Welcome to issue 20

If there’s one thing we have plenty of here in the UK then it’s country houses and spring is a great time to get out there and start shooting them. If you want to find out how to get the best from your day out, head to page 14 where we kick off this issue looking at a few prime examples. You may well be travelling farther afield this summer and our feature on shooting African wildlife over on page 20 offers a wealth of professional tips and tricks for getting the best results. Even if you’re staying at home, you’ll find it handy for your next zoo or safari park excursion. Page 28 sees DPE doing something a little bit different because we’ve got a great feature on shooting bands. This can be a tricky area of photography to master, so be sure to check it out if you’re planning on going to any gigs this summer.
And, what are your thoughts on buying second-hand camera gear? With the recession rumbling on it seems it’s both a buyers and sellers market out there right now. Find out what to look for and where to spot the camera and kit bargains starting on page 34. We’ve also got a starter guide to colour calibration on page 40, which’ll come in handy if you’re often disappointed with great shots that somehow don’t look quite the same once you’ve got them onto your computer back home. Sensor size is an area that leaves less experienced shooters feeling a little flummoxed too, so we pay a return visit to this thorny subject on page 44. Meanwhile, many photographers use software for their post-shoot clean-up operations and so the extensive preview of Photoshop CS6 on page 50 will be particularly useful if you’re a fan. Our regular location shoot feature this month takes us to the glorious Alentejo region of Portugal, which is simply stunning. Find out more on page 100. Finally, don’t forget that issue 21 is out on the 31st of May. See you next month!

Rob Clymo, Editor