Whitby wonders

They say weddings can be good for networking. Well the wedding I shot back in March certainly lead to one payoff that I certainly hadn't been expecting.

The bride put me into contact with another photographer she was friends with who attends a club in the Nottingham area. Now I have been looking for a decent club for a while, the first one I had attempted to join  was a bit of a disaster and the only other club nearby well if I joined that I'm certain I would have lowered the average age by about 30 years or so.

So this photographer was running a trip to the Whitby Goth weekend, now although this would be a bit different for me as I didn't know anyone from this club and I haven't really done any street photography before I couldn't resist the temptation as it would give me a chance to network and also get some rather different shots for my portfolio.

Mind you there were some bad sides. Firstly it was a long trip to whitby made longer by multiple roadworks and secondly it was a early start. A Very early start. In fact so early my first thought on waking was " Shouldn't it be illegal for this time to exist on a Saturday morning?"

Still arriving into whitby we moved down into the town centre seeing in the distance the church and the abbey where we felt fairly certain we would find some attendee's of the weekend. Now for those who don't know the weekend is held twice a year and has become a major draw for photographers. However this is somewhat of a double edged sword as a lot of people complain about the swarms of rude photographers sticking lenses in their face! So we were all determined not to be one of these sets of people. 

However we were quickly taught why these complaints are somewhat justified as when we stopped and had our first bash at politely asking people ( a whole family in steampunk costumes) we were stunned to suddenly find ourselves surrounded by at least half a dozen photographers who had appeared out of nowhere, swooped in and promptly disappeared without saying a word to the subjects. In fact one of the firls from our group got smacked over the head by someone else's lense, who was then promptly more concerned about his gear as opposed to her head!

Now the swarms of other photographers really, really got to each of us at somepoint because it was just getting well stupid. See this is a photo I took of the church, what you can't see is the young girl posing in the door. What you can see is the dozen or so photographers all trying to take pictures at the same time!

I even saw one photographer massively overstep someone's personal space and had his lense almost touching the poor girls Face!

Still as always it's the bad things that people complain about, or bad photographers in this case and not the good ones. I'll admit I was a little nervous at first about trying to go up and ask people for shots myself and used one of the girls from the club as a "in" until I had built my own confidence up.

 Initially I thought we had a lot of time in Whitby but it seemed to just shoot by. We didn't even really stop for lunch. We just grabbed a quick drink and some rather yummy homemade gooey cake that really gave us a needed sugar boost for the afternoon.

We found most people were up by the church which is famous for having a staircase with 199 steps that you have to climb to get to the top which doesn't sound like a lot and it didn't seem like a lot until my 4th or 5th time heading up there when my legs suddenly decided to protest. Which although bad then was nothing to the next morning when I ended up walking like a complete and total zombie.

Still no pain no gain as it was this last trip up the stairs that gave me the last three shots which I consider to be my "shots of the day"

Now the next weekend is in November which I seriously want to attend as I am now much more confident in my skills in street photography and I really want to get some more shots for my portfolio, as short of several sgteampunk and goth obsessed people joined my work or church, there's nowhere else I'm going to be able to get shots like that! 

Revamp, renew, reschedule

After my fun trip to Whitby I realised that it was time that my portfolio needed a serious revamp, which would in turn enable me to finally "launch" for want of a better term my website.

However this is not as quite as easy as it sounds because I have a lot of photos.

And when I say a lot, I mean a almost full external harddrive packed with pictures.

So it's taking sometime.

However it has also taught me something interesting. That my skills have seriously progressed since I got my 500d, which I'll admit doesn't seem like that much of a revelation really as it's kind of the level of look the grass is green or the sky is blue! But even though I knew that it took me actually comparing some of my first portraits with what I've taken recently to realise just how far I have come on.

The short list I have come up with my new portfolio is suffering from two problems mind you, the first is that for a short list it's not so short. The second is that I have no idea what format to present it in. 

Of course I have the website but it's the actual physical presentation of the portfolio that is stumping me a little bit right now. Now I was leaning towards a photobook format but then of course the problem there is in order to update it you would need to get a whole new book printed.

So I was thinking about a folder but looking at some prices it would cost more then getting a photobook .

Of course the last option would be to use a ipad or other tablet but then again I don't know if that would really work showing photos in a electronic format.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll solve it eventually.

In time for the next revamp, he, he, he, 

Learning curve

It has been a busy few weeks for me photography wise.

Mainly due to three reasons, firstly a wedding where I was the lead photographer for the 1st time, however I suppose that's technically not true. It would be more correct to say I was the main photographer. Secondly I visited the whitby goth weekend which provided a whole host of photography opportunities (As well as material for a forthcoming blog post) and thirdly and by no means least I have joined a photography club which has a outdoors model shoot at the end of the month in the same place, they filmed the manor scenes for the batman films.

So what have I learned?

Well firstly I still have a lot to learn about photography. However not to sound totally immodest, despite finding my skills severely tested and being pushed further then I have done before, I feel that I have rather successfully risen to the challenge.

Secondly it can take time to edit a lot of pictures. I have to admit with the wedding photos I was rather behind target in getting the last of them finished because mainly I filled two 16gb cards of pictures and even shooting in raw that is a lot of pictures and I was rather foolishly optimistic with how long it would take me to edit them.

Thirdly, my people skills are good, but they need to get better in the sense of being more pro active in direction. The whitby weekend was a fantastic learning experience especially in this area but more on that later.

Lastly, my porfolio and by extension my website is in serious need of a revamp

So keep your eyes peeled as there will be more on that soon.

Like Paper beats rock, practical beats theory

There is a lot of theory when it comes to photography. It you pick up any one of a dozen photography magazine you will see that they are usually packed full of lessons and tutorials on how to take certain shots or create certain effects.

However at the end of the day, theory is just that. You can read all you want but unless you actually put things into practise you'll never know if you can actually do it. Or to put it another way, reading pilot manuals doesn't automatically make you a pilot.

Having been asked to be the lead photographer at the wedding, I was determined that I needed to get some practise for want of a better term. However weddings by their very nature don't come along very often, so I realised I would need to find a training course.

After much searching I eventually found one that seemed to have good write ups and fitted in quite nicely as the only other courses I found were not going to be held until either after, or the week before the actual wedding which was far too close to be helpful. So I decided to go for it.

Which is how I found myself driving down south at a rather early time on a Sunday morning. Now the course was taught by a Elizabeth Melvin of strangely enough Elizabeth Melvin Photography   . Now firstly her studio based at greatworth hall was totally gorgeous.

Secondly as this was going to be my first photography course, I wasn't sure what to expect. Fortunately the number of people attending the course was quite small and secondly, Lizzie the teacher was fantastic, very funny and soon had everybody at ease.

Now the morning was all theory which was actually quite interesting, which seems a strange thing to say mind you as I was going on about how I wanted practical experience and I was happy with theory. however it did give me a lot to think about that hadn't occurred to me before which was to prove important later ( more on that later too)

Mind you, once the models had arrived everybody was fairly itching to get outside, especially as after weeks of rain we actually had a day with bright blue skies and sunshine so we were all desperate to make the most of it.

Now initially I had forgotten one of the most important things and that was to dial in some positive exposure compensation to help the dresses appear white. D'oh! However after some feedback from Lizzie that was soon solved.

My second problem was that I was feeling a little bit nervous as well, as having only having experience with friends and family directing a stranger was a new experience.

However that was quickly knocked on the head when I noticed the models seemed a bit more nervous and lets face it they had more right to be nervous then me. I didn't have several people who I had never met before sticking camera lenses in my face!

Now the exposure compensation was only one thing to bear in mind. The next was lighting. No bride is going to want a picture of her squinting!

Equally as important thought is giving direction and as I went on, I felt my confidence growing. I suppose the best way to put it is, that I knew what to do and now knew that I knew it!

Still with me?

Lizzie was a fantastic teacher as she seemed to be keeping a close eye on everyone in the group without being overbearing as it were.

The next important thing we were taught was to make good use of your surroundings. Now I severely doubt that before the course any of us would have considered asking a Bride to perch on a fence but this is what what member of the course suggested and the results proved to be well worth the effort.

Even if at one point I was lying down on the floor to try and get a unique viewpoint. This lead to one of my favourite images on the left here which my Mum thought was taken by somebody else rather then me.

The trip across the fence also highlighted one of those differences between men and women. The women on the course were about having a panic attack at the marks getting on the dresses. The guys were simply shrugging and though they would need to be cleaned then :-)

Keeping with the theme of using your surroundings, take a look on the picture on the right. One of my friends thought I had got this by getting them to peer down the lens??

But it wasn't. It is actually a reflection of them from a bottom of a well they were peering down. I'm sure you'll agree it's a interesting and very different shot that would never have occurred to me before.

 By this point we were all having a tremendous amount of fun and as we moved round the hall we were all starting to recognise and use different locations to make some fantastic photos. However the interesting thing was looking quickly at some of the others shots was that we were all taking pictures of the same people in the same locations but were were coming out with some very different shots 

However I was also learning another good rule for shooting weddings. To keep on your toes!

One of the models saw they had a visitor and promptly ran across the car park, giving us a opportunity to capture a rather unique set of shots of a running bride. I think she might have regretted the sprint mind you as we then asked her to do it several more times.

Now unfortunately I can't show even a tenth of the photos I took that day simply due to the fact I took so many, and don't even ask how long I was processing them for.

However the processing gave me a chance to experiment with a very different styles as below and is still causing some great debate with my friends as to which style is better.

This would be female friends mind you. The guys tend to look at them, shrug and say cool.

All too soon though the fading light, forced us back inside. However what was nice was that the course ran on for sometime after the official "finish time" as lizzie continued to give us more hints and advice.

Now like most things to do with photography the course was a bit(iittttttt) expensive but was it worth it?

Yes without a doubt it was. It helped give me some practical experience and gave me lots of useful advice.

Which I was recently able to put to very good use when I visited the chapel where the wedding is due to be held. Scouting the grounds, I found myself quickly compiling a list of useful locations of where certain shots could be taken, thinking of certain areas in ways I wouldn't have done before.

Also when meeting with the Bride and groom I was able to make suggestions when talking about the shots they wanted taking and assure them that I was more then happy to adapt and change to their suggestions but also that I was fully aware of what they could want for me. For example the Bride wasn't sure if I would be able to come and do shots of her and the bridesmaids getting ready and was greatly relieved when I explained I had already planned that as a given.

So that highlights the final and most important lesson of the course. Anything you can do to lighten the stress on the happy couple, do it!

However despite singing the praises of this course, I have been rather overtaken by events in that it was a course organised by jessops academy which unfortunately closed along with the rest of the jessops chain.

But I do know that Lizzie does run other training courses herself and if you have a chance to go to one I would recommend that you do.

Because I certainly will if the chance and the right course presents itself.

Alas poor jessops

Well Jessops has gone to that great high street in the sky to join Woolworths, ottakers, Virgin, Borders and Somerfields.

Now I'll admit I have been buying my last few major additions to my kit from online, but it was nice to have a shop on the high street where you could pop into, to get any little odd's and ends like filters or a new cleaning cloth.

And lets not forget getting your photos printed as well. I know actually printing photos instead of just putting them on facebook. How old school 

Then of course there's always that "play before you buy factor" which you just can't get online. Now with the big stuff like lenses it doesn't really matter that much as lets face it, if you want a macro lens you'll buy a macro lens.

I was more thinking about the stuff like camera bags. However can you know before hand if you're going to like a camera bag? It might look great on the website but feel the most uncomfortable thing ever where you put it on.

Although last time I went in jessops store and I was trying to look at bags no staff member approached me at all to ask if I needed any help. Okay, technically I didn't so I would have just politely declined but that's not my point.

Plus it seemed strange to me that after Christmas they had lots of offers on full camera's but nothing on lens. I really wanted to go to one of them " Hello?? People will have got camera's for Christmas and will wanting new lens? Where are the offers on them??"

Still what's done is done as they always say. There is now no major camera shop on the high street. 

So I guess I'll have to buy online from now on.

But as a added ironic postscript to the above blog post, I was just reading a new edition of  one of the photography magazines I read and they had just rated jessops as producing the best photobooks around.

C'est la vie I guess. C'est la vie 

Snow Day

My Dog Owen loves his walks but there is only one thing he loves more then a good walk ( or running around like a lunatic in his case) And that is a walk in the snow. Seriously when it snows he would be more then happy to spend all day out in the stuff. Forgetting mind you that no everyone has the benefit of thick layers of Fur and "four wheel drive".

Now with the speed he charges around at I already knew that I was going to be spending most of my time in TV mode. The trick however was finding the right speed to freeze the action because the way his fur can react is somewhat unpredictable.

I was also using it as a good opportunity to test out my new L series 70-200mm lense which had unfortunately not seen much daylight since I had purchased it.

Now when using camera lenses a good rule of thumb to prevent camera shake is making sure your shutter speed is no lower then the length of your lense. So I knew I was going to be starting around 1/250. 

However after some trial and error I eventually found that 1/1000 was the best speed. 

 Now I was also concious that I would need to dial in some exposure compensation to try and get the whites looking "white".

However the problem with Owen ( and I'm sure my Dad could tell you he has may more as well :-) Is that he has a lot of black fur, a black nose and black eyes. So in order for that detail to come out I had to use a lot of fill light in the processing stage.

So the snow has coming out quite as white as it could have done. But as it brings out more of the detail in owen's fur and allows you to see his face clearly, bringing a lot more punch to the pictures I think it/s a more then acceptable trade off.

Dr Evil eat your heart out

I have quite a few nieces and nephews. However as a few of them are now firmly in their teenage years the opportunities to buy "fun stuff" are gradually diminishing as no longer are things like colouring pencils or lego high up on the list. Rather it's now vouchers or money to go towards whatever is the latest technological must have.

Wow, I sound old.

Anyway, I decided that I would still indulge myself this year and rather then getting them vouchers or money, I would see if my "cool uncle" powers still worked and get them something they weren't expecting. In the case of one of my nephews I got him a plasma ball, which not only made sure I retained my title of being "cool" but after watching him play with it for a few moments in a darkened dining room, it also gave me inspiration for a quick set of photos unlike anything I had taken before. 

 I started in AV mode but found I wasn't having much luck. I realised that I would need to switch to TV. However with a darkened room, I had no idea what to start on or the best speed. So I simply followed a sound principle that any photographer will employ at somepoint.

 I guessed.

 I also tried some shots using + exposure compensation but curiously enough it seemed to have very little effect.

 For most of the speed I was set around 1/60-1/80. Any higher then that the picture started getting noticeably darker and I was missing capturing the dance of the lights.

Any slower was getting noticeable camera shake and blurring.

Still for a spur of the moment series of photos, they came out fantastically and are certainly a very different addition to my portfolio.