Picture of the Week

The photo I have chosen for this week was taken on 25th August during my trip to Blackpool. I took the photo just before I made my way to the University for a tour of the photography department.

I wanted to capture a more unique image of the Blackpool Tower than the typical tourist shot like the one I have posted previously. Stood around 500 feet from the tower I had the idea that if I could find a reflection in the surrounding landscape I could produce a more abstract effect, this actually proved quite difficult. There weren't any large windows or doors that were either immediately obvious or had a complete reflection of the structure.

I crossed roads, passed through Taxi ranks and pushed through crowds of people until I looked higher than street level and saw a marble clad doorway. The picture you see is the reflection I saw, albeit heavily edited.

The photo was taken on my Canon 20D using the ever-trusty 50mm 1.8. Using a relatively small aperture of f/8 selected in Aperture Priority I attempted to capture a wide enough depth of field to maintain sharpness in the reflection.

Post processing was quite extensive, in colour the reflection appeared very washed out which was quite uncomplimentary to such a brilliant structure. Black and white helped to define the reflection more and create an image with much more depth. To achieve such a definite reflection in what was black marble required me to play around with more options than just contrast, blacks and clarity. I had to use colour mixing in the black and white panel to create such a prominent shape.

I hope you enjoy the picture as much as I enjoyed capturing and editing it!

University - My Photography Education Begins Here

As a student recently accepted onto a University Level Photography Qualification I think I should introduce you to my views on British Universities and how they work.

Here in the UK University has lost its prestige, Sixth Form Students are pushed towards finding a place at University regardless of whether their chosen career benefits from an associated degree. The result of this is Degrees have become worthless yet a necessity, employers can demand a University educated candidate because there are such high numbers of degree holders flooding into the jobs market.

Because of this demand for degrees I have to go to University, but I'm not disappointed. For the next three years I'll be studying something I enjoy, I'll be experimenting any way I want and I'll be doing it with Hasselblads and Professional grade equipment.

My University of choice is Blackpool and  the Fydle College, a small-ish institution with an apparently enviable international reputation close to the centre of Blackpool . Today I had the pleasant experience of visiting the college and touring the photography department situated in the basement of an amazing Art Deco building.

Below is the Blackpool Tower, visible from the college, this is an instantly recognisable landmark to many Britons. I'm sure it will become the subject of many photos to come.

While I know that the photography career isn't easy I think I will enjoy the time I get to spend in Blackpool and the College. I'll try to update the happenings of my time spent there, as is usual in the English education system I'll start in September. I hope you continue reading.

Who Made the Rules?

There aren't many questions that I find on forums that haven't already been asked and in most cases answered. Recently, while reading on a relatively small forum, I came across a thread titled 'Photo Authorities' . The topic poster was asking who decided what made a photo look good and how could anyone justify what comments they made when criticising other peoples' photos?

It was an interesting question and it got me thinking. It seems fairly well established that the human brain naturally likes to see certain patterns, one of the most relevant to photography being odd numbers. From an education in catering I know that, for the most part, chefs build plates using odd numbers. As a student of photography I know that good composition can most often be made by following the rule of thirds. The tower in the photo below shows a composition that obviously follows the rule of thirds.

This seemed like an interesting pattern and one that had been 'discovered' 800 years ago in Italy. Fibonacci created the Fibonacci Sequence or the Golden Ratio, a sequence which from what I understand splits things into three. Artists and architects since the Renaissance have proportioned their work in line with the Golden Ratio and the golden rectangle. I may not understand the maths but I can see the results of his work.

I'm sure there are ways to explain other aspects of photography in over complicated ways, I'm content with just this.

Digital Lomography - Will it Happen?

Digital cameras have progressed massively since they became mainstream back at the turn of the Century, similar to the progression of the 35mm format in the '40s and '50s. Now the race for the most megapixels may be just about over can we really see the difference between the old and the new?

Looking back through a decade of digitals no camera really sticks out in the same way as the Smena 8M, Holga or Diana. These Lomography classics are all about the raw essence of 35mm photography. It's just you and your camera. There's no need for a light meter, that's done in your head, an inaccurate exposure adds to the charm.

A digital camera cannot compete with a 35mm in terms of pure experience, it's simply too automated. Perhaps there are areas that could make digital into a lomographic experience. A restrictive battery life, choose the right shot or you won't be shooting at all? Maybe a small memory card? They don't make the experience new or exciting, 35mm's restrictions open up a whole new world of photography.

Even the quality of a digital camera from 2002 like my Minolta Dimage Xi (as above) stands up to today's point and shoots. There may be evidence of vignetting but that's nothing on the look that you get from an 8M. The combination of film and a cheaply produced lens makes magic.

So can Lomography go digital? The Lomo company has no intentions of producing a digital camera so they won't start the trend. Maybe lomography should stick to film and any digital wannabees will have to keep on 'shopping their images.

Quick Strap (Q Strap) - Review

While the strap supplied with your Canon, Nikon or even Sony camera may be perfectly adequate for most situations, there are circumstances where it can limit or distract your shooting. If you've ever had the 'official' strap impair the viewfinder, block the lens, tangle around your hand or fatigued your shoulder then there is some likelihood that you've wished for a solution.

The most obvious replacements on the market appear to be from Black Rapid or Sun Sniper, these are very high quality products that will undoubtedly solve your problem. However, this is reflected in their price tags. A Black Rapid RS-7 alone will cost upwards of £60 from most retailers.

So what are the alternatives? You could either buy a cheaper strap that fixes one or two gripes you have with the 'official' strap or you could buy a replica, copy, knock-off or clone of the big names. Whatever you want to call it. The Q-Strap is unquestionably a replica of the aforementioned Black Rapid RS-7, fortunately without a replicated price. From eBay you'll be able to purchase a Q-Strap for £15, or if you don't mind waiting, a bargain buy of £12 from China.

Back To the '70s - Canon AE-1

The Canon AE-1 released back in 1976 was one of the first SLR cameras to be controlled solely by a CPU, this allowed SLR photography to be accessed by millions of amateur photographers as was shown by the phenomenal sales figures. The AE-1 alone established Canon as a leader in camera innovation, paving the way for many new and exciting products.

The Canon AE-1 was also my ticket into the world of photography.

The very camera you see above was bought by my Dad back in 1978, accompanying it is a 50mm 1.8 that had been attached to the camera until the day I found it in our barn. The condition was very good, the camera wasn't boxed but it had everything I needed to get me into photography. All I needed to do was buy some film and a battery for the light meter!

To be continued...

Nikon D4 - What Do We Know?

So what do we know ahead of the official announcement of Nikon's newest flagship DSLR? Rumours say that the pro level Nikon will encase a new 16.2 megapixel full-frame sensor, up from 12 megapixel of the D3s. Continuous shooting will stay the same at 9FPS or 11FPS in FX mode and HD movie mode will also be familiar in D3s specification. However, the updated camera will have revised ergonomics.

Release is expected for Nikon Professionals at the end of 2011 and everyone else at the start of 2012.