Sunday 25 January 2015

Look out for Jack Frost...

Yep, here in the UK winter is about...cold, frosty days with plenty of snow up in Scotland and the north of England...of course this gives great photo opportunities (even if your fingers turn blue)...so this weeks blog will have some nice wintry images for you...there is also a new section - one concerned with gear...

I get asked a lot - either on line or by pupils exactly what gear do I use and why? Indeed I was taking to a gentleman from India only the other night about the merits of certain lenses (isn't the internet brilliant at bringing people together?); so what I thought I would do is each week introduce a bit of my kit, explain why I chose that particular one, it uses and its importance to me as a working professional photographer...

So to start here is my wide angle zoom...




This is the Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 AFD...it formed part of the "three-kings" in the 1990s and was a standard lens in many photo-journalists around the world for several years. First produced in 1993 it was a special lens and for many of us out here remains so... this link... will tell you everything you need to know about the lens technically, plus one of my pictures is used to demonstrate the sharpness it can produce...(the green one of the lily pads)...

I use it most days, especially for street and photo-journalism work - many of the images taken at the rally in Trafalgar Square a couple of weeks ago were taken on this lens.  Since 1998 it has been superceded by at least two newer examples; both wider and better...BUT...and this is important...they are not THAT much better. If you have the money the latest version - 17-35mm f2.8 IF ED AFS will set you back £1500 and it is a better lens...the 20-35mm above can be found used in excellent condition for about £400. Whilst it isn't as good there isn't £1100 worth of difference...and that is the story surrounding all my lenses...there are better options, much more expensive options but they aren't so much better that the investment can be justified; at least in my opinion...It is relatively light, has great glass (hand finished glass aspherical element), produces really sharp images and is fine on DX as well as FX bodies. It may not be super wide but I have never been on a shoot and wished for a wider lens...maybe my core subject matter, but for me it works...If you have been thinking about a wide-angle zoom...take a look at this one...

So that is the first of my gear introductions for you all...it is a great lens and if you are on a budget then it can pay to look to used gear...

So, what have been shooting this week? Well as it was frosty I did get out several times...







The boat house - a new location I found this week in Ely...I loved the light - I shall be going back here regularly I feel...








The willows above was a shot I saw but when I downloaded it it was dismissed...on reflection I wondered what it might look like using my dream preset in Lightroom...It has proved popular on Facebook...









Hazel (above and below) male catkins above, female flowers below...one of the first signs that a new season is approaching...



















Above is another of my oft-visited themes - puddle ice; it forms interesting patterns and you get great colours...this one is a favourite of mine so far this year...























Wild carrot (above and below) the seed heads form great shapes and with a bit of frost they become almost jewel-like...




and find some nice wintry shots...hope you like them...

I also managed an hour or so out and about on Saturday morning...sunny but not so cold...




Above - a leaf bud on elder...spring is just around the corner surely...?




Now the green blur above is ivy leaves back lit by the sun...I like the effect...




A couple of lichen shots here - not sure of the species but I love the forms they take...







So that about wraps it up for this week...as always regular updates can be found in the usual places...here on Facebook... or here on Flickr. Next week I will continue running through my gear with the Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 AFD standard zoom...

Have a great week everyone...

TTFN




Sunday 18 January 2015

All things must pass...

The fall out over the killings in Paris dominated my work at the beginning of the week...On Sunday I traveled down to London to cover the rally in Trafalgar Square...arriving at one-ish and seeing nothing going on I wandered down Whitehall to Parliament Square. The sun was shining and it almost felt like spring...I was disappointed to see that all the protest camps outside the House of Commons have been removed...I did manage this though...





...we've all seen the building...just a different view...

Back in Trafalgar Square the tourists were doing their usual thing...








...but there was some activity from the security forces...







...so after a chat to a member of security I waited...photojournalists started to appear and so did members of the public...holding placards and looking intense...















passions ran deep...especially at the singing of La Marseillaise...




some just stared out intensely from behind a flag... it was an interesting experience...however, there was something that happened that amused me...during the rally the French Ambassador made an appearance...



now she gave interviews, posed for pictures etc and then after about fifteen minutes she left...about ten minutes later some photographers started asking if Nick Clegg was coming...it had been heard that he would be there as he wasn't invited to Paris. There was no sign of him...anywhere. Anyway, when I returned home I checked the images online and sure enough there were pictures of Nick and the French Ambassador, or Nick with a "Je suis Charlie" banner...Now I was right in the middle of the event for the whole time it was happening and he just wasn't there...so what I think happened was his staff mocked up a few pictures with a recalled Ambassador in an effort to show our Deputy Prime Minister in a favourable light...he failed to show at the right time, but somehow an impression was made to imply he was... anyhow...a greater selection of images from this can be found here, on my Flickr page.

So, after Sunday I did manage to get out on Wicken Fen - for the first time for seemingly ages...weather was kind (if a tad cool)...



















...and whilst the weather was kind later in the week...I managed a brief wander through Ely...













And with the weather turning wintry for the next few days maybe I will get some snowy/icy images for next week...

I hope you all have a good week and the snow (if applicable) doesn't spoil your days...updates are of course to be found here... and here... and I shall continue to grow my Dreamstime portfolio.

See you all next time...

TTFN









Sunday 11 January 2015

Je suis Charlie...

Being a predominately nature photographer in the UK in January is not ideal!!! Sure, if we get some snow or prolonged frosts then natural landscapes or icy close-ups can be found...like the ones below from last year...

















...and very pretty they look too...however, instead of this type of weather we regularly get cloud and general dullness...like the ones below from this past week...























I like the ethereal feel to them...can't beat a bit of mist...
Of course, this time of year is spent planning for the spring...checking flowering times etc, but I have to get out and take something... the Dreamstime agency needs more images...and I get paid by them so I have to shoot...
















...so there are some detail shots available...

I hope to get out one day this weekend...Sunday is looking favourite so I shall hold my breath for that...

Of course the main news of the week was the horrendous shootings in Paris...freedom of speech is vital in an open society; of course those who poke fun of beliefs must expect people to be upset, but they shouldn't expect execution because of this upset...maybe people need to exercise restraint...on both sides. However, I am in full support of the cartoonists...








I hope the world starts to sort itself out...we cannot go on killing and being killed - and all for what?

As always I will regularly update my Facebook page and my Flickr page...and I hope to see all of you again next week...

TTFN