tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80299077278509385952024-02-20T15:30:15.646-08:00Phoblography with AndyMacDPhotography is my passion and this blog explains some of the techniques I use, hints and tips for photography in the Scottish Central Belt my favourite photographers and provides links to photography sites that interest me. Trying to promote photography in Scotland.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-52559493348232892412015-09-05T07:20:00.000-07:002015-09-05T07:20:10.546-07:00The First Rule of Post Processing<b><u>Preamble and a bit of a rant</u></b><br />
People often ask photographers if they Post Process (that is, use a computer to alter their images). I find this a bit of a nonsense question - if you use a digital camera, you are using ac omputer to see an image. Nowadays the computer does the same as the lab did in the days of film ie it takes the negative (your RAW file) and turns it into a print (or a digital image to look at on a computer -usually a jpg). Even if you don't use a computer the camera turns its code into a jpg and makes choices on your behalf about contrast and saturation etc. So, we all post process, consciously or unconsciously. The question should really be "How much do you post process?". Personally my answer is that I take out movable objects (like litter and cars) but not immovable objects (like trees and buildings). Everything else I do, are simple developing decisions that mirror a traditional chemical lab darkroom. My PC <u>is</u> my darkroom.<br />
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<b><u>Now, the blog post... HOW do you post process?</u></b><br />
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Which is a difficult question
to answer with a mouthful of bacon and brie ciabatta. Every now and then I have
lunch with a togging pal (we'll call him David, as that's his name) and we
shoot the breeze on just about every aspect of photography you can think of.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3KLjVHM8wFiDtllO6YP8pMKBdeAnzFz5dHyRqvePCLdif1vvDyIhTkxN1ew18Ma7kAlZSy6W08JrdaVuOuv8oyzj0fa4W4PurYa0ci-wWTW1m1PTHgHqP8M65mDyz_AOT3sqRCHG-0g/s1600/366A5721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3KLjVHM8wFiDtllO6YP8pMKBdeAnzFz5dHyRqvePCLdif1vvDyIhTkxN1ew18Ma7kAlZSy6W08JrdaVuOuv8oyzj0fa4W4PurYa0ci-wWTW1m1PTHgHqP8M65mDyz_AOT3sqRCHG-0g/s200/366A5721.jpg" width="200" /></a>Today's lunch , aside from being very tasty, covered film photography, shooting
with instamatics to gauge your non digital skill levels, reprocity failure,
chromatic aberration (the purple fringey things) and the value of motion blur
in dynamic images. Oh yes, and how to digitally enhance dog fur. Interesting
and varied chats we have. <br />
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Then David, who is a purist, but is starting to grasp the
Lightroom nettle, asked about my (is it really?) 8 years of Photoshop
experience. He asked how to process images. Talk about an open question! But at
that point I was being careful not to spill gorgonzola and broccoli soup down
my front and replied in a fairly non committal manner - a sort of soup filtered
grunt. But it's a good question and post ciabatta and soup and post my day job
office hours, I've had time to consider. And the answer is another question (or
at least starts that way). The real question is "WHY do you post
process" - only by asking that, can you decide HOW you will do it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Landscapes are my passion (David likes to photograph
lumps of metal birling round a wee road, I don't really know why) so I'll tell
you why I typically post process a scenic image. Simply, I want to give the 2
dimensional image the same 3 dimensional feeling that I got when I took it.
This means it needs something that a print or screen can't give - depth. I need
to optically provide the depth of miles on a canvas that's microns thick. I've
drawn a wee diagram to illustrate how ( I like diagrams even more than bacon
and brie - I guess I'm a visual learner).
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I trained as a designer, so have had a tiny grounding in
painting and drawing, which comes in very handy here. One of the things that
you learn when you paint is that close items have very different properties to
distant objects. First off, they are more vibrant, clearer and with more
contrast. Now that doesn't mean you should go nuts and over saturate the
foreground, but a subtle effect is to raise the saturation a little and then
concentrate on the background which you can mute a little, maybe even let it fall out of focus a bit. Overall you get a
subtle, but effective, feeling of depth.. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDR87J_ohvatUdEyWnnG_9Uz4DFpX6zbILXod_6Ax1cKhrZ-xTSATDPfQFe0FJ-z-Js15EHquI0tET0o7nD8vJBAvl1_wT_ZkkjukpvGkXnKc9knRivcN6z76NORCfmhLrz46MHKaURc/s1600/Depth+Example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDR87J_ohvatUdEyWnnG_9Uz4DFpX6zbILXod_6Ax1cKhrZ-xTSATDPfQFe0FJ-z-Js15EHquI0tET0o7nD8vJBAvl1_wT_ZkkjukpvGkXnKc9knRivcN6z76NORCfmhLrz46MHKaURc/s320/Depth+Example.jpg" width="213" /></a>Here's an example (finished image at the bottom of this post) - click on it to see it larger, but the explanation is... really sharp, colourful high contrast limpits and seaweed (yes it actually was that colour - I haven't exaggerated it), an interesting fairly sharp but muted middle-ground and a softer less contrasty background that happens to be quite interesting too (so the viewer looks from front to back. You might notice that I even ensured there was a "visual path" from limpits to castle, using the contrast between sea weed and dark grey rock) - lots of depth! Note that the sharpness and it's "fall off " were achieved "in-camera", but it would be just as easy (easier?) to do this in post processing. To improve the picture it needs some emotion or a story too, but unfortunately there was no ravenous seagull handy that I could persuade to engage in a life or death struggle with the limpits. I guess lapping water may have been a more mundane "story" though.</div>
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I'll not get too technical here but the basics are as follows - if you need advice, feel free to mail me at PhotoForMyWall@gmail.com. </div>
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To locally change the saturation, you can mask the rest of the
image and boost saturation, or select the bit you want and saturate it. Or
increase vibrance. Or lift the exposure and increase the contrast a bit.
Combine this with a few other wee tricks and your landscapes can really start
to pop! The point is though, that there are many ways to increase depth, and
within Photoshop there are a gazillion ways of doing any particular effect. So
"how do you Photoshop?". Well decide what you want to do, look up You
Tube, read Scott Kelby's books, ask friends, there are many ways. But answer
that first question quickly, "why process?", ...before the soup goes
cold.</div>
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<br />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-70722078634948201922015-04-05T04:19:00.001-07:002015-04-05T04:19:16.851-07:00The Best Way to Improve?So you can take a decent photograph, but how do you move up a level?<br />
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There is one single thing that can really improve your photography - here it is. Good quality, honest feedback.<br />
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But be warned if you take offence, make excuses, find yourself saying "ah, but that's because", or if you think people don't know what they are talking about, you won't benefit from this. Every bit of feedback is valid if it's honest because photography is about 2 things<br />
1) whether you like your image;<br />
2) whether others like your image.<br />
I'm guessing if you are letting others see them, then you've nailed the first of these. The hard one though is getting others to see an image they way you saw it.<br />
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Every picture we take, we are invested in to some degree - because it was difficult conditions, we had to walk a long way, we were in danger when taking it, it carries memories and emotions. And so, instantly we cease to be able to remain objective.<br />
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Here is an image I am fairly proud of - it was a grab shot, street scene, outside my comfort zone and style, taken in really difficult lighting, on the spur of the moment, while reacting very quickly to a changing scene. And I was very pleased with it! I was seduced by the edge lighting by a setting sun , the architecture, the subject and how clever I had been spotting this, and being able to react to it in time. But, it never does well in competitions and I didn't know why. <br />
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By getting strangers to tell us about our images, we finally start to see what is strong and what is weak in our images, and only by doing that do we learn. But it's not easy to get people to be open and honest - generally people don't want to hurt our feelings. It was for this reason that I started a group within the New York Institute of Photography's forums called "Rhino Hide" - for those with thick skin ie you didn't need to worry about offence being taken - all members were aware of what was coming at them and critics could let RIP! The only rules were that you had to post your own work too, you had to say at least ONE positive thing and some constructive things, and you had to back up your opinions with reasons. The group was surprisingly popular (although with the passage of time it seems to have ceased to be public and has also softened up a bit now).<br />
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Where do you get good critique, if you don't want to start up a group? Well, here are a few thoughts:<br />
1) Enter competitions where feedback is given (not just a score) - camera clubs are good for this.<br />
2) Post images online (but it's hard to get comments that go beyond "nice", so choose where you post carefully<br />
3) Join forums for industry peers - I am a member of a few linked in groups - you can get some great feedback there if you just ask people what is wrong with an image, not if they like it.<br />
4) Take your images to a gallery or a pro togger and ask their advice on how to improve.<br />
5) and of course, send me a message, I'm happy to tell you my opinion - I'm honest but gentle! <br />
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The key to this is to respect everyone's opinion, ask for their advice, consider the responses in an emotionally detached way and then, and this is key, make a decision on whether to take advice or reject it - you cannot please everyone and it is still YOUR image.<br />
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Here is the result of feedback that I got on LinkedIn for the Urban Florist - I was advised to crop out the foreground, remove the pillar growing out his head, make him less shadowy, boost the brightness of the plants he is carrying and reduce the brightness of the road. The florist needed to be bigger in the frame too. There was other advice too, but this was the stuff that hit a chord with me when I considered it objectively. I don't "remove" items in Photoshop, it's against my personal code, but I certainly could make that pillar a little darker and remove the contrast of it from it's surroundings, which has the same effect without compromising the integrity of the image.<br />
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What do you think, did all this improve the image? I think so (or I wouldn't have done it - the feedback is there to be taken or ignored) . I'm grateful for the feedback, the image is hanging in my living room, I'm invested in the memory of taking it, but by listening without taking offense or being overly protective of my image, I now have a stronger picture, and I have learned a few things to consider for next time.<br />
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<br />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-34197445029920568522014-12-27T06:43:00.001-08:002014-12-27T06:43:48.324-08:00The Landscape Toggers App ToolkitI'm often asked how I manage to be so lucky, getting on location at the right times of day to capture nice light or interesting weather. There are a couple of factors in this - one is blind luck (which is the single most important thing for a photographer to have - but you CAN make your own!), another is being prepared with<br />
the right equipment in the bag, ready and waiting. But mostly, getting good light and all the other elements of a landscape photograph line up, comes down to planning. I actually enjoy planning. I'm a list writing, bullet pointing, checklist ticking sort of guy. And I love maps. So this post is about the tools I use to carry out my planning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97qASfDcSKFAJSKwMc7JOowamxKU1u_aWjK8uZ7mhoFIAMJoZWUYm_Zg1MKNnhWqj0yiBbsDJ-22JsylbfgIQ8zymFS4VSXV3VYZFfn3kYeGTi2b81rL4oWBE4ut4uYAqXrZU8xPbZ2g/s1600/IMG_7754+v4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97qASfDcSKFAJSKwMc7JOowamxKU1u_aWjK8uZ7mhoFIAMJoZWUYm_Zg1MKNnhWqj0yiBbsDJ-22JsylbfgIQ8zymFS4VSXV3VYZFfn3kYeGTi2b81rL4oWBE4ut4uYAqXrZU8xPbZ2g/s1600/IMG_7754+v4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>1) <b>Subject - what to take.</b> Well, I'm a landscaper, specialising in coasts. So I need a dramatic stage, preferably with something arrestingly exciting in the middle of it, like a lighthouse, a sea stack, or the promise of wildlife. Sometimes the stage itself is enough, if the light and the weather are exceptional . <br />
You can always look at Flickr or <a href="https://500px.com/andymacd" target="_blank">500px</a> to see what others are photographing but, to find your "own" locations, there is no better tool I know of than <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/" target="_blank">Google Earth</a> , which you can use on your PC or tablet. The iPad App is great and I spend many a happy hour browsing on it. Best of all you can see photographs of the locations actually on the maps if a bit of coastline looks promising.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM100rKbbtKQHZ4Uer1QalXVnErac9ZWe8avkRSgQSvK-ISHvzxaGh2c7E8p4AziZ3NifhdpkQD3Z_RF5HbInB3540IyThwo6miYIOvkdGH93jtRbuPK1LhRvz6ZE1ff2j1nM3TqU5fyY/s1600/Saltwick+Bay+(2211).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM100rKbbtKQHZ4Uer1QalXVnErac9ZWe8avkRSgQSvK-ISHvzxaGh2c7E8p4AziZ3NifhdpkQD3Z_RF5HbInB3540IyThwo6miYIOvkdGH93jtRbuPK1LhRvz6ZE1ff2j1nM3TqU5fyY/s1600/Saltwick+Bay+(2211).jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a> 2) <b>Composition. </b>Yup, before I even know where I'm going, this is being thought about. Nearly every bit of land in the UK has been photographed and posted to the internet. Once I know where I am going, I google it, look up <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoformywall/" target="_blank">flickr</a> or <a href="https://500px.com/andymacd" target="_blank">500px</a> or <a href="http://www.pbase.com/andymacd" target="_blank">PBASE</a> or other photographers <a href="http://www.photoformywall.com/" target="_blank">web sites </a>and try to see it from every angle possible. And all these sites have iPad apps too! I start to get ideas of what worked well for others, what suits my vision and my style the best, and I try to work out what would make the images better or would put my "stamp" on it. If I can't imagine taking a better picture than I've seen on the internet I generally abandon that location and look for another - there's little point in just copying an image. So how do you improve on what you find on the net? As well as the angle of approach and composition, I consider weather, time of day/time of year, exposure length, exposing to the left or the right, tide for seascapes. And guess what, there are apps and sites to help with all of these too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKpITyco5OJIWh9IsjSYDUL98829vQVBS2YCW8a29ilVuJ4AuTWXQ7TO4X-TFRo8ntIATApINEUFsiCIocan49m0wRKfIENWMtY2BITP6F7wm20hUWoP-F8hHdPaMtBU-eUxxx_mbwvA/s1600/IMG_7634+v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKpITyco5OJIWh9IsjSYDUL98829vQVBS2YCW8a29ilVuJ4AuTWXQ7TO4X-TFRo8ntIATApINEUFsiCIocan49m0wRKfIENWMtY2BITP6F7wm20hUWoP-F8hHdPaMtBU-eUxxx_mbwvA/s1600/IMG_7634+v1.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>3) <b>The weather. </b>There are so many apps that tell you the weather, wherever you are in the world. The key though is to consult a few of these and try to find some sort of concensus - it's amazing how often they differ. When the align, that's the best chance you have. I use the Met Office's app and a number of others, but a really important one if you are going u into the mountains is the <a href="http://www.mwis.org.uk/" target="_blank">Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS)</a> . Mountain weather can be very different to weather at more inhabitable altitudes and this is a great site. I also tend to check webcams - there are more and more of these. A good example is the web cam at the Kings House, which looks out across the Buachaille and lets you see if there is a clear road to get there, but still enough snow on the mountains for good images.<br />
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4) <b>The light. </b>There's really only one app I'm aware of that fits the bill perfectly - the<a href="http://photoephemeris.com/" target="_blank"> Photographers Ephemeris.</a> Sadly no longer available on a PC, it has gone wholly mobile on Android or Apple devices, and is no longer free. It's about a fiver, but totally worth it. This is the key landscape photographers tool. It lets you find anywhere in the world and stick a pin in it. It then tells you the direction of sun and moonlight at any given time at that particular location and you can plan shoots for any time in the future. It's simply an amazing app and to me, indispensable. It'll save you a lot of wasted journeys and will get you in position at the right time. As you can tell, I like it.<br />
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If you'd like a free app that just simply tells you sunrise and sunset times I use "<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sunrise-sunset!-free/id333203697?mt=8" target="_blank">Sunrise Sunset Free</a>" from the Apple App Store. The nice thing about this app is that it also tells you when there will be pre-dawn light and post-sunset light - the "blue hour". All very useful when trying to work out how obscenely early you will have to wake up and get going. I use these two apps in conjunction with Google maps which tells me how long a journey will take to get on location My best tip here is to get there early. If you arrive int he dark, it will ALWAYS take you longer to find your composition and get set up than you expect.<br />
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5)<b> Tides. </b>OK, this is a serious one - you might get good shots with this but more importantly this can keep you safe if you use it right. If you take shots at the coast, you will at some point end up with wet feet, but what you don't want is to be stranded on a rock or in a cave. Much badness. Always check the tide, especially if you are going to arrive or leave in the dark - it's so easy to focus through the lens and not notice that you are being cut off, while you fiddle with apertures and filters. There are warnings on tides at many popular locations, but for the remote ones use an app. There are lots of these too, but the one I use and have found to be reliable is the <a href="http://www.tucabo.com/products/tides-planner/" target="_blank">TidesPlanner </a>app. It does what it says on the tin.<br />
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This picture on the right, shows a shot that is only available a) when the tide is on the way in, b) when the tide is at this height, at dawn, and c) when the dawn is over mountains to the left (just out of shot) - A lot of patient repeat visits to remote locations can be avoided by using these apps in combination with each other.<br />
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6) <b>Depth of Field</b> - yep there's even an app for this. You may have heard of hyperfocal depth of field - basically for every aperture setting and camera combination, there is a particular distance at which you can focus at that will maximise the depth of field - so sometimes you can actually get a better quality of detail on your image at f/8 than you would have at f/22. All you have to do is find the hyperfocal distance (the point where you should focus).<br />
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There are really complex formulae for finding this, and there are tables you can print, so long as you know the crop factor of your sensor (still with me?)...or... you can use an app which will work it out for you. I use avs-soft.com's<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/idof-calc/id348599110?mt=8" target="_blank"> iDof Calculator</a> eg it tells me that with my 24mm lens, so long as I focus 2.5 metres away, then any foreground as close as 124cm will be in focus and so will everything to the horizon - wonderful! Everything in focus, no lens diffraction from using too small an aperture, and 1 minute taken to look it up. And if you are uncertain if it's working or not, just hit the DoF button on your camera to check it out.<br />
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This picture looks sharp enough doesn't it? It was taken in relatively low light and I wanted to "freeze" the spray of the sea against the rocks but I also wanted it to be sharp front to back, from about 2 metres away. So I needed to maximise the light getting into the camera. Up went the ISO to ISO 800 (anything higher would have been too grainy on my old 40D camera). But it was still far too slow. By making the aperture larger from f/22 to f/9, I was able to squeeze out a 1/40s shutter speed and get the shot I was after.<br />
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There are lots of great apps out there - I am not affiliated to any of the apps and programs mentioned above and don't take responsibility for their accuracy - I just use them a lot. I've used others, but these are the ones I prefer. If you have any that you use, why not share them here on this page.
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At what point do you say, yep, I really have the hang of photography now? Does anyone reading this think they can say that? If so, please post a link, we want to see great images! Personally I think you never stop learning at this, and if you've stopped learning... well, what would be the point in continuing to make images? Hopefully I've learned a lot over the last 18 months, I'll try to share some.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus85PZ5-kIpPhDIJdeAVQSDvWKKpr9cnwkgw48quvlMOS2-2x1mgFLT9aowSsphQ-gOAheis9zzK5cZLKj_zbhKAleqTqgoJnTPHKioqCiR7pP6DjCBigX8InvrLkJwX0Ys0Svm4JfYE/s1600/Scottish+City+(0789).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhus85PZ5-kIpPhDIJdeAVQSDvWKKpr9cnwkgw48quvlMOS2-2x1mgFLT9aowSsphQ-gOAheis9zzK5cZLKj_zbhKAleqTqgoJnTPHKioqCiR7pP6DjCBigX8InvrLkJwX0Ys0Svm4JfYE/s1600/Scottish+City+(0789).jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a>In the rather grey and somewhat boring winter of 2012/2013 skies were bland, my own get up and go had got up and went and inspiration was at an all time low. I had to get out of the slump. I needed to see things in a different way that I could transfer into a photograph. First stop, the easiest and probably the all too common method, was to buy new kit. I went and bought the rather amazing Canon G1X. Expensive but it beats an SLR from the point of view that I can carry it everywhere, it can practically see in the dark at high ISO, it generates bigger images than my DSLR and the noise reduction blasts my 40D out of the water. Best of all (I didn't know this it the time) the accompanying basic software was hugely advanced on what I had done previously - even my older images that had failed to make the grade were rescuable! If you're thinking of getting one... do it! And lesson #1 - If you have old software, update it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvjjY6MnwNLnnSk0Cakq5hYDFSSjjgco9v_DyUHiUP5xgQmnHIGUS8YYJjI-SOpqqN7g_q_Quh52olE0eh6r8beyjqIg_PlBely6lidv2oHCJvOSRvXeHCkbef8CHMEZeZkooFuATBSs/s1600/Twin+Doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvjjY6MnwNLnnSk0Cakq5hYDFSSjjgco9v_DyUHiUP5xgQmnHIGUS8YYJjI-SOpqqN7g_q_Quh52olE0eh6r8beyjqIg_PlBely6lidv2oHCJvOSRvXeHCkbef8CHMEZeZkooFuATBSs/s1600/Twin+Doors.jpg" height="161" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZkAJJXzL-Y2wv14-UUY1U4MfNJ9gA3V1fEPzmgpuMwayDoLBgBLGx6E0g6bJnJJZ19C_rnFUiGf7MyTIpnn-P4CzD2KNBxz0WkGeTp9qBY8CRxqppkAgtXVMrJ9cTbixKqI37V4PPjg/s1600/IMG_5341tonemappedv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZkAJJXzL-Y2wv14-UUY1U4MfNJ9gA3V1fEPzmgpuMwayDoLBgBLGx6E0g6bJnJJZ19C_rnFUiGf7MyTIpnn-P4CzD2KNBxz0WkGeTp9qBY8CRxqppkAgtXVMrJ9cTbixKqI37V4PPjg/s1600/IMG_5341tonemappedv2.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a>The second approach to beating the dulls, was to start taking pictures of different subjects - I opted for some urban and industrial landscapes. Still not my first love, but a great way of spending some quality relaxing photography time without needing a trip to the Highlands. I am often in Edinburgh city centre and there is a wealth of great architecture on offer. With the exception of the chimney, all of the images here are taken
with that a little G1X . In addition to this blog I also started to run a
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/PhotoForMyWall2" target="_blank">facebook </a>page where I post an image almost every day - and the image above of the Edinburgh skyline and saltire cross, was one of the first with my little Canon, taken on the way home one evening, got over 10,000 hits in a week! Lesson # 2 - always take a camera with you (I know it's old but it's true!).<br />
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<br />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-60554278951957293122012-11-04T05:15:00.000-08:002012-11-04T05:15:09.537-08:00Time Flies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgnTy_HYg_2swEbeJU27dUIh__hS1x-TLb_IuSXAd0e6P1k_5GKUcMt27Zbcn3hvD3G-m_3YJwhH_Fv-cK2Ba3PMR9mTK_QB3icr4EwBuln8FAyZ4bQSOPXeM3n9GwC7t_p9jtp8B-8c/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgnTy_HYg_2swEbeJU27dUIh__hS1x-TLb_IuSXAd0e6P1k_5GKUcMt27Zbcn3hvD3G-m_3YJwhH_Fv-cK2Ba3PMR9mTK_QB3icr4EwBuln8FAyZ4bQSOPXeM3n9GwC7t_p9jtp8B-8c/s200/IMG_0003.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's been a while since I last blogged, so I thought I'd share some images from my travels during the last the last few months. In May I made a sort of photographic pilgrimage. Most landscape photographers in Scotland have a sort of hit list of the key spots - there's The Buchaille Etive Mor at Glencoe (I went there in October 2010 with rather damp esults - must go back!), Skye with Elgol and Storr and the Quiraing (was there in July 2011 - I really ought to post those pics) and there's Loch Ard and that oft snapped boathouse. In may this year I finally visited Loch Ard - I saw the boatshed, but the light was singularly uninteresting - one to go back to in the depth of winter I think... Shot of the day ended up being a close up of a flower! Some landscape photographer I am!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BFfaSCZohhqqGCVSSkYJlPqV1CCpzym1acxrlpb7h3DdIHoJd1FQ1EBAHp3opXwNXmsJ4-xSEpbhiznfGfIMZDK0Xg9OoZk85HjBwWlCrUnm7iK3zRvTIC5t129-XXb7Fzv1_NFozO4/s1600/The+Old+Orangerie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BFfaSCZohhqqGCVSSkYJlPqV1CCpzym1acxrlpb7h3DdIHoJd1FQ1EBAHp3opXwNXmsJ4-xSEpbhiznfGfIMZDK0Xg9OoZk85HjBwWlCrUnm7iK3zRvTIC5t129-XXb7Fzv1_NFozO4/s320/The+Old+Orangerie.jpg" width="320" /></a>June saw a trip to New Lanark Mill - always a great place for a day of photography - lots of opportunity for some steam punk images. I got a few pleasing shots but nothing to set the world alight. These were the days of good weather, dappled sunlight and wandering about in shorts T-Shirt and with a camera on my back. I got along to Dalkeith Country Park while the main attraction (The Adventure Playground) was cloosed, leaving me in peace to get some snaps of the old buildings. I particularly liked the old Orangerie. I hear people saying they can't wait for it to be restored next year as it could be lovely - but I prefer it in it's ruined state - loads of atmosphere and you can picture the gentry meeting on the lawns next to the Orangerie for Tiffin. splendid.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6Nbf9j5Lmi9H-ccS4R3r5N3kyu10ptmj0B4-tPPmKEnThccoD2oZZA5blggolBN4TqFVWPc3tWwbaA1NEK54DlNRYswFUeJ03EdICL2MOGJWiWsekO2CBiYKQ9SSHSBQiFvaBSW327w/s1600/IMG_2112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6Nbf9j5Lmi9H-ccS4R3r5N3kyu10ptmj0B4-tPPmKEnThccoD2oZZA5blggolBN4TqFVWPc3tWwbaA1NEK54DlNRYswFUeJ03EdICL2MOGJWiWsekO2CBiYKQ9SSHSBQiFvaBSW327w/s320/IMG_2112.jpg" width="320" /></a>July was Summer Holiday month and what a photography bonanza I had high in the Austrian Alps. My third visit there but my first with an SLR. What a fantastic place to be - there is nothing better than hiking the Alpine tops, camera in hand! I'm sure I'll be back again one day.<br />
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August was a blur - I never got out with the camera at all - too many pressures at work and of course I was still processing the thousands of pictures I took in the Alps.<br />
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By September I had itchy feet - wanted to get hiking again, so Oscar and I drove out west and went for a bit of a hike along Glen Loin. It was fairly featureless from a landscape photography point of view, but Oscar enjoyed it and got into all sorts of mischief. Here he is, on leash due to the cows around the corner and looking innocent, hoping I'll drop a bit of my sandwich.<br />
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Which brings us up to date. October sees the clocks going back and heralds a time of year when dawn and dusk aren't at such insociable hours. But it also is a time for terribly cold hands and batteries that drain faster than usual. A tip I once got about that is to keep your spare batteries NOT in your bag but under your oxters (Scots for armpits). I think that's a little extreme and a bit nasty - I keep them in my trouser pockets or in an inside pocket of my jacket.<br />
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Every Year the MacD's take an annual trip to the Trossachs at this time of year - first stop loch Lubnaig in search of great foliage and glassy reflections. Followed by a quick nod to Rob Roys grave and a family hike around Loch Voil, picking the wild blackberries and having a well wrapped up ((us not the food) picnic.<br />
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This year Lubnaig was choppy and unfortunately most of the yellowed autumnal leaves fell off withing a week of turning, so we missed the full effect. Still, the mark of a good photographer is finding something from nothing and making images from what's available. There are two schools of thought for Landscapers - preparation is everything or adaptability is the key. Personally I think it's a bit of both. For the shot below, I prepped by knowing my location, the weather conditions I like, the seasonal effects, where to park, where to walk to, I'd talked to people who had been there before who could tell me what the leaves were looking like and off I went. But I got there and despite all my prep - none of the conditions were quite right - so add a splash of adaptability and I ended up with a shot I really like that still gets the colours and the feel for the place. <br />
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AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-17424584356704939012012-03-06T10:29:00.001-08:002012-03-06T10:29:17.015-08:00Who Wins these Competitions?So, following on from my last post (several months ago!!!!), I did not win the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition. But, I WAS shortlisted so that is a great achievement for me. I was in the midst of feeling rather pleased with myself when lo and behold I got ANOTHER email, this time from The Scottish Nature Awards - I've been shortlisted again. So another nervy wait.<br />
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I'm enjoying entering these competitions. I get to put myself up against my peers and I'm doing well, it's a great confidence boost!<br />
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But who wins these? A silly question perhaps as most competitions are very open about the winner - or are they? A great example is Georg Karbus - Outdoor Photographer of the Year last Year and a category winner this year - check out his great <a href="http://www.emerald-vision.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. <br />
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But I have started asking myself about the motivation organisations have for running competitions and I have to tell you there are some very shady practices going on in the world of photography! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAciu7kT87TAgX_d9Locc6UGJoSklKto_yq0wMJCSIP_udoxRQnR9KmG_z4W7RyeYamb0L4aCB_5prBfDtxoHQBhGY8NdfrpRoTAwXIhrIO7opcpfpSuShwC1ioSNT7NGokanclNyxi0/s1600/Cyclist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAciu7kT87TAgX_d9Locc6UGJoSklKto_yq0wMJCSIP_udoxRQnR9KmG_z4W7RyeYamb0L4aCB_5prBfDtxoHQBhGY8NdfrpRoTAwXIhrIO7opcpfpSuShwC1ioSNT7NGokanclNyxi0/s200/Cyclist.jpg" width="145" /></a>Most reputable competitions are run to promote the organisation and drum up interest in it. Others are altruistic and are done to promote better photography. For instance I recently entered a small local competition run by Halfords - free to enter and the best images got some freebies. I got a pleasing wee 3rd place with an image I trawled off my hard drive and won a free service for my bike (I love getting these wee free things, even if I don't REALLY need them). Halfords got some photographers to come through the doors and a bit of local press and I got a freebie - win win!<br />
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Others run competitions you have to pay to enter (read the small print very carefully!!!). I look at these with great suspicion but if the cost is low and there are obvious administrative costs (like prize money and admin), I will pay a small fee that is worth the publicity for me should I do well. Outdoor Photographer, the Scottish Nature Awards are good examples. Others are the National Open Exhibitions where not for profit organisations put in a power of work to promote photography in the UK. <br />
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But there are others out there that fall in to two categories I find very distasteful. Ones that charge a lot of money per image entered - really what is the justification for that? It's just a get rich quick scheme by the organisers. And ones that may be free but claim the right to use all images entered for a variety of purposes, not just connected to the competition.<br />
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Recently Visit Scotland started a competition up. If I entered, they would be able to use my images free of charge, pass them on to third parties and use them perpetually. I would retain a worthless copyright. and that's just for entering. They have had thousands of entries already and must have a rather large stock photography collection by now. I find this disappointing, I would love to support the promotion of Scotland, but suddenly I felt like I was going to be exploited. I know a number of photographers feel the same way, but at the end of the day, I guess it is down to us as photographers to check the fine print and only enter if we feel that the incentive justifies the cost. I won't be entering... There is a very good article on this at the <a href="http://scottish-photographers.com/a-year-of-creative-copyright/" target="_blank">Scottish Photographers</a> website.<br />
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So that's my message today - check the fine print. You can spend thousands of pounds on equipment and travel, put in hours and hours of effort and even take physical risks to get a good shot but there are plenty people out there who want to take your results for little effort, without paying you and to use for their own gain. Always read the Ts and Cs!<br />
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<br />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-47566702550422484452011-11-26T09:01:00.001-08:002011-11-26T09:36:41.581-08:00Competition UpdatesSo a quick update on the competitions I've been entering - I DID enter Outdoor Photographer of the Year, in the "Waters Edge" category. I put in three images - Bowfiddle Sunrise plus the Duncansby stacks and Lubnaig Reflections. It cost £5 but nothing ventured, nothing gained. <br />
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I was delighted when a week later I got an email telling me that I had been shortlisted in my category! Of course that is a hugely pleasing achievement as the competition is taken seriously by many very talented photographers, but of course to win... that would really be something. I'm crossing my fingers -the winners will be notified next week!!!<br />
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Wish me luck!AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-91197081656531235942011-09-03T06:01:00.000-07:002011-09-03T06:01:29.063-07:00Seeking Inspiration?Has success gone to my head? Having won the monthly Guardian competition, I thought why not enter a few more competitions?<br />
Normally I only enter free comps as I feel the ones that charge are a little like playing the lottery, only instead of being "idiot tax" it's "vanity tax". But... it dawned on me that the comps that charge will only attract very serious photographers. In other words, pay an entry fee to play against the big boys. So, I found the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition and decided to enter for £5. Looking at the past winners I was thinking "mmhmm, uhuh, yup, there's nothing there I coudn't do". Then... I spotted George Karbus's image - woah!!!! That's a cracker (the gannet underwater), but maybe a one off? Nope, clicking on his link (at the foot of this page, under "Inspiration"), he has many images that blow my socks off. What a photographer! His landscapes are fantastic but his in-the-water shots are breath taking! Go on, have a look.<br />
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Good aren't they? So did you just look at them or did you study them. The best way I have found to improve my photography is not to copy other photographers but to study their images and ask myself "why is that a great shot?", "what has the photographer done to make me go WOW!". With George it's the highly unusual subject matters, it's the popping colours, the dramatic angles, the clever techiques (slow exposures and great light for the landscapes, fast shutter speeds for the wildlife and water), it's the taking of images underwater which most of us just don't have the equipment for, it's getting eye contact from the animals he photographs and his ability to either show the creatures in their habitats or satisfy our curiousity by getting in close to animals we rarely see. And of course it's his amazing ability to compose a shot in a dynamic and constantly moving environment. All food for thought - now I just need to see how I can get those themes into my own photography!<br />
Here are a few examples of when I have managed this to some degree - though usually not consciously! No where near as good as George's but they show you can adopt themes without necessarily changing your own style.<br />
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AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-42198358286151433302011-09-01T12:50:00.000-07:002011-09-03T05:18:23.515-07:00Ah...Sweet Success<div><div><br /> I love winning competitions. Sometimes I win local competitions, sometimes online competitions with small entries. No matter how small the competition, I love the feeling that someone has looked at a collection of images and then decided "yes, <em>that's</em> the one I like".<br /><br />Art is so subjective and when you create it in a vacuum, it gets very easy to start feeling that maybe your work is only appealing to yourself. I love that I can create an image that inspires other photographers or is simply enjoyed by someone other than myself, but unless I win competitions, I stop believing that my photography has value. Definitely a mental weakness on my part - lack of self esteem, a need for validation, lack of confidence or a background that valued academic achievement above artistic creativity? Pick any of them..., but that's how I feel.<br /><br />Readers will remember (maybe) that last October I braved snow and gales and holidayed in Portknockie on the Banffshire coast, primarily to photograph the Bowfiddle Rock. One of the images I made then has turned out to be quite successful. This 'un in fact.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6kzqcL1qqGXl7m5M4RZ8hY0jHCS_B21Z5DdL0kwDY6Z6W09socrAERNLWOY-pLOqVkiE0OW93mxXsEMi6dmiCcpEMVHP7MFRmM2css0J3kvFAHCpM0kgEc5-MAwXd3vL3Ou1WiJjt-o/s1600/BowFiddle+Sunrise++Beach+-+Andy+MacDougall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px; height: 274px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647487086345655138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6kzqcL1qqGXl7m5M4RZ8hY0jHCS_B21Z5DdL0kwDY6Z6W09socrAERNLWOY-pLOqVkiE0OW93mxXsEMi6dmiCcpEMVHP7MFRmM2css0J3kvFAHCpM0kgEc5-MAwXd3vL3Ou1WiJjt-o/s400/BowFiddle+Sunrise++Beach+-+Andy+MacDougall.jpg" /></a> It won a competition at my local camera club and was described by the judge as "how to take a landscape photograph". He was a professional and he couldn't fault it. That made me feel great as I LOVE landscapes. So, I thought, why not see if this does well in other competitions - I entered it in the <a href="http://www.ourscotland.co.uk/potm/jan2011.htm">Scotland From the Roadside Forum</a> monthly competition (a tiny competition) and it won! It gave me more self belief. Last week I entered it into the Guardians travel compeition "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2011/aug/31/august-beenthere-competition-photos-landscape">Been There</a>", just to see if there was achance it could get into the short list. guess what? That's right, it won!!!!! The prize is a £200 voucher for a high qulaity photoprint site (I sense a canvas coming my way) and it puts me in the a group of 12 that will be judged at the end of the year to choose a winner who will go on a photo safari in South Africa! Very, very exciting - wish me luck! But for me, actually the biggest prize of all was the fact that someone chose my image over all the rest - It makes the early mornings and late evenings worth it!<br /><br />If you like it too, it's for sale as a limited edition at my sales site <a href="http://www.photoformywall.com/photo12197530.html">PhotoForMyWall.com</a>.<br /><br />I always like to finish these blog entries with a lesson learned. I guess this one is that you have to be in it to win it. And although I believe that art really is art so long as the creator of it feels it is, it also doesn't hurt to put it "out there" and get a virtual pat on the back.</div></div>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-88932190584618387542011-05-12T12:03:00.000-07:002011-07-18T14:27:16.907-07:00Dedication, that's all you Need... and LuckAfter many years of thinking about a trip up to the top Northern Coast of mainland Scotland, I bit the bullet this year and got it organised. It's been a hell of a few months - we've had illness in the family, my job was made redundant, I had to go for interviews and then (thankfully) start a new job and the only thing that has kept me going was that I WOULD, no matter what, get up north and explore a coast I've never been to.<br /><br />So, I booked a hire car (didn't want to thrash MY car) and 3 B&B's and off I set. We were just finishing the hottest April since records began and the heather was spontaneously bursting into flames. The police had warned people not to travel to Assynt (one of my destinations) but I was going, regardless. I booked a Friday and Monday off work and googled for every photographic opportunity I could find.<br /><br />Friday came. And the heavens opened. A bit miserable, I went for the car and off I set. Six and a half hours non stop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvwb8HJ0R0Ulc6IiFqlE5lhkHoN5ddPnJ4ftSQPH6y9T6XqZW6lgtJXZgDLjkRNfYvfy7_PoQ9JVc0N3nYnsn0KR6LZiWq2Py13BVfLzWoDdS60Yg3M-h0VL-nGw-At3cvhHp4Cp4AfE/s1600/IMG_3850.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630787523209044178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxvwb8HJ0R0Ulc6IiFqlE5lhkHoN5ddPnJ4ftSQPH6y9T6XqZW6lgtJXZgDLjkRNfYvfy7_PoQ9JVc0N3nYnsn0KR6LZiWq2Py13BVfLzWoDdS60Yg3M-h0VL-nGw-At3cvhHp4Cp4AfE/s200/IMG_3850.jpg" /></a> driving to John o'Groats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-FGr6_iXFMGJF2zknDLBy6zeBOvvQL5hIUkQDDu_mILGSq9xetqO66rZ6hodUAX_6aQDIBAc4txedcIs_Ce0Ad_xfA5tFvo92e0wES_qLY49K5j03j0jxsIeuiZ9HUbnnLPS1z6U3rc/s1600/IMG_3850.jpg"></a> and my determination paid off. the rain stopped and the sun came out! First stop Duncansby Head to see the often missed stacks. But, it was windy and a bit hazey and I couldn't do my slow exposure twilight shot. I snapped a few composition testers and waited for a sunset that hadn't come by 10:30pm. as I walked back I noticed the roosting puffins that i had missed on the way out. It was nearly dark but ramping up to ISO 1600 and snapped my first ever puffins. They would be grainy shots, but so what - puffins!!!! I resolved to return in the morning for sunrise and drove the half hour back to the hotel.<br /><br />At the car park for the lighthouse I couldn't resist an HDR shot of it. I just had to time the rotation of the light... In the end this looked very nice in colour with the twilight sky, but with strong contrasts I think the mono version is better.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630787756605453906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0EfaZ9RtgkbIjMoD8z5-58tz-SThYiPbyqQox5Z4l_oe5_ak99kEfqDAu6zqi5mj4LZVXuM19n09z4DQvl9DXBN55skhyphenhyphen_Rtx6MFXKS5QX7ENRiHjN0wDr69YrB7aKZhEwutQyeuwBY/s320/Dancansby+Lighthouse+BW.jpg" /><br /><br />I awoke at 3:30am (yes, I know!) and bundled myself into the car. The pavement was damp and it had been raining but it was dark and dry now, so off I set. Arriving at Duncansby Head lighthouse at 4am, I grabbed the tripod and camera bag and walked ontot he grassy headland. As the rain started again. I stood in the rain for an hour watching the sunrise ermm... watching the black night become grey day. By 5:30am I was soaked, my camera was still stowed in the dry bag and the wind was getting wild. Dispiritedly I trudged back to the car, miserable and cursing my luck. I climbed into the back of the VW polo and curled up under a rug to sleep. No other option than curling really, in a Polo.<br /><br />After 2 hours I awoke to the wind rocked car and the sound of a rainstorm battering the roof and gave up. Maybe the weather would be better along the coast...<br /><br />I drove to Thurso and stopped at the Tesco. I needed breakfast and they had a cafe. One giant bacon roll and a latte later the world was looking better. the woman on the counter told me that the forecast was for a dry afternoon. I walked to the car and the rain had stopped - I jumped in the car and set off for the far North East!<br /><br />So I didn't get my shot of Dumncansby Stacks, but later with a bit of Photoshop Magic I was able to give one of the test composition shots a bit of punch to get a dramatic image in greyscale.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630789221019216882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcJVAVTNwW8iJPxLjacxIF_GLPIDXEkzrpoBky0BYpJrQ2D0vNDMGPVvYjGK800L-dIOZMDHf4WmmzgK3_ZG-zxVsdcPXDVPxO9hP4OBhZfDKNElnhyjEH949NvK4jc_v453T0X4IMKA/s400/Stacks+of+Duncansby+Mono.jpg" /><br /><br />So the lesson from all of this? Yes, a bacon butty and a latte will fix anything.<br /><br />No, no, no - the lesson I learned is that even when the conditions seem hopeless, compose well and snap away, images can be saved in post processing. There is no such thing as a wasted trip - enjoy being outdoors, take what you can and scout for the next time you're going that way.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-82440521932826649692011-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:002011-01-23T08:31:28.839-08:00A Treemendous SubjectWhat is a good subject? Something that grabs your attention, it stands out, it's interesting to look at and is big enough in the frame for the viewer to see the detail. Trees fit the bill, from blossom details, to bark texture and twisted interesting shapes. I love photographing them and I have posted a selection at my website, <a href="http://www.photoformywall.com/portfolio149060.html">PhotoForMyWall.com</a>. <div><div><div><br /><div></div><div>Most people see, well..., just a tree. As a photographer you need to tell the trees story, have it set a scene, draw attention to it's life, how it affects it's surroundings. Once you start thinking of a tree as a living entity, you can starts to interpret it in an interesting way. </div><div></div><div>I have a set of images I took in a woodland that was terribly regimented and straight. The trees form and avenue, they get ravaged by deer sharpening their antlers and they <em>grow</em> beside rocks that have sat immobile for centuries. I try to think of the story of these trees, the shapes they form and I try to interpret them artistically. Here they are.</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 427px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565414084401901506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjor0cGh_Hw9jTh8zRU0GhLmCTCm4ZN3f8OlXtEHieanH0rmWDDHURnNZ2-aH77ALH04pijEkWZ8QH2I_wyTHg1dVL8aAptjfi2hD2GWfdAgU98xQNQM7GWCWUM15JVGgBAP5Gck4BZiHQ/s400/Straight+Tree+Triptych.jpg" /></div></div></div></div><br /><p>Out for a walk in the Borders I noticed a dry stone wall enclosing a wood. To me<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZreaCNIqRRHujHGC7MvTkftvdKnvvNvxLdTBUQSUENirNn6fH_blI8vmjNrrtrud13SSSOW5EATVGS18pYkQDoP_h7c_aw2sVpd8Nms6v3GlPJcWHbbxDKUEn6Q2Sp4xfr8jxd5unDWU/s1600/Holding+Back+the+Wild+Wood.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 328px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565408293352238274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZreaCNIqRRHujHGC7MvTkftvdKnvvNvxLdTBUQSUENirNn6fH_blI8vmjNrrtrud13SSSOW5EATVGS18pYkQDoP_h7c_aw2sVpd8Nms6v3GlPJcWHbbxDKUEn6Q2Sp4xfr8jxd5unDWU/s400/Holding+Back+the+Wild+Wood.jpg" /></a> they looked like corralled ents, stretching ther limbs out to freedom. They are vaguely threatening, massive and held back by such a low wall, dark forms, densely packed. OK it's a bit "out there" but I think you need to use your imagination if you are going to try to make an interesting image. i'm not saying taht anyone else will see the ents, but so long as I, as the photographer do, some of that interest may be created and others can interpret it in their own way.</p><p>So what about just creating a pretty scene? Does it have to tell a st<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iQVRtAvRQRxtqIoOa2KogEOOAIOkz4I9ZgRv8Un-2AEjZvd348jZweOJqCeY4KI-9WdvPFbcONDsG9bP-PAio34UnrOWvNxiLlsCI5gCO62zl5YCdfQPKznnIQYzk-BfTCCDkmHx0Q8/s1600/SunsetTree.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565410774352797106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iQVRtAvRQRxtqIoOa2KogEOOAIOkz4I9ZgRv8Un-2AEjZvd348jZweOJqCeY4KI-9WdvPFbcONDsG9bP-PAio34UnrOWvNxiLlsCI5gCO62zl5YCdfQPKznnIQYzk-BfTCCDkmHx0Q8/s400/SunsetTree.jpg" /></a>ory. Well, it can do both. Here is an image I took on a trip into the Bathgate hills last summer - it shows the warmth of the evening, and it tells a story at least to me. It reminds me of quite times alone in the hills, a place where I am happy and it reminds me now, in the depth of winter, how it felt to have the sun shine on my face. The story is a memory to me and hopefully it imparts an emotional response in others.</p>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-37676869491716010042010-12-11T08:53:00.000-08:002010-12-11T09:42:39.797-08:00Ooo..ooo..Snow..Snow!"Hooray, the snow is here!", I thought a couple of weeks ago, which in hindsight seems a tad masochistic. It snowed, and snowed here in Central Scotland, we got the deepest snow in decades and all traffic and transport cmae to a standstill for about 10 days.<br /><br />Beautiful it was though! Wonderful for landscape photography (if I could have travelled past the end of my street). When the snow falls, landscapes that were previously cluttered and busy are wonderfully simplified. Shapes become apparent and colour is removed from the scene -you have to think about your landscapes in an entirely different way. However, good lessons are learned, we should always to try to see the simplified compositions and then work to make them simple in the frame. Last year I took this image (I'm sure I've shared it before). It was of a rather boring scene that became full of simplicity and balance once the snow fell - and it's won or done well in several competitions to back that up. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQesShcitd9riFfu9OG3RMp_hasBqkz2rHAiPZ9K3zr3TCfIpL33xqr23ysrUESkAB01olVf9dpRLY59p7HltI5Fe_BdJdui5djvcMJcQ4xZkTGzMMX_pFElQ1RAPfRP87mHtqK_dEK4/s1600/Snow+Field+and+Trees+resized.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 142px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549478967524923586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQesShcitd9riFfu9OG3RMp_hasBqkz2rHAiPZ9K3zr3TCfIpL33xqr23ysrUESkAB01olVf9dpRLY59p7HltI5Fe_BdJdui5djvcMJcQ4xZkTGzMMX_pFElQ1RAPfRP87mHtqK_dEK4/s400/Snow+Field+and+Trees+resized.jpg" /></a><br /><br />But shooting in the snow is not easy - modern camears that work out exposures for you get muddled by all the white and underexpose terribly. This is because cameras try to balance every image to 18% grey and when all the scene is white, anything other than white becomes very dark . This is a very simplistic explanation but trust me, auto focus gets it wrong in the snow. You need to lengthen your exposure times from that which the camera tells you (which seems back to front to my mind) - but by how much? Well there are three methods I know of, here they are:<br /><br />1) Buy an 18% grey photographers card and take your exposure from that. It reflects 18% grey back to your camear in whatever lighting you are in and should equalise your exposure nicely. Personally I find this a bit of a faff (ie too fiddly).<br /><br />2) Take the picture but note what your cameras reading is. Then take it again with a higher ISO, larger aperture or slower shutter speed. Review in the viewfinders histogram (note that looking at the display will be difficult as you are outdoors in bright reflected light, so the histogram is essential). repeat, untill you happen upon the correct exposure. It's hit or miss and can take some time to get it right. Which is a bother if the snow fox has tun off by the time you get the exposure right.<br /><br />3) This is my favourite. Because it's easy. And I'm a lazy person. Set your camera to spot focus. zoom in (or go close to), a subject that is in the same light as your target, fill the frame with this and take an exposure reading off it. so if you have a person to photograph, you can take a reading from your own hand, so long as both are in the same light. Dial that setting into the camera on manual and start snapping away. It works a treat, you don't have to think or take anything with you and your exposure will beperfect every time.<br /><br />Of course you can cheat a bit too. Take it in RAW and you can adjust it on the PC afterwards. but try to get it as close as possible in camera - it will save you work and it will avoid you bringing noise into the image.<br /><br />Here's an image of young Oscar closing in on his prey (t<img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 224px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 315px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549478970221111538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtIDnjGr10MtZwQDFdjbZjJeDQqmgP_1V4l-tBnLWu3eB47V6E7Gm4zMnOJ2TC93-Oo1aSOff3lHfpQ3_iSAfkiLpjdisJ85LCJDxqBcWE6GgcuSaN7uIGAotbiIvlUi8feAJGvj0T-As/s400/IMG_2117.jpg" />he treat in my hand) - he's moving at high speed and I needed to be quick. The only way to do this was to have set the exposure in advance. I had zoomed in on his fur earlier on our walk and noted the exposure reading and set them in the camera. It worked well and let me adjust for a high shutter speed (by raising the ISO as I sped up the shutter speed or by widening the aperture)<br /><br />Finally, sometimes it's fun to play with the electric lights of winter or the "incorrect" settings of y<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IOCq9Xa0_wVqrSfWQ2kLasLMip-Etb9GVFAqbYqSCS2pBEVTyD1Bve8yjnmQO_mNs8nYznWMYuGE_a1BwtnU3dqYf9oUuoO7vQuJoAinYSp0DdNYA02mjHPVcQ7m1cyzBLccDx77dOY/s1600/IMG_2054.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 226px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 231px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549478978810693762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IOCq9Xa0_wVqrSfWQ2kLasLMip-Etb9GVFAqbYqSCS2pBEVTyD1Bve8yjnmQO_mNs8nYznWMYuGE_a1BwtnU3dqYf9oUuoO7vQuJoAinYSp0DdNYA02mjHPVcQ7m1cyzBLccDx77dOY/s400/IMG_2054.jpg" /></a>our camera. I took this (fairly uninspiring compositionally) image, with just the default camera settings, but see how the blue tint of evening on snow and the yellow tint of the sodium lights gave me a fantastic lighting contrast of orange and blue (jsut like CSI Miami does in nearly every frame - had you noticed that? Even carrot-top Horatio Cane nearly always wears blue to fit into the shows colour schemes.)<br /><br />Photography in the snow can be challenging with lighting and exposure and even getting to your subjects but it can also be very rewarding and reshapes the landscape. Thsi last image is of a churned up muddy field near my house that normally has absolutely no focal point or interest (in my view) - snow and lighting makes all the differenc<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sbggS1pdsF29iOiKcrMvfNJv88wAq7YM3SrveJWJH3Ru29VO5OpZUijhcoHIsxLL-hT4fXOElNpcj8c2cgmj95XcSjJeVWEryJSPBt8s0Kw6ZFPUONUN9WLXgLUlLq1q8LfO0jRh8Pk/s1600/Olive+Branch+Perhaps.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549478975333948402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sbggS1pdsF29iOiKcrMvfNJv88wAq7YM3SrveJWJH3Ru29VO5OpZUijhcoHIsxLL-hT4fXOElNpcj8c2cgmj95XcSjJeVWEryJSPBt8s0Kw6ZFPUONUN9WLXgLUlLq1q8LfO0jRh8Pk/s400/Olive+Branch+Perhaps.jpg" /></a>e.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-50026098158494022752010-11-14T04:21:00.000-08:002010-11-14T05:37:21.809-08:00Everyone should have a pet.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uKXBjKyLZ_qeTzs2H7wztcycmjUbZVjLorcKxXj9Um4aWDH9zjO9UjOeUZeHH8D6gnnBcnzfcD7tVqK3jx5UHxb7HkCud2nfsBHcn7_fSKq2OH85zNM0qemh5MLVGDbBuHRztNWx1s8/s1600/Satisfied.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 251px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539393542433544722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uKXBjKyLZ_qeTzs2H7wztcycmjUbZVjLorcKxXj9Um4aWDH9zjO9UjOeUZeHH8D6gnnBcnzfcD7tVqK3jx5UHxb7HkCud2nfsBHcn7_fSKq2OH85zNM0qemh5MLVGDbBuHRztNWx1s8/s320/Satisfied.jpg" /></a>As I was growing up I had, goldfish (one from a fair that lived 14 years), pigeons (they decided to adopt us and stayed for years) and eventually a hamster (a mutant from a genetics engineering lab experiment that went wrong I think - it was 2 or 3 times the size it should have been),... but I always wanted a dog.<br /><br />Earlier this year we bought Oscar, the Soft Coated Irish Wheaten Terrier. A bundle of fluffy fur, from which occassionally a long thin pink <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPctT500YeTegcZDpC6tMqwMuSCXojP6VWbKjOWM6FA3iitXoIMb4vfW0EAu18V13cuTmouTQiASMSuSu-TBMU7OfbrOVx2I_luH01DnMxH-3q6SR6-Qal0pDGdZzdPVwXVwjJ5Qt9cU/s1600/Here+I+Come.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539393108327333634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPctT500YeTegcZDpC6tMqwMuSCXojP6VWbKjOWM6FA3iitXoIMb4vfW0EAu18V13cuTmouTQiASMSuSu-TBMU7OfbrOVx2I_luH01DnMxH-3q6SR6-Qal0pDGdZzdPVwXVwjJ5Qt9cU/s400/Here+I+Come.jpg" /></a>tongue emerges and proceeds to soak your fingers. We had never had a dog before and were nervous that we wouldn't be able to look after him as well as we hoped, that he would wreck the house and that he would terrorise the children. Our youngest is 6 and we worried she was too young for a medium sized dog with enormous fangs and sharp scimiter like claws. But... we needn't have worried, they have become great friends and can often be seen, cuddling in the hall in greeting every morning, mini MacD with her arms out, Oscar on his hind legs resting his head on her shoulder. Neither prepared to let the other one go. This is the sight that greeted me yesterday as she chilled out watching some TV before our slap up weekend breakfast. So long as Oscar thinks he is human I think we should be OK. I'm just concerened that Daughter No.3 starts to think she's a puppy!<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 402px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539387311740385234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mPs7TikiiAMD1F3eLYYxgDH-fDF4B3wjj17WlGnALSR0-kAnenuO4s9y6IeCwVtljWOmNRaTurYadMmmGW6DW3yH2V2Lgj7Ux7aPtZmL6X-n_kwivOFIb0IdYYJ76g2EaaCurqrNfQ4/s400/Oscar+Pillow.jpg" /><br />It's not a great photograph, it was snapped with a little point and shoot but it <strong>IS</strong> a great subject and it reminds me to use photography to record memories. It's not always about the art.<br /><br />So if you are a dog lover, here are a few more images of Oscar Mild, and more importantly for me, a few memories of some happy walks we've had together lately <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbORVyQEI-GosHDrEYI_IeOWhyphenhyphenWAeh0YHpnUujOnml9Pfi3WgsfEN9OX-Cie7iw8Z81qIv-QrcpaewDhlp3zJ1So5wI_KQZJsnZy_CR7bIaiWmV0a6ZIVC-Agg3W0fWOl6cu36ECcZDM/s1600/Stay+out+of+the+What.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 181px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539393393324899826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbORVyQEI-GosHDrEYI_IeOWhyphenhyphenWAeh0YHpnUujOnml9Pfi3WgsfEN9OX-Cie7iw8Z81qIv-QrcpaewDhlp3zJ1So5wI_KQZJsnZy_CR7bIaiWmV0a6ZIVC-Agg3W0fWOl6cu36ECcZDM/s400/Stay+out+of+the+What.jpg" /></a>(some of these were taken by daughter number one, she's getting quite good at the togging!).<br /><br />This is a photography blog however, not just Oscars vanity page, so i should talk a little about pet photography here. The key thing in Pet photography, to my mind, is not so much exposure, focus and composition, (although of course they are important), but rather, character. The character of an animal must come out in a pet image otherwise it;'s just a picture of an animal, rather tahn a family member. With Oscar, these images have shown his love for the outdoors, the exuberance he greets every walk with and his love of water (at least I hope they do), lying on the sofa with daughter No.3, it aslo shows his soft side, that he is comfortable in our family environment and that he is a well adjusted wee pooch. I think that is more important than the slightly dodgy focus and lighting in that shot.<br /><br />How do you capture all this - the answer lies in getting down to eye level, catching the dog in candid moments doing what he<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539393246033955890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoeLXwoMSd9oWemG_Kl5JKOiZOlShVtxzafVx9vhcF3ps0KqatXtBO1a78-nNtudCU1s48tCalujfjfGNkS_5dRvDAXkRfYp9hoqS2Ba1uGnaYDv1tGQuINAv-ZpJo_nwwaoYWGgQlBI/s400/Cullen+Beach.jpg" /> loves best and (in most cases) getting eye contact. Altogether like photographing humans really!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 344px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 210px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539393684735149154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyY-3ltDI6yzAb-89AsrbOxgy8MwOkDrfRmAL_vXpOQI23rXhuNcSJF7_PEBGaQu3bgtl989UxbG-oP8fCSW_KlNXBHxu616s3mzo1eCGRlGGMlGF4V2Ioq81Jf-C1LP7dnkAACdJceu8/s400/What+a+view.jpg" />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-60862815118042073842010-11-13T02:48:00.000-08:002010-11-14T05:27:03.248-08:00Quoting SuccessIt's been a successful few weeks. First of all I won the "Photo of the Month" at one of the biggest Scotland focussed online forums (<a href="http://www.ourscotland.co.uk/">Scotland by the Roadside</a>) <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539372408331848466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWV3J0_gcbiKNFXfsy7LI44Fur3GSlPXruNz8skl_2nKijNYEWQkt6LVAtU1V0XAIEAx3sMpt_jWArLOlStPm6wMy9E0iHNfbuSirLefJFns0Z9Vl8LWTSGqsX-OkWPrj_6tr0BTtepk/s400/Pladda+Ailsa.jpg" />, next I received a request from my employer to use one of my images on their internal literature (<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzM1i164L3tqOYUL2QEWCubuBPQimDB0VWiA8-pDVPrYem13wx6xEyGL_Mf_bnKSC3n9lt56DDrJaITFHC6ELqmbR1WFNp39RpHXaxI-VEtZHYq8Sx_4yyghqa7-HLTa5V-LzFFhm2mo/s400/Loch+Lubhnaig.jpg">Lubnaig Reflections</a>) (alas, unpaid) and then I got my first critique back from my <a href="http://www.nyip.com/photography-courses/professional/">NYIP correspondence course </a>and was told that I had been given a merit award for my echinacea flower image - an honour that is only given to less than one in one thousand course work submissions. I was pleased with some of the images I made this month and posted them on my website (<a href="http://www.photoformywall.com/">PhotoForMyWall.com</a>) which has experienced a 40% growth in traffic this month.<br /><br />Now none of this sound momentous, but it doesn't have to be. I am trying to build momentum through small successes hoping this will lead to greater things. The learned 18th century dramatist and politician, Joseph Addison, who contributed to the direction of the Tatler and the Spectator periodical<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcU3IlQ7igva9g1XMwS8oXkEnUm1RWbgATeKdV4-C4zEj_SQjvMkY9yRueTdJurQ2hs7fY0q6jimwg3GBqmeQvNxi_m3KYF27_6JmnJz2lqLwdYj47oYSQYoKCxLqHzR4537YGTwR5jW4/s1600/Pink+Flower.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539373281161755330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcU3IlQ7igva9g1XMwS8oXkEnUm1RWbgATeKdV4-C4zEj_SQjvMkY9yRueTdJurQ2hs7fY0q6jimwg3GBqmeQvNxi_m3KYF27_6JmnJz2lqLwdYj47oYSQYoKCxLqHzR4537YGTwR5jW4/s400/Pink+Flower.jpg" /></a>s, once said "If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counsellor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius". In other words keep trying, learn from experience and believe in yourself. Trying to make a name for yourself in an artistic field, especially one so over subscribed as photography, requires great self-belief and perseverance. To be a success you need to be happy with your own work but you also have to bend to the dictates of fashion and ensure others are admire your work on their own terms.<br /><br />Above all, you need to get your work out there and be seen. There are many great photographers who's images are stored on hard drives or in cupboards and equally there are many very successful photographers whose images remain average but grace the pages of magazines that each and every one of us reads regularly. These photographers are the guys with a name, the editors "go-to guy", the guy with a reputation for reliability even if not for flair. As Woody Allan said "Eighty percent of success is showing up." and he wasn't wrong. If you consider that a big chunk of photographic success comes down to luck (either in being in the right place at the right time to make the image, or in getting your work noticed by the right people), that only leaves a tiny percentage to attribute success to talent and skill. So my take on this is that you need to put your work forward all the time to satisfy Woody, and pitch it in the right way to give Lady Luck a hand. I may or may not have talent and skill, depending on your perception, but I'll have a damn good try at getting what I have got, noticed.<br /><br />But these minor triumphs are not enough, after all American author Christian Nestell Bovee stated that "Small successes suffice for small souls" and while it sounds harsh, it's a valuable lesson. If you want to be great at what you do, you need to aim high. So my next steps are what? I continue to enter as many competitions as I can, to learn from the masters and to promote my work in the hope that those with similar tastes stumble across it. The other day I had the pleasure of chatting with <a href="http://www.peterpaterson.com/">Peter Paterson FRPS EFIAP MPAGB</a> ie a very qualified gentleman and picked his brains on aspects of photography that have had me stumped for while. For the second time in a year I was told by a luminarie that my basic technique is essentially the same as theirs, but the minor differences in technique are where their quality really shines through. I continue to learn from them. To treat each failure as an opportunity for learning and growing and each success, as an opportunity for learning and growing.<br /><br />So, having gained my successes in the last few weeks, I keep in mind that "Success is full of promise till a man gets it; and then it is last year's nest from which the birds have flown." - Henry Ward Beecher (politician, clergyman, social reformer and abolitionist) and I keep my eyes open for the next success to build upon the last one. Which leads me to my final quote, reminding us of the importance of taking one step at a time and enjoying the journey. While it is unattributed, it is as valid as these others, "Do not let big ambitions overshadow small successes."AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-15167552217666223342010-10-28T04:24:00.000-07:002010-11-06T04:29:11.566-07:00Portknockie's Other RockI felt pretty defeated about my night shoot, so next day I went out to cheer myself up. Oscar and I went for a climb down to the shore at Quineland to see the amusingly called "Shitten Craig". I can only guess at the name - it is a rock that has been turned white by the sea birds guano and is called in the guidebooks "White Craig". The more colourful name seems to be the local variant. Not as unusual as Bow Fiddle Rock, Shitten Craig is still a striking lump of stone. Huge, triangular like a sharks fin, white and covered in sea birds, the waves crash and break on it protecting the Portknockie natural harbour at Quineland . In the area a Quine is Doric for a girl, so I assume this was where the women worked at mending nets, gutting fish etc. I think only a lunatic would go out to sea around that wild coast so maybe it is appropriate that young lads are called "Loons". Oscar louped about the area and although he had great fun lying in the rock pools and climbing the cliffs, thankfully he stayed out of the big waves while I took a series of shots of the jagged coast. I got a few good ones as well, there is something about water, rocks and a lack of people that makes photography great fun.<br /><br />What did I learn on this shoot - the local tourist attraction may not always be the most photogenic, explore the quiet places and when a 3 stone dog runs over a grassy area, it doesn't mean that a 15 stone man can do the same without getting ankle deep in the bog. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536396717261464658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ9DBQmgU_vL7iqNtDihnYPKVfvFid2ID5ZfOaY3ElYzlwIjYWqRUAIEcNTo8N4LWM6TFqZxHsEeE-Nj_unNm6NSI5OoZ6fzeazxiYjO3I14jn8Lx0zwk6wvoMu_Mn5MhLvQ1voknxeI/s400/White+Craig+Rock.jpg" />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-67763706302568591812010-10-26T04:17:00.000-07:002010-11-06T04:23:48.488-07:00Night Time Adventures at the CoastWith changeable weather the photography in Banffshire was not easy, but I persevered throughout the holiday, visiting Bow Fiddle at all hours and spending time climbing down to Quineland and the rocky beach at Portknockie. On the second last night I went for a night shot of Bow Fiddle. Tripod, mirror lockup, bulb exposure, and torch to play on the rock and light my way home. All set for the picture in my mind of the rock on a misty calm sea (through a long exposure) with star trails above. Wrong. It was cloudy, darkness fell quickly, I misjudged the exposure very badly. Time to go back, except it was pitch dark by this time, I was cold and my torch would only let me see the grassy slope of the cliff behind me. In the dark, even with a torch, a grassy path looks exactly like a grassy slope. And a shallow slope looks awfully lie a steep slope. I hadn't expected that, but OK , going up should be the answer. With the waves crashing at my back and the slope in front of me off I set. The grass got longer, the ground boggier and my heart was starting to race. I felt really stupid and could see myself having to sit till dawn or call for help - far too embarrassing to do either. On I went, climbing a little in places until finally, my foot hit a firmer bit of ground and I could see it was the path. My second scary time of the holiday. It does you good to have wee adventures though :-)<br /><br />On my way home, walking through the quaint streets of the old town , I decided to salvage the evening and get some shots by street light. Setting up my tripod I didn't reckon on Highland Living. Almost im<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydsFShQnFPg2PJzlx7hk5el4KuoGTGVii6I3HU5i4-ue_WEGjHEShV7ZRg5vRGSqlrAzhtTTV1tpVBmxqYj5CToYqO8jo_um177iGL-asf02bJsZ3Ba2YfXyJA3Tx473bfNG8rhp6tCI/s1600/IMG_1313.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536395020837276962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydsFShQnFPg2PJzlx7hk5el4KuoGTGVii6I3HU5i4-ue_WEGjHEShV7ZRg5vRGSqlrAzhtTTV1tpVBmxqYj5CToYqO8jo_um177iGL-asf02bJsZ3Ba2YfXyJA3Tx473bfNG8rhp6tCI/s400/IMG_1313.jpg" /></a>mediately as I set up, an old lady, dressed very smartly and clutching a bible (no doubt to ward off heathen southerners) came beetling up to me - "Can I ask what your doing?". So I explained that the streets were very different from my home town and I thought there could be a nice photograph of the gable ends. "Hmm, one of these gable ends is mine!" she said pointedly. "Oh I'm sorry, I do hope you don't mind", I said, "I'm an amateur photographer and I think this town is beautiful". "Hmm", she replied, "Are you a church goer!". What to say… I reckoned the truth was probably best, I suspected she would see through any lies, "Not very often I'm afraid, just now and then" (mainly then I thought). "And what do you want to take a photograph for? Do you enjoy it?" (dripping scorn). "Yes" I replied trying to look as simple as she obviously thought I was. "Well, so long as you enjoy it", and off she went. I had been scrutinised, deemed as a an ungodly simpleton and she was probably away off to type up her report on me for the towns next municipal meeting.<br /><br />So I continued to set up and reckoned I needed a 4 minute exposure of the deserted street. 2 minutes into it, along came an older man, looking at the tripod and camera, looking at me… "I won't ask" he said. I figured this was exactly the sort of glib attitude that would have had the old lady crossing herself. I decided I like this one. "you can if you want, I'll only tell you" I said. But he didn't break stride and strode past calling "I'm off to the harbour, I'll ask if you're here when I come back". He returned about a minute later with a "Well?". So I told him about the shot, told him about competition photography and showed him what the results were like. In return he told me he had live there for 60 years and gave me the history of Portknockie. These are the people that are a joy to meet when you are out taking pictures. In the end the shot wasn't great (too many distractions I think) but it was an amusing end to my night shoot.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-47914328542995224322010-10-24T04:02:00.000-07:002010-11-06T04:16:45.648-07:00Banffshire WeatherWe had a great time exploring the area and just ignored the rain and the wind (and the snow, sleet and hailstones - really). Most of the time we managed to coincide our activities with dry weather. On one of the days we visited Crovie (or "Crivvy") as the locals say, in a howling coastal gale. Crovie is a tiny hamlet at the foot of a sea cliff, perched on a rocky ledge that some eedgit thought would make a handy place to build their house. The houses are 6 feet fr<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsnY9VHlQ8uba1G7WLn66YkAVRoO1ggpZkwIantNhmubJV1FqnVQLen1aWWMpKfDEewJaWjwknPjUJBljodGu9zlRKWGy5d4mst34pZH1ML6scs246NAlg4dWSSEMHCv_akpCQcTQAv4/s1600/IMG_1351.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 271px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536393193579840370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsnY9VHlQ8uba1G7WLn66YkAVRoO1ggpZkwIantNhmubJV1FqnVQLen1aWWMpKfDEewJaWjwknPjUJBljodGu9zlRKWGy5d4mst34pZH1ML6scs246NAlg4dWSSEMHCv_akpCQcTQAv4/s400/IMG_1351.jpg" /></a>om the sea and are built gable end on to the water so that the waves crash against the walls instead of the windows. You can't drive into the village as the road is too narrow. Well you can, but you would have to reverse back out again. We arrived at the car park situated on the cliffs above Crovie in driving rain and 70mph winds and got out for a quick look. Then we got back in again sharpish. The car was rocking in the wind and I was suddenly very aware of the roof box on top of it - visions of our cars wing being grabbed by the gale and the us being flipped out to sea ran through our minds. Of course you cant drive all that way and then sit in the car, so the intrepid Mrs MacD jumped out and walked to the viewpoint. Walked as in leaning into the gale while being drenched by buckets of rain water. As she stood there squinting, while the car rocked alarmingly and the kids were screaming and crying in the back, I decided enough was enough, the camera would not be getting out of it's bag. I honked the horn, repeatedly to tell her to get back in but due to the massive distance separating the car from my wife (20 feet) and the mad wind, she didn't hear. We rocked a bit more. Sometime suddenly and sickeningly. Children cried. Father tried to look calm and reassuring. Eventually she go back in and off we sped for a drive about inland. When the wind died down back we went and actually managed a couple of pics. I could not live there. Hats off to the people of Crivvy (probably through a gale flinging those hats 3 miles out to sea).<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 194px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536393332865877330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAJw2Zrye0PoPfxz-8so9gvLxasVNMjLbeLuFS50ceri3_agw0yqI2KiHZXMmK1S5J3LbGhLqQwcW1pGB6AJSeUYYCZP9Z5g0CITbrQskTCAUR_YKgTcQ5R388KVm8vvyYsYtUhw00vw/s400/IMG_1349.jpg" />AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-51696425156638494002010-10-23T02:06:00.000-07:002010-11-06T02:14:47.033-07:00Rugged Coastal AdventuresThis blog may be riddled with spelling typos - I'm only just getting the feeling back in my fingers. For the last week I have been clambering about the cliffs of the Moray Firth in the snow, hail and rain, while being buffeted by 70mph winds. I've been up at dawn hoping for just a wee hint of colour in the sky and stumbling about in the dark trying to get slow exposures shots. Oscar the dog has learned to climb (he's sickeningly good at it) and he's repeatedly helped me by sticking his furry wee head into the corners of otherwise well composed shots. On the plus side, when he leans against me it keeps my legs a wee bit warmer and, being a handsome wee brute, he's great for starting conversations with the locals to get a few wee location tips!<br />Always on the look out for a cracking location and a bargain, the family MacD was dragged (only partially willingly) to the ancient wee fishing village of Portknockie for the school break. "Is there anything to do in Banffshire in October" they innocently enquired. "Of course!" I replied enthusiastically. After all I thought (but didn't voice) there is Bow Fiddle Rock (an incredible sea arch), there's wind and big waves, there are freezing cold beaches with interesting sand patterns, there would be ramshackle tumble down buildings and rusty wee boats and maybe even some weather beaten fishermen mending nets and lifeboats fighting their way out the harbour! But instead I said "There are endless deserted beaches, we might see dolphins, there are seals, all the swing parks will be quiet, the comfort food is brilliant up there (mmmmm Cullen skink and butteries) and the fish and chips will be superb. Anyway I've found this cheap wee self catering cottage at a last minute bargain price." The words "cheap" or "bargain" always appeal to Mrs MacD and that was that, off we went. Kids crammed into the back of the car with the tripod at their feet, camera bag being carefully cradled in the lap of the well instructed and incredibly tolerant Mrs MacD, the dog in the boot and the cases in the new rooftop luggage box (or "wing" as it was shortly to become known). Just a quick wee jaunt up the A9, four and a half hours of 3 kids under 12 "playing in the back" and a sing along to the one CD we'd remembered to take. I have now learned that 6 year olds never tire of hearing the same CD over and over and over again. And again and again.<br />But after fixing our usual holiday flat tyre, and despite starting off late and having a wee break at Carrbridge to stretch our legs - mine were stretched in the direction of the bridge itself for a quick few snaps of a wedding party who were trying to walk over it in high heels (madness) - we made it to Portknockie in good time just as darkness fell and we settled into our wee cottage. I grabbed the dog and daughter number 1 for a quick walk around the area and made a beeline for Bow Fiddle Rock - which we would have oohed and ahhed at had we been able to see it in the dark. But the route and time to the rock were noted and the dog was walked so it was straight back to the cottage for pizza (yum).<br />I had great intentions of dawn starts every day but was knackered and decided to lie in the first day. And would have too if Mrs <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXnz0jigJzPSej6hq4vxil2emCiYurcr4cSXaiPI6WHtanwX0bQpTlamZ-0L2xxz-V-jF0UEBnSqBkwPJDB7JBinh64fbnczNWw4PLxilaUR22gZUfpT4ypKwqB9YYmZq_QTWwfUN2LI/s1600/Dawn+at+Bow+Fiddle+Rock.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536361845695315122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXnz0jigJzPSej6hq4vxil2emCiYurcr4cSXaiPI6WHtanwX0bQpTlamZ-0L2xxz-V-jF0UEBnSqBkwPJDB7JBinh64fbnczNWw4PLxilaUR22gZUfpT4ypKwqB9YYmZq_QTWwfUN2LI/s400/Dawn+at+Bow+Fiddle+Rock.jpg" /></a>MacD hadn't woken early, muttered what a beautiful pink sky it was and then rolled over back to sleep again. A beautiful pink sky, eh? What if it rains for the rest of the week (remember Glencoe this time last year)? Damn. Up I got, ran down the stairs and walked briskly to Bow Fiddle. I was there by 7:30am and snapping away. It really is superb. By the time the pink had left the sky and the rock was just rock coloured again, it was 9am and I was able to get back to the house in time for coffee and breakfast, with my shots in the can. Brilliant. And just as well. The next few days saw me ducking in and out of the house every time the weather stopped landing with force upon the town, and trying to get better shots of the rock and the harbour area. I never did get really good light for Bow Fiddle again, so another valuable lesson learned - never squander the light!AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-85877754221460142492010-09-18T04:48:00.000-07:002010-09-20T10:11:33.216-07:00Photographers RightsSo, a quick update to my last post about Event Photography. Having taken my shots and having set up my sales site, I was almost instantly emailed by Pedal For Scotland's repreentatives telling me that as I had no licence to take images of their event, I was in in breach of copyright. They asked me to take my images down and wanted to know how much I had made ( I think they wanted recompense).<br /><br />I was shocked. I had no idea I needed a licence. I couldn't see how my original images were a breach of copyright. But they are big and I am small, so rather than have a fight on my hands, I removed my images and let them know it was too early for me to get any sales - once removed though I got over 90 people visiting my site in the space of 9 hours, looking for images I could no longer sell them!!! How frustrating and professionally embarrassing!<br /><br />So we came to an arrangement amicably and I was suddenly in a situation where my efforts had counted for nought. I have since been thinking about this and doing some research.<br /><br />I did not copy anyones photos, I took images in a public place of a publicly available event. So no copyright breach. I did not have a license to take images for Photo For Scotland. No. But I did not need to have a licence to take photos for myself and market them as my photos of a public event. I was not claiming to have the official souvenir images. I did not NEED a licence. So in other words I have been bluffed and brow beaten. Am I going to do anything about it, I could conceivably sue for loss of earnings... but... this was a charity event. My hope is that the official photographer is at least giving some if not all of the proceeds to charity. I do not need battles like that this early in my attempts at event photography BUT I do want to put it out there that photographers do not NEED to back down to the big boys.As far as I can tell you are within your rights to take photos in any public area unless you are threatening national security or there is a specific legal reason prohibiting you.<br /><br />I have included here a link to <a href="http://www.sirimo.co.uk/2009/05/14/uk-photographers-rights-v2/">an excellent website</a> run by the director of Photography for iStock, which is one of the worlds biggest Stock Photography companies ie a company that wishes to protect freelance photographers. The site has a Q&A section with legal advice. Excellent!<br /><br />If you are looking to do Event photography, my advice is:<br />1) Know your rights!<br />2) Contact the organisers and get permission to photograph AND sell images of their event- you may have to pay a licence fee but if so you should get an official pass to the back stage areas. Communication is the key here, it is poilte and it keeps everyone on side.<br />3) Start small. Photograph events where the organisers will see you as a friend that will help them promote their event, not see you as a rival.<br />4) Foster good will - if you take images one year, give the organisers a few prints for their next years advertising. It costs you nothing and goes a long way to giving you the edge in future.<br />5) Go out and enjoy it - it's great fun!AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-42628850187488493892010-09-16T08:41:00.000-07:002010-09-16T09:44:03.209-07:00Event Photography - Pedal For Scotland<div><div>I had no idea how much hard work photography can be. I mean, physically. <div> </div><div>On Friday I heard that Pedal for Scotland (a 51mile cycle run between Glasgow and Edinburgh) was taking <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJUfyzkx6weQh09G8V0pGou1yCdkBqInHjWnV8opRjQtX9DSHLmC8ZPXcP1Gbo_ScHicT4d1JOGmmcY1pu8ar0Fk0TCa9wnBIasNpSU2Mz0j-9qXOollTvKSQhwRh3wGSfbU9if3IGKU/s1600/IMG_9535.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517546548405742466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJUfyzkx6weQh09G8V0pGou1yCdkBqInHjWnV8opRjQtX9DSHLmC8ZPXcP1Gbo_ScHicT4d1JOGmmcY1pu8ar0Fk0TCa9wnBIasNpSU2Mz0j-9qXOollTvKSQhwRh3wGSfbU9if3IGKU/s200/IMG_9535.jpg" /></a>place on the following sunday. I though, "why not go along, get a few snaps and see if any of the cyclists would like to buy them off me, it might be worth it for pin money towards my next lens" (I REALLY want that 100mm-400mm Canon L zoom - just a couple of grand!!!). Little did I know what I was getting myself in for!</div><div><br />It turns out that pedal for Scotland is the biggest mass cycle in Scotland - this year 9000 cyclists took part. I found this out on Friday afternoon and started to doubt how I could practically cover this. In the end I thought, "Just have a go, it might be fun". So Sunday morning off I set (missing my usual Sunday big breakfast, grrr!) and got to a spot just outside Kirkliston that one of my cycling mates had told me about. A nice shaded area (less contrasty shadows at the expense of a slower shutter ), at the top of a steep hill (slower cyclists, working hard, out of the saddle and nicely strung out), just past Kirliston (3o mins drive fro my house - yay!). I was there 45 mins ahead of the first cyclist and had time to scout out a good spot and even ask a local to pose for a couple of snaps while I worked out the exposure from a reflected light reading from him. The<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-ONq-XjVYh3d0FEY389-mjUpGi0V345bKI1rHoRJ1L0JKH4xtMC2qZ9088Bgj8WgqbbsGVcETri4B4A7ZWQ9jIjGXaa8OzzC2SRzKNb8gu2mzPXUywuH2d7g-31pH0ctJ3Jx1DWF9ig/s1600/IMG_9608.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517547555735047234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-ONq-XjVYh3d0FEY389-mjUpGi0V345bKI1rHoRJ1L0JKH4xtMC2qZ9088Bgj8WgqbbsGVcETri4B4A7ZWQ9jIjGXaa8OzzC2SRzKNb8gu2mzPXUywuH2d7g-31pH0ctJ3Jx1DWF9ig/s200/IMG_9608.jpg" /></a> lighting was difficult though - contrasty, as the sun kept poking through gaps in the trees and I had to make the brave decision to shoot manual exposures.</div><div><br />About 10am I heard a "whoop!" as the first 3 cyclists - obviously comfortably miles ahead of everyone else - came battering up the hill. Big smiles from two of them and I got to talke my first shots. It was exciting! I knew this was thhe start of thousands of cyclists coming my way. And it was. in fact, over the next 3 hours 45 minutes, I took over 3800 images. That's one every 3.5 seconds, manually exposing, auto focussing, manually zooming in and out. It was frantic and full on for hours. The barrel of the zoom actually got hot to the touch. Several cyclists stopped beside me to rub cramped legs (theirs not mine!) and I was embarrassed that I too was cramping up. My back was sore, I had been holding my camera aloft (elbow above my head) and rotating the zoom continuously for hours. Doesn't sound like much. Go try it. My camera weighs 3.5 kilos, so get a bag, put two 1.5 litre bottles of water and a packet of butter in the bag and hold it up so the top of the water bottles are level with your eye. Stay that way for 3.5 hours. See what I mean? Twice my hand cramped, once enough to make me yelp, and three times my right arm cramped up. Exhausting. And my cheeks hurt. For some reason I was smiling at every single cyclist as I snapped away at them - I was having a blast. And oh, the Glasgow banter, as they struggled up the steepest climb of the course - "dinnae send me the photae, send it tae ma wife, she can put it oan the coaffin!".</div><div> </div><div>About 1:4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtVJtKFia7ULAtMJiIwBa2I9dMoK8ZinyBEWSijfqaeJot5w63g4_XS63H8Msa9hjBzVTC8HT2eh6iqePvuue5e8jGlwpM_ARPJiIezyGS5Da4fBmtyWBvNiT2JVlYlVSIeoikXIPQdA/s1600/IMG_9707.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517551851897979122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtVJtKFia7ULAtMJiIwBa2I9dMoK8ZinyBEWSijfqaeJot5w63g4_XS63H8Msa9hjBzVTC8HT2eh6iqePvuue5e8jGlwpM_ARPJiIezyGS5Da4fBmtyWBvNiT2JVlYlVSIeoikXIPQdA/s200/IMG_9707.jpg" /></a>5pm I couldn't physically do any more. Cyclists were streaming through but I had to go home (I'd also promised to be home by 12:30pm, oops). I actually felt awful that people were struggling on and I wasn't going to be there to give them the opportunity of a momento.</div><div><br />So that was that. Err... no... How would people find my photos? I had to look at each photo (!) remove the blurred ones (about 10%, not too bad) and then sort each one by bib number into a folder so that the cyclists could fine their images quickly, and then upload them to my sales site (<a href="http://www.photoformywall.com/events">www.PhotoForMyWall.com/events</a>). 4 days. 4 days it took, including me taking time off work on Monday to do it, and the 32 hour image upload, with my wife starting off various batch jobs.</div><div><br />And then I realised I had a competitor, a big fancy company with loads of photographers. They took far more images than me, but not any better quality (I think). I actually got my images loaded up ahead of them, and I charge 65% of their price because I'm not looking for profit, just hobby money, but they can advertise. So I am up against it. I have tweeted, joined forums, facebooked and flickered. Now, I need to wait and see if I sell (m)any. Either way, one of my main targets was to boost traffic to my landscape photography website, and after 4 days, traffic is up about 1000% so that at least has made it worth it. I'm hoping for multi pound sales, if I'm lucky.<br /></div><div>It's been an experience, and I will probably aim smaller next time, but I'm delighted - idea to shoot in 48 hours, to product available for sale and marketed 72 hours later. Not bad, and I've been able to compete with the big boys and hold my head up! Now, if I can just get the feeling back in my arms, all will be well again.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 133px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517547192021563746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHS_wod0gvxcs88L5Pz3uOf1wE6Dq3ogTGozBhnPU9EvhaDAvYHDf7kStUTsCKVRHtVeaAQzKyTfgiyvcoZuvzCs22meTXpZrkVkY980n-L6MEnwajjncb2_FYRDRffmz9oozY90MggY/s200/IMG_8299.jpg" /></div></div></div>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-85036652902702270602010-06-26T03:07:00.000-07:002010-06-26T04:12:12.601-07:00Walking Season<div>The sun is shining, the sunsets have a warm glow, interesting shadows abound. At last, summer. Apparently we skipped spring after a 6 month winter this year (it snowed at some time in every month in West Lothian from November 2009 to April 2010!). I dont remember that happenning before.<br /><br />But here we are, it's time to get the hiking boots on and start yomping about the countryside, looking for new locations. To make it even more fun, I bought a dog over the winter (for about the cost of two lenses - did I do the right thing!!). So, as I hadn't seen my trusty<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML7NhiRcMdbHk_cWpWCIasUxt1iqY7xIFzX4qvbPorfPmXAZxnZGm_LKU1I9otDqJtlKgLvL-tUW_fs97GIZj2nxnFCe8VnQ5Ws2drPCajOpHzQUddo8BdqpM3OXcpuCK86itnjRgdHA/s1600/IMG_3884+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487038234806627810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML7NhiRcMdbHk_cWpWCIasUxt1iqY7xIFzX4qvbPorfPmXAZxnZGm_LKU1I9otDqJtlKgLvL-tUW_fs97GIZj2nxnFCe8VnQ5Ws2drPCajOpHzQUddo8BdqpM3OXcpuCK86itnjRgdHA/s200/IMG_3884+-+Copy.JPG" /></a> native guide, TB, in quite a while and she was keen to see the new pup, I asked her to show me a part of Edinburgh that I've always wanted to visit but had never found the way into - the Cammo Estate.<br /><br />You've probably seen it if you've driven from Newbridge to Barnton. The big tower on the left with no apparent purpose. I've always found it curious and wondered if Rapunzel was up there waiting for me to give her hair a wee tug. So, font of all geographic and historical knowledge TB came to the rescue - she's been hiking round there for years.<br /><br />Cammo is an ancient estate that was deliberately run down to ruins by the last owner before being set on fire by vandals in the 1970s. It was a huge estate with many ancient building, the grounds were the first landsca<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8-o9la-RYzTE8jEi8K3OHnL2cml2ARBuCRBO2H_WnFXlzjSiLvMXzQhiggQYNbhh2mxCC6FK5JdtMIpF5MStphmSqDpBYwzAiwUhk8VALCn43-QdFoz45DE6Ifw-QZTVpuZG5UZW-aI/s1600/Cammo+Tower+and+Hll.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487036143633066866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8-o9la-RYzTE8jEi8K3OHnL2cml2ARBuCRBO2H_WnFXlzjSiLvMXzQhiggQYNbhh2mxCC6FK5JdtMIpF5MStphmSqDpBYwzAiwUhk8VALCn43-QdFoz45DE6Ifw-QZTVpuZG5UZW-aI/s400/Cammo+Tower+and+Hll.jpg" /></a>ped gardens in Scotland and the great tower I had seen from the road was a water tower. Only the tower remains in it's former glory, the rest has been reclaimed by nature and dog walkers. We had a good walk around the place, with the wee pup, Oscar having a whale of a time bounding throughthe long grass an dpretending to be brave. TB told me that the place was supposed to be haunted buut would tell me no more. Consider my interest piqued! On the way round I spotted 3 angles that though would make good images (no camera with me!!!!) and decided I would return soon.<br /><br />3 days later, having read up on the ghost stories (masochist!) off I set, sans dog, avec camera. No sign of the white lady, the man in the top hat or the phantom dogs, but I did jump at every rustle in the bushes and tried to laugh at myself. It can be a lonely and spooky feeling place! First up was the main shot the classic scene of the tower itself. I was lucky and found some tractor tyre lines through the crops to act as lead in lines and was torn between a slow shutter speed to blur the wind blown crops and clouds scudding in the sky or a fast shutter to freeze the detail of the foreground crop leaves. So, this is a digital world and shots are free - I took both. In the end I went somewhere in the middle and got a little movement in the crops and some pretty nice clouds. Very pleased with the shot in the end.<br /><br />Next I struck out for the tree covered hill, aiming to use a couple of low hanging<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6hSd3CkF1CX7WKH0JMKlHOA4H-ad8e3sZb6KvkY1mP_HSHUQUzLyOrteZOzc4XF4ABlSAJ-zpkN7R6_oVgMXlNsLy22rHRc9o01JPIqykLdWZLils8jORK0Hf8qFH4EY_B540bHaR44/s1600/Cammo+Tower.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487036515056978162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6hSd3CkF1CX7WKH0JMKlHOA4H-ad8e3sZb6KvkY1mP_HSHUQUzLyOrteZOzc4XF4ABlSAJ-zpkN7R6_oVgMXlNsLy22rHRc9o01JPIqykLdWZLils8jORK0Hf8qFH4EY_B540bHaR44/s320/Cammo+Tower.jpg" /></a> branches and tree trunks to frame the tower. Hmmm... didn't work out as I had envisaged it. Never mind. I reckon a summer early morning could be good though if you could get some mist shrouding the tower. On the way back I thought about an arty shot, using the wide angled lens to curve the tower round the trees on the hill. It needed to be HDR though to get the detail in the stone. It works quite well but I thought it was a wee bit cheesy. Still, a keeper.<br /><br />Last shot was back down by the car park where there is a meadow with some ancient and impressive trees. The sun was nice and low by now, kissing the leaves of the trees with bright warm light and I rattled off quite a few shots from different angles. Finally, when I was happy with the composition, I decided to counteract the strong contrast of the late sun by taking another HDR shot (or seven shots to be precise). There was a little wind and this, combined with the movement of the clouds gave the whole seen a slightly soft but pleasing feel. I often use the minor movements between HDR shots to give a softened other-worldly feel to an image. Not what HDR is designed for, but I like it! another shot that I was pleased with.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487036799032954178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy0htSqAjj_8dZRSfbiBusO7jLM7LGs9Q7IGLcpzuGkn9Cenrc6wvL1LJW8QG3NC1kXxo9m3i0PjzK_ey2AIe-cbacefdCNVNl5CuMWWQk-A1cn8chlq21BaP4fQOUssLxlev59rGdgI/s400/Cammo+Trees.jpg" /><br />So I went for three shots, got two of them and a new one and all good enough to sell on my website <a href="http://www/PhotoForMyWall.com">PhotoForMyWall.com</a>. That's a pretty good strike rate and really brings home the value of walking the scene and envisaging your shots ahead of photographing them. In all, the whole shoot took less than an hour, which is incredibly fast work.<br /><br />I liked Cammo. Me and the dog will be back, again, without the camera.</div>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-36829457890071243482010-03-09T04:31:00.000-08:002010-03-09T04:37:01.613-08:00Inspirational PhotographyI've mentioned it before, but I am a member of the New York Institute of Photography. In fact I am a student there (distance learning). I am woefully poor at getting on with the lessons and the hand ins but I DO like to take part in the forum. Recently, to celebrate 100 years of teaching Photography, all of us Forum members, were asked to take part on a project by selecting our best shot of 2009 and sending it in. The best 100 would be chosen and added to a slideshow to promote NYIP. I was delighted that my image was amongst the 100 - here is the video/slideshow.<br /><br /><div><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/48LfXC17_bc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/48LfXC17_bc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object><a href="http://www.nyip.com/?code=D29">Check out NYIP.com for more great photography tips!</a></div>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-42244390269085442022009-12-14T05:12:00.000-08:002009-12-14T05:52:53.724-08:00Getting your images out there!So, why do we take fine art photographs and what are they? <br /><br />Everyone will have their own interpretation - to me, "fine art" photographs are images that are not record shots or family shots or holidays snapshots - in other words images where composition, aesthetics, message etc are considered consciously by the artist or the viewer.<br /><br />So why take them? I think there are a few reasons:<br />1) Self expression and artistic outlet.<br />2) Charting ones own progress as a photographer<br />3) Creation of art<br />4) Gaining recognition and/or noteriety<br />5) Sharing our view of the world<br />6) Provoking thought/getting our message across.<br />7) Money (ha!)<br />8) Provision of an aesthetic.<br /><br />To me the most important reason is to allow an artistic outpouring of creativity that is missing in my life otherwise. I do also write poetry but it is truly awful, far too embaressing to publish and makes the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogon">Vogons</a> look like Wordsworth. If no-one else ever saw my images I would get just as much joy from taking them and using them to remember the fun I had in the process of taking them.<br /><br />Having said that, I like my ego to be massaged, I like to be flattered and most importantly I like to feel that I am learning, so I enter competitions, lap up any praise and try to improve based on the critiques I get. I measure my success by the marks and positions I am given. Of course if I don't do well, then the judge is obviously new to this and not a particularly bright fellow.<br /><br />And of course, if I could turn a couple of bob from it all that would be grand too. After all photography is an expensive business, equipment costs a bomb, software is rediculously expensive and even printing costs a fair bit when you go above A4 (And pictures always look a lot better at A3 - even snaps become fine art if you print them big enough!) So how do you make money from your fine art? There are plenty of sales sites on the Web, but it's just not that simple. There are too many! Why should someone find <strong><em>your </em></strong>image instead of mine?<br /><br />Like anything in sales, it comes down to marketing. You have to <strong><em>get your images out there</em></strong> and in everyones face! Recently I stumbled across one of the many blogs run by "<a href="http://money4photos.blogspot.com/2008/02/making-money-from-photos-step-one.html">1 Green Thumb</a>". This is a dude with a plan! He has lots of tips and hints on how to turn your hobby into a little cash and offset the costs of some of those lenses. My take on his message is that you snag viewers (potential customers) and boost your rankings by connecting to lots of websites through holding many of your own. You interconnect your websites and form a trawling net and point the whole lot at your main sales vehicle.<br /><br />It all seesm to make sense to me, but being only partially able at techy computery things, and having been scared to dip my toe in the water in the past I'm still a little daunted. <em>But</em>, I've been inspired and so I am following his plan. This blog is the first step, the second step is to build myself a free web page - here is mine so far "<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/andymacdimagesofscotland/">AndyMacDs Images of Scotland</a>", which I am aiming to complete next month in January 2010. Then it's on to a Flickr account, Adsense and so on.<br /><br />I'll keep you posted on how I get on. In fact once I'm up and running I'll keep a tally on this blog of how much cash I make. Let's see, what have I spent on photography so far... probably about £2500-£3000. So I'm 3 Grand down at the start. I might have to sell a lot of images and get you guys to click the Adsense banners an awful lot! Who knows, in time, it may become a multipound industry. But for now (and for tax purposes) it'll stay strictly a hobbyist income to help with my materials.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-46362477440906439332009-12-08T14:33:00.000-08:002009-12-08T15:20:41.555-08:00A Fair Weather PhotographerSo what weather do you like to go shooting in?<br /><br />Most people think a bright summers day with blue skies is ideal, and it does provide great bright light to freeze action shots, but...<br /><br />Recently I went to a talk by one of the Paisley Colour exponents - <a href="http://www.gdpu.co.uk/galleryguest.htm">Robert Fulton</a>. Robert is simply excellent at landscapes - he not only is compositionally spot on, but he also has the gumsheon to get up early for morning shots, is technically excellent, and is willing to stand up to the welly tops in icy cold rivers for a shot of a frozen tree as viewed by the ducks (which are at this point huddled together on dry land).<br /><br />The point is, Robert <em>never</em> shoots on summers days. In the summer he is pottering in his garden enjoying the sunshine. His cam<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gTcCgNg5x0HMFHclivNmRWjsnxkdUipmJAJJHwwKszsffe8JlpiFqJoR96-enHqRcjKG1W3yjjsIj0_uLPC-v2G7SV8Ia2M5nsEY-3Ss-DX8BH5O5rknLhnbextmIagTuezOIX0H3Ds/s1600-h/Tree+Waves.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413005239450583986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gTcCgNg5x0HMFHclivNmRWjsnxkdUipmJAJJHwwKszsffe8JlpiFqJoR96-enHqRcjKG1W3yjjsIj0_uLPC-v2G7SV8Ia2M5nsEY-3Ss-DX8BH5O5rknLhnbextmIagTuezOIX0H3Ds/s400/Tree+Waves.jpg" /></a>era is resting in his kit bag. He only photographs in the autumn and winter. He takes most of his images on cold frosty or misty mornings when the sun is struggling to get through the cloud, colours are strong but subtle and the light is diffuse. As a result he takes incredibly atmospheric images. My own best shots are taken up the hills when no-one is there , between storms, when the sky is black and the sun is low and lighting the foreground.<br /><br />I was lucky enough to have a chat with Robert and to my delight discovered that not only does he have the same gear as me (unusually NOT shooting with a full frame sensor) but he also takes the images that I aim for wonderfully well, uses photoshop with the same ethos that I do and seeks out his subjects in much the same way I do in the location that I had earmarked for the coming years' photography. He certainly gave me something to aim at! On discussing his set up for landscapes I found out that our work flow is almost identical - almost...<br /><br />We both shoot in aperture mode almost exclusively, using a tripod and preferring the 2 second delay to the fuss of a remote release, we both use hyperfocal depth of field, we both use polarisers and warm up filters and we both post process by masking areas and playing with exposure, shadow/highlight and contrast to bring selective areas of our images up or down.<br /><br />So what were the differences? That is aside from his skill, eye and experience:<br /><br />1) I tend to use f/11 or so to reduce chromatic aberation at the expense of sharpness in the distance. Robert said "What's chromatic aberation, I don't bother worrying about that - use f/22. play around with your digital camera and compare the results, see what works for you". Well, f/22 here I come - the huge difference between his images and mine was the critical sharpness at a distance.<br /><br />2) I'm an evening person, taking most of my landscapes at dusk, conversely Robert gets up early (only shooting in the autumn and winter due to the later sunrises), drives for an hour or so to his favourite spots and then waits for the sun to start to come up. The result, soft colours, golden glows and atmospheric mists on cold morning (no doubt he also suffers a lot of dissappointing wasted trips, but we won't dwell on those). Mist is Roberts trademark and he makes GREAT use of it.<br /><br />3) Finally, I wait for my shot, take the image and move on. Robert tends to bracket his exposures, rattle off a few shots, wait for the light to change and do it again. He gets lots of similar images and is able to choose the best from a batch of quality images.<br /><br />So I got what I hoped for from his talk, and more - tips, inspiration and best of all I learned something that was directly relevant to my own photography. I learned that I need to strat getting up earlier in the morning and I learned that "bad" weather is the landscape photographers friend.AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8029907727850938595.post-67112603763510097792009-11-10T04:44:00.000-08:002009-12-08T14:33:27.885-08:00Charitable ToggingEvery year my daughters school does a fund raising event where kids parents and teachers travel to the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and scare themselves silly going over the aerial assualt course, 100 feet above the arena's stone floor. It's a terrifying accomplishment for many of them - every year someone decides to confront their fear of heights and give it a go.<br /><br /><div>Last year I went along to support friends, took my camera along and snapped away for fun. The pictures came out OK and I ended up sticking them on a CD and giving them to the school, license free. I figured that they could use the images to advertise for future years fund raising or, because I had been careful to get a picture of everyone who did the course, they could charge a couple of pounds per image and make a little more money. In fact the school has a projector an for a few days after the event they projected my images on a conutinual cycle for the kids to see as they moved between classes, which went down well with them.<br /><br />This year however I approached the event with a little more trepedition - daughter #1 had decided to give it a go. I spent a sleepless night worrying about her and picturing her falling off. Still, she was mad keen, so off we set on Sunday to the arena. Happily there were no falls, alt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xj2KwsG1_giXoQUl227HarAPNffyl1dxSTXdVNiQRiH9shPh_augRjMsXXP_Bt84GJSCNu3CfXLeB90SU-FOAP1psYCdOCywCKr0FsPe_3Bx9RJifmX6YPY7Hvxf8HvPTeZIzicO3mc/s1600-h/IMG_1205(sized).jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412996659573303410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xj2KwsG1_giXoQUl227HarAPNffyl1dxSTXdVNiQRiH9shPh_augRjMsXXP_Bt84GJSCNu3CfXLeB90SU-FOAP1psYCdOCywCKr0FsPe_3Bx9RJifmX6YPY7Hvxf8HvPTeZIzicO3mc/s400/IMG_1205(sized).jpg" /></a>hough there were tears from some but everyone made it round. I found out that instead of charging for my images last year, the school had emailed my images out to all the participants - no charge (which was an opportunity missed for them) and no acknowledgement of the photographer (which was an opportunity missed for me). So my charitable gesture of providing a free photography service and licence free images, was neither exploited or recognised - shame.</div><div></div><br /><div>So... having taken the images again this year, I considered adopting a different approach. Giving the school 72ppi low quality images with my <a href="http://www.pbase.com/andymacd/root">PBASE web address </a>added at the bottom and then adding the images to my website with an option to purchase the full size prints for a fee (most of the proceeds to the school, and a small amount to cover costs to me.) I considered it..., but fell at my usual hurdle. I love taking images but I can't be bothered putting in the work to turn a buck. Lazy boy.</div><br /><div></div><div>So the question is, if you are able to turn a thing you love into a job, by turning it into a job do you lose the love?... Should I try to pursue a career that could turn me off the thing I am passionate about? </div><div></div><br /><div>For now, I'm happy to keep enjoying the photography and I assume that once I am good enough to satisfy myself (and I'm a hard task master!), I won't have to try too hard to actually sell my images. I may be dreaming :-) but at least I'm enjoying myself!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>AndyMacDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01744642608068826903noreply@blogger.com0