8 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
TRAVEL and documentary heavy-hitter
Steve McCurry has been working on a
major project for The Macallan scotch whisky
brand. ‘Steve made the trip to the vast green
forests of northern Spain, the source of
European oak for The Macallan casks,’
explained a spokesperson for The Macallan.
‘Then he journeyed to Jerez, southern Spain,
where The Macallan’s casks are hand-crafted
and seasoned with sherry. McCurry also
travelled to Pennsylvania to discover the
infl uence of American oak.’ This marks the
second time McCurry has worked with the
brand, as he documented the construction
of the Macallan Distillery in 2018. See
http://www.themacallan.com for some great images.
McCurry has a shot
Tweaks to Creative Cloud
and free Photoshop app
ADOBE has announced a range of
updates to its Creative Cloud (CC) suite,
which includes Photoshop Lightroom. Some of
the biggest changes affect Adobe Camera
Raw, the raw-editing powerplant that is a key
part of Photoshop as well as Lightroom (where
it has a more user-friendly and adaptable front
end but is essentially the same thing). As well
as a new improved interface for Camera Raw,
you can hide the names of images on
thumbnails to make the preview bigger, and
move thumbnails to the side of the main
preview or along the bottom of the screen. In
addition, the crop tool has been improved to
make it easier to see rotated images.
Specifi c to Lightroom is a new Hue control inthe local adjustments tools, enabling you to
make adjustments to an image using a gradient
or brush during targeted editing. You can also
save out multiple versions of the same image.
Furthermore, watermarking features have
been rolled out across all versions of
Lightroom, while the ‘Discover’ image-sharing/
showcasing feature in Lightroom CC will also
be extended.
Adobe also launched its Photoshop Camera
app on 11 June, which is available to download
for free on iOS and Android. The app uses
Adobe’s Sensei AI technology to add a range
of interesting fi lter effects to your phone
pictures. Watch out for a full review in the
15 August issue of AP.© STEVE MCCURRY / MAGNUM PHOTOSCaption imil is eum
volupta erferferum
que asperum videm
quia vidis doloreraNiSi has released its NM-180 Macro
Focusing Rail. According to the company,
this accessory gives you control over the precise
position of your lens in relation to your subject.
It’s made of aluminium with a hard-anodised
corrosion-resistant fi nish delivering scuff and
scratch resistance. The NiSi Macro
Focusing Rail is also
compatible with the
Arca-Swiss dovetail
mount and is equipped
with an integrated
Arca-Swiss type
quick-release foot plate
and clamp. The long plate for
telephoto mounts is designed foreasy locking and release, and the bottom of
the rail includes^3 ⁄ 8 in and^1 ⁄ 4 in mounts for all
compatible tripod heads, along with four
(removable) studs allowing use directly on a
table top. The 180mm rail has
an adjustment range of
160mm (1.25mm travel per
revolution) via the collapsible
main thumb-screw or
end-screw and a 360°
rotating head. Both sides of
the rail have engraved index
marks to further aid positioning
and two rails can be stacked for
dual axis positioning. It’s currently
on sale for £105, see nisioptics.co.uk.Macro accessory for taking back control
Cartridge People zoo
photo competition
MANY zoos have reopened across the
UK, prompting printer suppliers
Cartridge People to set up a new zoo wildlife
photography competition. You need to go to
Cartridge People’s Instagram, Facebook or
Twitter page. Then, post your favourite zoo
or wildlife park photograph on social media.
Use the hashtag #CPZooLife and tag
§CartridgePeople and the zoo or wildlife park
where you took your image. You can enter
as many times as you want and the
competition will run until 2 August. ‘The
winner will also have their winning design
posted to our Cartridge People’s Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook and our competition
landing page,’ said a spokesperson. ‘They will
also receive an A2 canvas or a 20x20in
square canvas printed with their winning
design.’ See bit.ly/cartridgezoo.
Camera Raw has
an improved
interface