Posts

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Camera Systems

Many people buy a camera based on the camera bodies specification, but when buying into interchangeable lens cameras, you are buying into a system.

I shoot Nikon for my SLR needs, sometimes Nikon have the best bodies and sometimes its Canon.  Lets not forget Sony, Olympus, Pentax or Panasonic.

Look at the whole system, and think about the sort of photographs you take and what will help you get those photographs easier.  You want a system that helps not hinders.

I currently have two camera systems, Nikon DSLR and Hasselblad.  Both quite different and I could not say one is better then the other.  Obviously the Hasselblad being medium format gives slightly higher quality results, but using it is slow and a tripod is essential.  The Nikon has much to recommend it.  The flash system is fantastic and the range of lens makes it far more versatile.

What might surprise people is that I have been after a third camera system for a number of years.  This needs to be high quality, interchangeable lens, and small, something consisting of a body three lens and a view finder that can be packed into a motorcycle’s tank bag.

I have been researching and testing cameras at my local camera shop and after several years I am still no closer to buying one.  Once purchased, while bodies may come and go the lens will be with me for many years.

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Biking Weather – Whats your favourite

The English, and I could possibly say the British in general have a fascination with weather.  Compared to many countries the weather in and around the British Isles is generally benign, but it is certainly variable and difficult to forecast.

As someone who rides motorcycles and where possible flies planes, I have a somewhat more then a passing interest in the weather.  It also has a great impact on photography.  The best shots are always when bad weather is slowly changing to good.

As an all year round motorcyclist, weather is generally not something that stops me from riding a bike.  Surprisingly hot summer is not my favourite biking season but the autumn is.  The weather is a little cooler and not too hot, and you and your machine have really become one, having had the past six months to ride in the ever improving weather.

My least favourite weather for riding, is snow/ice, fog and wind.  Today we have had the pleasure of ex-Hurricane Katia.  Luckily the wind has been strong but steady.  Sudden gusts are the worse.

If you see a biker taking it steady in strong wind, please give him plenty of room, you never know when a sudden gust could take him either into the hard shoulder or into the other lane.

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Good Service

I appreciate good service.  This has been highlighted recently, with once again sterling service from WareHouse Express, and Hasbean Coffee.

Last week I had the displeasure of getting poor service from a local garage.  An email to all the directors of the company did cause then to change their minds and accept my reasonable demands but its a shame when you have to twist arms to get the service that should be expected.  I am certainly glad I am not treated that way from the Bike Garages I deal with.

This week I ordered a new heavy duty tripod head and was very pleased with the service.  Placing the order last weekend to Really Right Stuff, in California, well before the week ended its here in my hand.  Well done.

I am just waiting for my new tripod legs from Italy and I have a monster of a solution for when shooting from vehicles, in the studio and when on a ladder.  Not a solution for everyone but I enjoy the perspective you get from shooting down on models.

As you can see, only a little height can add interest to a shot.

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Adobe Photoshop World 2011

This week is Photoshop World.  Many photographers are members of NAP and I am sure many American photographers as well as some from further a field have made the trip to see what Adobe has to offer them.

With products like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Elements, the majority of photographers have at least some piece of Adobe software they rely on.

Whether your a Windows user or a Macintosh user, they have a product for you.

One of the more curious things they have shown off so far is Adobe Carousel.  Details are still few and far between but it seems you can sync photographs with a device, whether it be your iPad or Laptop and have then synchronised by the product to all your devices.  Sounds intriguing!

Check out Terry White’s Tech Blog for a few more details.

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Tablet Market – Sony gets interesting

Sony have always been a company to admire, producing some interesting designs over the years.  I have a Sony TV, Sony PVR, and for a long time was interested in the Sony P Series mobile phones.

Over the years they have produced a number great products and have now entered the Android Tablet Market with the Sony Tablet S and P models.

I was hopeful that the HP Tablet running WebOS and RIMs new Playbook was going to give Apple some competition, now it looks like Sony are going to be taking up the challenge.

From a photographers point of view unfortunately they don’t offer any real advantage over Apples iPad.  Maybe the next version.

A quick review from a photographers point of view is here at Luminous Landscape.

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Motorcycling after a break

BMW R1100S

I keep finding that I am saying to myself, “Its a funny old year”. The context of this has been my lack of motorcycle riding.

It rare that I don’t find myself in the saddle of one of our bikes at some point during the day.

This year has been different, due to ill health at the start of the year I spent a couple of months unable to ride. Last week it was just sheer lack of time. We both took the week off and spent it decorating the house. So the bikes spent the whole week stuck in the garage.

Today was our first day on them again. Once on the open road, I soon noticed I was a little rusty so took it careful as I slowly increased my pace.

This made me wonder this week how people manage, who don’t ride through the winter. In England most motorcyclists only ride for six months of the year. Then each spring we have the usual huge spike in road accidents. If only people could be persuaded to ride either all year round or to take it easy for the first month or so. But I suppose if you only ride six months a year then tootling around for the first month or so could not be tolerated.

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Coffee – Coffee Makers: The Chemex

As I have in the past mentioned I love the finer things in life.

Good Coffee, good wine, good whisky and good chocolate. This week I have been indulging in my coffee habit again, not with more coffee but much to my wife’s displeasure a new coffee maker, to join our growing collection of French Presses, Coffee Percolator, AeroPress and Expresso and Filter Coffee machine’s. Its not like she dislikes my coffee habit, its just the sheer number of coffee making devices and different styles of coffee cups littering our kitchen. I had to admit we did not really have room for more!

The problem was since buying the AeroPress for work, I had become somewhat spoilt. It really did make one of the best coffee’s I had every tasted at home. It really make my filter coffee machine seem poor quality. I enjoy a French Press at home but sometimes you want something with a little more clarity, that lets the clean notes of the coffee shine through, and a French Press just cannot do that.

From frequenting a few coffee internet forums (yes I really am that sad), I quickly learned that for the cleanest cup of coffee you need either a vac pot or a Chemex. Well a Vac Pot I feel is something for later, so I went and bought a Chemex from those lovely people at Hasbean Coffee.

My first attempt yesterday was nothing special, while better then my filter coffee machine I felt it was not as good as the AeroPress. Well after a search on Youtube for different ideas on using this type of Brewer, I had another go this morning. This time I nailed it. Possibly the best filter coffee I have ever tasted. Though the excellent El Salvador San Rafael Bourbon 2011-2012 may have helped.

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Being Fashionable

I recently read the new iPad Magazine Light It, there was some interesting techniques and generally it showed techniques that are currently in fashion.

Single Light

Today I looked at a very old lighting techniques book.  I bought it many years ago, and it was written in 1940s.  Some of the rim lighting techniques and back lighting techniques that it goes through are actually now back in fashion.

We may have moved from taking portraits and fashion shots on large format film cameras, to medium format, then 35mm SLR, to now our modern medium format and SLR digital format cameras but the actual techniques have not really changed.

I have to admit, if money was no option I would love something like the Leica S2 for Studio use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would also love a large format camera.  I have used one in the past and it really slows you down and makes you think.

If you want one try www.robertwhite.co.uk

What ever you use, Large Format, 35mm, film or digital, enjoy yourself.  Now off to shoot some fun snapshots with my camera phone!

 

 

 

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Models Required

Well its nearly the end of August, and I am now finalising my bookings for September.

I shoot the odd wedding, but these are always booked up to a year in advance, in fact I was booked up to September 2012 by April this year!

Now the photo bookings I am currently working on are my personal projects.  If your a local model and up for a dawn shoot on the beach let me know at enquiries.