My Blog has now moved

I've moved across the road

Greetings! Now that I have my website up and running, I've decided to consolidate my blog and site into one. You can now find me at:

http://www.mjmimages.co.uk/blog

or by clicking on the link below.

Thanks for reading so far, hope you continue to follow me at my site!

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Snapseed: Getting the most out of your camera phone

Introduction

"The best camera is the one you have with you". That has to be one of the most popular quotes online when it comes to photography. As far as I can tell, it is usually attributed to Barry Staver, but then again looking at his site implies he is paraphrasing somebody else! Still, in these days of camera phones, it has truly taken on new significance.

The camera always with you

Being a technology geek, I've always been interested in camera phones. I can remember buying a phone attachment for a Nokia phone 10 years ago, which plugged in the bottom and offered something like 1MP, which I thought was amazing. At the same time, the phone didn't have internet, cost a fortune to picture message people and the photos were, unsurprisingly, rubbish. In comparison, I had a 3MP compact at the time which could take much better photos.

Over the years, I gradually got used to using camera phones for some photos, but have never been too much of a fan of them. They always seemed perfect for recording something quickly (like a funny sign or quick shot on a night out), but most certainly inferior to a compact or a DSLR. This isn't a surprise, but I always found it odd how people seemed so happy to give up all other cameras simply because they had a camera on their phone.

Filters: making your state of the art look old

Then...Instagram happened. Hipstamatic had already popularised the use of filters in photos, but Instagram really brought it to the masses. With a few quick clicks, you could make your dull, flat photos appear artier or like they were taken with an old camera. The effect quickly got overused, but when used correctly it could enhance the photo in question. 

It also helped to get around the limitations of a camera phone (such as no true zoom, no control over the photo, lower quality etc). What it did make me realise is that camera phones could potentially take photos which, whilst not necessarily going to be works of art, could take photos that could hold their own.

Snapseed: letting you edit photos properly on the go 

Snapseed is an app acquired by Google and available for free, which found a lot of people rushing to download it following the Instagram Terms of Reference debacle. It doesn't have a share facility, but it does have the ability to edit photos in a simple manner. This covers things like cropping, tilting, adjusting contrast and so on. 

For example, the photo above was taken on a recent trip to Lloyd's of London from a lift. It's the sort of shot I'd love to take properly with my DSLR, but funnily enough didn't have that with me. It's also the sort of shot I'd previously have dismissed taking with my camera phone, for that very reason. However, I gave it a shot, knowing I could try out using Snapseed. The result surprised me; the original photo was okay but a little drab, whereas this ended up a nicely framed and dynamic photo!

Snapseed also has the option to use filters, much like Instagram and its ilk. I decided to try that out on this shot of the lift shaft at Lloyd's. The lift roof wasn't the clearest and it was a dull day, so again this is a photo I'd usually have avoided. The filter may not have been the best choice, but I liked the fact it added interest to an otherwise average shot. 

Some general tips

Snapseed has limitations

One of the problems with something like Snapseed is it is a victim of its own success. Namely, the features it have are so well implemented, that it makes you wish it could do more. For example, the ability to do some repair/clone type things would be great. It also can be a little too easy to fall into the filter trap (which I kinda did with the lift photo); rather than planning a photo in advance and thinking about the sort of effect to add, you end up taking a photo then cycling through all filters until you find one you like.

This isn't a problem that befalls just camera phones to be fair; all too often, you see DSLR shots that are black and white where it is obvious the photographer didn't plan that, they just decided black and white would make the photo interesting. 

Camera phones have lots of limitations

Camera phones are slowly killing the compact camera market, but that isn't because camera phones take better photos. Indeed, people who state that haven't seen the sort of photos digital compacts can take these days. The one advantage they have (which is why they win out overall) is convenience. That said, the limitations do mean you have to put more thought into your photos than sometimes people realise. For example:

• Don't use zoom (it is just fancy cropping) - move closer or further away as needed
• Think about lighting - you can't change ISO, so you'll have to go with the camera decision
• You may be able to select the focal point, but you can't change the exposure length
• There's usually a delay between snapping and recording, so try to keep still!

Think what subject suits it best

The convenience factor means that camera phones do lend themselves to some photos more than others. It is a way of capturing photos that you don't have time to setup for, that you would otherwise miss with an unwieldy camera. Don't simply use it to replace a compact or a DSLR!

Summary

Using Snapseed has been a fun experience and has encouraged me to play with my camera phone some more. It won't replace my trusty 60D, but then that would be asking a lot. What I do intend to use it for is to see if I can think about my photos in more detail and get used to working with (rather than against) the limitations in place. DSLRs are great, but their power can make it too easy to take photos. Camera phones mean you have to work a little harder to take truly great photos, which will hopefully mean better photos from my DSLR as well!

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Beaulieu Classic Cars - shooting automobiles

Introduction

The recent wet weather of late meant that we needed to find someplace dry to visit at the weekend. Beaulieu Car Museum has been on our todo list ever since we moved to Hampshire, so we decided this was the perfect opportunity! It also gave me the chance to have a go at shooting cars; as much as I love my Ford Focus, it isn't the most photogenic of cars, especially when compared to the well polished, beautiful cars on display at Beaulieu! As usual, I thought I'd share some tips I found after yesterday, including some I'd consider for next time.

How to shoot cars, some tips

Location matters

VW Beetle, click the image to visit my website

Funnily enough, this was something I didn't have much control over at Beaulieu, but the location matters as much as the car itself. You don't want to have your nice, shiny car stuck in a car park in your photos, and you should give some consideration to what is going on in the back as much as the front.

So how do you get around that at somewhere like Beaulieu? Choose your angles carefully. Try to find a way to minimise background distractions like people, signage or other cars. If you can't avoid people being in the background, WAIT. sometimes, only a few seconds of patience can result in the background suddenly becoming clear. Alternatively, a long exposure could help to blur out people (if they're moving), further reducing distractions

Little details can be just as fulfilling

Mercedes Benz, click the image to visit my website

When photographing cars, the temptation is to try and fill the frame with the whole car. However, things like badges, decal and wheels can be just as iconic to photograph. In the example above, I didn't get the whole car in, but you know instantly it is a Mercedes Benz from the badge. If you have the time, a series of photos of a car could be especially nice, encorporating a full view plus closeups of little features like badges.

Wide angles and tripods

Bond's Aston Martin, please click the image to visit my website

If you do choose to go for a full view of the car, you're going to need a wide angle shot. Try to pick an angle different to the sort you'd normally see. Here, I tried a low angle, which also helped exaggerate the curves of the car.

The second point, as shouldn't be a surprise, is a tripod is essential. The lighting indoors will be enough to photograph with, but without a tripod you'll find yourself having to up the ISO, which will do these cars no favours. Get your tripod setup, get the remote out and get snapping!

Summary

I had a great time at Beaulieu, despite not being that much of a petrolhead. From a photographic perspective, it wasn't the ideal settings for shooting cars (no control over lighting, positioning or backgrounds), but in some ways that can be a more fun challenge. I'm some way off times when I'm going to have access to an Aston Martin to photograph as I see fit, so going to museums like this represents a great chance!

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Winchester at Night: Shooting in low light

Introduction

On the last day of my holiday, I decided to have a go at shooting some night shots. Ideally, this would be around sunset (e.g. the 'golden hour'), but having a toddler around means by the time he's played with, fed, bathed and put to bed, it's getting dark! That can be a summer project; in the meantime, it's pure daytime or nighttime shots for me.

Living not far from Winchester, this is an ideal candidate for night shots. The gothic design of Winchester Cathedral gives it an eerie feeling at night, plus the traffic mixed with old architecture often gives the opportunity for interesting light trails. As it happens, this time around I didn't get any light trails I was happy with, but I still managed to capture a couple of photos of the city in general.

I like shooting later in the day, because things tend to be quieter. This allows you to find a spot you're happy with, get setup and take it without having to contend with crowds etc. The need for a long shutter speed also means you tend to blur out people or cars that cross your photo, giving you clear shots of areas you may not have been able to take during the day.

Low light tips

Low light doesn't usually mean night

It's a mistake I've made numerous times in the past, but the best time to shoot low light photos is not actually at night. Instead, it is around the golden hour periods, such as around sunrise or sunset. This is because the sun's first/last rays of the day result in interesting colours, as well as contrasting with artificial lights just starting to switch on. If you're going to shoot in the golden hour, make sure you are in place in advance of it; it will disappear rapidly and you won't have time to start scouting around for new locations!

Tripod and Remote Release are musts

Needless to say, the low light means your shutter speed will be too slow to hand hold. Therefore, you're going to have to invest in a tripod. Prices for tripods vary greatly, and whilst it is worth investing in a decent one, you'll most likely need to make a tradeoff around things like weight and sturdiness. 

A remote release is another must, because even the click of the shutter button will result in shake. If you don't have a release, you can reduce the chance of this through using the timer, but if you're trying to get something like light trails that may mean missing a shot. A wired remote release will not set you back much, and means you can focus and shoot without being pressed to the camera (allowing you to use live view).

Another benefit of a remote release is when it comes to bulb mode. Bulb mode allows you to shoot for longer than the maximum shutter speed of other modes (30 seconds), but requires you to hold down the shutter button. With a remote, you can lock it in place, leaving you free to let go, walk around, whatever.

Get used to calculating long exposures

If light is so low that you need to go into bulb mode, you're going to need to work out a way to time the exposure accurately. Apps such as LongTime for your phone can help with this, but I find using ISOs is a simple and quick method. The way it works is as follows:

• You should be using ISO 100 for your night shots, so in Aperture Priority mode, set this to the desired aperture.
• If this is less than 30 seconds, then you've nothing to worry about, just fire away
• If it is more than 30 seconds, put the ISO up to 200 and see what the shutter speed now is. Let's say for arguments sake it is exactly 30 seconds.
• Every time you increase the ISO by a full stop (e.g. double it), you halve the shutter speed needed for a given aperture. Therefore, 30 seconds at ISO 200 = 1 minute at ISO 100
• Noting your aperture value, set your camera to bulb, set the aperture to the value from before and the ISO back to 100, and then open the shutter for 1 minute (timing however you like)
• If at ISO 200 you still weren't able to get the shutter speed under 30 seconds, try at ISO 400. If you manage at that, then you'd need to double the time then double it again (e.g. 2 minutes at ISO 100). If needs be, keep doubling the ISO, just remember that also means doubling the time further at ISO 100!

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in the UK, and the gothic front is a great candidate for low light! Whilst usually the barrel effect of wide angle is seen as detrimental, I think it adds to the eerie nature of the Cathedral in this case, as it helps to emphasis how imposing it really is. One of the benefits of the long exposure is also evident; there's no people in the shot, despite various people walking in front of me at the time!

I'd like to return and shoot at the golden hour to try and get some life in the sky behind. Whilst the black is imposing, I think detail from clouds would really make the Cathedral stand out. As I said earlier, one for next time!

The River Itchen

This was my favourite shot of the night, of the river Itchen flowing from Winchester Mill. Again, the benefits of low light photography come into play:

1. There's no people in the shot (despite being next to the popular pub, the Bishop on the Bridge)
2. There's no cars in the shot (though some light trails remain)
3. The water has been rendered smooth, rather than choppy

This is a shot that could have been taken earlier in the day, but I don't think would have been as atmospheric. The shutter speed would have been faster (unless I used ND filters), meaning the water would have had more movement and therefore been more distracting. Instead, I've gotten a shot which offers a relatively different perspective to what people would see during the day!

Summary

Low light/night photography offers a chance to take a step back and slow down your photography, something that gets overlooked in the digital age by many (due to the instant feedback provided). Instead of being able to shoot in burst and end up with hundreds of shots, you're time is spent setting up, waiting for a long exposure to complete and then seeing if it worked. I'm not saying that burst mode means you shouldn't do all the setting up, just that it is a step we often forget to do these days!

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Red Arrows: The joys of photographing fast planes

Red Arrows

The Red Arrows are the RAF display team for the UK, and their red jets have become an iconic symbol to see at major events. They are based out of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, and on a recent visit to family, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to see them practising overhead. Of course, this wasn't without it's difficulties, which I'll go into in a minute!

Photographing planes (and fast ones at that!): Some tips

Telephoto is your friend

Funnily enough, even when they're flying low, planes will still be quite small to photograph unless you have your telephoto zoom handy. I was using my Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lens, which taking into account the crop factor on my 60D meant I could zoom to about 400mm. As you can see from the photos below, that meant I could just about fill the frame when the planes were up close.

High Shutter speed and AI-Servo are your other friends

As I was trying to capture the detail of the planes, I wanted as high a shutter speed as I could. This also ensured things like smoke trails were frozen in time, rather than becoming too streaky. Of course, you may want to have some blur if you want to show how fast the planes are going; as always, it's up to you! This is especially true of propellors; a fast shutter speed can result in propellors being stationary, which can ruin the flight illusion slightly.

The second thing needed, given the planes are in motion, was the switching of Autofocus from 'One Shot' to 'AI Servo'. These may be called something different on your camera, but a general summary is:

• One Shot - focussing on stationary objects. This is the normal mode, whereby you focus on on object and retain that focus only. If said object subsequently moves around (such as closer or further away), then they may move out of focus and would require you to refocus
• AI Servo - for action shots. Here, you select the object to focus on, and the camera will try and retain the focus on that object as it moves. Certainly not foolproof, but it will at least try and keep focussing as whatever you are trying to photograph moves around

(Note: there is a third option typically which attempts to merge these, so that focus locks on something stationary but then switches to servo if it starts moving. This isn't that reliable though, and most people stick the mode they know they want)

Fast planes definitely fit into the category of moving, so AI Servo was the best option. It is also useful when doing panning shots, which would have been an option here had I wanted.

Panning and anticipation

The last tip I'd give would be to try and prepare for the shot in question, rather than just pointing and firing. The process I followed was something like:

1. Work out where the plane would be coming from. This was a mixture of listening to the engine roar and looking for telltale signs like smoke trails.
2. Work out where the plane would be going. Is the plane going overhead or across me? This helps me work out what direction I would be panning
3. Find the plane with lens at minimum zoom. This makes it easier to get the plane in position before then zooming in
4. Once zoomed in, get focus lock on the plane and start panning with it
5. SHOOT PHOTOS!
6. Keep panning in same direction after I stopped

Panning is something that comes with practice, but the aim should be to move in a smooth manner in relation to the object. You don't necessarily shoot for the duration of this, and in reality you should start panning, snap photos, then keep panning. This ensures that the first/last photos aren't too blurry potentially.

Summary

As you'd expect, the tips I listed above were what I learned as I went. I was fortunate to be able to keep getting shots, as they went around similar loops several times. I'm hoping to get to Farnborough Air Show this year, when maybe I'll be able to get some formation shots and be a little more adventurous with my framing.

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A trip to the farm to try wide angle closeups

Rand Farm

A week off work meant I had the chance to go out with the family. We opted for a trip to Rand Farm, which is a working farm that the public can visit in Lincolnshire. The weather wasn't the most inviting, but it gave me the chance to try out getting wide angle closeups of animals. This was a technique I'd seen many times in magazines, but since I don't usually find myself out in a field surrounded by cows, I haven't had many opportunities to try out!

Wide angle closeups?

Generally, in photography, you have 'go to' lenses for particular situations and subjects. For example:

• Wide angle - landscapes
• 50mm - Portrait
• Telephoto - sports or closeups

This is largely due to the impact focal lengths have on photos; telephoto zooms let you get closer to action you may not be near to (as well as blurring the background at large apertures), whereas wide angles allow you to fit more into the frame, at the price of distortion. The most extreme example of this is fish eye lenses, some of which have such an extreme field of vision that you get your feet in the shot if you aren't careful!

Wide angle shots don't tend to get used for things like closeups or portraits, due to this distorting effect. In particular, when used closeup it has the effect of exaggerating the distances between points. This means if, for example, you take a picture of a person with a wide angle lens closeup, things like noses can suddenly seem a lot larger (and funnily enough, some people feel this is a little unflattering!)

Of course, like anything photography related, guidelines are not hard rules, and sometimes you can get much more interesting results by going against them, mainly because it provides a different perspective. Case in point is using wide angle lenses with animals. For starters, animals don't tend to take offence if you take their photo with the 'incorrect' lens, which is a big help. More importantly, animals like horses and cows who already have long faces can look even more interesting and compelling through a wide angle than if you'd stuck to a more traditional lens.

In reality, the shots I've been trying aren't exactly new and original (and in the case of the cow photo are borderline cliched), but it's still a fresh view on things for me!

General tips (from my experience so far)

Choose your subjects carefully

As mentioned already, not everyone (or thing) is suited to wide angle closeups, or wants to be taken in that manner. Think about subjects that would benefit from the distances between points being magnified. Animals with long snouts, for example, are great choices, whereas something like a cat's face may not be so well suited. 

Think about the angle

The purpose of this sort of photo is to maximise distances for impact. Therefore, you need to ensure you get at a good angle to the subject to allow the other points in the photo to trail off. A great example of this is photographing a person in wide angle; straight on and you may not get that much effect, but shoot above them or from the ground and you can make them seem gigantic.

Move slowly when photographing animals

The animals at Rand Farm are fairly docile, given they are regularly in contact with noisy humans. You should still approach slowly though, if you don't want them to dart off when it comes to the photo. The clue is in the title 'close-up'; you may be getting a lot closer than you (or the animal) is used to with a camera. This is where having a flip out screen like on my 60D helps, as you can get yourself into position before finally snapping the photo.

Cool 'Fro

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This was my favourite of the alpacas, all down to the 'fro which he happily sported. He was actually quite happy to have his photo taken, more so than this photo suggests. However, I liked the level of contempt that this photo gave off. Here, the wide angle means his head seems out of proportion to his body, as well as helping to provide focus to his nose (and his cool 'fro of course).

Cow in closeup

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This is the more cliched wide angle shot, mainly because cows will play along with being photographed up close a lot more than some animals. I was fortunate in this case that the cow was having a drink, which gave me a chance to set up the camera low and wait for an opportune moment. I also made sure I didn't actually come between the cow and the water, as for all cows are generally considered peaceful creatures, it's worth remembering they're big enough to do damage to something like a camera with their heads!

In summary

I liked the shots I managed to get. Given I have an APS-C sensor coupled with a generic kit wide angle (both of which means it isn't really an 'extreme' wide angle), I think the effect comes across quite nicely still. Now I just need to find more willing subjects to get more practice with!

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Fine Art America: taking the plunge

I'm taking the plunge

After much umming and ahhing, I've decided to take the plunge and create a page dedicated to selling my photographs:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/mjm-images.html

What made me take the plunge? Well, the past few weeks have been eventful, and gave me time to reflect on things.

Miles Hilton-Barber

Recently, I was invited to an event through work where Miles Hilton-Barber gave a motivational speech. If you haven't heard of Miles or his achievements, I would strongly recommend checking out his site and looking them up. The title he gave himself on his pamphlet was 'blind adventurer', which still doesn't fully prepare you for some of the feats he has attempted. What followed was a fascinating talk delivered with great humour and fun. The tips Miles provided weren't certainly revolutionary; in fact, they were almost a little cliched if they had been delivered by most other people. However, coming from somebody like Miles who had tackled adversity head on, they suddenly took on new meaning.

The overriding theme was the notion of not holding yourself back when it comes to trying things. Okay, actively creating a website to sell my photos on doesn't exactly compare to flying a microlight from London to Sydney, but I always managed to find excuses beforehand like "that's a bit too serious" and "I need to get better photos first". I'm not proclaiming my photos couldn't improve, but in reality it came back to the fear of rejection; if people didn't buy my photos then that somehow meant they weren't good enough.

So following in Miles' words, I'm going to have a go at something I've always wanted to do!

Harry

As I posted in my previous blog, a close friend passed away recently, the man who got me interested in photography many years ago. His passing got me thinking about my photography and what I could learn from him, which I then wrote about in my blog. I have to admit, doing so was very therapeutic and the response to it was heartwarming.

In the blog, I discussed the fact I wouldn't be accepting money for photos I took of people and their family, and that the happiness they derived would be payment in itself. That hasn't changed, I won't be selling photos of people! However, I know Harry was a hard worker who would wanted people to achieve all they could. If I was to ask him about the photos, I know he would have encouraged me to sell them, to work at it, for it to be 'business as usual'. He'd also have reminded me that if they didn't sell, it didn't matter; what mattered was I'd tried and give it my all

Okay, so why FineArtAmerica?

The internet isn't lacking when it comes to sites that enable you to sell images. These range from stock photography (like Flickr), through to some options (like 500px) and finally the dedicated pages (like Redbubble and FineArtAmerica). The main benefit of using these services is that they handle all the printing, framing, delivery etc. All you 'need' to do is provide the photos and organise them on the site.

I decided upon FAA because I liked the features they provided. For example, by providing the links below, I effectively 'sponsor' these searches, which promotes my photos higher up searches:
black and white photos
hampshire photos
newcastle photos

FAA also allow you to set the commission you earn per photo, giving me the flexibilty to set what I want to receive. I've went fairly arbitrary at the moment (starting off small and going up in increments depending on size), but it's a nice option to have.

Adding links like the one above is also straightforward, and even things like watermarking is handled by them!

So...does this make me a 'pro'? Course not

I'm not naive. The internet has made it much easier to sell photos to a worldwide audience, but it has also leveled the playing field in that respect. I'm up against photographers with larger networks already in place, with better images and with more time and energy to promote themselves. It isn't as if the only thing preventing me from making a living as a photographer was that I hadn't setup a site, far from it! In reality, if I sell 1 photo through FAA, I'll consider it a success. 

What has changed is the worries I placed on it. Maybe my photos aren't good enough to sell, but that doesn't diminish my enjoyment in taking them. Maybe all I'll get is more people viewing my images rather than buying them, but that again isn't a bad thing. Maybe I'll get 'constructive criticism' (or downright abuse), but again I can learn from that. The point is, the worst that happens is I make no money at all, which is what I currently make.

And you never know...maybe this will be the start of a new career!

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Business as Usual: A tribute to an old friend

This morning I learnt that an old friend, Harry Gilroy, had passed away. I'd already known he'd been given a limited time left to live, but preparing myself for this news still didn't make hearing it any easier. Harry used to coach me in athletics, but he is also the person who got me first interested in photography, so as a way of dealing with the news I thought I'd reflect on the lessons he taught me in that regards.

If you're passionate about something, then it deserves your time and effort

Harry had two main passions above all others; athletics and photography. Coaching the younger members of the club gave him the opportunity to mix the two on a regular basis. For both, he was largely self taught, but that never held him back. Harry had a strong work ethic, which he tried to instill in those he coached. If he didn't know how to do something, he'd find a book and teach himself what he needed to know. This was 
with a film SLR as well, so without the instant feedback that I've grown to rely on from my DSLR. 

With both, Harry never let bad weather or his limited mobility get in the way of them. Even if it meant he had to stay in his car at a race, he'd still take the time to talk to the team, give advice and coach us. If the photos he'd wanted to take couldn't be because of other conditions, he'd adapt accordingly and try something else.

It's something I could certainly improve upon the next time I decide it's a bit too chilly to go out with the camera or sulk because a shot I've taken didn't quite worked out. I've started reading up more on photography and I certainly want to put more effort into not only taking photos but learning how to improve.

Don't limit your knowledge to yourself, learn about others as well

One of the things that made Harry great was his knowledge of each team member's abilities, strengths and weaknesses. He may set an overall training session for everyone on a given night, but he'd then adapt it to each kid, depending on what would get the most benefit out of them. For each kid, he had a plan and knew what sort of times they were capable of (even if they weren't capable of them yet). Hearing him rhyme off the various PBs of everybody and how much they could improve them by in a year was fascinating stuff.

When it came to photography, Harry applied the knowledge had of his team to get the best photographs. He'd position himself in ideal places (rather than just where he decided to stop), taking into account if somebody would be struggling or striving at that point.

Thinking about others when photographing and using that knowledge is something I'm trying to do, because the few times I've pulled it off (such as getting a kid's favourite toy or their team in) it has added so much to the photos. Photography is still a very personal thing, both to the photographer and the subject. I just need to make sure I consider the subject as well

Seeing how appreciated a photo is can be payment in itself

One of the highlights of training with Harry wasn't just the knowledge he passed on, but the photos he took. My family and friends only had automatic cameras, so I was used to generic shot that roughly captured moments. In races, photos had amounted to me being 'somewhere' in the shot, blurry at best. Harry, on the other hand, had an SLR with zoom lenses, meaning he could fill the frame. He'd also pan as well, so that whilst I was sharp, the background was in motion, adding dynamism I wasn't used to seeing in a photo of me. He'd also attempt to time the shot for maximum effect (one of my favourite was of me and a friend side by side trying to outrace each other).

The first training session after a race usually would mean crowding around Harry as he dished out the photos from the weekend. Like coaching, he was never paid for this, not that he'd have accepted money had it been offered. Helping people achieve their full potential was payment in itself for coaching, watching as he'd help shape kids into better people. With photography, just seeing someone light up at the photo he'd taken was all he asked for,  knowing that is efforts were appreciated.

These days, everybody (myself included) wants to try and make some money from photography, to the point we can get overly precious about our work. At times I've been frustrated when I've put so much effort into photographing an event I'm at, only for people to not fully appreciate the time I've invested. In reality, looking back, they massively appreciated the photos I've taken, as evidenced by the number of photos that subsequently became facebook profile pics. 

Maybe one day I will reach a stage where people are willing to pay for my photos, but in the meantime I'm going to try and treat it the same way Harry would; the appreciation of the photo is payment in itself.

Business as usual

As I mentioned before, Harry had a strong work ethic, something he instilled heavily on those that he trained. After every training session or race, he would say to me "business as usual?" which I'd return back. This was a reference to the second World War, where people would put signs up declaring 'business as usual' despite being bombed. It was Harry's way of instilling the idea that we wouldn't let minor problems get in the way of training, that even when I got injured or wasn't performing as well as I'd like, we'd still work together to get over that problem. Even when I no longer trained and my meetings with Harry were reduced to quick catchups or letters, we'd still sign off with "business as usual" (one of the things that makes me smile now is knowing the last words were shared with each other were those).

How does this relate to photography? Quite simply the fact that sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes the weather is against you, or your battery dies, or your cards all fill up. Sometimes the shots you wanted to get don't work out for whatever reason; maybe you set things up wrong, mistimed it or just don't know why. But this is when it is just as important to say 'business as usual', and work to resolve that for next time. The more hours you put in to your photography, the better you'll get.

I definitely plan to keep on investing the time in my photos, so that one day I can produce results as great as Harry did.

Make a difference

“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there. ”  - Jim Henson

The quote above is one of my favourites, and it immediately sprang to mind this morning when I heard the news about Harry. When it came to athletics, both Harry and I knew I'd never be running for team GB or competing on a major stage. That didn't detract from the time and effort he put in to helping me achieve as much as I could, and looking back on my athletics achievements (including representing my county and winning a county team champions medal), I know I owe that to him. When it comes to photography, he is the person who first got me interested, and I'm grateful that I can now honour his memory by continuing that hobby. As a quote, it perfectly encapsulates my view on him; he made a massive difference in my life and my world at least was better for him having been there.

Farewell, Harry, until we meet again it will be business as usual.

500px 'gaming': Is it really a problem?

Where to share

As part of my drive this year to up exposure of my photos, I looked into the different sharing options for photos. There are now a huge variety of sites that let you share photos, with a lot of it coming down to the sort of sharing you want to do. From what I found, I'd roughly categorise the three main types as follows:

• 'Share everything' - These are your standard social network routes. Whilst Flickr was the undisputed king for years, the likes of Facebook and Google+ have chipped away at that. From a photographers perspective, Flick would still be king because of the ability to submit to groups, join communities and even submit photos to Getty for stock image selling. However, the sheer volume uploaded to it often means good photos are buried under lots of average ones
• 'Selective sharing' - These encourage more selective posting of photos, the aim being you build up a small but high quality portfolio. The main one at present is 500px, but Redbubble also offers a similar service. The benefit of these sites is the smaller amount of photos usually means a higher overall quality.
• 'Curated' - This is the extreme, elite step, whereby images are curated before uploading. 1x.com is a great example of this; 1 in 20 photos gets through the vetting process, which results in an extremely high standard of photos. 1x.com also offers a critique service, where people can upload images to get advice and constructive feedback.

Whilst there are cost considerations for all the options, the main reason for my my choice was the level of feedback and visibility I was looking for. For me, Flickr is too saturated and too nice, whereas 1x.com is too extreme (I like my photos, but I don't think I'm thick skinned enough just yet to have someone tear them apart!). That leaves me with 500px, a site I've used for a couple years now and not had any regrets!

500px in a nutshell

500px logo

500px is intended to be a bit more selective than Flickr. It gives people the chance to share their best photos and create an online portfolio. This reduction in uploads helps the good photos stand out; there's certainly some amazing photos on Flickr, but they can get lost in the swarm of other photos.

When a photo gets uploaded, people can view them, and if they like them they can:

• Vote to indicate they like it
• Favourite to indicate they love it
• Add comments about it (originally supposed to allow constructive criticism, but is more of a love fest these days)
• Share on other social media

Getting noticed through friendliness

So, having signed up, I started uploading photos. I carefully selected my choices, I tagged them accordingly, uploaded them and waited for the views to roll in. 

Cyclist by MJM Images
And... not a lot happened. I got a couple of likes, a few people started following me, but nothing major. This pattern continued for the past year or so; I'd upload a photo, I'd get a handful of views and that was it.

At the tail end of last year, I decided to try and get more active on 500px, and started making an effort to comment on other photos. All of a sudden, I noticed my likes shooting up.


Ingham Church by MJM Images
The above photo was the first where I started getting involved in the 500px community. It's certainly better than my earlier efforts, but I wouldn't say it was hugely so. However, it became clear that the more I put in to the community, the more I got out. Soon, I had my first 'upcoming' photos and then my first 'popular' one (upcoming and popular are categories within 500px as a way of showcasing photos).

So, as part of my daily efforts to spread my photos, I visit 500px, find photos I like and let the person know (as well as sharing at least one a day on twitter and pinterest).

Friendliness = Gaming, apparently

Turns out, however, that some quarters of the internet view this approach of being nice to each other as a problem. See, when 500px first started, it was much more about constructive feedback and the best of the best photos only. However, 1.5 million users later, it's a little harder to get noticed. The best way to manage that is by getting a photo listed as popular, and the best way to do that is to get as many votes as possible. It's this vote hunting which has irked a lot of people, whereby people go liking everything they see in the hope that people will subsequently return the favour.

But is it really such a problem?

In the purist minds, yes. Photos should stand up to scrutiny, and the best photos shouldn't need the photographer blindly promoting to the point of spam. However, when you have over a million people potentially uploading at any time, getting noticed amongst all that becomes tricky or even impossible. Good photos that were uploaded at just the wrong time to get noticed suddenly find themselves further down the pecking order, compared to somebody who managed to get followers behind them.

The fact is, you need a base of followers to begin with before your work truly takes off, and part of the way to get that is through participating in photo voting. Yes, the top photographers don't do this, the same way top celebrities don't need to visit everybody else's page and convince them to visit theirs. The top photographers already have that level of exposure and following, the other 99% aren't that fortunate.

A happy medium

For me, I'm happy to participate within reason. I regularly go online and look through the photos, to find ones I like. I could probably leave more constructive feedback, but I don't feel that I'm experienced enough to do so. Plus, part of the enjoyment for me is when people do appreciate my photos. My livelihood isn't based on this so I don't need them to be supreme, but like anybody I do enjoy people telling me they liked what I've taken! Besides, it's lead me to some excellent people to follow (both on 500px and twitter), making it a pleasant experience when I visit the site.

I think it's just a case of finding a compromise between liking photos just to get popularity, and liking photos because you, well, like the photos. Do I sometimes go overboard in the hope it will draw people to my site? A little, but if it ever got to the point that it was a chore to do so I'd just stop. 

In the meantime, feel free to visit my 500px page and like my photos ;-)

My 500px site

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Snow Photos

Finally we have snow in the south!

After the rest of the country was covered in the white stuff, it was finally the turn of Hampshire. You know it is cold when we get snow! I had originally planned to take photos during the day, but that got taking up with sledging with my son instead, so I waited until the evening.

Snowy Evening

Snowy Evening by MJM Images
It didn't take long to find somewhere picturesque for a photo. This is actually a walkway between a train station and an industrial estate, not usually the most photogenic sounding location! However, I loved the framing of the trees, as well as the footprints. Converting to black and white helps add focus to the photo I reckon as well, rather than just being done for the sake of it

Empty park

Park in the snow by MJM Images
I got this idea from Tom Ang's excellent book Digital Photography Month by Month, which gives suggestions as to different photos to try throughout the year. The original suggestion related to foggy days, but I think it translated well into snow also. I'm always amazed at the amount of light my DSLR can capture; this was only lit by a single lamppost and certainly didn't seem that bright at the time.

More snow today means more snowy photos

I was pleased with last night's results, I certainly intend to get out again today, though it will most likely have to fit around sledging again!

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Bournemouth Beach and Oceanarium

One way to spend a birthday

One of the downsides of a January birthday is the limited options of places to go. Had it snowed as predicted, then you can at least go to the park and have a snowball fight. However, the weather was just cold, which left us trying to find something to do that was indoors (or at least not too cold). What better way to spend the day than in Bournemouth Oceanarium?

Lizard in the Oceanarium

Lizard waiting by MJM Images
(Check out FAA for more lizard photos)

I underestimated just how difficult it would be photographing marine life through glass as this was the first time I'd attempted it with a DSLR. Despite there being lots of amazing creatures to photograph, the combination of thick (and scratched) glass and low light meant that the shots I took weren't really doing justice.I could have maybe tried a flash but I didn't want to damage their eyes.

The little guy above, however, was in a tank where you could look down and into it. The darkness was accidental; it was in fact quite light in his tank. However, when I saw the effect, I preferred the results as it helps the little guy stand out more

Dog on the beach

Happy Dog by MJM Images
Even though it was near zero, we still decided to brave the beach as our toddler son had never properly played on sand before (we took him when he was tiny but he stayed on his blanket). Needless to say, he loved it despite being wrapped in lots of clothing, so I think future trips to the beach will be in order!

One thing I always love about beaches are dogs playing, even though I'm not a dog person. Dogs seem to be at their most photogenic on the beach, since they can run around freely as well as get wet if they choose to. This was my favourite shot of the day, though I may need to up the shutter speed even more next time (it was certainly light enough).

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Check out FAA for more bournemouth photos

Lensbaby - first impressions

Lensbaby Spark

For my birthday this year, I was lucky enough to get a Lensbaby Spark, which I immediately took out for a play. The Lensbaby range is a series of lenses which primarily enable selective focus (more expensive models allow for swapping of optics and apertures, but the Lensbaby Spark doesn't have this functionality).

Usage

Image from Lensbaby site

The Spark differs from standard lenses in that the lens is essentially a rubber bellows. To focus, you squeeze the front inward to the camera, which will shift the 'sweet spot' of focus. This is the first important point about the Spark; you intentionally have a limited depth of field and focus will be limited to this single region. This sweet spot can then be pointed at different regions by pulling on different edges of the Spark. The selective focus effect is unlike anything you'd get from a standard lens, and has especially found popularity online for the ability to make things appear like a toy town (whereby real cities seem like models).

First trials in Bournemouth

Despite the near freezing temperatures, we decided to brave Bournemouth beach, which seemed a great opportunity to try out the Spark. Initial playing with the Spark quickly revealed how tricky it can be to find the focal point; the constant squeezing and tweaking needed meant I felt like I was chasing the spot around the viewfinder. Coming from an auto focus background, this was quite an adjustment to make!

I quickly found that stationary objects where best suited for the lens, since you had time to compose the shot and think about where the focal point should be. Portraits worked to some extent, but trying to photography my toddler son was nigh on impossible given his inability to stay still for more than a few seconds.

Toy town

Not everything was suited to the Toy Town effect; the shot above was probably my most successful. However, I've also never managed to take a photo of the beach huts that I've been happy with until now, so this is certainly an improvement on that front!

Summary

The Lensbaby Spark is a fun lens that offers a genuine alternative to normal sharp lenses. It can be fiddly to use and the results mixed, but it does make you think about what you're trying to achieve more, which as a photographer is a good step to include (and one that is overlooked a lot in the digital realm where thousands of photos can be taken and tweaked).

The effect it produces is different, though it can be created within Photoshop. However, I preferred the challenge of creating it in-camera, rather than simply deciding afterwards "that would look good with a lensbaby effect". For the price of the lens, I'd certainly recommend picking one up. Am I going to use it all the time? Nope, but I will aim to use it at least once per session or when I'm having no luck with other lenses, even if just to provide a different focus for my efforts (no pun intended!).

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Photo Resolutions for the Year

2013 Challenges

Instead of having resolutions to lose weight or stop drinking, I decided to base mine around my photography. Whether I'll find the time to do all these is another matter.

1. Photograph a gig

Before I moved south, I lived with a mate who was in a band. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera back then to photograph any of his gigs, but this year I plan to rectify that.

Challenge aspects: Photographing in low light and tight space, as well as capturing the atmosphere of the gig.
Link to my mate's band: Screamin' Sisters

2. Photograph a fight/sparring

Again, before I moved south, I used to train regularly with Leeds Freestyle Kickboxing. Whilst my sparring days are long behind me, I'm still interested in MMA in general and would love to get some action photos.

Challenge aspects: Photographing fast moving action, capturing the moment of impact

3. Photograph a zoo

For Christmas, I received a photography day course at Whipsnade Zoo. As a family, we regularly visit Marwell Zoo and I've been happy with my efforts there. My aim for the day (aside from learning from a professional photographer) is to get a photo(s) of animals good enough to frame

Challenge aspects: Photographing animals good enough to frame on wall

4. Photograph with a mate

My mate, Stem Images, is also into photography, though I've some way to go before I'm at the same level as him! Hopefully, we can meet up at some point and see who gets the best photos of the day

Challenge aspects: Outdoing my friend!

5. Get a photograph popular on 500px

Lastly, I'm aiming to get a photo popular enough on 500px that is listed under either 'upcoming' or 'popular'. This will have to be a combination of better photos and extending my network, but it's a good challenge to round off the year

Challenge aspects: Take a photo that stands out and have enough followers to get it voted

And off I go

Now it's time to get planning for these, and hopefully in 2014 I can write about a success in all categories!

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Book Review: The New Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography (Lee Frost)

Book Review: The New Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography (Lee Frost)

Book Introduction

I was fortunate enough to receive several photography books for Christmas, one of which being 

'The Complete Guide to Night and Low-Light Photography' by Lee Frost. A link to the book on Amazon is here.

I was already familiar with Lee Frost through Digital SLR Photography Magazine (an excellent read that I subscribe to), where he is a regular contributor. This book covers a wide range of low-light/night related topics, such as shooting at sunrise versus sunset, landscape photography, low light portraits, even capturing star trails. It also contains the obligatory chapters on recommended kit and the use of computers to enhance the final shot.

The Good

Having been a photographer for decades, Frost really knows his stuff. The photos within the book are all of an extremely high standard and range from old film photos through to DSLR efforts (and even a few compact and mobile phone efforts). I particularly liked the descriptions for each photo also, which detail the conditions under which it was taken and a little of Frost's thought process.

The range of topics is also excellent, covering pretty much any type of photo you could imagine taking under low-light. I had initially expected the book to focus on landscapes, which meant the chapter on portraits was a pleasant surprise. Frost gives one of the best explanations I've seen with regards to metering, which has proven very useful with my own recent efforts at night photography.

The Bad

I did have a few minor gripes with the book. First, Frost goes to great lengths initially when discussing suitable cameras to make it clear that you don't need to have a high end model, and that you are better off spending money on better lenses. He then proceeds to use a Canon 1D Mark III for the majority of his photos, hardly a budget model! Given that there are plenty of instances where the ISO needs to be high, it was slightly jarring at times as the low-light performance of the 1D would be expected to be higher than cheaper models (though newer DSLRs are likely to have caught up).

I would also have liked a little more explanation sometimes on how to achieve certain shots. It was nice to see the end result and a some of the thought behind it, but maybe a few setup shots or walkthroughs would have helped. In particular, due to the depth of subjects offered, sometimes some aspects simply got a paragraph or two that amounted to "put lens on F8, stick on tripod, use auto white balance".

Finally, there were quite frequent typos, and in one case a missing few lines to a paragraph. A minor point I know, but this isn't the first edition of this book!

Overall

This is definitely worth a read if you are interested in low-light photography. It certainly inspired me to get outside and start snapping, with the results achieved noticeably better than earlier efforts. Although there are explanatory chapters at the start around kit and settings, I'd suggest that this is aimed a little above the beginner and more at people who are confident with their DSLR. As mentioned above, the book won't hold your hand through taking a photo, but instead discusses the sort of things you need to consider.

On the whole though, any gripes were just minor, and I'd certainly recommend having a read!

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