This week - SB-910.

A week or so ago I ordered a Nikon SB-910, and a couple of days ago it arrived. I had been looking at buying an external flash for a little while now and had spent quite a bit of time reading reviews online. I always used to buy my cameras and equipment from Jessops but now they have gone into administration I ended up buying from Amazon. This made me worry a bit as Jessops would provide you with help and advice on products which I found particularly useful. Every review I read was positive, particularly stating that any faults that had arisen with previous models (such as overheating) and been ironed out and improved on with the SB-910.

This week I have been spending time reading through the manual that came with it. I think that once I start to practise using it I will find it easier and the manual will make more sense as I will be applying the techniques mentioned. I am not very good with technology like this and a lot of the manual does not really make sense to me so I think that I may end up doing some further research.

I bought the flash mainly because I have been trying to gain more hands on experience and any 'jobs' that I have found have required you to own an external flash. I also want to be able to shoot in a wider range of conditions and experiment a bit more.

This coming week my employer would like me to photograph portraits of some of my colleagues so I may get to try it out then.

 

 



Assignment 1 Feedback.

I was quite anxious waiting to hear how my first assignment would be received. I am really pleased with the comments that my tutor made. When working on assignment 2 I need to try and improve on my technical commentary as I always tend to focus on how the final image looks rather than explaining how I arrived at a certain point and why I have selected certain settings to create the image.

It was pointed out by my tutor that I had written I had used Photoshop CS5 but my screen shots illustrated Photoshop Elements. I for some reason had written CS5 when I had used Elements 9. This was a silly mistake which I should of picked up on when I had re read through my work before submission. He suggested using Adobe Lightroom which would yield a stronger work flow and I am hoping to purchase it in the near future.

I was also given a website and some suggested reading to view. I do regularly view other students work as I find it interesting to see how others have approached and interpreted the exercises and assignments.

I hope to carry on the standard of work I have produced and improve upon any points my tutor has made. I think that I have made a good start on this course and feel that this may be down to completing The Art of Photography course as it has helped me to develop my style of working.

 

 



Photography in the News - Heinz Maier.

Whilst browsing through Twitter I came across a tweet from @castlegalleries about Heinz Maier. He is an amateur photographer who uses high speed photography to capture the moment that dyed droplets hit the surface of water. He only began taking photos at the end of 2010 and it is amazing what he has achieved. Maier carries out his hobby in the evenings to work around his family and his job as a factory plant operator. He mainly focuses on macro photography working with water droplets and insects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love how beautiful and almost abstract these images appear. There are so many different techniques I want to try out. May have to get hold of a macro lens first though! Maier has also devised a piece of equipment to release the water droplets for the photo. His set up looks more complicated than the process of shooting the image.

 

 

 

 

Information from:

 

http://agonistica.com/heinz-maiers-liquids-and-water-drops/

http://500px.com/cymaii

http://www.featureshoot.com/2011/11/heinz-maiers-amazing-photos-of-water-drops/

 

 

 

 



This week......

Rather than looking at other people's work this week, I have beern spending time reading one of the recommended texts. I am nearly half way through Mastering Digital Photography by Michael Freeman. So far I'm really enjoying it. There have been a few things that I have had to go back and read again such as anything that involves artificial lighting. This is because I have very little experience in this area. I have done a little work on my previous course but I cannot say that I am entirely comfortable with lighting and various techniques. I know practice makes perfect! I am finding the book well writeen, easy to navigate and concepts are explained well with diagrams to illustrate the points being made.

Darkness and Light.

This week I stumbled across a website of work by Derek Langley who has produced over 400 sepia and black and white images of various places that include London,Oxford and the Lake District. I was particularly interested on his shots of Cambridge as it is my nearest City and I frequently visit there. I am always looking for new ideas and options for shooting and I have a keen interest in black and white photography.

I looked through 245 images in total. The sepia images seem as though they are trying to appear older than they are. I am torn with this idea between thinking that the photographer has created a lovely old quality but also that they could be almost seen as dishonest in their appearance. I much prefer the black and white images as I find them much more striking. Some of the images depict areas of Cambridge that I have not visited and I now feel keen to explore a bit more. I has not been made clear on the website why the photographer has chosen to produce in black and white and I am always quite conscious of producing black and white images just for the sake of appearing "arty".

All of the photographs are silver gelatin black and white photographs and the sepia toned images are  created from the black and white photos using thiocarbamide toning. I was unsure what this was as I have no experience of darkrooms or producing photos any other way that digitally. I decided to research it to find out more. From what I understand the print is bleached until the required reduction is achieved. It is then thoroughly rinsed until all of the residual yellow stain from the bleach has gone. It is then toned with the thiocarbamide toner, rinsed again one the full image density and returned. It can then be dried off. A dark room is not need for this process and I am considering giving it ago as it is apparently relatively easy once you have practiced the process once or twice.



Bridge of Sighs - sepia.

Clare College - black and white.

Second visit to Melford Hall.

Just before Christmas I had my second visit to Melford Hall where I have recently began volunteering as Photographer. They usually have shots in mind for me or give me a rough idea of what they are hoping for. This visit required me to shoot outside the Hall but I needed to produce shots that were not "too wintery looking" as the Hall is not open during the Winter they would be unable to use the images. This was quite difficult as we were experiencing a particularly cold spell and when I arrived there had been a harsh frost. They were also looking for inside shots of the impressive Christmas tree that the family themselves decorate before taking the Hall back for the Christmas period. I also had my first tour of the whole house and it was amazing. There were so many things I wanted to shoot but due to time constraints, much of this I hope to do on my next visit.

Below are some of the 127 photos I took.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to develop my own style and try out different compositions. I can see that I still need to improve my technical ability but I have also realised how much I have improved and gained in confidence. A year ago I would never approach anyone to ask if I could photograph for them, let alone the National Trust and I am so glad that they have given me a chance.