A final day in North Yorkshire

Well today Friday was our last day.

On the Wednesday, we took a trip up to a region of North Yorkshire popular with a number of famous Landscape Photographers, near Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale.  I have to admit whilst not travelling too far I managed to get a number of pictures I am pleased with.  We also visited the oldest sweet shop in England.

Thursday was a trip to Scarborough, I got some good shots of Scarborough Castle.

Today, Friday, was our final day, so we decided on one more castle to visit.  The morning was spent walking around Helmsley Castle. With the low winter sun, illuminating the castle it was well worthwhile carrying around the medium format kit, tripod and Digital SLR.

Carrying all of this around really makes me think about getting a high quality large sensor compact camera.  Then when I want to haul around medium or large format equipment, i’ll just use the compact for reference shots with potential.

Afterwards we treated ourselves to a cafe latte and a slice of quiche, wow the slice of quiche was huge.  If you ever in Helmsley try the Castlegate Cafe.

Of course did we get any good pictures in this week?  Well I certainly found some great locations, well worth going back to, but you will have to wait for my picture of the month.

I would say that the light improved as the week went on and as the light improved so did the pictures.

a Saturday Photo Shoot

Well instead of work or a commercial shoot, today was a shoot for personal pleasure.

I had a new location to test, and a few ideas, and lighting experiments to try.

Ashleigh was my nominated victim. A local model who was willing to put up with my tests, these involved various shoots indoors and some outdoor shots. She put up with everything wonderfully, including getting soaking wet and having to pose outdoors in a cold January morning.

Tip to other photographers, if your using a light weight light-stand, even if there is no wind, use a sand bag. It does not take much to whip a brolly away!  Also size matters, use the biggest brolly or soft-box you can, it really makes a big difference.

I certainly learned a lot, and am glad I pushed my lighting limits a little further.  Pushing myself meant I got some bad images too, but I also got some great images, thanks Ashleigh, hope to shoot with you again, but this time when its a little warmer.

Preparation

Tomorrow I have a half day’s shoot, a mix of location and studio.

The Studio is booked and so is the model, I now have less then 24 hours left.  What should I be doing, what should you do to prepare for your shoots.

Well, for a paid shoot, my preparation starts at least a month in hand, for weddings sometimes over a year in advanced.

Tomorrow is just a simple test shoot but still preparation is key.  Obviously at this point the studio is all booked, location checked out and the model booked, what else should you consider.

Well, communication with the studio and model, all should continue.  I generally drop the studio and the model(s) an email a week before and the day before.  Just to ensure everything is clear.  Times, addresses, shot list, themes, clothes list.  Also contact details.  My email and phone number, the studio’s / location’s address, meeting points etc.

Equipment is important, and should start at least week in advance.  Check and clean everything, decide on what lens, what format’s.  For this shoot I will be shooting APS-C cropped DSLR and medium format.  The Digital SLR’s will be a pair of Nikon D200, perfectly adequate for this.  A wide angle zoom, a fast f/1.4 standard lens, a 105mm portrait lens and a standard fast f/2.8 zoom and telephoto zoom.  The medium format will be a Hassleblad, with standard lens and two backs.

The lens I have chosen with the shot list in mind.  I will also be taking two light meters, a heavy tripod, light stand and brolly with infrared trigger.

A week before the equipment was all checked, batteries all charged.  It was at this point I realised one of the batteries for Nikon D200 was starting to not hold its charge, so a trip to the local camera shop was planned, and I purchased a replacement.

The shot list was all written down as was the clothes list, and provided to the model, there is also a few items I will be providing, so tonight as well as packing the camera bags, and lighting bag, a prop bag was also packed.  Things like fans, glasses, hats, etc.

For the IT geeks like me there are computer applications to assist.  I use the simple PhotoAssist.  This is a useful little app for the iPhone and iPad that enables you to create equipment lists, prop lists etc.  I have custom lists for things like Nature, Portrait, Weddings and Travel.  This list the common things I need for things like these.

If there is any advice I can offer it is just this.  Communicate, ensure all parties know exactly what is required of them and when.  Have your equipment ready; cleaned, checked and know how to use it.

If you do not know your equipment, then you cannot focus on the picture.  Remember your equipment and how to use it, should all be second nature to you.  All your attention should be focused on getting the image and keeping your model engaged, and happy to work hard with you to get the image.

Studio Flash with a Hotshoe Flashgun

Using your hotshoe flash in your camera hotshoe is about the worst way of using it.  Getting off camera is the best way, but how to do that.  Well if you happen to have a light-stand you can use the method I use.

I recently purchased a Lastolite Tilthead with hotshoe.  Its a way of getting studio quality light thats easy and portable.

This on top of a light-stand enables you to attach a normal camera flash gun.  It also allows you to attach a standard brolly.  With this simple setup you can get studio quality light with very little cost.  It certainly does not have the power of studio flash but can produce great results.

A weekend Photo shoot – final planning

I was hoping to get out for a landscape and wildlife shoot this weekend but the weather was not really up to it.

Next Saturday I have a location shoot planned.  The goal is to test a new location and try a few lighting ideas I have that involve in-door and out-door lighting.

I have emailed the model with details and a list of clothes required, the few outfits she does not have she is going to try and get this week, which is very nice of her.  Now I am just completing the prop list and finalising the shot list.

Heres hoping for good weather, as it is intended to be a mix of indoor and outdoor work.  The indoor work will be using full studio flash.  For the outdoor work I will be using fill-in flash.

Later in the week i’ll clean and check over my equipment, ensure the batteries are charged and ensure the location and model are still ready to go.

I am really looking forward to it.  If all goes well with the test, I have a number of plans for the location this summer, but I need a good summers day and may need also to practise my high speed fill in flash techniques.

Thinking of the next bike holiday

Well thats the first full week of work over for the new year.

Work was very busy as usual, and the weather much warmer, it made the commute on the bike quite a delight.  Almost too warm for our winter biking clothes.

We have not planned any bike holiday’s yet this year.  For the last two years our major holidays have been on the bike but this year were planning something a little different.  A week on a remote Scottish Island, we cannot wait.  So over the last few days we have been thinking about long weekend bike breaks.  A nice full days ride, a day of sightseeing and then a ride home.

So where to go?  Well currently thinking of Wales, but North Yorkshire and Northumbria are also on the shortlist.

Immersion in your local landscape

This evening I was catching up on a few blogs, when I came across some wonderful large format Landscapes by William Neill.  Spectacular photographs.  He made quite a interesting point:

“One of the keys to develop depth in your work is to observe, and photograph, a chosen landscape for an extended period. The best opportunity is to explore a local nature preserve that you can return to often, during different seasons and times of day.  Your sense of the place will grow.  The choices you make when photographing will be educated by your knowledge of the local weather, light and topography”

Very true but I have to admit, at least in my area, the local nature reserve while nice is not conductive to great landscape photography.

What made me really laugh out loud (LOL); I later read, he lives in Yellowstone Park!

Some local landscape!

Photographic Goals

Setting photographic goals are a useful exercise.  They encourage you, make you shoot more, and drive you forward, make you a better photographer.

A goal should be challenging, and even if you fail, hopefully you will learn something to make you a better photographer.

Over the last few years my goals have generally been relatively simple.

  • Shoot More Weddings
  • Shoot More Commercial Portraits
  • Shoot More Studio Work.
  • Shoot a Roll of 35mm film
  • Take one good picture a month
  • Take one good picture a day for one month
  • Photograph some wildlife

All very generic, and I think I accomplished all of these well; except for the last.  Have you ever tried to get one good shot a day for a month!  It was hard to get one good picture a month.  In fact 2010 I think was the only year I came close to this.  I got 11 out of 12.

Moose Peterson wrote an interesting piece recently for the BT Journal (The Biological and Technical journal for Wildlife Photographers) and also in his New Year post on his Blog.

This was more about planning for goals, and it made me think about my goals for this year.

Many are going to be the same.

  • Shoot More Studio Work.
  • Shoot a Roll of 35mm film
  • Take one good picture a month
  • Photograph some wildlife
  • Shoot more Medium Format

But again these are all very generic, I feel a bigger challenge coming on.  With that thought I considered some of the great shots I had admired by other photographers.

One in particular by Joe McNally is one I have particularly admired.  Its a Dancer  leaping on the beach.  So one of my main goals this year is to try and produce my own version of this shot.

Joe is a great inspiration, and I greatly admire his portrait photography.  He taught a seminar over here recently in London which unfortunately I was unable to make.  Please Joe, visit again, and not just London.

Monday Morning Commute

Well its a normal week, and were all back at work.

It started as always with the commute on our trusty steed, our BMW R1200GS, the best bike I have yet owned.  Always a joy to ride, and this morning despite the sharp frost the road conditions were fine, a health 2.5ºC, so a spirited ride to work.  What a great way to start the week.

Star Gazing Live – BBC

This was a good week for astronomy.  The BBC had three nightly programs called Stargazing Live.

The second program was of course the highlight, covering the partial solar eclipse that occurred that morning.

I had the opportunity back in 1999 to witness the a total solar eclipse.  It meant getting up early and jumping on the motorcycle for a 300 plus mile ride to catch the eclipse.

They gave some good tips on capturing photographs of the night sky, well worth watching and showing the BBC at its best, entertaining and educational.

Luna Eclipse

I have done some astronomical photography in the past and will post some pictures and techniques in future blog entries.