neola Loretta McDavid, who will soon graduate from the University of Roehampton with a BA Honours in Photography. “Your subjects need to have confidence in you as a photographer, and they need to feel comfortable in themselves.” McDavid’s series of nude portraits, Denudate 2015, exudes strength – stripped back, it presents women in a state of undress, stoic in their own personal space, the only props being the intimate objects in their homes. Her series, like the meaning of the title itself, bares all – it strips women of the labels imposed upon them by society and returns them to their natural state, as “supreme beings” – equal to men, neither subordinate nor superior. “The women in my portraits signify empowerment. They are not obstructed by the mores of society or media in the way that influences how women are portrayed today. The women aren’t sexualised, nor are their poses meant to be suggestive. I’m not using the female …
Nikon has today launched its latest DSLR camera – the D750 – billed as its “ultimate enthusiast camera”, which will sit at the upper end of its DSLR range. The full-frame 24.3-megapixel camera comes with a newly designed FX-format CMOS sensor and has an ISO sensitivity range of 100–12800, extendable to 50–51200 (equivalent). Nikon claims the new camera will deliver “exceptional image quality with cleaner results than ever before at high ISOs.” [bjp_ad_slot] The camera features a newly developed professional Multi-CAM 3500II FX 51-point AF system, sensitive to -3 EV, allowing users the flexibility to capture fast-moving subjects with ease. In addition, the new Group Area AF mode offers “fast acquisition and improved background isolation”, says Nikon, especially useful when shooting subjects that are comparatively small and close to a high-contrast or distracting background. With improved picture control, the D750, which comes with in-built wifi, has a burst rate of up to 6.5fps in both FX and DX formats, and Full HD movie recording at 1080/60p, allowing users “the freedom to shoot cinematically”. “The Nikon D750 is a new breed of camera that introduces …
Nikon “is preparing for the release of its next-generation flagship model, the Nikon D4S DSLR camera”, the company announced this morning in an emailed statement. While details about the camera, including its resolution, upcoming availability and price, won’t be communicated until later this year, Nikon will be showing off a prototype at CES, a consumer technology show in Las Vegas, from 07 to 10 January. “As Nikon’s new flagship model, the D4S will offer significant advances over the Nikon D4 DSLR camera that include even better image quality through the adoption of a new image-processing engine, and more advanced autofocusing performance,” claims Nikon. “The D4S represents a combination of Nikon’s advanced camera development technology heritage and years of experience working closely with photographers. Designed to expand the possibilities for professional photographers who require the best possible performance in extreme environments, the Nikon D4S will particularly benefit those in the fields of sports, press, and nature photography.”
First launched in 1977, the Nikon 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor, which was discontinued in 1997, continues to attract second-hand buyers on eBay with the lens retailing at more than double its original price – putting it out of reach for many photographers. No more, says Nikon, which is releasing later this month the AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G, a homage to its celebrated ancestor. “Meticulously crafted to deliver exceptional imaging performance, this fast new prime lens is in a class of its own,” says Nikon. [bjp_ad_slot] “The design concept pays homage to Nikon’s legendary Noct-Nikkor lens, while the brand new optical construction enables astounding sharpness, contrast, and resolution,” it adds. “With outstanding resolving capability, exquisite bokeh, and unbeatable performance when shooting wide-open, this is a distinctive lens for those pursuing the holy grail of low-light photography or who want a lens with a truly unique signature.” Nikon says that the lens reduces sagittal coma flare “across the entire frame with the result that point light sources such as city lights are reproduced as fine rounded points, even at …
