Poppy fields

Transforming the landscape with a blanket of red, a rich and vibrant poppy field is the perfect photographic subject at this time of year. Offering a host of photo opportunities, from broad vistas to tight close-ups, they’re a great summer subject.

You’ll probably need to tap into a bit of local knowledge to f nd one, or failing that, Flickr is a great place to look for locations that other members have found in the past.

Try to check out the location beforehand in order to work out the best viewpoints, but be sure not to trespass on any private land. Then, when the light’s right, you’ll be ready to go. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. To capture a whole field of poppies, look for a higher vantage point to accentuate the rich reds. You might even want to take a stepladder with you. A strong background focal point is useful for breaking up the horizon. 
2. Don’t write off your chances of shooting if it’s a windy day. Experiment with neutral density filters to slow your shutter speed down and inject a bit of movement into the shot, resulting in a gentle swirl of red. 
3. Don’t be afraid to shoot into the sun, especially if it’s low in the sky, as the backlighting will highlight the spikes and stem of the poppy. Use a reflector to bounce light back towards the poppy to balance the exposure.
4. As well as a wideangle lens, shoot with a longer telephoto lens to really compress the perspective of the scene. It will allow you to crop in tightly and pick out individual flowers or areas of a field for a more graphical result.

ROUND-UP

Fuji 18-135mm lens  

Fujifilm has confirmed a July launch for its Fujinon XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR [weather-resistant] compact system camera lens. The new optic should deliver the 35mm equivalent of a 27-206mm zoom. First announced earlier this year, For details Click This

Compact tripods 

Manfrotto has released a new line of tripods and monopods, including Compact Light, Designed to be used with CSCs, it is ‘born to be with you always’. The Compact Action, meanwhile, features a joystick head and is aimed at those who also want to shoot movies. Top of the range is the Compact Advanced, built to carry an entry-level DSLR with a zoom up to 200mm. Its three-way head offers pan, tilt and level movements. For details Click This

EOS milestone 

Canon is celebrating 25 years of its EOS-1 series of SLRs. Launched in 1989, the EOS-1 was aimed at professionals and offered new levels of ergonomics, high durability and reliability. The first EOS was the film-based EOS 650, launched as the world’s first AF SLR in 1987. The latest addition to the family is the EOS-1D X (pictured), which was launched in June 2012. For details, Click This