Photo Tuition Gift Vouchers

Merry Christmas to you all and wishing you a happy New Year.

Many of you will have received One-to-One photography tuition gift vouchers for christmas, and may be wondering about the best way to go about using them. Now, assuming they're for tuition with me, here's what you do...

The voucher entitles you to a 4 hour tuition session, at a location of your choice. If it's in the Brentwood/Chelmsford/Romford area, there are no further costs involved, if you'd like to meet outside these areas, I will make a small charge for travelling.

Have a think about what you would like to cover during your time with me, and start making notes of any questions you may have, to ensure you get the most from the session. Decide what time of year would suit you best, don't feel you have to use the voucher straight away. If you want to wait until Spring or Summer, that's fine - there's no expiry date for the voucher.



Give me a ring, or email me, to arrange a date, time and location for your session. Feel free to discuss anything at this time, as it's better that we both know what you would like to get out of the tuition before we get started. I am available any day of the week, but please be aware that I run workshops and also work for Essex Wildlife Trust on certain days, including weekends, so you may need to be flexible with your chosen date.



I can cover all sorts of requirements during these tuition sessions, whether it's getting to grips with the basics of your camera, or how to approach composition, or more specific themes like close-up or macro photography.



The whole point about 1-2-1 tuition is that you should get as much as possible from the time you have with me, so make sure you ask lots of questions, take lots of notes (even if they're just taken mentally), and above all enjoy yourself!


Apologies for re-using this post from last year, but nothing's changed, and I'm off out soon to a family 'do', so it seemed the easiest solution! :-)

Brentwood School Christmas Fayre

This saturday, from 11.00am to 3.00pm, I will be at Brentwood School's Christmas Fayre promoting my photography tuition, and dispensing advice to all and any that want it!

There will be a whole host of other exhibitors there, as well as Santa Claus (he gets about, doesn't he?), so it's an ideal place to find those unique christmas presents (a 1-2-1 photography tuition voucher!) and keep the kids entertained too.

Here's all you need to know:

Saturday 5th December
Doors for Brentwood School Christmas Fayre open at 11am, admission is £1
There is ample free parking in the school car park, Shenfield Road.
The pre-prep and prep school halls will be bursting with activities and side shows. Visit Santa and his Elves in the Grotto, every child will receive a gift from the big man himself!
The craft stall hall promises a wonderful line up of the traditional mixed with the new. Grown Ups can browse and shop to their hearts' content.
There are a number of people that you can meet, and stalls you can visit.
Refreshments are available until the 3pm close.
Call Yasmine Ward on 01277 372 762


Hope to see you there!

Last Workshop of 2009

Well, yesterday I ran my last workshop of the year and we had a full house for Close-up and Macro photography at Thorndon Park. We managed an hour or so's shooting before the rain set in during the afternoon, but it didn't dampen our spirits. Thanks to all that came along and made it an enjoyable one for me with which to finish the year.

If you've ever been on a workshop or had 1-2-1 tuition with me, please let me know how you found it - feedback, good or bad, is vital for me to carry on developing the workshops and how they're presented.

Assuming your experience of my tuition was good, don't just tell me - tell your friends, whether down the pub, at the camera club, or at work. Perhaps drop a hint to a loved one that you'd like a 1-2-1 tuition session for Christmas!

Dates for next year's workshops can be found here, book your places now!

2010 Workshop Dates

I have my Workshop dates for the first half of 2010 on the workshops page, so take a look, see when you're free, and book yourself on!

The 'Photography in the Park' workshop is having a revamp for next year, with new example photos, more digital-specific info, and a more varied presentation, as I'm now using a digital projector.

So if you've been to a PITP workshop before, now might be the time to think about coming again!

CameraWorld Tuition Day

I'm going to be at CameraWorld, Chelmsford, on Saturday 7th November 2009 for an in-store drop-in free tuition day.  Just come along with any questions you may have about technique or equipment, and I'll do my very best to answer them, and throw in some tips and advice that could transform your photography!

It will be no substitute for booking yourself onto an all-day workshop, or even better a One-to-One tuition session, but for those nagging little questions, or to get the best out of your new camera, you should get yourself along to CameraWorld.

More details of the day are on my page here: CameraWorld Tuition Day

See you there!

Outdoor Photography Letter

Last month I felt compelled to write to Outdoor Photography Magazine regarding their review of the new Nikon 105mm VR macro lens, which has image stabilization technology built in.  Undoubtedly a good lens, I think it was somewhat oversold, below is my letter.
________________

I wonder how many other readers saw Andy Luck's review of the Nikon 105mm VR macro lens (p.80-81, Issue 117) and thought "Image stabilised macro lens? Been using one of those for years on my Sony/Olympus/Pentax".

I had to chuckle at 'handholding macro shots has only ever been a pipe dream', when it's something I've been happily doing for the last two and a half years with my Pentax K10D and Sigma 105mm, where the Anti-Shake feature really does make a difference.

Attached is a photo of a Longhorn Beetle taken with this camera/lens combo, and although I'll admit to resting the front of the lens hood on the log the beetle was on, 1/8th of a second isn't an exposure I'd try without some sort of image stabilisation.



________________

Although I kept the tone of the letter lighthearted, this sort of sweeping statement only helps to reinforce the view of Nikon and Canon being the only real options when it comes to buying a 'proper' camera.  I'm pro-choice, I happen to like Pentax, but I can see merits with all the camera systems, and it's really down to the photographer to pick the one that fulfills their needs best.

For me, one of the main considerations is the weight of my kit.  It wasn't always so, I've used 300mm f/2.8 and 80-200mm f/2.8 lenses in the past, but got to the point where I couldn't be bothered to carry such large, heavy equipment with me all the time.  I'd start leaving lenses behind, and then regreting not having them when I was out.

As a quick comparison, let's take a look at the Pentax K-7 with smc DFA 100mm f2.8 Macro lens and the Nikon D300S with 105mm F2.8G AF-S VR IF ED Micro Nikkor lens...

The D300S is approximately 22% heavier than the K-7, and 33% larger by volume.
The 105mm Nikkor is more than twice the size and weight (118% and 109% larger respectively) of the 100mm Pentax.

The combined weight of the Nikon combo is 1.64Kg, the weight of the Pentax body and lens being 1.1Kg.  The volume of the Nikon kit is 80% larger.

Not only does this extra weight and bulk mean I'd probably get fed up carrying the thing around all day, but it would also mean I'd need a larger camera bag, which is heavier in itself.  It wouldn't just be this lens, but a 300mm f/4, standard zoom etc.  It would all add up...

But each to their own - if someone's happy to carry around that sort of weight, then that's fine, it's their choice.  As long as they don't think they have to in order to get handheld macro shots.

As a final shot, here's a dragonfly at 1:1 magnification, taken handheld back in 2006 with my old, non-stabilized Pentax *istD.  "Handholding macro shots has only ever been a pipe dream"... I ask you!

Original or Flipped?

Further to a discussion held on the Pentax User Forum here, I have created this short quiz for you to try.  It will only take a minute or so to complete, and will give you your result as well as the correct answers, in case you didn't get 100%.

The quiz is looking at whether we can tell if a photo is displayed the original way round, or if it's been flipped, so that it's back to front.

I'd be very grateful if you could add your score as a comment to this post.  It's not a competition, so no prizes, and no shame in getting some, or lots, wrong, so please be honest with your score.  Many thanks for your time.

Take the online test - Original or Flipped!

Things...

It’s been a funny week, weather-wise; hot and sunny at times, but often too windy for any flower photography, so on Tuesday I decided to bring a couple of subjects indoors from the garden.

The Knapweed is from our mini-meadow, and although I love the colour and form of these flowers, close up they give me the heebee-jeebees, because it looks like they’re covered in ticks.






The Teasels are up in force in the garden, so I didn’t think they’d mind losing one head for a photo.  I love the structure of these plants, and take their picture every year in various ways, one of which can be seen in black and white on my Twitter page.




Yesterday the wife and I went for a nice long walk around Thorndon Country Park, looking for toadstools that have been brought on by all the warm, damp weather.  Crickets were everywhere in the meadows, but very elusive.




When we were heading back towards the Visitor Centre I remembered a tiny Silver Birch sapling that was growing on a rotting fallen birch, found by one of the participants of a workshop some months ago.  Various experiments with composition, and modifying the light by shielding the background ensued, with the final result below.  One of the beauties of photographing in the evening is that the wind often drops and allows long exposures like this (4 seconds), with soft lighting ideal for this sort of subject.




Sometimes I feel I don’t take enough photos for myself; doing so much tuition now means that a lot of my time out with the camera is spent teaching others.  It’s good to tackle something a little different in a spare hour, like the ‘studio’ shots of the Knapweed and Teasel, and also to make time to take a walk with your (patient) other half.  Sharing your experiences of nature is one of the best ways to appreciate it.

New Thorndon Workshops

I've just listed another two workshops at Thorndon Country Park, a macro one in September and a 'Photography in the Park' one in October.  I'm expecting these to get fully booked so give the Visitor Centre at Thorndon a ring today on 01277 232944 to secure your places!

1-2-1 Tuition Fees Increase

For bookings of 1-2-1 photography tuition made after the 1st September 2009, the fee for a 4 hour session will be £90.  Bookings made or gift vouchers purchased before this date (for tuition at any time) will be at the current rate.

'How Do You Do It?'

Some weeks ago, I was asked "How do you do it?" on this thread on the Pentax User forum. The enquiry arose after I posted a particular photo, and was later clarified as "I've got the same equipment as you, but things never come out as sharp as yours", or words to that effect.

This raises a couple of issues, and steers me away from the obvious answer of 'it' being all credited to my amazing artistic ability...

Sharpness in digital images is, as far as I'm concerned, down to three things:

1) Equipment - Unless you've got a camera and lens capable of producing a sharp image, you're going to struggle to produce sharp shots of any decent size. But the key phrase there is 'decent size'. A soft or blurred photo can appear sharp when reproduced at a low resolution, either as a small print or on the web.



The photo above is blurred through camera shake (shutter speed was 2/3 second), yet at this size it looks sharp. I would be very reluctant to print it at anything larger than 6" x 4".


2) Technique - As long as you hold your camera steady enough, and ensure your shutter speed is fast enough to freeze any subject movement, and you focus correctly with sufficient depth of field, then you'll get as sharp a shot as your equipment is capable of.

If your shots aren't sharp, take a moment to first assess whether something about your technique is lacking, before you blame the lens or camera. Blurred image? What sort of blur? If everything has a smeary look to it, then it's probably camera shake. Put your camera on a tripod, or increase your shutter speed. If the smeary blurring only affects your subject, then the shutter speed was too slow to stop motion blur caused by the subject moving, even though the camera was steady. Is something in focus, but the subject not? Then the focus is wrong. Is too little of the subject in focus? Increase your depth of field by reducing your aperture (change from f/4 to f/11 for instance).

By knowing how different sorts of failing in technique show themselves, you have a chance to correct them.


3) Processing - The way that a digital photo is processed for showing on the web or as a print can have a massive effect on its apparent sharpness. Consider the following two images, and ask yourself "which photo is sharpest?"





Well, that was a bit of a trick question, as they're the same photo, just processed differently. Therefore the actual photo is obviously as sharp as it is, but the images presented here are quite clearly 'soft' and 'sharp'.

The first was resized from the original in one go, using the Photoshop 'Resize' option (Bicubic algorithm, as always for me), with no sharpening applied at any stage, then 'saved for web' with a medium compression setting (High - 60%).

The second was sharpened using Unsharp Mask whilst still the original size (2592 x 3872 px), with settings of Amount: 150%, Radius: 0.8px, Threshold: 0 levels. It's how I treat most of my originals as a 'capture sharpen'. I then halved the dimensions of the image (1296 x 1936 px) and applied USM again, but with a percentage of 75%, then resized again (500 x 747 px) and applied USM again, at 70%. This final sharpening is done by eye to ensure it's not overboard. Save for Web was again used, with a higher quality setting (Very High - 80%).

What these two images show us above anything, is that you can't compare your photos to anything you see on the web, without first knowing how that image was processed in order to get it there. I know my bracken shot is sharp, but if the only representation of it that anyone ever saw was that first one above, I'd be the only one thinking that.

Just in case this still leaves the question "How do you do it?" unanswered, I'll be posting again soon to explain exactly how that bracken shot came about.

It's a simple image, but there were various stages involved to get me to it - like everything in photography it was a journey, taking me from one idea to the next, one composition to another. Some worked, some didn't, but it was a gradual, refining process, until the feelings I had and the sights before me, were distilled into this final photograph.

It's something I cover in my workshops, but for those of you that haven't yet been on one, keep your eyes peeled...

More Macro at Hanners!

Further to my last blogpost, we've booked in a further close-up and macro photo workshop at Hanningfield Reservoir for Saturday 5th September 2009. Details of it are on my Workshops page as usual. Book early etc etc.

I have many photos to post, but at the moment I'm re-organising and upgrading my computer's hard-drives, so there'll be a delay. I particularly want to show you shots of the Red Kites at Gigrin Farm, and dusk photos near Betws-y-Coed, but they'll have to wait...

In the meantime, here's a link to a photo of the Llanfair and Welshpool Light Railway, with which I won a friendly competition, with the theme of 'movement', on the Pentax User forum.

Book Early...

I was at Hanningfield today, and asked how the bookings were going for my Macro Workshop on 5th July. Turns out we're already fully booked on that one, so if you want to do a Close-up and Macro Nature Photography Workshop with me at Hanningfield Reservoir any time soon, you need to ring them straight away and book your place on the August 15th one.

We still have spaces on the Photography In The Park workshop at Thorndon Park on Sunday 28th June, but again I expect these to be filled before too long, so book early to avoid disappointment!

Contact details and dates of all my workshops are on my 'Workshops' page.

Macro photo workshop

Last Saturday saw me at Thorndon Park in Brentwood running one of my 'Close-up and Macro Nature Photography' workshops, and we were blessed with some nice weather and a good number of willing subjects, including Harvestmen, Spiders, Longhorn Beetles, Cardinal Beetles and various flies. The plantlife was good too, and as ever the bracken attracted me.

I try not to take too many photos myself when I'm leading a workshop, but sometimes I just can't help myself...




This longhorn beetle is a Rhagium bifasciatum, apparently.



Some bracken shot from ground level using my Manfrotto 055ProB tripod. Beetle shots taken with my Pentax K10D and Sigma 105mm macro lens, the bracken was with my Pentax DA*300mm lens.

This summer's shaping up to be a great one for insects, and I'm really looking forward to the dragonfly season really kicking off soon.

Have a look at my workshops page if you'd like to join me at Thorndon, Hanningfield or Fingringhoe Wick this summer!

Pentax K-7

Well, Pentax have announced their new DSLR, the Pentax K-7, and rather than just repeat all the specifications that you can easily find all over the internet, I thought I'd point in the direction of this Pentax K-7 video on Youtube.

Note autofocus in video mode (something none of the other DSLRs can do), in-camera HDR (with three exposures), 5.2 frames per second, full weather sealing (again!) and cold-proofed down to -10 degrees celsius. Various other little gems.

I'm really looking forward to trying this camera out, and I think it will be my next upgrade. My K10D has served me well, and I think this new K-7 will be a huge improvement.

She Magazine

Back in February I ran a special workshop so that a journalist from She Magazine could attend and write a small feature about it. That has now been published, and you can find it on page 134 of the June 2009 issue of She, as part of the feature entitled 'What A Difference A Day Makes'.

Subtitled "Looking to try something new? The U.K. boasts plenty of fascinating locations, with a range of activities, from horse riding to cookery courses", the feature sent 6 journalists off to attend different days out of their choosing, taking part in activities that interested them. Helen Anderson was so keen to take part in one of my workshops, that I arranged an extra one specially for her, and we managed to get a few more attending at short notice. It was a fun day, if a little cold at that time of year.

The original can be seen here, but the text of the article is as follows...

_____________________

UNDERSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Helen Anderson and her daughter Poppy visited Thorndon Park Nature Reserve in Essex.

Point. Click. Fingers crossed. That's pretty much how I've always taken photographs. Some of them have come out well, but I couldn't say what went right... or wrong. A short photography course sounded ideal, so camera in hand, I took my daughter on a one-day workshop given by wildlife photographer Daniel Bridge at Thorndon Park Nature Reserve, near Brentwood in Essex.

Daniel takes groups of up to 12 people (there were just six of us) of mixed ability. Some were quite adept and wanted to learn new techniques, while others were fairly inexperienced. But we all had one thing in common: none of us were making full use of our cameras.

Daniel promised to help us translate a scene into a great picture by first explaining the technicalities of photography - ensuring we got to grips with apertures and shutter speeds in a way that was straightforward. Next, he explained how to compose a picture and showed us some of his photographs. As well as being stunning, they illustrated the benefits of understanding composition and other hints, such as why blue flowers photograph better in a slightly shadowy light, whereas yellow flowers really sing in full sun.

After lunch, we ventured out into the park in search of gnarled tree trunks, interesting bark and lichens and pattern-forming shadows. As we clicked away, Daniel advised each of us on shutter speeds and apertures.

The course offered the right amount of technical know-how and insight to enable us to feel we had really learned something, with plenty of inspiration thrown in from Daniel. By the end of the day even the most photophobic had produced something to be proud of - and knew how it had been achieved.

HOW TO BOOK

One-day SLR Photography In The Park Workshops (danielbridge.co.uk; 01277 232944) cost £35. See visitessex.com for more days out.
_____________________


I'm obviously very pleased that Helen had a great day out, and it's wonderful to get this sort of publicity in a national magazine. I'd like to confirm that this is not paid advertising, it was just a normal workshop, and normal fees for participants were made.

I'd like to say a big "thank you" to Helen for choosing to come on one of my workshops, and to She Magazine for publishing this article. There's lots more of interest in the magazine, so I urge you all to go out and buy it today!

Norfolk Broads and Beaches

I thought I'd better start looking into my backlog of blog posts, and so here are some shots from our trip to Norfolk in March/April.  We stayed in a lovely cottage in Lessingham, near Stalham, which proved to be an ideal location for the Broads and beaches.

We spent a surprising amount of time on the beaches, especially at Sea Palling, where there were some amazing sand patterns, and miles of beach with few people on. Lovely!











All taken with Pentax K10D and FA50mm f/1.4 lens.

There's some wonderful architecture up there, and of course the windpumps are fairly iconic.  Later in the week we had some heavy fog, and a trip to Cromer Pier was a good opportunity to make the most of the atmosphere.











All taken with Pentax K10D and DA16-45mm lens, except St. Benet's Wind Pump, which used a Sigma 105mm lens.

The whole area is very rich in wildlife (we lost count of the Brimstone butterflies we saw), but some highlights for me are shown below.

We hired an electric boat one afternoon, and the Great Crested Grebes were very obliging, fishing very close to us. The electric boat meant that vibrations were kept to a minimum, in 'idle' there's no engine to tick over.









A walk along the shingle bank at Salthouse, near Cley, allowed me to get very near to a pair of Turnstones that were more than happy to do their thing within 6 feet of my lens. One of those times when you can't stop grinning...




But definitely one of the highlights was visiting the Grey Seals at Horsey. It was cold, foggy and windy as we walked out to the beach, but it was well worth it to see hundreds of seals up on the beach.  We spent about half an hour there, and the soft lighting really helped bring out all the detail in their fur.







All wildlife shots were with a Pentax K10D and the sublime DA*300mm f/4 lens.

This is the second year running we've been to Norfolk, and I think it will turn out to be a regular journey for us.

New Workshop Dates

Just a quick note to let you know I have put some new workshop dates on the 'Workshops' page.

There are new dates for Photography In The Park (my general 'composition, exposure and equipment' workshop) and Close-up and Macro Nature Photography (does what it says on the tin).

My workshops have been fully booked this year, so if you want to be sure of a place on the date of your choice, book today! Be aware that there should be some extra advertising shortly, which should push demand up even higher. Watch this space...

More Macro Workshops

I've just added a couple more dates for Close-up and Macro Photography Workshops at Hanningfield Reservoir, near Billericay in Essex. Have a look at the 'Workshops' page for more details.

EDIT: One of these has had to be postponed due to a double-booking at Hanningfield, I will be re-arranging it shortly.

Jessops no longer selling Pentax

I was amazed to read Jessops Chairman David Adams’ comments in the latest copy of Amateur Photographer magazine as to why Jessops have stopped stocking Pentax cameras. With the K20D, K200D and K-m, the Pentax line-up has never been stronger or more competitive, giving features and specifications (2 command dials on the K20D – with customizable functions, weather proofing on both the K20D and K200D) that are simply non-existent in competitors’ ranges at these prices. Pentax have consistently offered excellent value for money, and have continued to expand their lens range and accessories. So the reason Jessops have dropped them? David Adams says “…the (Pentax) products were not the most compelling offer in terms of functionality and price.” I’d say he was fundamentally wrong on both counts.

Now, I haven’t shopped in Jessops for some time, as being a Pentax user I’ve always been disappointed in the stock that they’ve held. There are far more knowledgeable and better stocked shops such as SRS Microsystems, Park Cameras, CameraWorld etc that are more than happy to offer the customers true choice and advice. Whilst I don’t wish any company to suffer, I have to say I have never recommended Jessops to anyone wishing to buy a camera, as their opinions have always been biased towards Canon, and while they do make superb cameras, they are not right for everyone, and customers deserve to be offered a choice at what appears to be an independent shop.

I’ve lost count of the times I heard a customer saying “I want to buy an SLR” and the Jessops sales assistant saying “You want one of these” as they handed them a Canon. The correct response would of course be to ask “What interests you photographically? How much are you looking to spend? Here’s a range of cameras that might be suitable, have a play with them, ask any questions, and see which one suits you best”. Unless you genuinely really need a high frame rate, any DSLR from any manufacturer is capable of satisfying the general photographer. But each camera feels and works differently, and it’s this aspect that needs to be addressed when buying a camera, all other things being equal.

As far as I’m concerned, if you’ve got £500 to spend, you can’t get a better built, more highly specified camera than a Pentax K20D. David Adams obviously disagrees.

Due to demand...

Just a quick post to say I'm running an extra Photography in the Park Workshop at Thorndon Park, on Sunday 8th February 2009.  Obviously this isn't too far in the distance so book now to avoid disappointment!

No Third Runway at Heathrow

If, like me, you were dismayed by the government's decision to build a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport, then have a look at Greenpeace's campaign to stop it.

It's called 'Airplot' and basically they've bought a plot of land right where the new runway is planned, and they need our support to stop the build. You can sign up as a 'beneficial owner', just as over 20,000 others have so far (including me).

The more voices there are, the louder they are.



If you're wondering why the growth in flying is such a bad idea, this summarizes it nicely.

Don't forget...

Just a little note to remind you that if you're getting in touch with me, perhaps to enquire about 1-2-1 photography tuition or my photography workshops, if you leave a message please don't forget to include a contact number for me to ring you back!

So, for instance, if you're Christine from Chelmsford, and you're wondering why I haven't rung you back, it's because I don't know your number. :-)

Photo Tuition Gift Vouchers

Happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a good festive period!

Many of you will have received One-to-One photography tuition gift vouchers for christmas, and may be wondering about the best way to go about using them. Now, assuming they're for tuition with me, here's what you do...

The voucher entitles you to a 4 hour tuition session, at a location of your choice. If it's in the Brentwood/Chelmsford/Romford area, there are no further costs involved, if you'd like to meet outside these areas, I will make a small charge for travelling.

Have a think about what you would like to cover during your time with me, and start making notes of any questions you may have, to ensure you get the most from the session. Decide what time of year would suit you best, don't feel you have to use the voucher straight away. If you want to wait until Spring or Summer, that's fine - there's no expiry date for the voucher.



Give me a ring, or email me, to arrange a date, time and location for your session. Feel free to discuss anything at this time, as it's better that we both know what you would like to get out of the tuition before we get started. I am available any day of the week, but please be aware that I run workshops and also work for Essex Wildlife Trust on certain days, including weekends, so you may need to be flexible with your chosen date.



I can cover all sorts of requirements during these tuition sessions, whether it's getting to grips with the basics of your camera, or how to approach composition, or more specific themes like close-up or macro photography.



The whole point about 1-2-1 tuition is that you should get as much as possible from the time you have with me, so make sure you ask lots of questions, take lots of notes (even if they're just taken mentally), and above all enjoy yourself!