Walk to Bluebell Wood, Melbourne, Derbyshire

New Toys

I like the four thirds format - a reasonable compromise between quality of image and size of kit.  It's better that the camera is actually with you.  One real problem is the cost of native lenses.  This is still a relatively new format and making things small increases cost.

A friend at work has been kind enough to lend me some old Olympus OM glass - something new to play with.

Original Olympus adapters are also expensive, but quality alternatives can be obtained fairly cheaply. The above taken with an Olympus 50mm OM lens at F2.8 - sharp, but shallow depth of field - the dust is on the box, not the lens.

Nice clean example of the Olympus OM 50mm F1.8 lens, tempted to get one of these after a very short time playing - much cheaper than current alternatives.  Operation has to be fully manual, but have continued with manual after the C&G stuff anyway.  The camera will still meter for light.

2secs, 50mm, F1.8, ISO400

Crop of above showing shallow depth of field.

My wife was sewing while I started playing with my new toy.  These 2 images, both cropped, were taken at night with only the living-room lights (3 X 5watt energy savers). Both taken at F1.8.  Some edge sharpening on the square image below.  Great detail as this crop is about 25% of image.

Few images below taken in the grey daylight that was available this morning.  Cropped and converted to jpeg's.



Street photography - Format International Festival, Derby

'Right Here, Right Now'

Exposures from the public realm

4th March – 3rd April 2011

Derby, UK

About Format International Festival, Derby

Whole range of different events and exhibitions around the city - well worth a look.

Press release about it is here

Aurora Borealis to light up the night sky

Aurora Borealis to light up the night sky

Great photo opportunity if you are travelling north for half-term.

Critique or criticism

Composition, Colour, Shapes, Patterns, Lines, Tonal Range, Frames, Rule of thirds, Texture, Form, Focal Point, Perspective, Scale,  Denotation, Connotation, (literal and implied meanings).

Anyone from 7512 will recognise these.  Words we have been encouraged to use when analysing and researching photographs.  OK, but is the picture any good?  It's just so subjective.  Well most of us know something that we like when we see it, don't we?  The difficulty, or the beauty of it, is that they are often linked with memory and / or emotions.  So is it the picture we like or is it all the other stuff.

I've had a root round to try and find something that will help me get behind this and came across this book - Criticising Photographs, Fourth edition - Terry Barrett, 2006.

I'll get back once I've had a chance to look through it and let you know what I think - subjective again.

I think my favourite quote to date comes in a section that is looking at differing art critics, criticism and styles:

"Allan Sekula's writing is so suspicious of photography that it has been called 'Almost paranoid' and has been likened to a history of women written by a misogynist"

N&EMPF - North & East Midlands Photographic Federation

Went to a presentation of images from the 56th Annual Exhibition of N&EMPF at the Derby City Photographic Club last night. 

Some amazing images, some I really liked, some I could appreciate and some that didn't do anything for me.  The only thing that they all confirmed was how far I still have to go if I attempt the journey.

February Snowdrops

31mm  1/160th  F7

ISO200   100dpi

This image did not work in colour.  Lighting was poor - taken in the middle of the afternoon on a very grey day.  Converting to B & W brings the snowdrops very clearly into focus as the subject.  I did not see the damaged flower when I took this, but I think it's OK, it is what it is - the first flowers of Spring.  No cropping other than to reduce the size of file.

Flowers used to form triangle with 1/3rd, 2/3rds divide.  Aperture set to bring most of the flowers into focus with background blurred.  Strong lines of leaves emphasising delicate flowers

Just liked this composition with the walled garden beckoning.  Difficult exposure trying to retain detail in the shadow without completely overexposing the image through the doorway.  Have been reading about merging two images of the same scene with differing exposure levels which I intend to explore over the coming weeks and months.

Post 7512 level 2 - Hello, my name is Ian and I think I might be becoming an addict.

16 weeks later - what do I do now?

It has been an intersting experience.  I've met some great people, had a few laughs, drunk a few beers - some good - some not so, learnt how to blog and almost by osmosis developed a range of skills around photography that I did not have before.

All I wanted to do was learn a bit about digital photogrphy having been sqaurely in the film camp until last summer.

If you thought developing film was expensive wait 'till you get hooked on digital.  Hello, my name is Ian and I think I might be becoming an addict.

I'll just get a digital camera -
I need to go on a course to learn how to use it better -
I find I cannot wait for my PC to keep up as I try to compare images - I need a new computer - oh and by the way don't forget I need new screen and screen calibrator because the one I have does not compare to those used at college.

(and my wife's viewpoint - "well, photo geek boy, at least it's not another woman.  If you think i'm coming out with you when you are carrying a tripod you've got another thing coming.")

Hello, my name is Ian and I think I might be becoming an addict.

16 weeks - I need another fix.

YES - I've found a new supplier -
Derby City Photographic Club  my first visit - 31st January and a visiting speaker - JOHN WELLS  FRPS - THE JOHNNY WELLS ROADSHOW http://www.johnswells.co.uk/

Nerves steadied, fix achieved, 
hello, my name is Ian and I think I might be becoming an addict.

Next fix 7th Feb -
Will Cheung FRPS - My Passion for Photography
"A presentation by one of the most respected names in the world of photographic magazines. In the last 25 years, Will has been Editor of Photography Monthly, Digital Photo, Photography Monthly and, now, Advanced Photographer. "

Hello, my name is Ian and I think I might be becoming an addict.

Final Choice

Final choice for presentation

I have chosen to present my final images printed on 350g coated paper, displayed in a hard backed display book.  Many people have taken an interest in the work that I have undertaken during this course and this form of presentation will enable me to take the images and show individuals what has been achieved, ensuring that each will see the image as I want it to be seen.  Display on this blog is cost effective and can be seen easily, however, I have no control over the final colour that will be seen.  Having taken the effort to calibrate my screen; spend hours capturing images;  attending college and finalising the images  I want that final element of control.

The images here are saved as sRGB JPEG's, the colour gamut is that used with most photographs.  The prints have been printed using a four colour CYMK process - there will be differences in the end results.  I have been most pleased with the effect that it has on the black & white images. 

Final Images
Theme 1 - Built environment, South Derbyshire.

Theme 2 - Nature, South Derbyshire

Photoshop - preparing images for presentation

Raw
I shoot my images with an Olympus camera using Olympus Raw files.  This is really useful as it saves the maximum information that the camera can capture. 

To work with the image towards the final format I have been converting the images to:
.psd files
This is the format used within Adobe Photoshop.

Resize - The brief is to submit images not only in their final display, but to hand in copies of the original image files as well as the final photoshop files to the tutor.  The final files to be images sizes to A3 at 300dpi.

As I take images I attempt to capture as closely as possible the final image that I will present, however, to achieve the final image that I am looking for it has been necessary to edit some of the images.

Edit- colour - sharpen - (removal of modern equipment such as CCTV cameras within old fashioned style images). Review individual and group in terms of accuracy, detail, finish.  Look at how the group work together.


Photographic output vs print
In previous blogs I have identified that I will be preparing images to print using a four colour (CMYK) print process.

Photoshop will allow you to convert the file from RGB to CMYK colour.

This in itself is fairly straight-forward, however, further reading identified that additional thought about the process is needed.  Different printers use different equipment; paper will take the inks differently and there is not a single standard used around the world.  Prior to converting to CMYK it will be necessary to identify the colour settings that will be used.  This can go as far as setting a specific profile for a specific printer and paper.  In this case I have used a profile that will be suitable for most coated papers within Europe.

Prep of file for print 
I have chosen this method of outputting the images as I believe it will suit the style that I am looking to present.  There is one further consideration re colour - the difference between the colour gamut (range of colours) of RGB and CMYK.  CMYK is not able to reproduce the full range of colours that are available within RGB.  The conversion process may also vary some of the colours, especially if the original contained strong saturated colours.  This has not been a major issue for me with the images that I am looking to present.  For most it has been a simple process of - review colour vs. original and boost saturation by 5-10%.

 Key to presentation - variety of images - look to pull together - colour & B&W - use of border / border colour. 

I will be presenting a range of landscape, portrait and square images.  Have chosen a border to develop consistency.  Initial border was white however this did not work well with the winter / B&W images and the border was converted to black.