Thursday's Phrase (March 17th)

On the Beach

Over the weekend I headed to the South coast, mainly for a family day out but took the camera. Glad I did as it was a really good day for light and subjects.

On the shingle beach I came across this which I assume are the supports to an old pontoon?

I've added a texture to give it bit of an old or used feel.

D700
ISO 100
50mm @ F1.4
1/640





Have a good Monday
Richard

Train track

Local to me there is a miniature railway, which in the summer is always busy. Being March not much is going on and I decided to hop onto the track for a low perspective shot. Think I will re-visit again as there is better image to be had I believe. I am a fan of low perspectives as I think it adds so much more than if the image was taken at head height.

I'm 100% happy with this, its a starting point and hopefully I can post another from here soon.


Be interested to find out what you think, Like it? Not really do it for you?........I can't decide

Thursday's Phrase (March 10th)

Questions answered

Firstly thanks for the feedback, its great to hear your views on the blog. Its also great to get questions and i'll gladly answer them. Please keep them coming in along with the feedback

Here are Two questions recently asked, one via the blog one from out coaching

"How can I take good portraits. All the photo's I take especially of my girls are not so great"

Very good question and an in depth answer would take a while. However i'll try a more brief answer and i'll happily expand on this at a later date.

If were talking portraits where the subject is looking at you there are a few things to try. Firstly, make sure the eyes are in focus. This sounds obvious but its very important as this is the focal point of the portrait. Secondly, consider the light. If bright sunlight then squinting will be going on, this isn't great. If too dark then you can see the features of the subject. If you have time, use some spot/desk lamps and try to avoid the flash to start with. The flash is a great tool but it may not produce the best results just yet (it can later). Thirdly, compose the image. Try not to have the subject bang in the middle of the frame. move to one side or take the image from higher with the subject looking up. Make sure the background isn't too "busy" also, this will distract.

Try with different expressions, this makes the whole thing fun, which it should be. Let me know how you get on. PS - Kids are not the easiest subject, stay patient.

"I live in a place where there are good landscapes. I can't seem to take images which really show it off in all its beauty"

This is a common question many ask. Again there is a long in depth answer and luckily this question was asked during a camera walk. The answer was explained and we ended up getting some good shots with a few changes. I'll stay brief for the blog for now.

Firstly, Light. I'll say this a lot and that because its probably the most important part of photography. If you have a fantastic scene wait until the light is good or interesting. This isn't always sunrise or sunset, but can be a moody cloudy day, early morning mist or as a storm is rolling it. This can add drama and mystery. Use the weather and it will enhance the image. Even just waiting 5, 10, 20 minutes in the same location can dramatically change the scene. With landscapes its about patience and perserverance. Sometimes you'll have to visit the same spot many times before the scene is exciting. Once you capture it, its worth the wait and effort.

 Secondly, add something in the foreground as a picture can be "distant" without. We've all seen those beach images with the driftwood, and that's whats needed sometimes for a good foreground subject. If no driftwood then a boat on the beach, or a fallen tree, a fence for the more inland landscapes. Sometimes something as boring as a bench can add to a landscape. Its not always about the landscape but sharing where you are taking the image from and capturing the "feel".

Hope this helps answer your questions a little. Thanks again and keep them coming

Richard

Still Life - Intro

What is still life? Well the definition in wikipedia is "Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subjects or a group of objects which are either natural or man-made, via the means of a photograph"

Basically for me its a subject that can be manipulated into how you want it framed. You can also take your time with lighting and the settings. Still life is used everywhere, advertisements in shops, posters, tv, etc. One area I think its good to try still life is selling on ebay. With a bit of effort you can make your subject stand out from the rest.

Firstly consider the background. If its a solid colour or shade this will concentrate the focus onto the subject. For a solid background you can use a bed sheet, a towel, I've even used a black fleece before. Keep the subject a distance from the background to eliminate shadows

Secondly consider the light. The great thing with still life you can try so many different things and experiment. Light is the key, grab a bedside light a torch even and light the subject up. Play with shadows on the subject too, shoot away and see what you like.

Finally look at composition. With the flowers I think it looked better getting in closer and making the focal point the open flower. With the old camera it looked better with the subject turned inwards. Again experiment and see what works.

Flowers mounted in an empty wine bottle. Black background with two strong lights either side.






D700 ISO250 F13 1/60

The background here is a graduated one. I picked up 6 different colours off ebay for £10. Useful for these kind of shots for ebay.







D700 ISO100 F6.3 1/60

Thursday's phrase (March 3rd)

I'm just starting to feel brave again after a ride last year ended in A&E

Lunchtime walk in the woods

As my profile says I'm out everyday with Alfie, so this gives me a good opportunity to get camera time. Today was the first time in a while it is clear and sunny so we headed out without wet weather gear on. 

Taking images in bright direct sunlight is tough and not ideal, the perfect light is a nice haze or light cloud base which softens everything.

Playing with the light can really make an image stand out. Using the harsh lights or the shadows it leaves can add drama or effect, although quite difficult sometimes.

Its more of a reason to go out because there are so many options available in the settings. Experiment and see what works and what doesn't is a good way to learn more about your camera and photography in general

This was a stream running over pebbles. I was more interested with the colour left by the sunlight

D700 200mm ISO100 F4.0 1/4000sec

This is a track left by an Army land rover. Getting really low and making sure a lot of the puddle is in frame adds I think. Only so much you can do with mud and water though.

D700 200mm ISO100 F4.0 1/2000

This pine branch looks sultry on the blue sky. There had just been some logging of pine trees and the smell was quite intense

D700 70mm ISO100 F2.8 1/1000
I love these sorts of images and I wish I took my super wide lens with me. However this captured the mood in the woods well and you can almost imagine the deer in the background. Maybe I'll photoshop one in?

D700 ISO100 70mm F3.5 1/50

After a ridiculous amount of rolling in mud, a swim was in order. He didn't mind, he loves it, the colder the better.

D700 ISO100 200mm F4.0 1/4000

And back he comes with all his sticks.

D700 ISO100 200mm F4.0 1/4000

Come spring there will be dozen more opportunities in the woods, hopefully with more colour.

The evenings are becoming longer and on sunny bright days these are the best times to go out. Earlier posts goes into the "golden hour" and its certainly easier to capture images.

Have a good Wednesday

Richard