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Things have been hectic recently, with a wonderful wedding shoot and a ton of camera reviews, so I have some catching up to do!

I’m very excited to announce that I’ve just started reviewing cameras for the excellent reviews site TechRadar, starting with a trio of new Canon compacts: the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, Canon IXUS 310 HS, and the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS. Click each of the camera names to access the full review – complete with tech specs, pricing and test shots, or head over to the TechRadar camera reviews section to browse their extensive range of comprehensive reviews.

Watch this space for more news and reviews!

Mums-to-be are among the most beautiful women on the planet in my opinion. I was recently lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph a particularly stunning young woman – we’ll call her Mrs A – just before her gorgeous son was born, and I thought it was time to share some of the best photos from our session, along with a few tips to try out in your own baby bump images – enjoy!

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Behind the scenes on a Blade Runner-inspired fashion photo shoot with photographer Josie Reavely and Advanced Photoshop magazine.

When Adam Smith (Advanced Photoshop magazine) approached me regarding a fashion shoot for an upcoming article, I jumped at the chance! The idea behind it was to take some clean, funky fashion shots that Adam (who’s a very talented Photoshop artist) could then take and turn into a digital masterpiece.

Adam had some great ideas: he started by showing me a couple of pieces of artwork that resembled the kind of end product he was aiming for – a sci-fi inspired Blade Runner-esque image with high-contrast lighting. As a Blade Runner fan, I couldn’t have been more excited about this project!

I had worked with the model – Stacey – before, so I knew how much of natural she is in front of the camera. Nonetheless, I took the time to do plenty of research, looking through pages of stills from the Blade Runner movie and noting the lighting direction and intensity, as well as taking some test shots to perfect the lighting setup before the big day. Poses were also of great importance – the idea was that Stacey was to be transformed into a Rachel-like Replicant, and needed to be directed to hold herself as such.

Meanwhile, Adam and I were in constant communication, passing ideas back and forth, as well as conversing with Stacey with regards to the wardrobe and make-up required for the shoot.

On the day, we set up the studio with a plain black backdrop and hooked up my camera to a MacBook, to allow us to all view the images as they came out of the camera (much easier than crowding around a 3” LCD!) with the main lights off, I took a few moments to rearrange the lights: I chose to work with a two-light set-up initially to give Adam a slightly more even look to work with for his artwork (so he could add lighting effects later) – although I did try a few really high contrast shots (one light only) towards the end of the shoot).

Needless to say, there was a lot more to it, but if you want to learn more about the process involved with the shoot and of course see what Adam has managed to create, then look out for issue 77 of Advanced Photoshop magazine – on sale 30/11/2010!

In the meantime, here are a few of the images I took on the day, with Stacey looking suitably austere and machine-like. The last shot in the small selection below was designed to emulate the iconic Rachel pose (Blade Runner, 1982) that you can view here:  see the original.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see the end result!

Emulating the iconic Rachel pose, Blade Runner, 1982

How to photograph wildlife: essential tips to help you create stunning images of wild animals!

Photographing wildlife is a notoriously tricky task. Wild animals tend to be wary of humans, fast-moving and are adept at hiding themselves.

Perfecting your skills as a wildlife photographer takes time and patience, but with a good dose of both the rewards soon justify the hard work. Here are ten tips to get you started:

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I couldn’t be happier to learn that Pentax is launching not one, but two excellent new cameras at Photokina today: the K-5 and the formidable medium-format 645D.

Why? Because – as long ago as it was now – when I reviewed it for the first time for Digital Photographer, I absolutely loved the K20D. I even toyed with the idea of buying one at the time, that’s how much it impressed me. The build quality was superb, it handled like a dream and the image quality it was capable of producing was nothing short of excellent. The vivid colours that characterised its shots were what really made an impact.

Since then – a couple of lower-end models aside – Pentax has gone AWOL in the DSLR market, concentrating on quirky compacts for the most part, before teasing us with a new medium camera that may-or-may-not have only been offered to Japanese consumers. After today’s announcements however, it certainly looks like they’re getting back on track, and I personally can’t wait to try out their latest offerings!

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Hands up who saw this coming? In an exciting new development, Fujifilm is really kicking off Photokina 2010 in style with the shiny new Fujifilm FinePix X100.

What’s different about it? Well, it’s a digital rangefinder, something that Fuji’s not previously produced, and a complete side-step around the ‘hybrid’ camera market that has manufacturers in such a tizz at the moment.

Discerning digital photographers won’t be able to help but notice the fact that the X100 emulates the striking design of that German classic: the Leica rangefinder, with its fixed lens, analogue controls and beautiful retro styling. At its heart beats an APS-C sized 12MP CMOS sensor, coupled with a fast, fixed 23mm f2.0 lens.

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My latest book review, written for the excellent SciFi Now magazine, is now online!

If you’re a fan of the great Dune novels by Frank Herbert and want to experience more of the universe that he created, then check out my review of the latest works published by his protégé: Winds of Dune.

How to photograph your dog: essential tips to create stunning canine portraits!

We all think our own dogs are the most beautiful creatures in the world, and I’m sure he/she is one of the most photographed subjects in your household!

If you’ve ended up with less-than-great results so far, take at look at my quick tips, and you’ll be a dog photography pro in no time!

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Using the Nikon D3X to create a great magazine cover shot

Although I love each and every issue of our magazine, issue 80 is extra special to me. Why? Because it features my very own, first ever, cover image shot exclusively for DP – a wrap-around, no less!

Digital Photographer - Issue 80, Copyright Imagine-Publishing.

It all came about when I was reviewing the formidable new Nikon D3X – I was thoroughly enjoying using the camera and had come back to the office to marvel at the results of my most recent shoot. Now, as you may have noticed, Nikon has used our back cover for advertising for quite some time, which gave us the idea of creating a wrap-around from an image taken with the D3X by yours truly.

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