Feel like I'm hanging from a cloud...

Hi guys, it is with a bad cold that I greet you this week... sniff, cough etc. It's been hanging around all week and bringing me down; that and the persistent low cloud that always seemed to be around any time I had time to get out with my trusty D2Xs... I have managed to take a few shots and that time spent in the office have resulted in a new process I have been applying to selected images. It isn't to everyone's taste; but in some circumstances it works a treat... when we get there let me know what you think...

So, what has been going on? Well I gave a tutorial to my client which was fruitful and I hope useful for him. I enjoy talking about the processes of photography which hopefully comes over in our sessions. Speaking of tutorials, whilst I was living in the UAE, I gave two courses to a young lady who wanted to turn pro... I mentioned her a few times I believe. Well finally, FINALLY she has come out of the closet and declared herself a Pro! Step forward Vicky Akbik of Abu Dhabi... She had her first shoot the other day and from what I gather it went really well - plus she has at least one more shoot booked as we speak. She has a great eye for children and family portraiture... if you live out that way and need a photographer, look her up...

I also had a portrait shoot this week... two writers needed some images for promotional purposes; that went well I feel so we shall see what the client thinks before publishing any images...

The images I have been shooting have been seasonally based... autumn going on winter sort of thing and maximising the last afternoon sun...

Tree walk in a park in Ely...

I really like the light on this one... same park in Ely...

A pupil from King's School, Ely, meanders his way back to class...

Whilst out in the town I saw a fellow photographer capturing images of swans on the river. I had an idea for a shot and so went along the next day having seen a forecast promising some sun... Fortunately the swans were there as was the sun...

I wanted the light like this as I figured the new style of processing would suit this image....

You see, I have been experimenting in Lightroom and come up with this effect... all the images above have had it applied... it gives the dreamy quality to the images, halos of light, soft, downy impacts... I really like it... what do you guys think?

A couple more from today...

Monk's Lode, Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve

A black highland cattle, grazing baker's Fen, part of Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve.

It is an acquired taste, but at the moment I am enjoying it... I wonder how it will affect Christmas lights? Now there is a challenge for next time perhaps...

On a different style all together I saw this whilst out and about in Ely...

I love shots like this and the square format really suits the image... Oh to go back to the days of a Rolleichord and 120 film... sigh..

And another street candid from my shoot down by the river... not sure which I prefer... colour or monochrome... what do you guys think?

Again, the square format really suits the subject...

So, it is now moving in to December... and that means Christmas... There is no escaping mammon from now on... but remember just be good to each other as well... I shall be shooting festive based images I expect and posting them here and of course here... so keep checking in for regular updates etc...

Let's hope for some snow or ice to make the season to be jolly... jolly...

I shall see you all next week... take care in the cold... and keep an eye on those who need it... in the cold it can be miserable for many... remember what Gandhi said... If you want others to feel good practice compassion; if you want to feel good, practice compassion.

TTFN

When you're lost in the rain in Juarez...

So, it's been frustrating week for Alex JP Scott Photography... largely because my son has been off school for most of it with a cold, meaning I have not been able to do much in the way of photography... I rigged up my studio and had a play with some things lying around the house... but nothing beats the great outdoors and I have missed walking, birding and image creating...

The week started with a shoot for the Go Wild in Newmarket team. If you remember I shot some images for them a month or so ago and last Sunday I went along to a site management get together... This time there were more people and more activity...

They even managed to break a mattock handle...

Well what did I manage to capture in the home studio?

Perfume bottle...

Bananas...

Soup tins...

Ooo... a bit trickier... a piece of drift wood, found on Quinn's interest table...

Barnacles, on a pebble found on the same table in his bedroom...

They were fun to set up and take...

My home studio (taken on a iPad...)

The lighting is done using the Nikon Complete Lighting System (CLS) At the moment I have three speedlights all fired by a main control unit that sits on top of my Nikon D2Xs. From here I can alter the power setting of each speedlight. It is a very versatile system and works well... The brollies are the the shoot-through type - this diffuses the light giving an even spread... The whole thing is portable so I can set up anywhere.

The rest of the week has been spent looking after Quinn, so I had to be content with sorting images and re visiting old shots. I found a good deal on Photoshop Creative Cloud this week - only valid until December 2nd you can get the most up to date versions of Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom for just £8 a month. On top of that you get 20Gb of Cloud storage and access to an online Portfolio site. Not a bad deal considering Photoshop to buy on its own is near £700...

So, as it is approaching winter and the seasonal weather is setting in, I thought I'd have a look at some winter shots of mine from the past...

A winter scene from a city park... York 2010

Parkland tree in a snow storm - York 2010

A disused railway line, Robin Hood's Bay 2010

The last shot is my favourite of the three... makes me want to walk along there...see what's going on... Speaking of things going on... just tuned into the cricket - first test from Australia... Boy are we in trouble... chasing 561... 11-2. Pitiful... 

Now, back to photography... My mate Nick is coming to visit today, so maybe some shots to be taken on the Fen... those will be in next week's blog.  I did manage to get out yesterday though and found this...

Nothing special but I do like the cloud and the stripes... brown, green, blue, brown, green, blue...

Work-wise I had a portrait booking confirmed which is calendared in for 28th November - two writers, portraits on location. Looking forward to that. Due to Quinn being ill I had to postpone the tutorial this week, back to normal next week I hope. I also ran off some fliers - promoting Family Portraits and Band Portraits... so I did get some admin done at least... All we want now are some more bookings...

Some more good news is that the lass I was tutoring in Abu Dhabi is starting to get some bookings - it is a long road she has embarked on but good luck to her... she is talented and deserves to succeed. When she tells me I'll put a link on here so you can all see her work...

That about wraps it up for this week... regular updates can be found Here as usual...

Just a reminder that all images on this and previous blogs are available to buy... just drop me a line regarding prices and formats...

TTFN

my favourite old camera...

I know they'd never match my sweet imagination...

As you may have noticed last weeks blog was all about colour... the colour of autumn. What could I do this week? Well after some deliberation I set myself the task of repeating the walk around Wicken Fen and the village and seeing if I could take some monochrome images... Believe me wandering around when all you can see are bright, autumnal colours trying to shoot tones is hard... "Ignore the leaves and the sky..." Anyone who recognises the title of this weeks blog will know the line that follows...

So, what did I manage to see...

Well, first was this...

The Old Forge in Wicken... I have always admired this house for its rural setting and ramshackle appearance... it lends itself to an old fashioned image...

Then came this...

A more modern house further down the road. I like the (almost) symmetry about this and the direct lighting.. The more I look at this shot, the more I like it...

So, finally I ended up wandering around Wicken Fen NNR... The sunlight was harsh, but at this time of year it was more photo friendly than in the summer... In between bird watching, I found the following...

Wind pump...

small pond...

birch against a blue sky...

grazing fen...

wet grassland...

I then started to look for more detailed shots... and found...

the timelessness of this scene plus the tone I added give this a historic feel... could have been taken any time in the last 100 years or so...

Whereas the gate... I like gates... they add mystery to a scene and encourage people to walk over, lean on them and see what is beyond... they create a barrier... one to be gazed over...

I also like trees... winter trees...

This one has had an infrared preset applied to give it an ethereal feel...

and I like Phragmites seed heads...

almost feather-like as they dance in the wind...

So, what else happened this week? Well it started with the Armistice Parade on Remembrance Sunday. I went along to the one in my village and captured some moments...

I think monochrome helps focus on the image... but sometimes colour works as well...

one wonders if this is an ancestor...

After this the week passed as quickly as ever... I held a tutorial on Wednesday with a private client... that went well and I feel the others we have booked will be equally so.

I had an enquiry for a portrait shoot next week, which I'm confident will happen, so things are looking up for Alex JP Scott Photography.  I also have a shoot on Sunday, and possibly another some other time this weekend although that hasn't been confirmed as yet...

With the festive season approaching I am about to start a promotions campaign for family portraits - they make great presents and can be emailed anywhere to loved ones who cannot be there at Christmas... A great present...

Updates in THE USUAL PLACE...

Finally, my Facebook page is on 499 likes... who wants to be number 500?

TTFN

Colours of your mind...

So... it has been a week for recovery... a week to get over the insanely long drive we volunteered ourselves to do last weekend and also one of photographic opportunities and reminders of the year approaching its's end...

Autumn always delights... the colours of the leaves and grasses glowing in the late afternoon sun and of Halloween pumpkins and bonfire night... Colours... I started the week looking at the changes in our Halloween jack-o-lanterns as they decayed...

Somehow they look more frightening the more they rot... the face becomes distorted into a hideous grotesque... 

Bonfire night also appeared on the calendar this week... I love fireworks but they can be tricky to photograph... what is needed is a tripod, lock the shutter open and cover the ens with the cap. Anticipate a burst of several fireworks; remove the cap at the start of this burst then replace when it ends. With a bit of practice you get this...

and this...

The multiple bursts fill the sky with colour and the slow shutter speed lets the sparkles shimmy and glow...

But, you can see... colour dominates the shots above... and the colour is gold. So I started to think, what other colours are around at this time of year? We are used to the leaves changing, but what else. So I went for a walk around my village looking for colours... not paint but things in the natural world...

and I found...

The extraordinary hues of this rotting fungus... not just browns and oranges but purples and blues...

My own personal favourite of the week... a rusty shed... But look at the colours again... yellows, reds, oranges, blues, blacks... iron oxide...

same subject as above... couldn't leave either of them out... I love the pinks on the left...

Greengage plums decomposing on the tree... gain the subtleties of reds and peach and exquisite... especially when compared to the grays of the twigs that support them...

Lichens on a tree trunk... White, yellows, greens, browns... subtle...nature...

A last vestige of photosynthesis before winter... bindweed absorbs those last days of sun...

Of course, I pointed my trusty Nikon D2Xs and Nikkor 60mm f2.8 AFD macro lens at the obvious as well...

an old favourite... Fagus sylvatica  the beech hedge... the variety of colours here is wonderful... just look and look again...

and who says grasses are dull? Phragmites australis - Norfolk or common reed. The change between summer green and winter brown is delight

and an old favourite... Betula pendula - birch greens and yellows against a blue sky...

and finally...

the crimsons of Viburnum opulus - Guelder rose...

Whilst walking around the fields I was also taken with the recently flooded washlands and the fast accumulating wildfowl...

No doubt I shall revisit this scene again and again this winter...

Just keep an eye on THIS SITE for more images updated on a daily basis...

On the business front I have had a booking for a series of tutorials and made an agreement with a local business to promote Alex JP Scott Photography which should hopefully yield some new shoots. Keep an eye on that...

Also...

ALL IMAGES FEATURED IN THIS AND ALL PREVIOUS BLOGS ARE AVAILABLE TO BUY. JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL FOR DETAILS.

Well, with that I will bid you all a farewell for the week...

TTFN