Film Photography

I was brought up on film photography (was given my first camera when I was 11). I was very lucky that when I did my photography degree (2009-2012) I had access to fully working film cameras (35mm, medium format & large format) as well as darkroom & developing facilities at the university – this was when a lot of universities were getting rid of their darkroom & developing facilities. It wasn’t until then that I had even thought of using digital cameras – I’ve been shooting digital since 2009 but have recently come full circle back to film.

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2020 Update

So 2020 has so far not quite gone to plan, I have gotten into Brighton University to study for my Masters degree but apart from that things have been rather stale.

I switched to the Panasonic G9 only to switch back to the Fujifilm X-T3 a few months later, I am now waiting for the X-T4 to be shipped before I upgrade to that though I will wait a few months so I can get one cheaper on the second hand market.

The two week trip I had been planning to Wales in the last two weeks of May has had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 health emergency, I was planning to make several hikes up Snowdonia as well as the Brecon Beacons. I will hopefully be able to make some kind of trip there either at the end of September this year or sometime in 2021. The whole of spring as well as most likely the summer has been wiped out, I can only hope that I will be able to get out there sometime in the autumn before winter comes.

With regards to my Masters degree I am hopeful that the start won’t be delayed, I am due to begin the course at the end of September this year. After graduating I plan to go onto a PhD hopefully at the same university but you never know there might be somewhere better I’ll just have to wait and see.

Walk from Titch Hill to Cissbury Ring.

As part of my preparations for my trip to Snowdonia next year I decided to visit Cissbury Ring. This is somewhere I haven’t been to before even though it’s almost on my doorstep so to speak. I could have driven all the way there as there is a car park on site but instead, I chose to hike from Titch Hill right outside Sompting. Although the distance was only 2 miles each way it still took me 40 minutes each way to hike there from where I parked On Titch Hill and back. Contrary to what some might think the South Downs isn’t flat on top and it’s not just chalk based there’s plenty of clay there too.

This was my second outing with my new Canon EOS R and this time I chose to field test the 24-105mm RF F/4 IS lens. I did get some shots that I am happy with though the IS didn’t perform as well as I expected so I had quite a few blurred shots which was disappointing, I think next time I will use a monopod to help with the stabilisation.

I think I may have to consider Tamron’s EF 35-150mm F/2.8-4 Di VC OSD as a possible alternative to the RF 24-105.

Belle Tout Lighthouse & Burton Mill Pond

Ok the new regime is in force so I decided I wanted to shoot the famous Belle Tout Lighthouse in East Sussex at dawn with the sun rising up behind it on Saturday the 14th of December. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, what did happen was I got there at dawn to find high winds (as in dangerous) & coin only pay & display parking for which I had no coins. What made it worse was the other cliff top location on the other side of the river Cuckmere valley was inaccessible as the access road was closed. So not a good start to the weekend, however my sat nav took me the scenic way there so I discovered some potential future locations to shoot next time.

Moving on to Sunday the 15th December. The weather was pretty changeable for the first half of the day, sunshine one minute & rain the next until the early afternoon when it settled. So looking at the potential of a good sunset I decided to go to a new location I’ve never been to before - Burton Mill Pond near Petworth in West Sussex. The last few miles of the route was a little treacherous to say the least, roads not wide enough to fit 2 vehicles side by side, lots of potholes & a lot of water everywhere. Once I got there the weather was just as I had hoped, the sun was beginning to set behind the South Downs & was lighting up the sky & clouds. I managed to get off a few good shots though they would have been better if I’d had a Circular Polarizer filter (one on order for next time).

So all in all a bit of a mixed weekend really. I have plans for next weekend already, so long as the forecast is correct Sunday will be the day. Finger crossed.

News And Future Plans For 2020

Ok so 2019 hasn’t really gone to plan, by now I was hoping I’d be a full-time professional portrait photographer but that hasn’t happened. I could probably come up with all sorts of reasons for why it hasn’t happened but I won’t, instead I’m going to look forward at what I plan to do now & in 2020.

 

So back in February I had my over 40’s MOT (over 40’s health check-up), although I wasn’t heavy enough to be classed as obese, I was overweight and my diet wasn’t as good as it could be. I was told to lose weight, eat more fruit, exercise more & eat less crap. Fast forward to now – I eat better, I exercise more & I’m now 10kg lighter. So, what does this have to do with my 2020 plans I hear you ask, I’ll come back to that in a little while.

 

As part of my planning for 2020 I looked over my equipment asking myself if it fitted my needs going forward. Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that it didn’t meet my needs so I have reluctantly moved from the Fujifilm X system to Canon’s full-frame mirrorless RF system, the EOS R. Don’t get me wrong Fuji’s X system is great but it has shortcomings that I just can’t overlook. These are the two factors that made me switch.

 

1.      Lenses – Lens choices are very limited on the Fuji X system, there are virtually no third-party lens options, the two biggest third-party lens manufactures (Tamron & Sigma) don’t make lenses for the X system. Of the lenses you can buy you have a choice of weather sealed or stabilized, there are very few that have both. Cost – To get the best results you need the best lenses & they cost almost as much as their full-frame equivalents. Even buying lenses on the used market is expensive compared to other camera mounts.

2.      Software – I like to use Adobe Lightroom to edit my images as well as plugins. Unfortunately for whatever reasons Lightroom didn’t seem to register my Fuji lenses & didn’t have their respective lens profiles which was irritating. What was worse was that Lightroom would apply sharpening automatically (40%) even when it was turned off in camera, I set up a pre-set to cancel this when importing but Lightroom ignored it. And then there’s the weird worming effects as well.

 

So why did I choose Canon’s EOS R? Well even though it may not be the best camera out there with the EF to RF lens adapter you can mount pretty much ANY EF lens on the RF mount. There are a huge number of used EF lenses out there on the market which makes buying a good quality used lens for far less money a really attractive option, also third-party EF lenses are abundant & cost less. The EOS R is just a far more flexible platform, the 30 mega pixel sensor is about the right size for my needs, not too small & not too big. Even though the native RF lenses are expensive they are top of the line quality which shows Canon’s commitment to their full-frame mirrorless line-up. I fully expect Canon to release at least another two RF camera bodies in 2020 which will be better than the EOS R & EOS RP. I have the 24-104mm RF kit lens which even though it’s a kit lens it’s still a really good lens. I’m looking at adding two or three Tamron EF lenses to my bag so I cover all the focal lengths I need, I will of course need to get the Tamron lens station so I can update their firmware.

 

So, what are my plans for 2020? Well I have applied to do a Masters degree in Photography at the University of Brighton, if successful I would start the course in late 2020 (September). This is part of me refocusing my photography back to what I enjoy doing rather than what I think I should be doing. I really enjoyed my degree so the Masters feels like a natural progression for me.

 

Another part of my refocusing is landscape, nature & abstract photography, a lot of this will come from day trips around Sussex (where I live) as well as planned holidays, this is an area I’ve neglected in recent years which is a pity as I do like a good walk. At the moment I’m planning a trip to Snowdonia in the first half of 2020, mostly likely in late April early May before all the tourists invade. I plan on doing a lot of hiking so dropping that weight & getting fitter really fits into this. I am also looking into other parts of the UK, some I’ve never visited & others I’ve not been to since childhood.

 

The final part of my refocusing is my social media, blog & YouTube channel. I intend to make a video for each trip I make next year including the day trips, I’m hoping to go on day trips at least twice a month though ideally every week would be great. The reason for this is to push my online awareness forward with the ultimate aim of transferring it into a full-time living by the end of 2021.

 

So that’s me done for now, if you got this far then thanks, have a good Christmas.

Dyslexia Project

I’ve got a new(ish) project on the go though only in the initial stages at the moment, here’s’ the premise:-

I am a former pupil of Northease Manor (boarder from 1988-1992).

It is no exaggeration to say that the school saved me, without it I dare not think what would have become of me.

The skills I learned while attending the school prepared me for the outside world in more ways than I could have possibly imagined, not just academically speaking but in every day life. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if I didn’t have to pre-plan so much of my daily life, even the simple things like making a pack lunch & laying out cloths for work the night before.

The skills I learned at Northease came in very useful while I studied at university, a degree in something I love doing (Photography) has always been a dream of mine which finally came true when I graduated in July 2012 (BA Hons.)

So now I come to the task at hand.

Although I have not yet become a professional photographer (really pushing myself this year) I still do consider myself to be a Photographer/Artist. I have several ongoing projects at the moment.

Following on from my degree dissertation “The Dyslexic Photographer” & final year project, for some time through both photography & the moving image I have wanted to continue my exploration of Dyslexia & what it means to be Dyslexic. My intention is to produce a short film/video, photo book, exhibition possibly even some form of installation using still & moving imagery, soundscapes and interviews from real Dyslexic people.

This is very much a multiform project with the objective being to express what it is like to be Dyslexic to the greater population which quite frankly has no idea other than the stereotypes that perpetuate popular media.

A Little Bit Of Personal History And Look Ahead

A bit of personal history

So what kind of photographer am I? Documentary? Portrait? Landscape? Lifestyle? Fashion? Architectural? Motorsport? All and none.

Born in the mid 1970’s it wasn’t until I was given the family camera for a school trip 1986 that I discovered photography. For me school life before that trip had been a struggle as unknown to me at that time, I was Dyslexic in a time when it was only beginning to be recognised. Ever since then photography has been a part of my life, though sometimes it had been floating in the background.

By my mid 30’s photography had become more than a mere personal interest. In 2009 I began studying for a fine arts degree in Photography, graduating with a degree in 2012.

Since graduating I have been continuing to develop my photographic skills with personal projects & portfolio shoots. I have had work in exhibitions and in 2017 I travelled to both Iceland & Australia to produce my own brand of travel & landscape photography.

For me photography is not just about producing something beautiful but something more than that. An emotional response, introspective, thought provoking, meaningful, these are just some of results I like to see from my work. I do of course like to produce work that people will enjoy looking at as well.

I have been quite lucky in where I have lived. I boarded at a school in the Sussex countryside up against the South Downs & when at home I was also surrounded by the South Downs. Being so close to Brighton and with London just over an hour away means there is a great deal of talent within a reasonable distance.

My main photographical interests are: - The natural world (the South Downs & Sussex coastline has so much to offer), Portrait Photography, Macro Photography & High Detail Photography.

I love taking portraits especially headshots, using different lenses & lighting setups to produce very diverse portraits is something I continue to explore. Fluorescent makeup & beauty photography (using a macro lens) are the current areas of portrait photography I am exploring.

For me photography is more than just a job or lifestyle, it is something to enjoy doing & to be enjoyed. If I didn’t enjoy doing it then I wouldn’t be doing it, it’s as simple as that.

Australia 2019

Ok so I’ve been having a little think since I did my end of year review/vlog yesterday.

I have always wanted to go back to Australia again, it’s such a big country you just can’t do it all in one go or even two or three go’s.

The first time I went was for four weeks (December 2006- January 2007) for the Ashes so I didn’t really do much else apart from when I was in Melbourne & Sydney.

The second time was in May 2017 for three weeks, in this case I had decided to do a 500 mile photographic road trip most of which was the Great Ocean Road (from Torquay to Port Fairy Victoria). I kept a photographic blog of my trip which can be seen here.

So now to my prospective 2019 trip. I’m thinking of three weeks in June/early July, I don’t want to cut into the English summer holidays otherwise I might not get the time off I want for this trip. I would be hoping to land in Adelaide, spend no more than five days there some of which would be to reset my body clock which takes two to three days. Then move on to Alice Springs for four or five days before finishing in Perth & the surrounding area Western Australia and then fly back from Perth.

I don’t want to spend too long in Adelaide as I’ve been there before, from what I remember I spent about a week there last time. I’m really interested in Alice Springs as I’ve never been there before & it’s quite different from the metropolitan Australian experience. I have been to Perth before but saw nothing of it as I spent to whole time resetting my body clock & then flew out to Adelaide, there is quite a lot to explore in Western Australia which would be my main area this time round.

Well I’ll put up more post’s when I have more news.

TFP Studio Portrait Shoot

Ok so although this is my blog I think I should post up some information for my studio portfolio shoot that’s happening next Thursday (6th of December).

Info: -

Models: - Please bring 2 outfits, now this can be 2 complete outfits or half (e.g 2 different tops). For the guys if you want to bring something smart & casual that would be cool.

Any accessories you might want to bring like hats, jewellery, glasses/shades, umbrella, anything with a hood would be cool too.

I’m looking to do 4 types of shots: - Full length, half length (from waist up), headshot (full face/head) and eyes (will use my macro lens for that).

I will bring some different coloured LED fairy lights for something a little different.

Models/MUA’s: - Once I have finished editing the photos you can choose which ones you would like for your portfolio, I will then send them to you at the right resolution for the internet (full res images are quite large).

Please check out the link below (Poses), I’m interested in the poses not the looks if you know what I mean. Poses