This weeks theme was chosen by my good buddy Chris and is "Seed" I was going to double it up with the Teazle from the last shot but thought i should try harder to come up with an image. After a bit of scouting around the house for Conkers that the kids have discarded, and considering slicing trough a banana and taking a Macro shot of the seeds I didn't really fancy either idea.
It was when I was in the garage and just about to shut the door that I spotted the big bag of mixed bird seed that we give to our feathered friends during the winter months. I grabbed it and brought it inside to use.
I attempted a macro shot, but It didn't appeal to me, and I tried a couple of other things too. then I thought about incorporating some txt into the image. And this was the result. Two light setup again. One in my DIY softbox as the key, and one bounced off my "weird" ceiling as a fill source.
The jaunty angle to give the shallower DOF involved me getting nice and close and having to twist round at a nasty angle to get the shot. And the only lens with a wide enough angle of view to get it was the Sigma 10-20mm which is turning out to be a very useful bit of glass :-)
Have a gander at the other boys stuff. >>>>>
Showing posts with label SOOC52. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SOOC52. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 September 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 33 "Pointy"
This weeks theme is "Pointy" and was chosen by Bruce. Although time constraints due to having a family and a job and building his own house means he sadly had to drop out of the project, he still kindly finds the time to keep involved via comments and choosing themes for us remaining diehards. So cheers for that mate.
The subject for this theme took about 2 milliseconds to drop into my head. And involved a walk down the village to the river, at 10:30 pm in the pitch black with just a little LED torch because I'd seen the thing I wanted to photograph whilst out for a walk earlier this week.
A Teasel . You don't get much pointier than that. Over here they are an important source of food for Goldfinches and other birds, but In the US I'm fairly sure they are considered an invasive weed and removed.
The lighting setup was a strong light directly behind the seed head to highlight the pointy structure, and another directly in front of it to add some fill light. I also shook all the seeds out and saved them to sow in my garden. Because A) I like these things and B) I like Goldfinches.
Dumb And Dumber are still producing excellent work. Links below, check em out.
The subject for this theme took about 2 milliseconds to drop into my head. And involved a walk down the village to the river, at 10:30 pm in the pitch black with just a little LED torch because I'd seen the thing I wanted to photograph whilst out for a walk earlier this week.
A Teasel . You don't get much pointier than that. Over here they are an important source of food for Goldfinches and other birds, but In the US I'm fairly sure they are considered an invasive weed and removed.
The lighting setup was a strong light directly behind the seed head to highlight the pointy structure, and another directly in front of it to add some fill light. I also shook all the seeds out and saved them to sow in my garden. Because A) I like these things and B) I like Goldfinches.
Dumb And Dumber are still producing excellent work. Links below, check em out.
Straight Out Of Camera Week 32 "Leather"
The theme for week 32 was chosen by my good self. When I decided this would be the theme it's because I was sat looking at the case one of my lenses resides in. But having considered this as the subject of my shot I soon decided it was pretty boring, and knew in the back of my mind that it would end up as a studio/product type shot, and to be honest I've spent a lot of time lately on a paid job doing product shots, so I'm pretty sick of the whole white backdrop affair.
So my mind turned to other things I own that are leather, and sorry to disappoint the rest of the strange folk involved in this project but contrary to popular belief this doesn't involve a gimp suit or a ball gag :-P
After thinking for a couple of nights I was getting ready for a shower after work, and I suddenly remembered about an item I had forgotten to consider. My Belt. It's leather and studded with rivets. It's been a part of my wardrobe for many years, once a belt that used to accompany me and my jeans around the night life of Lincoln city, it;'s now been resigned to living on my work jeans. It's had extra holes punched in it (at both ends :-/ ) and is worn to say the least.
I decided to go nice and simple with this one. The backdrop is simply my office floor because I thought the wood grain pattern would go well with the organic feel of the belt. For the lighting I just went with my DIY ring flash, to evenly light it and bring out as much of the detail as I could. The position of the belt was carefully and painstakingly carried out by throwing it on the floor and photographing it where it landed :-)
The other completely insane 'mericans are still plodding along too. Please take a look and feel free to offer them friendly abuse :-) Links below.
So my mind turned to other things I own that are leather, and sorry to disappoint the rest of the strange folk involved in this project but contrary to popular belief this doesn't involve a gimp suit or a ball gag :-P
After thinking for a couple of nights I was getting ready for a shower after work, and I suddenly remembered about an item I had forgotten to consider. My Belt. It's leather and studded with rivets. It's been a part of my wardrobe for many years, once a belt that used to accompany me and my jeans around the night life of Lincoln city, it;'s now been resigned to living on my work jeans. It's had extra holes punched in it (at both ends :-/ ) and is worn to say the least.
I decided to go nice and simple with this one. The backdrop is simply my office floor because I thought the wood grain pattern would go well with the organic feel of the belt. For the lighting I just went with my DIY ring flash, to evenly light it and bring out as much of the detail as I could. The position of the belt was carefully and painstakingly carried out by throwing it on the floor and photographing it where it landed :-)
The other completely insane 'mericans are still plodding along too. Please take a look and feel free to offer them friendly abuse :-) Links below.
Saturday, 23 August 2014
Straight Out Of Camera week 31 "Screen"
The theme for this week was "Screen" and popped straight out of the expansive nothing filled void of Eje's mind. Now when I was wandering through the vast, knowledge filled and concept rammed expanses of my own brain to think of a shot for this I immediately thought I would do some sort of "Trapped in the screen" idea. But then having explored this idea further, I couldn't really make it work. And I haven't done a self portrait for ages.
It was then that an image from one of the people who has probably influenced my photography more than anyone else so far. David Hobby aka The Strobist has literally given me all the knowledge I have in off camera lighting. It has transformed my work and opened up a whole new interest in what I can do. His sit e is a must read if you want to learn in an easy, way, at your own pace, with detailed instructions on how to go about it. There's a linked banner on the right hand side of this blog (If you're on a pc or mac)
One of his shots (You'll see it if you Google his name) is of him sat in front of his Mac. It's been ripped off A LOT so I've added one more to the list. Two flashes, one sat on the keyboard and bounced off the screen as a reflector, and the other camera left to put light onto the laptop and the Photographer Fuel. I'm quite pleased with the result, and the beer (which was ESSENTIAL to the shoot) went down nicely too.
The other gentlemen are still plodding on too so have a look.
It was then that an image from one of the people who has probably influenced my photography more than anyone else so far. David Hobby aka The Strobist has literally given me all the knowledge I have in off camera lighting. It has transformed my work and opened up a whole new interest in what I can do. His sit e is a must read if you want to learn in an easy, way, at your own pace, with detailed instructions on how to go about it. There's a linked banner on the right hand side of this blog (If you're on a pc or mac)
One of his shots (You'll see it if you Google his name) is of him sat in front of his Mac. It's been ripped off A LOT so I've added one more to the list. Two flashes, one sat on the keyboard and bounced off the screen as a reflector, and the other camera left to put light onto the laptop and the Photographer Fuel. I'm quite pleased with the result, and the beer (which was ESSENTIAL to the shoot) went down nicely too.
The other gentlemen are still plodding on too so have a look.
Sunday, 17 August 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 30 "Corrosion"
This weeks theme was set by Bruce and is Corrosion. I like this theme because for me it's all about composition. There are plenty of old rusty bits of metal laying around all over the planet because lets be honest, as a species, we don't give a shit. Life and the contents of it are disposable like never before. Things are discarded rather than repaired and replaced with a new thing that will be discarded in the future and so on and so forth. Anyway, that's enough ranting.
This is one of a set of images I took for this theme, and its my favourite for two reasons. Firstly, I like the composition, and tried hard to go for a point of view that added interest to the image.
Secondly, I went old school with this one. Using my trusty 50mm prime, I used an old Blue filter from my old film gear to get a massive contrast boost on the chain and bring out the texture. I have a big stack of filters from the days of film, so given the success of this one I might have to play with some more later.
This is part of a sluice gate on the river that runs close to where I live. When the river swells because of heavy rain, it is cranked open to release some of the water into the adjacent drainage ditches, then eventually when they are also full it just floods our village.
As always, check out the other numptys and their stuff .
This is one of a set of images I took for this theme, and its my favourite for two reasons. Firstly, I like the composition, and tried hard to go for a point of view that added interest to the image.
Secondly, I went old school with this one. Using my trusty 50mm prime, I used an old Blue filter from my old film gear to get a massive contrast boost on the chain and bring out the texture. I have a big stack of filters from the days of film, so given the success of this one I might have to play with some more later.
This is part of a sluice gate on the river that runs close to where I live. When the river swells because of heavy rain, it is cranked open to release some of the water into the adjacent drainage ditches, then eventually when they are also full it just floods our village.
As always, check out the other numptys and their stuff .
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 29 "Dirt"
This weeks theme was picked by Chris "Zombie" Lane and was "Dirt" . As with many of the themes picked by my friends in the colony that we abandoned there is a slight language difference present. Here in the UK the term dirt usually means that something is unclean, dirty, mucky, covered in filth etc. But in the US of A it is their term for soil. So for this shot I used our meaning but showed the subject Chris actually meant.
The image below is of my daughters feet after a "Bare foot" woodland walk at a visitor centre we recently visited on our "Staycation" Both the kids and my wife did it. The kids loved it, Ali.....well, lets just say it clearly wasn't the first thing she would choose to do. I think this fits in well with Chris' theme, and its one of a bunch of family shots I got whilst we were away too. :-)
As always, check out the other numptys and their stuff .
The image below is of my daughters feet after a "Bare foot" woodland walk at a visitor centre we recently visited on our "Staycation" Both the kids and my wife did it. The kids loved it, Ali.....well, lets just say it clearly wasn't the first thing she would choose to do. I think this fits in well with Chris' theme, and its one of a bunch of family shots I got whilst we were away too. :-)
As always, check out the other numptys and their stuff .
Straight Out Of Camera Week 28 "Glass"
Ok, so this is the second half of my big catch up push, It seems every time I get near to catching up, the frequency of stuff getting in the way seems to increase dramatically, pushing me further behind.
The theme for this week was chosen by me and as the title suggests was Glass. I have done a few glass shots in the past that I liked (you can check them out Here if you want) but Didn't want to replicate any of them for this project.
So I turned to the shelf in my daughters bedroom, where she keeps her glass duck that her grandparents bought for her on a trip to Whitby in Yorkshire here in the UK. The duck has a lot of nice colours within it, so I thought that it would make an interesting subject so here is the Image.
Lighting wise I went nice and simple, the background is just a piece of craft foam, with a flash pointing at it to make it pure white and blow out the detail, and the duck itself is sat on top of my DIY softbox and so it's lit from underneath to bring out the colour (color)
The other boys are also still playing catch up too so take a gander (Deliberate water fowl reference)
The theme for this week was chosen by me and as the title suggests was Glass. I have done a few glass shots in the past that I liked (you can check them out Here if you want) but Didn't want to replicate any of them for this project.
So I turned to the shelf in my daughters bedroom, where she keeps her glass duck that her grandparents bought for her on a trip to Whitby in Yorkshire here in the UK. The duck has a lot of nice colours within it, so I thought that it would make an interesting subject so here is the Image.
Lighting wise I went nice and simple, the background is just a piece of craft foam, with a flash pointing at it to make it pure white and blow out the detail, and the duck itself is sat on top of my DIY softbox and so it's lit from underneath to bring out the colour (color)
The other boys are also still playing catch up too so take a gander (Deliberate water fowl reference)
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 27 "Heat"
This weeks theme was heat. Chosen by The Viking it was a theme that I may have struggled with three weeks ago, but in recent days here in the UK we have been having very hot temperatures. We've been hitting 26-29 °C
Whilst I realise that this probably doesn't seem that hot to my American friends, or any of the rest of you from outside the UK it is well above what we are used to here. It was during one of these hot days that I felt like I was melting, and that's when the image hit me. I was planning to make it look like I was melting, but of course Photoshop is banned in all forms during this project. So I replaced myself with something that would melt easily.
This is a "Festival" ice cream (Formerly a "Feast" I think) and was one of my childhood favourites. This one was bought specifically for the image and I also bought a backup one just in case ;-)
The other guys have been working hard to catch up too. So it's worth taking a look at their new stuff on the links below.
Whilst I realise that this probably doesn't seem that hot to my American friends, or any of the rest of you from outside the UK it is well above what we are used to here. It was during one of these hot days that I felt like I was melting, and that's when the image hit me. I was planning to make it look like I was melting, but of course Photoshop is banned in all forms during this project. So I replaced myself with something that would melt easily.
This is a "Festival" ice cream (Formerly a "Feast" I think) and was one of my childhood favourites. This one was bought specifically for the image and I also bought a backup one just in case ;-)
The other guys have been working hard to catch up too. So it's worth taking a look at their new stuff on the links below.
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 26 "Pink"
Ok, so this is week 26's image. The theme was "Foliage/Plants" and was chosen by David . It's been a while since I did a macro shot of anything like this, and although this is technically a flower shot and not a plant shot it's a bit cheeky, but the themes have always been open to interpretation.
This is a Petunia flower, and one of my favourite plants. I spent many years as a gardener before I moved to the building industry and ended up driving a JCB (That's my day job for those of you who don't know) Considering I'm a trained horticulturist and an experienced landscape gardener then there really is no excuse for the state of my garden "I thought nobody lived here any more" was the comment from my Father in law when he visited this weekend. But as with most things, finding the time and the inclination to come in from a 12-13 hr day and then work in the garden is not top of my list. I will get round to it.
So here's the shot, I love how vivid the colour is under the single softbox used to light the subject, and this was my 80mm f/1.8 lens on some cheapo extension tubes. Pity about the slight spoiled patch on the flower caused by the recent rain, but apart from that it's all good.
Here are the links to my buddy's stuff. Keep an eye on the blogs because I know they are working hard to catch up too .
This is a Petunia flower, and one of my favourite plants. I spent many years as a gardener before I moved to the building industry and ended up driving a JCB (That's my day job for those of you who don't know) Considering I'm a trained horticulturist and an experienced landscape gardener then there really is no excuse for the state of my garden "I thought nobody lived here any more" was the comment from my Father in law when he visited this weekend. But as with most things, finding the time and the inclination to come in from a 12-13 hr day and then work in the garden is not top of my list. I will get round to it.
So here's the shot, I love how vivid the colour is under the single softbox used to light the subject, and this was my 80mm f/1.8 lens on some cheapo extension tubes. Pity about the slight spoiled patch on the flower caused by the recent rain, but apart from that it's all good.
Here are the links to my buddy's stuff. Keep an eye on the blogs because I know they are working hard to catch up too .
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 25 "Fresh Produce"
Well hello world this is a very late post, and either fortunately (or unfortunately) for you it's going to be the first of four this week until I catch up. This is week 25's image, and we are currently on week 29. So we've all got a bit behind. I've been on a paid photography job and between that and the fact it's summer over here so A) There's plenty to do outside when I get in from work. B) I can't be arsed bothered to do much when I get in from work so I fell behind a bit.
So week 25's theme was chosen by John and was "Fresh Produce". Well we've been looking after a friends chickens whilst they are away on holiday, and that includes collecting the eggs. You don't get much fresher than these babies, they are still warm from the chickensars..... nest :-)
I love eggs, brilliantly healthy (Despite the health scares and all the other BS spouted by the papers, Unless you're eating a dozen a day you'll be fine. If you are eating a dozen a day then your antisocial flatulence should be more of a worry than your health ! ) and a marvel of nature. This is a nice simple setup, with a single light source ( £1 DIY softbox) low down and camera right.
Personally I love the way the specular highlights ( Geek alert) show the form of the wire basket in the left of the frame. simple image, but I think it's one of my faves from this series so far.
We're getting thin on the ground now, only really Chris, Eje and myself still clinging on, and we're all behind. I'm sure we will catch up thugh. I've completed a 365 so I'm damn well not gonna let a 52 weeker beat me :-)
Here are the links to my buddy's stuff. Keep an eye on the blogs because I know they are working hard to catch up too .
So week 25's theme was chosen by John and was "Fresh Produce". Well we've been looking after a friends chickens whilst they are away on holiday, and that includes collecting the eggs. You don't get much fresher than these babies, they are still warm from the chickens
I love eggs, brilliantly healthy (Despite the health scares and all the other BS spouted by the papers, Unless you're eating a dozen a day you'll be fine. If you are eating a dozen a day then your antisocial flatulence should be more of a worry than your health ! ) and a marvel of nature. This is a nice simple setup, with a single light source ( £1 DIY softbox) low down and camera right.
Personally I love the way the specular highlights ( Geek alert) show the form of the wire basket in the left of the frame. simple image, but I think it's one of my faves from this series so far.
We're getting thin on the ground now, only really Chris, Eje and myself still clinging on, and we're all behind. I'm sure we will catch up thugh. I've completed a 365 so I'm damn well not gonna let a 52 weeker beat me :-)
Here are the links to my buddy's stuff. Keep an eye on the blogs because I know they are working hard to catch up too .
Monday, 30 June 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 24 "Rich"
Still behind and trying to catch up, this is another late post :-/ The theme was set by Chris and was Rich. This is a fairly simple image and will be a short post because the sentiment is obvious. The novelty paper was a gift from my Sister in law a little while ago, and I though it would fit in well with the following quote.
Some people have everything and it's not enough. Some people have not much, but it's everything to them !
Getting thin on the ground at the moment Chris is the only other nutter that seems to be cling on to this project tooth and nail at the moment. Very skilled dude. Check out his stuff at the link below. You better look, because I know where you live !
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Some people have everything and it's not enough. Some people have not much, but it's everything to them !
Getting thin on the ground at the moment Chris is the only other nutter that seems to be cling on to this project tooth and nail at the moment. Very skilled dude. Check out his stuff at the link below. You better look, because I know where you live !
Monday, 23 June 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 23 "Many Hands"
This is the latest I've posted a shot so far. What with Being away in France and then family stuff and work I've been flat out for a couple of weeks. The theme was "Hands" and it was chosen by me in the usual "Pick whatever I'm looking at as a theme when I'm asked" way.
I had no clue what I was going to do until I sat down and thought about it tonight when I decided to catch up on the project. I was sat at my desk idly taking pictures of my own hands when this idea jumped into my unusually vacant mind.
It's a standing joke among my family members that I'm "Good with my hands" it was an innocent remark by my Mum, which was then seized upon by my brothers who are both Teachers and used to tease me about my manual job, as opposed to their "Academic" skills :-) As always, it's just banter, and my replies are usually along the lines of "You wouldn't have a patio/bathroom/working light bulbs if it wasn't for me being good with my hands"
I'm aware that this is quite similar to another shot in the project, and it's done in a similar manner, taking an image, printing it, then taking another image with that photo in my hand and so on and so forth. I used My DIY beauty dish to light my hand, and another flash aimed at the backdrop for some separation.
At first I wasn't happy with the reflection of the dish and the highlights on the prints, but firstly I don't have any matt paper and secondly, as the image built I quite liked the effect, and so I left it as it was. I could have taken the light mod off and bounced the light off the wall behind me to avoid the reflections, but I think it might have resulted in a loss of some depth in the image.
Please take a looksie at the other guys stuff, they're all trying to catch up like me, and produce some stunning stuff.
I had no clue what I was going to do until I sat down and thought about it tonight when I decided to catch up on the project. I was sat at my desk idly taking pictures of my own hands when this idea jumped into my unusually vacant mind.
It's a standing joke among my family members that I'm "Good with my hands" it was an innocent remark by my Mum, which was then seized upon by my brothers who are both Teachers and used to tease me about my manual job, as opposed to their "Academic" skills :-) As always, it's just banter, and my replies are usually along the lines of "You wouldn't have a patio/bathroom/working light bulbs if it wasn't for me being good with my hands"
I'm aware that this is quite similar to another shot in the project, and it's done in a similar manner, taking an image, printing it, then taking another image with that photo in my hand and so on and so forth. I used My DIY beauty dish to light my hand, and another flash aimed at the backdrop for some separation.
At first I wasn't happy with the reflection of the dish and the highlights on the prints, but firstly I don't have any matt paper and secondly, as the image built I quite liked the effect, and so I left it as it was. I could have taken the light mod off and bounced the light off the wall behind me to avoid the reflections, but I think it might have resulted in a loss of some depth in the image.
Please take a looksie at the other guys stuff, they're all trying to catch up like me, and produce some stunning stuff.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 22 "Superfood"
This weeks theme was Food, and I'm pretty sure it was chosen by The Viking although I'm sure I'll be corrected if not.
I struggled to get this one done, and it's a late post ( very unlike me to be fair) and the reason for this is that at the end of last week I went on a very short notice trip to Normandy to be see the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Yes I took my camera, and yes there one or two images that are going to be popping up from the trip :-)
So I was sat last night eating a banana trying to think of a good shot for food. as I'm not one for fancy meals and let's just say when I'm cooking that presentation isn't top of the list of priorities :-) Then it struck me, Bananas are one of my favourite foods, I'll often eat two or three a day, and are a super food due to their health benefits as listed Here Take a look people, it's interesting !
So here's the image, Straight out of camera as per the rules, black craft foam for a backdrop, two flash units, one at either side to bring out the texture, and the banana is stood up using a couple of cocktail sticks.
A banana was harmed in the making of this image, cos I ate it afterwards !
Check out the work from the rest of the gang, they do occasionally post stuff :-p
I struggled to get this one done, and it's a late post ( very unlike me to be fair) and the reason for this is that at the end of last week I went on a very short notice trip to Normandy to be see the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Yes I took my camera, and yes there one or two images that are going to be popping up from the trip :-)
So I was sat last night eating a banana trying to think of a good shot for food. as I'm not one for fancy meals and let's just say when I'm cooking that presentation isn't top of the list of priorities :-) Then it struck me, Bananas are one of my favourite foods, I'll often eat two or three a day, and are a super food due to their health benefits as listed Here Take a look people, it's interesting !
So here's the image, Straight out of camera as per the rules, black craft foam for a backdrop, two flash units, one at either side to bring out the texture, and the banana is stood up using a couple of cocktail sticks.
A banana was harmed in the making of this image, cos I ate it afterwards !
Check out the work from the rest of the gang, they do occasionally post stuff :-p
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 21 "Remember"
This weeks theme was set by Loc and was "Remember"
I was struggling with this theme all week, I considered shooting a war memorial, and then changed my mind. I also considered shooting something to remind me of lost loved ones, and although I was fine doing this I wanted to avoid upsetting others so I abandoned that Idea too.
It wasn't until this afternoon that I sat down to spend some time with Max that the idea hit me. We were playing with LEGO and it used to belong to my brother and I when we were younger. So it set about a good trip down memory lane of me and my bro building stuff (And falling out about some rare pieces) and of the unrivalled pain of standing on this stuff barefoot :-) Some of the bits in the box were still intact from stuff we had built many years ago. It's cool that even after getting on for 25 years old this stuff is now being enjoyed by my son.
So this is the image, this stuff set off a massive bout of sentimental memory for me, and I hope that Max gets as much fun and use out of it as we did.
It was shot using a C1980 summin Canon FDn 85mm f/1.8 if you're interested :-)
Check out the others guys stuff if you have 10 mins to kill and want a good read .
I was struggling with this theme all week, I considered shooting a war memorial, and then changed my mind. I also considered shooting something to remind me of lost loved ones, and although I was fine doing this I wanted to avoid upsetting others so I abandoned that Idea too.
It wasn't until this afternoon that I sat down to spend some time with Max that the idea hit me. We were playing with LEGO and it used to belong to my brother and I when we were younger. So it set about a good trip down memory lane of me and my bro building stuff (And falling out about some rare pieces) and of the unrivalled pain of standing on this stuff barefoot :-) Some of the bits in the box were still intact from stuff we had built many years ago. It's cool that even after getting on for 25 years old this stuff is now being enjoyed by my son.
So this is the image, this stuff set off a massive bout of sentimental memory for me, and I hope that Max gets as much fun and use out of it as we did.
It was shot using a C1980 summin Canon FDn 85mm f/1.8 if you're interested :-)
Check out the others guys stuff if you have 10 mins to kill and want a good read .
Monday, 26 May 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 20 "Son Of Lincolnshire"
This weeks theme was chosen by David and was City/Town. As the place where I live is rather rural, and the horses that live in the village outnumber the human residents by about 20-1 I thought I'd take a mosey down to my nearest city... Lincoln.
I first moved here aged 18 in the year 2000, I attended a local college where I met a nice barmaid, who did such a good job of giving me beer that I married her :-) Lincoln is a stunning city, that is full of history and it's skyline is totally dominated by the Cathedral and the castle. This city has been the hub of the massive county of Lincolnshire ( Lin-con-sher for my American friends, not Lin-coln-shire as you'd no doubt mispronounce it) which has been the birthplace of many important people through history, from Sir Isaac Newton to Henry IV.
One of these people was Alfred, Lord Tennyson. One of the most famous British poets and Poet Laureate of Great Britain for most of Queen Victoria's reign he is still a very well known name here and his work is still a major piece of educational literature here and all over Europe. One of his most famous pieces was "The Charge Of The Light Brigade" and there are some very well known extracts...
I first moved here aged 18 in the year 2000, I attended a local college where I met a nice barmaid, who did such a good job of giving me beer that I married her :-) Lincoln is a stunning city, that is full of history and it's skyline is totally dominated by the Cathedral and the castle. This city has been the hub of the massive county of Lincolnshire ( Lin-con-sher for my American friends, not Lin-coln-shire as you'd no doubt mispronounce it) which has been the birthplace of many important people through history, from Sir Isaac Newton to Henry IV.
One of these people was Alfred, Lord Tennyson. One of the most famous British poets and Poet Laureate of Great Britain for most of Queen Victoria's reign he is still a very well known name here and his work is still a major piece of educational literature here and all over Europe. One of his most famous pieces was "The Charge Of The Light Brigade" and there are some very well known extracts...
"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
So in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral stands a huge statue of Lord Tennyson and that's what I decided to take my image of, to try and show off some of the culture of my adopted home city and not just the buildings. I went up there in the evening and composed the shot, I wanted the cathedral as a backdrop, and because I haven't got a lens wide enough (yet) to squeeze it all in from inside the Cathedral grounds I had to stand over the wall. This has mean that I got some of the shrubbery in the foreground of the shot that I'd rather wasn't there, but ripping it out wasn't an option, mainly because of the HUGE number of CCTV cameras covering the area! Big Brother really is watching in this part of the city. So here I waited until the sun was about down and they switched on the massive lights that illuminate the huge building until the early hours (They switch them off then to save some cash) This threw just enough light on the tower to give it some separation and make the image a little deeper. So here it is.
I'd have liked a little more interest in the sky, and it's sods law that after all the crappy rain and cloud over the last few days that it was clear tonight !
Please feel free to leave a comment, it would be nice to get one or two opinions on this from people who aren't involved in the project. And please take a gander at what they are up to with the project. Links below.
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 19 "Restrictions"
This weeks theme was "Clouds" and was chosen by John. Living in the UK this isn't normally a problem, as we often have endless weather systems blowing in from either the Atlantic or the European mainland. This week however, summer has hit full flow (and will hopefully continue to do so) This means that firstly, the heat has meant the clouds have been scarce most of the week, and secondly, that the bright light along with the atmospheric haze has killed a lot of the contrast in images.
These factors coupled together with the fact I have a gear limitation as I am currently without a graduated ND filter means that the following shot is not the best I've produced. For those of you who aren't to knowledgeable about how a camera works it's like this: The little computer in the camera that works out how much light to let in isn't able to cope well in situations like the one below. The computer tries to let in enough light to make the clouds, which are very bright and the power station, which is very dark look right in the resulting photo. Because there is such a difference in the shot between the light and the dark areas the camera balances the best of bot. So in this shot I took the computer out of the equation and told it which part to take it's reading from. If I had a graduated ND filter, I could have not worried so much, because this filter would block some of the light coming in from the sky, allowing me to leave the shutter open longer to capture the dark foreground properly.
Why the power station ? Well because my kids call the cooling towers "Cloud Makers" and in the right conditions that's exactly what they are, the stem from the towers doesn't evaporate fully when it's cooler, and forms clouds streaming for miles and miles out of the towers.
It's not often I do this, but I've included a post processed image too. I cranked the exposure and contrast to bring out more detail, and added some noise to make the image have a little more impact. I also removed the pylons, cables and the water bowser parked in the field.
As always feel free to tell me what you think about the image or the post, and don't forget to check out the work from the my buddy's across the pond.
These factors coupled together with the fact I have a gear limitation as I am currently without a graduated ND filter means that the following shot is not the best I've produced. For those of you who aren't to knowledgeable about how a camera works it's like this: The little computer in the camera that works out how much light to let in isn't able to cope well in situations like the one below. The computer tries to let in enough light to make the clouds, which are very bright and the power station, which is very dark look right in the resulting photo. Because there is such a difference in the shot between the light and the dark areas the camera balances the best of bot. So in this shot I took the computer out of the equation and told it which part to take it's reading from. If I had a graduated ND filter, I could have not worried so much, because this filter would block some of the light coming in from the sky, allowing me to leave the shutter open longer to capture the dark foreground properly.
Why the power station ? Well because my kids call the cooling towers "Cloud Makers" and in the right conditions that's exactly what they are, the stem from the towers doesn't evaporate fully when it's cooler, and forms clouds streaming for miles and miles out of the towers.
It's not often I do this, but I've included a post processed image too. I cranked the exposure and contrast to bring out more detail, and added some noise to make the image have a little more impact. I also removed the pylons, cables and the water bowser parked in the field.
As always feel free to tell me what you think about the image or the post, and don't forget to check out the work from the my buddy's across the pond.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Straight out Of Camera Week 18 "Broke"
This weeks theme was picked by Chris and is "Broke"
As always the theme is up for interpretation as we see fit, and Chris actually said that it could mean Broke as in penniless or broken etc.
When I was sat thinking about this theme my mind immediately wandered off towards some of my other personal work. Over the years I occasionally get down in the dumps, and use my photography to release some tension and regain some focus on life.
That's where the inspiration for this shot came from. Throughout or lifetimes there are times when we get broken. Not just physically (Although I'm quite good at that) but mentally too. Things happen, or don't. Things are said, or aren't and we do things, or we don't that end up getting us all bent out of shape in one way or another. Some people experience this a lot, and have real trouble coping with it, some people aren't even aware that something might be affecting them and just carry on regardless.
Whatever happens, we can pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. Some people however, need a little help to get off the floor, and with 1 in 4 people suffering from depression or mental illness in the UK (I'm not sure of the statistics in the US) the chances are that you know someone that does. So keep your eye out for your mates and family. Sometimes a "How you doing" can be the hand that helps drag someone up after a fall.
So here's the image.
This post is a day late, between my birthday celebrations and a couple of other things that have made me have to pick myself back up I've only really had the chance to do this toady.
Simple image to get across my thoughts, and as always SooC, the extremely thin focal plane is achieved using Free Lensing, worth a Google for some interesting images. The desaturated appearance is due in part to my jpeg settings in camera and partly because of the light leak that occurs when the lens isn't on the camera body.
As always check out the other guys stuff :-) And feel free to abuse them :-)
As always the theme is up for interpretation as we see fit, and Chris actually said that it could mean Broke as in penniless or broken etc.
When I was sat thinking about this theme my mind immediately wandered off towards some of my other personal work. Over the years I occasionally get down in the dumps, and use my photography to release some tension and regain some focus on life.
That's where the inspiration for this shot came from. Throughout or lifetimes there are times when we get broken. Not just physically (Although I'm quite good at that) but mentally too. Things happen, or don't. Things are said, or aren't and we do things, or we don't that end up getting us all bent out of shape in one way or another. Some people experience this a lot, and have real trouble coping with it, some people aren't even aware that something might be affecting them and just carry on regardless.
Whatever happens, we can pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. Some people however, need a little help to get off the floor, and with 1 in 4 people suffering from depression or mental illness in the UK (I'm not sure of the statistics in the US) the chances are that you know someone that does. So keep your eye out for your mates and family. Sometimes a "How you doing" can be the hand that helps drag someone up after a fall.
So here's the image.
This post is a day late, between my birthday celebrations and a couple of other things that have made me have to pick myself back up I've only really had the chance to do this toady.
Simple image to get across my thoughts, and as always SooC, the extremely thin focal plane is achieved using Free Lensing, worth a Google for some interesting images. The desaturated appearance is due in part to my jpeg settings in camera and partly because of the light leak that occurs when the lens isn't on the camera body.
As always check out the other guys stuff :-) And feel free to abuse them :-)
Monday, 5 May 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 17 "Books"
Yup, I've done it again. I chose this weeks theme whilst sat daydreaming in my office and then proceeded not to have a slightest clue what to produce for it. After scouring my bookshelves from something of interest, and not finding very much, and then getting distracted by one of the books which needed a good reading I still had nothing. It was then that I came across the first photography book I ever had. It was given to me as a gift, and it was quite a long time ago as it's full of useful information about film! Push processing, mixing ratios for chemicals, timing for different film and so on.
I remember looking through it and being baffled to start with, and looking in awe at some of the example images within its pages and wondering if I'd ever be able to produce images that good. Now, many a few years later I'm confident that I can not only achieve the same standard of images but blow many of them out of the water. I know that sounds really big headed but that's why we use reference and teaching books. To achieve and eventually surpass the contents and lessons within the pages. So this is a fairly simple shot, that includes the technique that is on the pages in the image, and one of the most, if not THE most important tools for creating interesting images, Depth Of Field
These days books like this are much less common,as the wealth of information on-line, be it through Ebooks or websites far outnumbers and out quantifies any physical library on the earth. My learning resources are no longer books, but websites like Strobist.com and Phlearn.com who's work has set a new level to aim for. It will be a long time, if ever that what I produce surpasses what these guys do, week in week out.
We've unfortunately lost Bruce from the project, and a couple of the other guys are busy but are posting as and when they can. Eje and Chris are up to date because they don't have anything better to do ;-) Check out their shizzle peeps !
Friday, 25 April 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 16 "Overused"
Firstly, I can't believe we are 16 weeks into this project already, my 365 project seemed to drag on forever but this 52 weeks seems to be flying past. The theme this week was chosen by The Viking and was Smoke or Fog
Nice one I thought, I live in the UK and it's half way through spring...there should be some nice misty/foggy landscapes to have a go with ! Errrr nope, the weather this week has been changing between unseasonably warm days to the more usual,pissing it down rainy days.
This mixed with being on the road for work at 6am meant this idea was abandoned.
So I whilst trying to come up with another idea I was killing the time by cleaning and checking over some of my gear, It was then that I noted the shutter actuation count on my 400D. This camera was gifted to me by my friend Richard, who had recently upgraded and kindly passed this disused body to me. I'm not sure how much he used it, but I have a fair idea that most of the 32,597 shot's it's taken have been in my hands :-) So I had the idea of making a shot where this camera had been used so heavily that it was smouldering hot, and the results are below.
This was a simple setup using two flash units, and a incense stick, I will post a setup shot at some point. I think it turned out OK, but once again with it being SooC I wish I'd had cleaned the dust off the glass :-/ and there's a little too much light on the right side of the camera that is blowing the highlights.. Overall though I'm pleased, I like how the smoke looks like it's coming from the battery grip. Check out the work from the other chaps, despite appearances they are quite intelligent and often show remarkable levels of creativity for primates :-P
Nice one I thought, I live in the UK and it's half way through spring...there should be some nice misty/foggy landscapes to have a go with ! Errrr nope, the weather this week has been changing between unseasonably warm days to the more usual,
This mixed with being on the road for work at 6am meant this idea was abandoned.
So I whilst trying to come up with another idea I was killing the time by cleaning and checking over some of my gear, It was then that I noted the shutter actuation count on my 400D. This camera was gifted to me by my friend Richard, who had recently upgraded and kindly passed this disused body to me. I'm not sure how much he used it, but I have a fair idea that most of the 32,597 shot's it's taken have been in my hands :-) So I had the idea of making a shot where this camera had been used so heavily that it was smouldering hot, and the results are below.
This was a simple setup using two flash units, and a incense stick, I will post a setup shot at some point. I think it turned out OK, but once again with it being SooC I wish I'd had cleaned the dust off the glass :-/ and there's a little too much light on the right side of the camera that is blowing the highlights.. Overall though I'm pleased, I like how the smoke looks like it's coming from the battery grip. Check out the work from the other chaps, despite appearances they are quite intelligent and often show remarkable levels of creativity for primates :-P
Sunday, 20 April 2014
Straight Out Of Camera Week 15 "Bluebells"
This weeks theme was chosen by our newest member of the group Loc Lam. The theme is "Bloom" Having started my working life as a horticulturist you'd think I'd have no problem with this theme, but I actually found it hard to think of a shot. Chris was quick off the mark with a beautiful series of close up shots, followed by Eje with a very interesting IR image, so that set the bar pretty high.
Yesterday I went for a walk with Max around a local woodland, and as usual I was dragging round a fair bit of camera gear with us. It was then I came across this patch of Bluebells, They aren't quite all out yet as I think it's still a little early, but with them and the interesting tree I though it would make an image that sits well in the theme.
I will more than likely pop back to this location soon, unassisted by my little helper so I can spend a little more time looking for a good location and waiting for some decent light. When I took this it was very bright afternoon sun, that hasn't done a lot for the contrast of the image.
As usual check out the other guys work, I've omitted a couple of links this time until the guys catch up because I don't want to keep sending yo to the same page all the time. I'll re link when they get the time to catch up and there is something new for you to look at.
Yesterday I went for a walk with Max around a local woodland, and as usual I was dragging round a fair bit of camera gear with us. It was then I came across this patch of Bluebells, They aren't quite all out yet as I think it's still a little early, but with them and the interesting tree I though it would make an image that sits well in the theme.
I will more than likely pop back to this location soon, unassisted by my little helper so I can spend a little more time looking for a good location and waiting for some decent light. When I took this it was very bright afternoon sun, that hasn't done a lot for the contrast of the image.
As usual check out the other guys work, I've omitted a couple of links this time until the guys catch up because I don't want to keep sending yo to the same page all the time. I'll re link when they get the time to catch up and there is something new for you to look at.
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