the name of the game is resurrection

A great advantage of modern camera's is that you are no longer limited by film and how many shots you might have left one one roll

With memory cards you can keep shooting until it's full and then if needs be, delete any photos you don't want and start filling the memory card again. Now this is something that can provoke long discussions about whether this can help or hinder a photographer, especially with photoshop, because you no longer have to get it right when you take the shot.

But don't worry this isn't going to be a post about that.

Inspired by some recent playing, (now I say playing as honestly that is how I've found most of the useful techniques I know) in photoshop I decided to revisit some of my "in between" pile.

So what do I mean by that? Well that's to do with my technique of sorting photos.Now when I look at the photos taken after a session, I will always delete the ones that for whatever reason I know have failed and obviously work on the ones that have "worked" but what about those that fall in the "between". Well they usually go into the folder to be saved and rarely see the light of day again. Or at least until that point when my hard drive starts overflowing.

So I decided to start by revisting some of the photos I had taken of Marija, a photoshoot with a friend that really surprised me with the results. I went for this photo here. Now this was part of a sequence taken under a railway bridge just after she had started dancing. In a effort to catch her dancing I had boosted the shutter speed, however this meant with a combination of the shadow from the bridge and surrounding woodland when she moved too far back the photos got just a little too dark. As you can see. 

An attempt to turn the photo into colour just didn't work as despite working with photoshop there was just too much noise in the photo for it to look just right. So I decided to leave it as black and white. However this meant that it looked too dark even once I had lightened it. So I decided to go for a middle ground and colour popped her dress leaving me with this.

Now although better it didn't feel quite "right" or to put it another way that it had gotten to the point where I could be totally happy with it. So there justifying my original decision to leave it "alone.

Still it goes to prove that it's always worth having a try as it could have very easily worked and it did teach me a lot. It was also gratifying that although the finished "product" was not what I wanted, six months ago I wouldn't have been able to recover the photo even to this standard.

So I wonder what I'll be able to do in the next six months :-)

Show me yours and I'll show you mine: Adventures in networking episode 1

So after the time for print night, it was time to do what most photographers do these days.

Yep sit in front of a computer and edit things!

If you're not a photographer you might struggle to grasp in this digital age just how much we have to edit. But wait! I hear you cry. Why edit? Haven't you got it right in the camera?

errhh, well yes and no. Yes, you do get it right more rather then less. Editing is just a way of maximising the best attributes of a photo. It can also get annoying as you can spend ages on something that you are convinced is totally and painfully wrong looking but anyone who isn't a photographer will never notice.

This is especially true on a 32 inch screen but hey ho. It also explains why a photographer may look stricken if you simply say " that's a good photo" as they probably spent quite some time in front of a computer.

So once the photos were done it was time to send them to the models. Now previously I have used google docs's to send photos to people but all of the models said they used dropbox. Something I had never used before so I had to download the software and get myself ready to use a whole new program.

Which worked in precisely the same way as google docs ( and with one sentence I make two seperate teams of techie people at two companies go eeekk). so it was fairly easy uploading the pictures. Of course what was not so easy was the gnawing tension waiting for any response from the models, because lets face it was my first time doing "proper" studio work outside of the classroom so I literally had no meter stick to judge myself against.

to my great delight the first model who responded loved the photos and asked if I was on purple port so she could leave a reference. So it was great, first feedback was postive and she wanted to leave a reference. Only one problem.... what the heck was purple port?

Way, way back in the dim mists of time... okay well only two years when I first got a DSLR but you get the point, if a effort to get to know more people and potentially take more portraits I tried to sign up to a site called model mayhem which was recommended by several magazine as a fantastic networking site. However in order to sign up to the site you had to be able to prove photos of at least two different models. Which of course fairly defeats the purpose of signing up to the site to begin with. If I had two models to take photos of, I wouldn't be wanting to sign up to the site to get models now would i?

Okay well purple port is along the same lines, it's a networking site for models, photographers and MUA ( that's make up artists for anyone who is unfamiliar with the lingo :-)

Firstly it was very easy to set up a account, you only have to provide a very small number of images and there's no requirement for them to be of different models. So already a big tick in the plus column. Secondly you can see if people are coming to visit your profile which is handy, i/e if no one is coming to paraphrase a hollywood film " You've built it wrong" or at least spelt it wrong or phrased it wrong. Because for example no matter the basic truth of it saying something along the lines of " I have a camera and want to take pictures of pretty girls" in your profile is just not going to go down very well.

Just like facebook you can tag people in photos, you can also like, ehhh I mean "love" photos and the system for leaving references is very easy.

Now of course with the many and varied portfolios on display, there are going to be photos of "adult" nature but that's no bigge because if you don't want to see them you can engage a filter that will shield said pictures from view.

Now there are also options to list who you have worked with, who you would like to work with and "collect" your favourite photos from across the site to keep in your own collection to help inspire you.

The final two things that I thought were really cool, the first is that when you look at someone's profile it tells you how far they are away from you and secondly you can make "casting call's" where basically announce you are looking for someone to work with either for a specific shoot, specific theme, or just that you feel the need to take some pictures.

Now there are some more features such as articles and forums I haven't yet looked at yet. Forums always make me a little nervous as they can be very much a double edged sword but I think once my portfolio has started to expand a bit I will give them a go

So, I basically now have a profile and my very first reference which made me act very happy and pleased in a not very adult fashion at all :-) I/e happy dance.

Of course this means no pressure for the next studio night.... no pressure at all.

erhhhhhhh................

Teaching a slightly aged Dog new tricks

Ever since I have got my hands on my first DSLR I wanted to give studio photography a go. However to paraphrase kryten from Red Dwarf two problems faced me. Firstly that studio lights are expensive and secondly studio lights are expensive. Which is yes the same problem but so significant I thought I would mention it twice.

 Also where I live there was a depressing lack of reasonably priced studio courses. Most of them cost a fair amount of money for a depressingly short space of time actually in the studio and if I was going to spend that kind of money I would want opportunity to keep doing studio work. Not just do it once and then have to leave it until I had saved enough money to get lights of my own... or won the lottery.

But two things recently changed that allowed me to revisit my goal of doing studio photography. Firstly my parents bought me a studio course for my birthday and secondly I found a studio near Derby, Bright Light studios which runs regular Time for print/networking/social evenings. ( which is a complicated way of saying you have models, photographers and make up artists all turn up, photos are taken, the models get them for free to use in their portfolios if they wish, the photographers also get them to use and basically nobody charges anyone) Still with me? Good. 

So I decided as the next night was only three days after my studio course that it was worth a try. Now the studio was the first "proper" studio I have ever been in and it was amazing. They have several different sets, including a white area, a black area, and a studio "apartment" area. Now for the night we kept to these sets, they do have more sets that I didn't see and didn't really want too, as these are sets can be used for slightly more "adult" photography, which I'm sure most of you will get what I mean. If you don't ask your mother :-)

Now the evening isn't "totally free" to photographers, you have to pay £10, but you do get £5 off if you book the studio or sign up for one of their model workshops within 28 days which considering the size of the sets and equipment you get to play with is more then fair. 

Secondly I was pleased to discover as I spoke to some of the other photographers I was far from the only "rookie" which was quite heartening as I was worried I was going to be the only one among a group full of expects. Not exactly a thought to put your mind at ease.

As there were several photographers there, we were going to be taking turns in shooting and rotating between available sets and models. So I thought I would take some time to watch some of the other photographers, see how they worked and then give it a go.

Did that plan work?? Erhhh no...  The plan rapidly went out the window as I was picked to be 2nd up and found myself face to face with one of the models with the kind of looks that would usually instantly make me tongue tied and I was supposed to stand there and give her directions?

If this was a cartoon, this would be the point where you would have the sound effect of a really large and loud gulp :-)

However fortunately the models were very patient and I gradually found myself relaxing and starting to have a lot of fun. Well it was hard to maintain a serious demeanour when one of the models finding out it was my first time in a studio started singing about how she was taking my cherry ;-) ( if you don't know what that means either ask your mother about that too :-) )  The staff at at the studio were also very good, giving bits of advice and also constantly moving around to make sure each photographer was having equal chance to work with each model, not just once, but in the different sets and different outfits.

Another thing to mention is that you had all of the lights set for you, so even if I hadn't been on that workshop it wouldn't have mattered that much. Or to put it another way I would have just been pressing the button with no idea whatsoever how certain things worked.

The whole evening blew by far quicker then I anticipated but I was fairly happy with the shots I had taken ( whether the models would be a matter for later and the next blog post)

Now the important points.  What did I learn? Well a lot and that I need to do some work on improving my confidence in giving direction. Not all models are mind readers. ( and every model who reads this will now be going well d'uh!)

Would I go again? Yes, I certainly would, the studio was fantastic, the staff were great and the models and other photographers were all awesome.

Is it worth it? Well let's see £10 for three hours, with a complete studio and three different models who also had a make up artist as well. I think we all know the answer to that one.

In fact the evening went so well that my friend, from Dancer in the dark on the left here, is considering coming to the next one as well.

Now it would be foolish of me to say (and not to mention dishonest) that hey I've had one night in a studio so I know everything. I don't but that's part of the joy of photography there is always sometime new to learn and always ways to improve.

The main thing is that the night has opened up some rather interesting possibilities that I didn't have before so if you are reading this and sitting there wondering if you should try something new with your photography my main advice is to go out and try it.

The worse that could happen is it doesn't work but if it does, well who knows where that will lead.

Lets go to the castle

Having attended the Whitby Goth weekend earlier this year I was aware that there would be a steampunk festival held in Lincoln during September. So what is Steampunk i hear you cry? Well the best description I have heard so far is "victorian futurism" And if you want to know anymore go to wikipedia here :-)

Despite having gone with a large group to whitby I found myself unable to round up anyone else to attend with me, which left me with two choices. Go by myself or not go. But as faint heart never got any good porfolio worthy shots , it was all go.

Now arriving in Lincoln I was faced with my first problem as you can see on the left. To get up to the cathedral quarter where I knew most of the events to be happening I needed to tackle Steep Hill. As you can see from the picture that really is the name of the street. Steep Hill.

And never have a street been more aptly named. Now Whitby although it had the steps going to the churc, at least had steps. This thing have nothing, asides from very smooth pavement and seemingly never ending slope. By the time I got up to the top, the back of my legs were screaming as badly as they felt at the end of the day in Whitby and I hadn't even taken the camera out of the bag , yet alone taken any pictures! I decided I didn't care if anything was happening at the bottom of the hill as I wasn't going to come down again until it was time to go home!

I decided that my best place to spend the time would be inside Lincoln castle, as well that's where everybody seemed to be going, so after getting a entry ticket and politely but firmly turning down the helpful shop assistant who tried to sell me a additional guided tour around the castle walls. ( I was here for people not buildings) I was inside.

To be a photographer you need to have confidence and people skills. To be a photographer and then do street photography takes a whole lot of confidence on top of that as essentially you are walking up to people you have never met before and sticking a camera in their face.

Whitby was my first real taste of street photography, but there I was with others. At Lincoln I was on my own, which was a little bit of a scary prospect at first and it took a little time to find my grove and press the shutter button for the 1st time.

However I quickly found my memory card filling up quickly helped by the incredibly cheerful, kind and patience attendees to the festival. In fact not one person I approached to ask for a portrait turned me down which considering the sheer number of photographers buzzing around, it would have been more then understandable for people to start to get very fed up.

Now at whitby the street are very narrow and with so many people in costumes and photographers around it tend to get very busy and cramped very quickly. One of the photographers from our group got cracked on the head by somebody else lens and to add insult to injury he seemed more concerned about his gear then her!

However at Lincoln things were very spread out and although there were a few occasions of "swarming" you felt like you had chance to breathe and think.

Also Unlike Whitby most photographers were very well behaved and I think that in turn helped contribute to the wonderful atmosphere. Plus it wasn't like there was a shortage of photographic opportunities and the amount of costumes on display were breathtaking in their originality and style.

Another surprise was the unexpected opportunity to start chatting and getting to know some of the other photographers there, a unexpected and very nice change from the photographic scrums that seemed to be the norm at the goth weekend.

There were two moments however that stood out from the rest. The first was the wacky races as you can see in this photograph. Emphasis on wacky, I don't think I've laughed so hard at a bike race before.








Now the 2nd moment I caught totally by accident, by being in the right place, at the right time and realising in time what was happening right in front of me. Yes as you may have guessed I managed to catch someone proposing to his girlfriend and yes as you may have guessed from the look on her face she said yes!

As you can imagine both of them were delighted I had managed to capture it, and even more happy that I took the time to give them a card so they could contact me afterwards to get the photos.

Which has lead me to a realisation that I really need to use my cards more :-)
Despite the day moving on people were still more then happy to pose, which meant my memory card continued to fill up with shots that more then compensated for the drive, horrendous car parking charges and that darn hill.

I even couldn't resist visiting one of the stalls and buying myself a mechanical pocket watch which is really rather cool and now graces my desk.

With one final shot of steampunk Batman, yes I have typed that correctly :-) Steampunk Batman, who I had seen earlier in the day and then spent a long time looking for, it had even prompted me to say the line I never expected to say " Has anyone seen batman?" It was time to head home.

Well almost as I couldn't resist a little stop by the cathedral to make use of my wide angle lens, but due to some repairs I had to plan my shots very carefully as one of the towers was covered in scaffolding.

So was the day worth it? Yes undoubtedly, it was a fantastic day and the attendee's were just great. It's provided several more shots for the portfolio and some valuable experience in street photography.

It also proved that old adage that the best way to improve your photography is to go out and do some!

Lets hope the next weekend in Whitby is equally as good.

Roll on November :-)

Right Time, Right place

As a photographer you quickly learn to anticipate and pick up on the little things that give you a hint of fantastic photo opportunities to come. Whether it's that moment that your dogs pauses detecting a scent letting you know he's about to go bounding away through the field or the moment when your niece gets hold of a bottle of bubbles and a mischievous look crosses his face.

Of course no matter how much you try and anticipate, luck will always play a factor. For example at work this week it's not every day that you see Zippy, George and Bungle ( and yes I do mean the rainbow characters) in a life together. And where was I and my camera at this point? Well I was at my desk and my camera was firmly in it's bag at home

The role Luck can play in photography has been especially highlighted in two photos that have been published this week.

Now unless you've been living under a rock i'm sure you'll know who the running chap is. Now from what I can understand the photographer has set several camera's up on automatic but even so, it was luck that the camera happened to take the shot at just that moment. 

Now  if you know who this lady is, I'll be very surprised (and amazed). This photo shows off a prop that only nature can provide and it;s most wedding photographer would give one of their toes for ( I would say arm or legs but then it would be rather difficult to take pictures wouldn't it?)

Both photos show that with being in the right place at the right time you get something that will elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary. In both photos it has been the weather that has added that final touch to the photo. Now the wedding photo would have been awesome in it's own right but the photographers quick positioning of his subject has taken advantage of something that he could never have planned to get.

Now this is a round about away of linking back to the last portrait session I did along with my wonderful model, who was a colleague from work. Now I had imagined that most of the photos would be pretty much standard "portrait" shots. What I didn't realise was she had trained as a ballerina and started having so much fun she started to dance around.

Anticipating her moves was a interesting learning experience but the luck came in with the photo above, which is one of my favourites from that shoot as I just happened to be perfectly lined up to grab this shot as she paused before setting off on another dance sequence.

So anticipation and luck are indeed two important factors in getting a great photograph.

But you know what the most important factor is? Taking the photograph to begin with!

Later folks

I'm over here by the way

With my long rumoured but still yet to be seen website hitting another delay due to some programming bugs, mainly due to me trying something clever but it turning out of course it turning out to be the polar opposite, I've decided to move to something else that I've long been thinking about but never quite got off the drawing board.

I've created a facebook page.

Okay so on the grand scale of all things internet not exactly earth-shattering news but still a rather large step for me in the my grand scheme of things.

Oh and what schemes..... grins to himself, and mutters under his breath about how I'm about to get up to something fun!

The benefits of course is that it will enable me to start showing off my photography more outside of my circle of friends (hopefully) while still maintaining the ability to control feedback at least a little if it gets especially negative. I'm firmly of the opinion that if you're going to feedback to someone at least make it constructive.

It's not nice to be on the other side of negative feedback as the last time I answered a question in a camera group forum can atest.

Which also leads me onto another issue facing my photography right now. The Photography club I had joined as suddenly closed. I had only attended one meeting but it was still annoying mind you. So if anyone has any suggestions for a good camera club in the east midlands area, please let me know

Anyway, I have already placed a little easter egg as it were on it, displaying some photos that haven't gone on my main facebook page.

I wonder if anyone will notice :-)

Dancer in the Woods