Richard & Caroline's Blog

Last night one of my favourite live BBC Natural History program’s started. Springwatch.

As a bit of a very amateur wildlife photographer and part time birdwatcher (not a good one), it’s a very inspiring program.

Makes you want to load up with your big pro digital SLR and longest telephoto lens.  Lottery win needed?

It might have been a poor week so far for landscape photography but I have been enjoying a bit of Architectural, Flower and People Photography.

Here is a picture of Peter Ginn the archaeologist of Victorian Farm fame using an old forge.

The last few days has seen us trying to get some good Landscape Photographs.

We have managed to find a number of great locations with lots of potential but each day my landscape kit (medium and large format cameras) has reminded safely in the boot.

 

Its been a mix of wrong light, wrong time of day etc. But still even with the frustration of being unable to set up and take any landscape shots, it has still been good. Some of the locations and views have been truly great.

I just have to remind myself that many of the great masters kept coming back to the same location, year after year, after year, before eventually capturing the shot they wanted.

A lot of people have very strong ideas about street photography.

First there is the engagement aspect. Do you just walk up to people and ask to take there photography’s. I certainty do that for many of my street portraits.

Other photographers use a long lens and hope not to be spotted. Then there are those who get in close with either a standard lens or wide angle.

Shot yesterday with a Nikon 1 V1.

The type of camera many feel has a major impact on the type of street photograph you end up with.

The purists feel only a range finder will do. And a small near silent range finder being utilised with zone focusing is hard to beat, but does require great skill, timing and practice. The master of this being Henri Cartier Bresson, who used a Leica Range Finder and a single prime lens for the majority of all his work, the 50mm standard.

Today most street photographers feel only autofocus will do, and they use cameras like the Olympus Pen, Panasonic GF, and Fuji X100, to great success.

Recently I have been using my Nikon 1 V1 to shoot Street scenes of people, but the reward for the most dedicated of street photographers must go to those brave few souls who utilise Large Format Cameras.

Now if they can get good results, and believe me I have seen their work, the rest of us have no excuse and cannot blame our equipment in any way.

Shot with a Nikon D200 SLR.

The previous weekend it was wonderful weather, but I was stuck in the studio working. This weekend we hit the road with the intention of find some good photographic locations.

Of course with us having the free time the weather was generally dull and overcast. That did not stop me taking pictures but they are more photographic notes then anything more.

The best picture of the day was actually taken by Caroline, a rather pleasing picture of a modern stained glass window.

Hope you all had great weekends too.

As I expected the Internet forums are full of opinions on the new Leica Monochrom, as I and many other people expected most people do not understand it. Many experts do not seem to have any understanding of how digital sensors work and of the advantages that a Black & White sensor can give.

It’s going to be a difficult few weeks holding my tongue. Many photographers seem to lack an understanding that different tools can give different advantages. Small format , Medium Format, Large Format; Film, CMOS, CCD digital sensors, Mirror-less, SLR’S, Rangefinder. There are many tools and options available, just because a type of camera is not for you does not mean it cannot be the perfect tool for another.

The Leica Rangefinder is a niche product. A Black & White Sensor is another niche product, so what you have here is a niche within a niche, a camera that suites few but those it does suite will love it.

Well better late then never. Today I got round to updating the firmware in my Nikon V1. We are now on 1.12 for the body.

It was release the other week but only now got round to applying the update.

In many ways that’s a good thing. Never a good idea to be an early adopter!