Down by the river

Went for a walk along the canal the other day and lucky for me i was geek enough to have my camera with me again .lol.As i was down by the water's edge the birds all came swimming up to me, Pent up with anticipation that i might be there to throw a few scraps of bread in for them.A clever swan would have realised after a few minutes that they were wasting their time with me.And i was only there for my own selfish reasons of taking photographs of them as they swam in the freezing water's of the Hythe canal.I will admit i was a bit scared they might peck me as i was once told a swan was powerful enough to peck your leg in half.So i didnt want to get too close in case the little buggers done me over with its ninja peck of death.But while i was there shooting,I made sure i had a zoom lens on so i didn't have to get that close.I got some beautiful snaps of these ninja birds.I was that happy with these shots i might even go back on my next days off and get some more shots of these gorgeous creatures.

Shooting the moon

As a photographer i look for beautiful things all around me to shoot.I am sometime looking so hard to find something lovely to shoot that i miss cracking opportunity's.Sometimes slowing down and opening your mind is key.You don't have to look that hard to find a beautiful picture.For example, Look up ! Space. It fascinates us from such a young age watching sci fi films etc .Well it did with me anyway.Night scapes can be so beautiful.But sometimes difficult to shoot without blowing the highlights .Even in all that darkness the moon is bloody bright.
A little while ago i was messing around shooting the moon and the settings i was using i was getting some fantastic results.I found that using a tripod is a MUST.Also a shutter release switch is best although you can get away with using the cameras self timer.But i found the release switch better.I was using a sigma 70-300 mm macro lens on a Canon EOS 1000D body.The settings i found best was Manual with ISO 100 for low noise and a shutter speed of 1/250 sec and an aperture of around f11 focal length of 300 mm.I also switched the macro function on to sharpen up the shot to get more detail in.I also cropped the image in,To get just that bit closer in.

Both these shots where taken on different evenings.But I was quite pleased with my results as my previous attempts at shooting the moon were quite poor.Either too dark or highlights really blown.But if you too are new to photography and want to try taking some great shots at the moon try my settings and see what you can come up with .Just remember Use a tri pod otherwise you will balls it up.And try to use a lens of 300 mm or more or use a better camera with a better crop factor.Good luck and happy snapping. 

Tilt Shift effect

If you haven't heard of Tilt Shift photography then i think you should check it out .Tilt shift lenses are bloody expensive,Demanding around a thousand pounds for a cheap one.And almost two thousand pounds for a L grade Tilt shift lens.Serious bucks !.But the effects are AWESOME..Mainly used for architectural photography.Making it possible to change the effect of the image you are wanting to take,Making buildings taller or shorter.They do exactly what they say on the tin. Tilt and Shift,Up and down and side to side .Altering the plain of focus.Another good thing these lenses are good for is making a real scene look like a modal.so the real train station in town would look like you was taking a macro shot of a train set.And its bloody good fun to mess around with different scenes.Here is a video from those genius's from digital rev explaining and showing exactly how these tilt shift bad boys work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HRYlJUwzYA&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLD4F46C9C0CEDE768

If you don't have a spear grand knocking around for a new lens you could have a go at making one.Obviously it wouldn't be as good ,But you would get a slimier effect. I have found a link on you tube of a guy showing you how to build one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0rPecCq1tc

Failing that you could buy a plug in for photoshop called Topez lens effects.it has a tilt shift filter that produces some fantastic effects.You have to mess around with the settings to get the results you are looking for but it produces fantastic tilt shift effect along with loads of other effects like Fisheye,Pin hole,Toy camera and loads more .Its a great plug in and so glad i got it .

This shot was taking in a small town called Hythe in Kent the south of England .The effect always works better when taken from an elevated position.I used a Canon EOS 5D mk II with a 24-105 mm f4 L usm lens.Shot in manual mode at 40 mm for 1/40 sec at F8 with iso 100.

The tilt shift filter in Topez puts most of the shot out of focus to give you the macro looking effect.you will also get a better effect if you boost saturation to make it look a little Un real,Almost modal like .

There are other ways in photoshop to pull this effect off but I'm afraid i don't know how to do them .I tried for weeks to do this effect and topez was the easiest way i found to do it  

This shot was also converted in Topez lens effects.while the actual shot of the bridge was shot in manual mode on my 5D mk II same 24-105 mm lens.exposure was 1/125 sec at 28 mm F4 and iso 100.

One other important thing to remember when out and about especially when standing on benches to elevate yourself above the scene you are trying to shoot is ...BE CAREFUL ! .After taking this shot i stepped off the bench that i was standing on and stepped onto the damp sloping bank and slipped,Completely lost my balance and hit the deck HARD doing my best not to allow my camera to hit the floor i took the complete force of the fall to my left wrist and right elbow.I then slid 90% down the bank towards the freezing river.I completely fucked my self up but at least my camera was completely intact with out a single scratch.I always try to carry myself with dignity.And I think i pulled it off well the other day when this happened .I held back my desire to tell the old lady on a mobility scooter to, go get fucked ! for laughing at me for stacking it .There was me wincing in agony while this lovely old dear almost falling off her mobility scooter pissing her self with laughter.It was safe to say we had a very different sense of humor.And i couldn't resist getting a shot of the sadistic old bag as she drives of in fits of hysterics.And Tilt Shifted her arse.

Karate chop to the back of the neck.

After an eventful weekend as an amateur photographer.Been to firework displays with the family.The kids had a fantastic time ( so did the big kids too ) :0) . Was invited along to a martial arts tournament by a friend who wanted me to take a few shots of his mates who was fighting.I get there to discover there is a market for this kind of thing.And some bloke has got this tightly sown up.I instantly clocked the photography corner and like some kind of tractor beam i found my self being sucked over to the camera corner.Maybe that's why he wanted me to come along ...The cheap skate ..lol.. doesn't bother me,I like taking photos.Although wasn't my kind of thing.Not really into close physical contact with other men. nor am i into getting my head kicked in.Being a bloke ,you always think your a bit of a geezer and that you can handle ya self if shit hit the fan.But in all fairness most blokes haven't got 2 minutes good fighting in them.And watching these blokes going at it sometimes for 4 rounds at about 2 minutes a round . Repeatedly kicked and punched in the head in front of a baying crowd,Screaming for their favorite fighter to win makes me sooo thankful i chose photography as a hobby.Its safe to say i don't fancy getting in the ring with them.One other thing i did notice was the official photographer who was selling images of the fights did have a better kit than myself .At that point i did actually wish i did know karate so i could karate chop him in the head and pinch his Canon 1Ds mk3 and 70-200mm f2.8L IS usm.
But as photography is my bag,And i enjoy taking pictures.And  i was thankful for this opportunity to shoot something a little different from the norm.And didn't really care this other bloke with better shit was taking better pictures than me .
Because these fighters was friends with my friend.I gave them my shots for FREE,Posted them to their facebook accounts .Do nice things and nice things will happen to you .(i hope !) Maybe win the lottery so i can buy the nice new Canon 1Dx when it comes out .I don't think i enjoyed this kind of photography as much as my regular style of photography but i enjoyed the opportunity.And it was nice to spend a couple of hours with my friend who i don't see much any more.But if i have learnt one thing about this event.There is money to be made here.When i become a professional photographer.I will be looking into enrolling into a collage course in the new year.Setting the ball rolling towards my new career in this very competitive field we call photography.

Bonfire night.

I took the family to a fire work display this evening .And couldn't resist taking a camera along for the ride .But rather than shooting pictures of my children as they look on in awe at the beautiful lights and explosions in the sky.I was also focused on the sky.The weather was good and the atmosphere was great.It was lovely to see so many people coming together to enjoy the same event.Children waving sparklers and glow sticks, Laughing and cheering between each explosion of light.I took with me a Canon EOS 1000D with a 50mm f1.8 prime lens.I decided not to use a tripod.As it was quite busy and didn't want someone not looking where they was going in the dark and sending my equipment flying.So i went free hand and still got some pretty spectacular shots.I used manual mode and shot at an aperture of f10 for 3.2 sec.And for a low noise shot i used ISO 100.












For this shot i used the same EOS 1000D.Same 50mm Prime.This time in Shutter Priority dialed in at 2 seconds,The camera set the Aperture at f11.I kept the same ISO 100.And again shot free hand .In both shots the only post editing that as carried out was a slight noise reduction and a slight boost to contrast.Then i added my water mark.

When we got home we broke out our own sparklers and i shot a few pictures of my wife and kids playing with sparklers.But this time I shot in bulb so i had more control over the time i wanted to expose the sensor to the light .I told them to draw pictures and write their names with the sparklers .My children who are not the best listeners at the best of times was too engrossed in this wonderful sparkling stick of light. And was just going mental jumping around and waving it all over the place .Which was great,The light trails were amazing but the longer the sensor was open and the more visible the image became and the children was blurry as hell .My wife stood dead still and made beautiful patterns with the sparklers and the shots were perfect with no errors or blurriness.I continued to get the better light trails with my wife and just let the kids enjoy themselves.They loved every minute .It was truly beautiful watching my babies having so much fun.Despite shitting my pants at the same time. Knowing the dangers of sparklers.Being a clumsy kid,I burnt myself every fire works night i think.And  i remember burning your self with one BLOODY hurts.So if you are playing with fire works and sparklers,Be careful and remember the firework code .Have fun and be safe .I would love to get your feedback so please leave me a comment below.Thank you .

Remember ,remember the fifth of November..

That time of year is upon us again.The night sky full of explosions and flashes from the fire work displays we all make our pilgrimage's to every year.In celebration of the burning of the dude who tried to blow up the houses of parliament about a million years ago.If someone tried to do that now i'd shake their bloody hand,
Fire work night makes for some beautiful night photography.With beautiful colours and light trails .And they keep the kids entertained for a while too. Everyone's a winner :0).
I bought the kids some sparklers the other day to keep them entertained and couldn't resist getting a few snaps in of them to get me honed into the camera settings ill be needing on the night.
My only worry is if the weather is bad on saturday night.Even tho my 5D mkII is weather sealed.I still don't have the stones to take it out in the rain.The second any unwanted liquid falls from the sky my camera gets put away.Rather daft really as i have seen you tube videos of Kai Wong from Digital Rev using a 5D mkII in a monsoon.And while doing a review of the EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro lens he poured an entire 2 liter bottle of water over the body and lens .Never the less he didn't pour the water over MY 5D mkII.
Well if of course the weather holds out and all goes to plan i will be posting some beautiful shots of my chosen firework display on saturday evening.If you are thinking ,What a good idea, I'm going to shoot some fire works too.Dial in a slow shutter speed,Maybe a couple of seconds to capture the light movement.And make sure you use a tripod otherwise even the slightest movement from you holding the camera will spoil any decent shot you might have got .And if possible use a remote shutter switch to avoid any camera shake while pressing the shutter button.If you don't have a remote shutter switch you could always use the cameras timer release but this can be inaccurate causing you to miss some of the action.I use manual mode.And switch the lens out of auto focus and into manual focus and focus into where the action is going to be ,ensuring the shot will be sharp.make sure you frame the shot right getting the composition how you want the shot to look. At the right focal length.If you have a remote switch you could also use Bulb setting giving you more freedom to end the shot exactly when you got the shot you want.I would be using an aperture of between f8 to f16 and for a nice low noise shot stick to iso 100.
A good tip to keep in mind is to shoot up wind so you don't get the smoke getting in between camera and the fireworks making the shot really hazy. preparation before hand is key.
If you have a remote shutter cable ,And do choose to use bulb mode .Why not try having a piece of black card at hand .And while the action is happening expose the sensor .And when it stops,cover the end of the lens with the black card until the next firework goes off.Giving you more than one explosion in one frame .
Well good luck and happy snapping .Comments below please :0)

Canon L lens for only £449.99

I like to have the finer things in life.Some people might think its being stupid with money.But i'm a huge believer in ,You get what you pay for .Camera lenses for example.If you are going to be passionate about something and invest time,heart and money into it.You are going to want to see good results.
Now you might be saying to your self,An exspensive cooker doesnt make a good cook. And in a way you are right.But lets face it,You are not going to cook the Queen a banquet in a microwave oven are you. NO!! you are not!.You as a photographer need to get the shot right first and foremost .But im bloody sure my pictures i will take with my DSLR and pro grade L lens is going to take a better picture than,Say someone shooting with a mobile phone,Even if ya Nokia has a Carl zeiss lens in it .But,Im Not saying that if you only have a mobile phone to shoot pictures with you are not as good as me or you are crap at photography.I have a friend who has recently aquired an interest in photography.Six months or so back he was selling a Canon EOS 350 D for someone.He offered it to me,But i had no use for it nor the money to be honest.My advice to him was to keep it and use it.Which he didnt.He continues to take pictures with his camera phone.He does have a bloody good eye for a photograph and i would imagine he is kicking himself for not keeping it .Iv seen some beautiful pictures he has taken with his mobile phone.But never the less,Despite how good a phone he has he is still very limited to the options he can use.ISO,Depth of field,Shutter speeds,Auto exposure bracketing.Armed with a proper camera im sure he will make for a bloody good artist.The foundations are already there.He has got the eye.
Anyway getting back to the subject.The finer things in life.In this case L lenses for Canon.With their delicious red ring of love and UD elements.Just holding one gives me a semi.You look and feel like a pro walking around with ya camera sporting L glass.Walking around taking pictures people in general just don't pay attention and walk past,But you can always spot the photographers having a quick glance at ya tackle so to speak.Its like people who are into cars.When ya see a Ferrari roar past you rubber neck a quick look.And considering these L grade lenses are rolling in at around £1000 + you can pretty much pay as high as the moon for one.Even searching eBay for one you can pay MASSIVE amounts for one. In fact they are selling on eBay for almost as much as they are new probably only shaving a couple of hundred quid off of one .Unless you find one with a scratched front element,internal dust and fungus to boot then you might get it at half the original price.Well,Like i said before i like to look for bargains on the net.Now this lens is probably the cheapest L lens on the market.But i found it for even cheaper.Probably only any good to you if you are living in England.And you can find a store with any in stock.Other wise you will have to order it in .
Canon 17-40mm 4.0L U Digital SLR Lens for only £449.99.......
That is bloody cheap !
Normally this sells for around £700 a throw.Argos of all places have got this lens on sales at this price .Saving a lucky photographer a massive 1/3 of the price .Perfect for landscape photographers with its wide angle.And constant f4 aperture and its ring type usm which give a really fast and silent auto focus.
Iv not checked but i wouldn't be surprised if these was more expensive on eBay for second hand.Well there you go,Another great deal.Thanks for reading.please feel free to leave a comment below if you found any of this useful.Or even if you already own one let me know what its like .

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5560662/Trail/searchtext%3ECANON+LENS.htm