"English Village in the Cotswolds. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

Photography has been a lifelong pursuit for DPReview reader Stephen Felce, known in the forums as keepreal. Over more than seven decades, he has developed a passion for street scenes and beautiful landscapes, moving from black-and-white to color film, and then to digital and mirrorless systems.

"I started photographing at the age of nine, learning to print my own film with guidance from my father. My passion for capturing the world around me has never waned. Photography isn't just a hobby, it's a way of seeing and experiencing life more fully."

Stephen works to bring out the beauty of places like the lochs of the Scottish Highlands and the deserts of the American Southwest, highlighting their unique natural lighting. His approach to post-processing has enabled him to turn complex scenes into images that are quite evocative.

This story is part of our What's in your bag? community spotlight series. The series showcases the diverse gear and photography of our community, and shares their stories of how that gear helped them to capture the perfect shot.

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"Piazza in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. This is a panorama shot with extensive Photoshop processing to cope with the dynamic range. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

Meet Stephen Felce (keepreal)

Home base: Greater London, UK

Favorite camera and lens: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II with Laowa 6mm and 10mm Zero-D lenses. Stephen likes this setup specifically for landscapes and street shots because it delivers the best detail and edge sharpness. The wide-angle lenses let him capture expansive vistas and architectural subtleties with minimal distortion.

What's in Stephen's bag

• Primary cameras: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
• Lenses:
  • Laowa 6mm F2 Zero-D
  • Laowa 10mm F2 Zero-D
  • m.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm F4.0 PRO
  • m.Zuiko 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II
• Support gear: Stephen uses a compact Hama Traveller Mini Pro tripod for most shots and a full-size Velbon Ultra REXi L tripod for larger setups. He also employs custom-made panorama heads, multiple Manfrotto ball heads and quick-release adapters to handle panoramic and detailed landscape compositions with precision.
• Camera bags: He relies on three Crumpler bags – two for camera bodies and lenses, and one for panorama brackets and accessories. For his longest lenses, such as the 75-300mm, he uses a dedicated Nikon lens case.

Stephen's camera bag Photo: Stephen Felce

Any other interesting gear you take with you?

"I kept two Nikon SB-26 Speedlights from my Nikon days, which I can fire wirelessly from the small Olympus FL-LM3 flash to get balanced lighting like studio lights. I mostly use a lightweight Hama Traveller Mini Pro Tripod now, though I also have a full-size Velbon Ultra REXi L for heavier setups."

"I even built my own panorama head from hardwood with sections for horizontal and vertical shots, using Manfrotto quick-release adapters for fast and precise alignment. For printing, I use an Epson Stylus Professional 3880 for prints up to A2 and an Expression Photo XP-8605 for everyday use, both with pigment inks for long-lasting color."

"This is a picture of the River Thames in London, England, that I took when I was twelve years old. My father lent me his Leica IIIa, and I took this shot with the 9cm Elmar, processed and printed myself, toning it sepia. A framed copy hangs in my bedroom." Photo: Stephen Felce

How has your photography changed since you started?

"When I did my own monochrome photography, I settled upon Kodak Panatomic X and Ilford Pan F exposed at about half the nominal ISO. I also developed in the Beutler formula from raw chemicals to give a long scale with beautiful highlights."

"I have always gone for pictures from high-dynamic-range scenes, usually against the light. I rarely consciously decide on contre jour; it just happens, being in my element when those lighting conditions present themselves in brilliant sunshine. You cannot get those Beutler tones on digital, possibly because there is no shoulder to the highlights in a digital image, as the slope there is far too high."

"Still, when I switched to digital, my photography really took off, and somehow I found getting good colors easy, whereas with film I never felt my results were very good."

"When I switched to digital, my photography really took off, and somehow I found getting good colors easy."

How do you post-process a less-than-ideal scene?

"One of my picturesque street scenes, Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, is familiar to most Brits because of a famous 1973 Hovis Bread advert. I took my picture there on negative color film and processed it myself. Early on in digital, I used to scan my negatives and got a superior result with Gold Hill, partly because of the light in the shot and partly because of the skills I developed with Photoshop Elements 2."

"Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

"There was a street sign ruining the picture, weeds growing in the gutters of a nearby dwelling and more distractions spoiling the overall effect. I cloned out the distractions, straightened a wall and changed the creamy cottage to blue as the original looked sad against the white cottage two doors down. Next, I filled in the bald sky and sharpened the out-of-focus wall on the left."

"After two years of digital manipulation and printing, I finally get good results. The photo won me a copy of Photoshop CS2, which I had wanted but cost far too much for my liking."

Have you taken any particularly memorable trips?

"My best holiday ever was to the Southwestern USA in 2011... from San Francisco to LA, 3,000 miles through Utah and Arizona.

"My best holiday ever was to the Southwestern USA in 2011, driving for three weeks from San Francisco to LA, 3,000 miles through Utah and Arizona, as well as in California. I estimated the distance for my route before I went, and amazingly, it was only a mile out."

"I loved Zion National Park, where, unusually, you get different kinds of rock, different textures and colors adjacent to one another, creating a remarkable effect. I loved Zion so much that I had to include it again in a 2018 trip of a similar distance from LA to Denver to see other must-see places like Arches National Park, but I actually preferred Dead Horse Point State Park overall."

"Near the entrance to Zion National Park, Utah. I was lucky with the light, which, though extremely weak, was better than in other images I have seen of this. My favorite self-took picture, so I made an A2 framed print for my living room. No EXIF data due to extensive Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

"Spectacular Rocks in Zion National Park, Utah. Unusual to see such variety in adjacent rocks. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

When capturing that perfect shot, what are your preferred techniques?

"I always take a spot reading for exposure on the brightest part of the image, more often than not, the sky, and set exposure adjustment to +3 stops. That way, highlights are never blown out, and it works in every natural-light situation. If the dynamic range demands it, I use bracketed exposures."

"On the E-M5 II, it is brilliant because I can set the gaps two or three stops apart and simultaneously use exposure adjustment to increase exposure for the deepest shadows, without having to resort to shorter exposures, which is not necessary."

For eager photographers to capture it all, what would you suggest?

"Most camera buffs feel obliged to take pictures. I don't, as I take very few even in the best of places. I can quite literally return from a trip with nothing, enjoying the outing no less for that. Some scenes are beautiful, but do not lend themselves to the camera. Instead, they can be quite an experience in real life if you are able and willing to see with insight."

"Ennerdale Water. Lovely clouds making a beautiful scene in the Lake District, northern England. No EXIF data due to Photoshop processing." Photo: Stephen Felce

Stephen really enjoyed writing the content for this spotlight article and would be grateful for you to join him in discussion in the forums. Thanks, Stephen, for being featured!

If you'd like to share your photography, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and strategies. Your photos and story could be featured in the next article!

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Editor's note: This article continues a series, 'What's in your bag?', highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.

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Image: DJI

DJI has announced the latest iteration of its compact gimbal camera, the Osmo Pocket 4. The new generation brings more subtle changes than the last update, with integrated storage, a bump in frame rate, new controls and the promise of better low-light shooting.

Like the Osmo Pocket 3, the fourth-gen camera uses a Type 1 CMOS sensor and an integrated 20mm equiv. lens with an F2 aperture. Unlike the 3, which topped out at 4K/120, the Osmo Pocket 4 doubles its maximum framerate to 4K/240. It also uses 10-bit D-Log instead of the D-Log M found on the previous model, trading a more contrasty image that took less grading work for one with a bit more latitude. DJI promises the Pocket 4 can achieve 14 stops of dynamic range.

DJI says the new pocket camera will perform better in low light, delivering truer-to-life colors and better-looking skin tones. It also says that it will provide better results in high-contrast scenes as well. Given that the sensor hasn't changed, both changes are almost certainly thanks to improvements in processing.

When the screen is in landscape orientation, users have access to two additional buttons. Image: DJI

The Osmo Pocket 4 keeps the rotating screen that DJI added to the 3, though it adds two additional buttons that are revealed when the screen is in landscape orientation. One button is dedicated to cropping in, allowing users to digitally zoom to 2x or 4x. The second button is customizable, giving users a shortcut to their most-used settings. DJI also says the 5D joystick is new, though it isn't clear what new functions it unlocks compared to the previous iteration.

DJI added 107GB of integrated storage to its latest gimbal camera, compared to the Osmo Pocket 3's full reliance on microSD cards. It's still compatible with 1TB microSD cards as well. It also promises an additional 14 minutes of battery life, for a total of 3 hours of recording at full resolution, or 4 hours at 1080p.

Like many DJI products, the Osmo Pocket 4 supports gesture control and offers multiple subject tracking options to keep subjects sharp and centered in the frame. It relies on DJI's ActiveTrack 7, which it debuted on the Osmo Mobile 7 smartphone gimbal and promises smoother, more natural tracking, better subject reacquisition and the ability to recognize multiple subjects.

The Osmo Pocket 4 is compatible with DJI's vlogging accessories, such as its mic system. Image: DJI

The Osmo Pocket 4 is priced at £445, which is cheaper than the Pocket 3's launch price of £489. That's especially impressive given that the new model gains 107GB of internal storage at a time when that isn't coming cheap.

The camera will be available for immediate sale in the Chinese market on April 16 and for pre-order in all other regions. Official sales will begin on April 22. The standard combo costs £445 and includes the camera, USB-C cable, gimbal clamp, wrist strap, handle, and carrying pouch. DJI is also offering the Creator Combo for £549, and it includes the addition of the Osmo Pocket 3 Wide-Angle Lens, DJI Mic 3 kit, a fill light and a mini tripod.

As expected, the one exception in terms of availability is the US. DJI says the authorization application is still pending in the US, so it will not be available for purchase.