Our sister magazine Photoshop Creative is celebrating its 50th issue in style with an extra-special glitter cover! Be sure to grab yourself a lovely spangly issue of Photoshop Creative’s big birthday issue!

We have lots in store for Photoshop lovers including:

-Top 50 Photoshop tips – everything you need to know about using your software

- Group test – Scanners under £100

- Selection tool masterclass – put every selection method into practice

- Create realistic fireworks to add to your photos

- Learn about the Dodge, Burn and Sponge tools

-Transform photos into beautiful watercolour paintings

Over 55 minutes of video tutorial and £160 worth of free Photoshop resources on the CD

PLUS!!! Win the ultimate design kit worth £2185 including: Adobe Photoshop CS4, Epson Stylus Photo R2880 A3+ printer, Canon PowerShot SX1 IS Camera, Wacom Intuos 4 tablet, LaCie Golden Disk 1TB hard drive, Blurb photobook

Issue 50 hits the UK shops July 2nd. International readers will see the issue hit the shelves in around four weeks.

You can purchase your copy from Borders, WH Smith and large supermarket chains. Alternatively head here and purchase online www.imagineshop.co.uk Find out more at www.photoshopcreative.co.uk

Have you got any shots of the Norfolk Broads you’d like to see in an upcoming issue of Digital Photographer? If you have, why not send them in for your chance to be featured?

Send us your three best images, including shot details and a brief description of the images and we’ll get back to you if you’re successful.

Email: debbi.allen@dphotographer.co.uk or post a thread on the forum

Good luck!

Want to hear even more from your favourite magazine team? Then sign up to Twitter and follow us! Discover the latest team news, reviews going on and industry gossip.

Don’t worry – we’ll still be posting here too

Head to www.twitter.com/dphotographer and start following Digital Photographer magazine today!

There is nothing quite like a healthy dose of sun rays to leave you feeling fresh and invigorated! That’s why I took a much needed holiday to get a summer kickstart, but I didn’t have to travel for hours to far flung exotic lands – no, instead I travelled to one of nation’s best kept secrets; the Isles of Scilly.

Never have I been to a place within our shores that is so tranquil, simplistic and hauntingly beautiful. The collection of islands sits just 28 miles of the Southwest coast of Cornwall and is accessible by ferry or plane, as well as helicopter from Penzance. Characterised by white sandy beaches, acres of natural landscapes and rugged countryside and home to a plethora of wildlife – the archipelago is the perfect choice for the avid photographer searching for the perfect view or subject. What is more, as the cluster of islands are relatively small and there was plenty of opportunity for island hopping – I found that with a few simple strategic manoeuvres it was possible to capture a stunning sunrise and sunset shot on the same day from a variety of viewpoints and vistas. However as we enjoyed our stay over the longest day – it resulted in a very early start and late end, but was definitely worth it.

I stayed on St.Mary’s (home to the main populous of residents and visitors), but others prefer the more remote islands of St.Martin’s, Bryher, St. Agnes or Tresco. Due to the scale of open land to roam the destination appeals to walkers, but photographers can feel at home here too. Another highlight for me was the ability to get so close to the multitude of wildlife on the island – in particular the birds were very tame and happy to pose at close proximity to my lens for many shots. What is more the surround ‘uninhabited’ islands are home to puffins and seals – definitely a worthwhile jaunt for the avid animal-lover. Flower fans won’t be disappointed either as the islands stock many beautiful gardens and due to the warmer climate offer an abundance of specimens in bloom much earlier and for much longer than witnessed on the main land.

To escapes the rat race and enjoy a life absent of pollution, traffic and loudmouth hooligans was paradisal, as if journeying back to a simpler more innocent time. However, the real world was waiting just out of sight and for me this rude awakening occurred like a lightening bolt as I boarded a crowded train at Penzance where I had the displeasure of sitting near a Neanderthal like creature who could only communicate in strings of profanity and whose idea of social consideration was to ramp up the volume of his mobile so we could all share the cacophony that clattered out of his handset (presumably he thought this was ‘music’)… oh to be on those desolate white sands with only the sound of the sea and the click of my camera…

To find out more about the Isles of Scilly visit www.simplyscilly.co.uk.

My what a surprising little camera this is!

I really didn’t expect to like the A330 as much as I do, now I’ve completed my review (check out issue 86, on sale 13th August). In truth, it’s been a while since I used a Sony DSLR, and I think I’d forgotten how good they are.

The A330’s undergone a pretty major design overhaul, in comparison to its predecessor – the A300. As a result, I think the interface makes a lot more sense! I’m not too keen on the new, slightly more angular, slimmer grip though – it’s not quite as comfortable as the older, chunkier Alpha design, but I think that’s about all I have to complain about!

Otherwise the camera handles really well – I’m really impressed by the features this camera has to offer, particularly its excellent Live View system and the fact it has in-body image stabilisation – made all the more impressive when you consider the price: £499 with the newly designed kit lens, from Jessops!

Here are a few test shots to whet your appetite…

For fans of Photoshop, this is one not to be missed – an exclusive interview with Scott Kelby, master of all things Photoshop, and sister magazine Photoshop Creative.

It’s a great listen – http://www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/podcasts.php

Or read more about it via http://www.photoshopdaily.co.uk/news/podcast-interview-with-scott-kelby/

At a recent event in Berlin Digital Camera Essentials Deputy Editor Matt Tuffin was given the change to handle and shoot with the new E-P1. With decidedly retro handling and a number of interesting features, the camera is certainly bound to grab the interest of the more discerning photographer after cutting edge technology in an old-school body.

With the legacy of the PEN series of film cameras, which were first launched in 1959, being identified as a major inspiration for the E-P1 it’s no great surprise that this new model feels decidedly solid and robust. Every panel and button screams quality without sacrificing the appearance. With a two tone colour scheme, which is more subtle on the white model, the E-P1 will grab the attention of anyone uninspired by the usual black or silver themes of most digital cameras. There’s even a leather holder for the camera to complete the retro look, although it does serve the dual purpose of protecting the underside. Although the silver version held up quite well to a day’s usage, the white option suffered from a couple of chips that, although purely cosmetic, spoilt the look somewhat.

The lenses given for testing were the two, and so far only, announced options of a 17mm pancake lens and 14-42mm standard zoom. Although the 17mm worked perfectly well, the 14-42mm required a slight amount of zooming before it became usable, as in the retracted position the camera displayed a ‘Check Lens Status’ error message. This got more than a little annoying after a while, and led to the lens being left in the partially zoomed position so that the E-P1 was ready to shoot whenever it was turned back on. The lens itself was simple enough to get on with, and even the direction of the focus ring could be altered in a menu. It would be interesting to see what other lenses will be released to go with the E-P1, as it seems the landscape end has already be catered for with the 17mm, but portraiture needs a longer focal length. With adapters for the Micro Four Thirds mount already on the market and Panasonic producing a couple of longer zoom lenses there’s still a lot of choice available, but something along the lines of a 50mm or 100mm would fit the E-P1 perfectly.

The lack of a built in flash was supplement by the decidedly UFO-looking FL-14 flash gun, which is priced around the £150 mark. As the hotshoe will only support either the optical viewfinder or flash at any one time it’s not the most convenient setup, but at least the LCD screen is of decent enough quality to allow for shots to be easily framed and composed. The crosshair-like levelling view came in extremely handy on a number of occasions, and the menus were all sharp and colourful enough to pick out options rapidly. The screen didn’t fare quite so well on the default settings in directly sunlight, but a few minutes of tinkering got the brightness levels high enough to regain visibility.

Image quality was generally impressive on the test shots taken, with the general balance of colour and sharpness being at a level which would impress most DSLR owners. One of the truer tests will be standing the E-P1 side-by-side with Panasonic’s GH1, as both have extremely similar specs. Even though the camera is more of an obvious, direct match for the GH1, it seems to be closer in looks, feel and perceived market to the likes of Canon’s PowerShot G10 as a prestige compact that just happens to have removable lenses.

Pricing will be around £700 for the basic body and lens kit, with a dual lens kit with the viewfinder also in the offering. Expect a full review soon, for more information head to www.olympus.co.uk.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf centre in Buckinghamshire, to take part in Nick Ridley’s superb dog photography workshop, along with lucky DP reader Eric Pearce.

Nick Ridley is the UK’s leading dog photographer, working on both private and commercial shoots and having his images used all over the world. He previously works as an inspector for a well-known animal charity, and has an in-depth understanding of canine behaviour, helping him to produce consistently stunning images of every dog he photographs.

The Hearing Dogs for the Deaf centre is a working environment where the fantastic staff do a wonderful job of making a huge difference to people’s lives, training these amazing dogs to help those in need to maintain their independence.

During the course of the day, we were fortunate enough to meet some of the centre’s star dogs, as well as Nick’s own three canine companions, all of whom had a thoroughly enjoyable time, romping, running and jumping in front of our happy group of dog-loving photographers. Some of our lively subjects were pretty tough to keep up with, but Nick’s welcome guidance helped us all to improve our timing and technical ability by the end of the day, and we all went home with some fab shots.

Lovely company, excellent facilities, perfect weather and a fantastic teacher – you couldn’t ask for more! we’d highly recommend Nick’s courses to anyone.

Look out for my full write-up, along with Eric’s views and his best shots from the day in issue 86, on sale 13th August 2009.

In the meantime, here’s a couple of my own favourites from the day:

Recently, I was given the opportunity to test out the new websites for photographers created by Foliogem (www.foliogem.com).

There are many services that offer to create websites for photographers, but not many offer this service for free, which is what makes Foliogem stand out from the crowd. Although there are paid-for options, photographers can start their own gallery based website with bespoke url for free, and then upgrade as and when their needs change.

The websites look great and you can tailor them to suit your taste, opting for a light or dark colour theme and between a number of different layouts. Once you upgrade you can also start your own blog, add more sections and host public and private albums galore.

Although the new service still has a few problems to iron out – the way it handles company logos for instance isn’t very intuitive – for a free service it offers photographers a lot.

Check out my new web page at http://debbiallen.foliogem.com I’ll be using my page to make sure the wider world is up to date with all the fab features and reviews in Digital Photographer and Digital Camera Essentials!

Although it’s true – there is no place like home – spend a few days in the South of France and you could be making plans to relocate.

I’ve just returned from a peaceful pocket of France called Auty, in the Lot Vally near Toulouse, where I was photographing one of our readers – Sara Cooksley, and consummate professional Jon Cunningham for our next ‘Improve your DSLR Skills’ feature (set to appear in issue 85 on sale 16th July).

Jon Cunningham and business partner Roger Norum, run a multitude of exciting creative workshops all over the world throughout the year. Jon performs the role of photography tutor, whereas Roger focuses on creative writing. The duo’s business is called ‘Creative Escapes’ and is intended to deliver a fresh, personalised and energetic approach to photography and writing holidays. In June 2008 The Sunday Telegraph voted Creative Escapes as one of the ‘Top 6 Photography Breaks’.

“From the quality and highly personalised nature of our teaching to the unique under-the-radar locations, our objective is to deliver small, tailor-made experiences that far exceed those offered by our competitors.” Explains Jon.

Each program offered by the team, falls into one of three categories: Escape, Focus and Retreat. ‘Escape’ is a four-day residential course aimed at beginners looking to get a short, comprehensive foundation in France, Spain or Norway. It was an Escape course that our reader Sara Cooksley completed for this article. ‘Focus’ is a four-day residential course operated in Norway and Istanbul for intermediate classes delivering more advanced techniques. ‘Retreat’ is a ten-day residential course in Morocco or Cambodia, combining creative education with cultural tours in a more relaxed environment.

The remaining tours for 2009 include: France from 3rd to 6th September (£875) and Norway from 10th to 13th September (£875), both of which are Escape course. Recently confirmed events for 2010 include: 14 – 17 January Escape in Spain, 18 – 21 March Focus in Morocco and 12 – 21 March  Retreat in Morocco, 27 – 30 May  Escape in Istanbul, 11 – 20 June  Retreat in Cambodia, 15 – 18 July Escape in Norway, 2 – 5 September  Escape in Istanbul and 1 – 10 October  Retreat in Morocco. For more information and updates of additional courses visit www.creative-escapes.co.uk.

The residents of the course were accommodated and schooled at Chateau Dumas – a stylish and comfortable 18th century building set in a 22 acre country estate with magnificent views in the South West of France. For those with an appetite for relaxation and tranquillity the 12 double/twin bedroom Chateau Dumas is actually available to rent, visit www.chateaudumas.net for all the information you need or email enquiries@chateaudumas.net.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and adored Jon’s fresh and enthusiastic approach to photography workshops. The theory portion of the workshop was accessible yet comprehensive and Jon’s patient manner meant that by the end of the course every student fully understood how to shoot manually. Classroom time was interspersed with practical sessions and the students were taken to sleepy villages, medieval towns, bustling markets and the magnificent city of Toulouse to put the theory into practice.

To discover more about Creative Escapes travel to www.creative-escapes.co.uk and don’t forget to read the feature in Issue 85 on sale 16th July.

This beautiful church was a stone's throw from the Chateau Dumas

Sara shooting textured walls in the sleepy village of Auty

Sara puts theory into practice catching portraits in a busy market

A happy Sara is caught on camera in Toulouse

I photograph Sara assisting on a exercise to shoot a model outdoors