Wuthering heights shoot

Spent a really enjoyable afternoon up in the Roaches with Jim and a lovely model that Jim had organised from one of the model agency's. We planned a Wuthering heights type shoot and wanted a windy rugged location, we certainly got the wind ok, nearly blown of the top of the Roaches.

Very challenging conditions,extreme wind, horizontal rain, brilliant sunshine, sky as black as bag and a
rainbow thrown in for good measure

I'd like to thank Jim for being my mentor on a new found direction of portraits by speed-lights,
At last Iv'e seen the light!!

Can't wait for the next shoot

Colour or Monochrome? What are your thought's and critique's?

Final 10 Portraits (Street performers)

Shown below are my final 10 Street Performers (Portraits)

I have chosen this subject to compound my knowldge and skills of photogrphing  this subject

These images were all taken at whitby Gothic Festival a twice yearly event that attracts street performers,exhibitionists and photographer's from all over the country

Friends and I spent the whole day there as there was anabundace of really good subject matter at hand all on one day to photograph

I photogrphed all of my images here on a suprisingly sunny warm day on the 30th Of Oct 2010. The lighting was a little tricky at time because the sun was in and out of the clouds for the majority of the day

Alot of my images were captured using my Canon L series 70-210 zoom lens taken at vaious distances and at different angles all throught the day.All of my subjects were very friendly and most were exhibitionist's.All of them were really friendly people and really obliged when asked if I could take their photograph which is a bonus for any photographer. I have learnt a lot this year photographing these street performers as my portrait subject. I was a little shy at first approaching a total stranger and asking to take their photograph but now feel this has given me an abundance of confidence to approach a total stranger and ask for a photo. I Intend to go again next year to this event where I will photograph my subject a little differently

Final 10 Lake district Autumn Landscapes (Landscapes)

Final 10 Lake District Landscapes

Shown below are my final 10 Lake district Landscapes which I took last Autumn on a holiday to the lakes in Cumbria. I took a bout 300 images on the holiday. My Tutor Steve and I picked the best 20 images from the 300,then finally selected the best final 10 images shown below for my coursework

 

kew Gardens

Just a few shots from Kew gardens last weekend. 13 squid return on the train and we even had a seat!
Mind you  the train did get struck by lightning on the way back,Scary!

A real hot spring day 27C out doors 36-40 C in the glass houses, so off we went to find some more glass houses, the pubs!! Enjoy

Just a few shots from the beautiful city

c'est magnifique!!

Camera filters

Camera filters are transparent optical elements normally made from glass that alter the properties of light entering the camera lens for the purpose of improving the image being recorded.  Filters can affect contrast, sharpness, colour, and light intensity.

I sometimes use different filters on my camera, the 3 filters that I use the most are the UV, Polarizer and the  Neutral Density. See below for a description of all 3

Ultra Violet

UV filters are intended to reduce Uv rays entering the camera lens and remove the blue cast in photographs taken at high altitudes. Also used to cut out haze and give better clarity.This UV  filter can also be used to protect a camera's lens from physical damage.

Neutral Density

Neutral Density (ND) filters are sunglasses for your camera. They reduce the amount of light coming in without changing the colour in your phtos. ND filters are used when shooting in bright light to allow for a larger aperture and a smaller depth of field. With a smaller DOF, you can make the background less distracting by letting it blur.

ND filters come in many strengths each letting in more light as the filter size increases

Polarizers   (error with blog cannot change to lower case)

Polarizers are used to deepen blue skies in outdoor photographs. They also do a great job of reducing reflections when shooting through glass or water at an angle.

There are two kind of Polarizers, Linear and Circular. Circular polarizers are needed with cameras that have phase-based autofocus systems (many 35mm SLRs do). All other cameras will work fine with a Linear Polarizer. The effect is the same with each type of filter.

College Equipment (The Studio)

We have fulll use of the college Photography studio while completing our college courses. The studio is very modern and up to date and is kitted out with a variety of different equipment enabling us to produce a variety of different photography

Shown above is the college studio with a basic lighting setup. The main background is a white moulded wall and floor about 12ft x 8ft  but these can be changed to use various coloured backdrops and customised to suit the photographers needs

The lighting heads that the studio uses are Bowens 500 and 1000 watts. Inside the heads there is a 2 bulb system using a constant modeling light bulb source and a flash bulb source. The heads have controls on the sides and rear of the units with various switch combinations allowing the photographer to dim, brighten and vary the intensity and duration of the flash.They can be connected to a camera directly by a special lead or by using wireless transmitters which consist of a trigger and receiver which are attached to the camera and lighting heads by hot shoe interfaces on the top of the camera and rear of the lighting unit.

Shown in this photo are 4 of the college lighting heads. Two shown hanging from ceiling from adjustable booms and two shown left and right which are kitted out with soft boxes to subdue or defuse the light intensity

I regurlarly use the studio and bring models in to photograph. I controll the main light sources from the lighting heads using various accessories such as "snoots" and "barn doors" and soft boxes. These devices can be adjusted to deflect and localise the light source reaching the subject allowing a photographer to add or subtract the amount of light that they need to reach the subject

This shot shows some of the various deflectors and screens that I use in the studio to deflect,screen and control different lighting effects for my subjects