The Best View in Brum? Possibly...
It’s not everyday that you get asked if you would like to take photos from a building with some of the best views in Birmingham! So when the awesome people at Staying Cool at the Rotunda reached out to me, I jumped at the chance! In truth, I’ve shot from here a few times in the past but the opportunity was too good to turn down.
It’s not everyday that you get asked if you would like to take photos from a building with some of the best views in Birmingham! So when the awesome people at Staying Cool at the Rotunda reached out to me, I jumped at the chance! In truth, I’ve shot from here a few times in the past but the opportunity was too good to turn down.
However, as I am pretty much my own worst enemy I decided to make my life even harder by shooting film and not just any film, but Large Format! If this means nothing to you, don’t worry! I’ll save the boring stuff until later but let’s just say it’s a bit tricky at the best of times!
More concerning was that on the day, the weather wasn’t exactly inspiring and having been on a video shoot all day, I didn’t have much time to prep! So after a flying visit home to switch from ‘video mode’ into ‘pretending to know about film photography mode’ - I grabbed a few different cameras and literally ran across town to the Rotunda.
After a very brief ‘hello’ I grabbed the keys to the Penthouse (excuse the flex) and made my way to the 20th floor! Walking into main room, you can’t help but be drawn to the floor to ceiling windows as the view slowly reveals itself. Quite simply, it’s one of the best views in the city, well in my opinion at least… However, there was no time to get all slushy, the light was fading fast and I need to set up the big camera!
Over the course of the next hour or two, I didn’t stop switching between cameras, loading film and basically panicking that I screwed something up and predictably, I did!… If camera stuff interests you, I’ll put some more details below. However, if you’re just here for the pictures, have a little look-see below… Huge thank you to Staying Cool and if you ever get the chance to experience these views in person, it really is a must! Check out their website below…
Digital Images
Shot on Canon Eos-R with 24-105mm lens
I certainly didn’t feel confident ‘just’ taking film cameras and I’m glad that I took the digital camera as a backup! The early evening shots were a bit uninspiring. However, after sunset, the city lights up and I was really happy with the night shots. It was easy to just concentrate on the ‘big’ view and I certainly ‘filled-my-boots’ with landscape images. However, it was also interesting to pick out little scenes and pockets of light. I wish I’d taken a longer lens as well but this shoot was more about the film photos anyway.
Overall, the digital images are pleasing and apart from the grey weather during the day, I’m happy with how the rest of the images came out.
Medium Format
Shot on Mamiya 645 with Kodak Portra 400 and 55-110mm lens // Developed and Scanned at home
This is where the evening started to get interesting. I’m usually pretty confident with metering for film but judging exposures at night can be a bit of a nightmare. All of these images were taken on the Mamiya, a fantastically easy camera to use for Medium Format but even so, there was still plenty of opportunity for me to makes mistakes. I set the camera up on a tripod and set about getting some exposures.
I was a little concerned that the exposure times (with added reciprocity to account for film failure) were only coming out at around 8 seconds. I was convinced that they would be nearly double this and something inside me was screaming out to ‘go longer’. However, I’m glad that I didn’t. I think these images are exposed pretty well and even though they could have done with a bit more light, I kind of like the slightly moodier look in comparison to the digital images!
For those interested in film photography and all that goes with it - I did develop the rolls of film/4x5 sheets at home using a C41 process and then scanned the negatives myself. I’m pretty sure a lab could have got better results but there is something incredibly rewarding about be in control of the entire process!
Large Format
Shot on Intrepid 4x5 Mk iv Black Edition with Kodak Portra 400 and Nikon 90mm lens // Developed and Scanned at home
If the Medium Format shots were where things got interesting, then the Large Format shots were where everything went badly wrong! I have a bit of experience under my belt with the Intrepid 4x5. However, it is also one of the most complex methods of capturing an image that I have ever come across. In good weather, on a flat surface and no wind - it can be a relatively straight-forward process.
However, on the 20th floor of a building in strong wind and dim light… Yeah, it becomes a challenge. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Excuses, excuses…’ But even seeing through the ground glass on the back became a challenge as the light started to dip. With the wind whipping the dark cloth and battering the front of the camera - I was more concerned with trying to keep exposure times short than I was with checking every last detail before taking the shot!
Ultimately, this was my downfall, rushing to get the shot! I had made one major error that I simply hadn’t spotted whilst the camera was set up in front of me. I hadn’t double checked that the front/back standard were angled correctly. This would completely mess up the focus and what I had mistaken for ‘depth of field’ (whilst the lens was wide open to compose the image) was actually just ‘out of focus’.
This was a bit of a schoolboy error and as I developed the images and checked the negatives, my heart instantly sank as I knew they were ruined. Not to worry though, this was just another lesson learnt and something I’ll be more conscious of in future - Happy to share my mistakes though, I’m sure they won’t be the last!
Final Thoughts…
Overall, I’m happy with most of these images and certainly have learnt a few valuable lessons. More importantly, it was just a fantastic experience to take in the views and enjoy watching the city transform from day to night. I can’t imagine there are many better views of our wonderful city than this! To experience it for yourself, follow the link below to check out Staying Cool’s website.
The Demolition of Rugeley Power Station
Today I went to photograph the demolition of Rugeley Power Station and it didn’t end well for me or the power station! I’ve never actually witnessed a demolition like this before so when I read about it in the local news, I was excited to make the short trip from Birmingham to Rugeley to witness the spectacle!
Today I went to photograph the demolition of Rugeley Power Station and it didn’t end well for me or the power station! I’ve never actually witnessed a demolition like this before so when I read about it in the local news, I was excited to make the short trip from Birmingham to Rugeley to witness the spectacle!
As with a lot of my recent photography, I decided I wanted to capture the historical moment on film - in particular medium format. It was also pretty obvious to me that I would need to use a camera that had some kind of ‘burst’ mode to fire off multiple shots, as the towers came down! Fortunately, I have a Mamiya 645 Pro with an autowinder which would do just the job!
I knew thing were off to a bad start when I arrived in Rugeley and couldn’t even see the huge cooling towers through the thick mist. After a week of glorious sunshine, it was almost comical that the weather would be this bad but also a little predictable. Nonetheless, I wondered the local streets looking for compositions.
I had an idea in my mind that I wanted to place some of the local houses or maybe even a bungalow in the foreground of the shots so that it would add to the scale of the size of the cooling towers. This proved a little more difficult than I first imagined as I just couldn’t find a composition that I was happy with!
With the demolition scheduled for 11.15am and that time fast approaching, I settled on a spot overlooking a local football pitch and much to my surprise, there was even a match on! Brilliant! I thought, this will certainly add to the foreground interest!
As the clock ticked towards the final seconds for the towers, the weather had not improved much and my fears of using an old film camera in the rain were suddenly more prevalent as I desperately tried to hide my camera under my jacket. The problem was, it’s such a manual process in terms of setting the camera for a shot that I really needed to have the camera ready to go - but the weather just wasn’t playing ball!
11.15am came and went. With every passing minute I had the constant battle of trying to keep the camera dry but need to take the camera out at just the right second (and also checking it was set up to shoot!). Then, with a huge bang, the moment was upon us and the towers quickly came down. I fired off multiple shots until the film was finished and so too were the towers. The wait was over and I felt relieved that it was all done and over.
A quick train journey home and straight to developing the film. This part of the process is almost as anxious as the shoot itself as there are still so many things that could go wrong! I was happy to see that there were images on the negatives but on closer inspection, I could seem that something wasn’t right. Later, after scanning the images, my fears were true - all of the ‘action’ shots were dull and hazy… my lens had clearly fogged up and although they were semi usable, I was more disappointed than anything.
In honesty, it’s one of those things that I should have been able to deal with but between rushing and my outright desire to shoot film - I only really have myself to blame. Fortunately, the final composition never really worked for me and I would have liked more football players to have been at that end of the pitch and obviously, better weather! However, that’s how these things go and more importantly than the images, it was still quite an experience!
My Camera Collection for 2021! Film and Digital!! Have I wasted my Money??
If you’re anything like me, you love cameras! If you have an interest in Photography then you more than likely enjoy looking at and holding cameras, well at least I do… It recently struck me (after finally receiving a couple of my late night eBay purchases in the post!) that I had covered all the major bases with my camera collection so thought it would be fun to share them and to see if you think I’ve got it right, or I should sell up and start again!
WATCH THE VIDEO
If you’re anything like me, you love cameras! If you have an interest in Photography then you more than likely enjoy looking at and holding cameras, well at least I do… It recently struck me (after finally receiving a couple of my late night eBay purchases in the post!) that I had covered all the major bases with my camera collection so thought it would be fun to share them and to see if you think I’ve got it right, or I should sell up and start again!
Now this isn’t a flex, it’s not a ‘look how much stuff I own’ kind of thing. This is the result of years of hard work, saving and sacrificing many other luxuries to buy the ‘tools’ that I use on a regular basis. In fact, I have a very simple criteria when buying it camera, it must do one of the following:
Fill a purpose: Have features and functions that are necessary for me to complete the work that I need to do - basically to be a tool.
Bring me joy: To make me ‘want’ to go out and shoot with it and therefore to further my photography experience.
Film Vs Digital
Around 18 months ago, when the world was a much brighter place and we could leave the house, I decided to start shooting film again. Like many others, the process appealed to me more than the results and what some would consider a waste of money when digital does everything you need it to do, I threw myself back into the format.
In this list you will see that even in that relatively short time, film cameras seem to be dominating my ‘collection’ - I make no apologies for this and in fact, plan to add many more - more on that later. However, it is worth noting that I do see the digital cameras very much as ‘tools’ and the film cameras ‘things of joy’ - almost like the daily driver vs the weekend treat. With that in mind, let’s start with the digital cameras, smallest to largest…
DIGITAL CAMERA COLLECTION
Ricoh GRiii
This little camera is an absolute street photography beast. The tiny form factor allows you to be stealthy in most situations and the virtually silent shooting won’t draw attention. Most importantly for me, it fits easily in a pocket meaning it is really easy to carry it everywhere - and that means more chance of taking photos!
I’ve owned a few of the older generations and always had issues with the lens motors. The build quality of the ‘iii’ seems a lot better but I do worry how it will hold up over time. It really is a great little camera that produces beautiful images and a camera is very easy to fall in love with.
Fuji X100V
One of my more recent purchase, the ‘V’ comes from a great heritage of Fuji’s X-Series cameras and is pretty much the pinnacle of form and function - I mean, it’s great to use, produces stunning images and look at it! It’s a beauty!
Not quite a s pocketable as the Ricoh, it is still easy enough to carry as an everyday camera and as long as you can cope with a fixed focal length, it has all other major functions covered. If I was being picky, I would love in body stabilisation, but I’m not sure what that would do to the form factor. However, it’s an absolute joy to shoot with and I find myself far more likely to reach for this than all of my ‘better’ cameras.
Canon M50
This little Canon is purely here for one thing, vlogging. The small form factor, great autofocus and flippy screen make it perfect for filming yourself when out and about. When pairing it with the right lens, it produces wonderful 1080p video - though I wouldn’t use it for 4k. Canon’s colours always look great and you really don’t need to do much in post to get a good image.
One thing that I feel always get’s overlooked with these cameras are it’s ‘stills’ mode - it takes pretty decent images. I have been in many situations where I wanted to grab a quick shot and have been perfectly fine with using the ‘vlogging’ camera, rather than unpacking my camera just to get to the ‘big boy’.
Canon Eos RP
Like the M50 - the RP serves a purpose - this is my ‘studio’ camera or B camera on bigger shoots. The RP is the ‘lite’ version of the Eos R but like most modern mirrorless cameras, is very capable in most situations. The video looks good and as with all Canon’s, it’s so well laid out and easy to use that shooting with it is never a chore.
This particular camera is most often permanently mounted to a tripod so that I can quickly go into video mode and start filming. However, it’s smaller form factor also makes it great for pairing with a gimbal and grabbing some juicy B-roll - though many will overlook it due to it’s mediocre 4k and slow motion features. For what I need, it does the job.
Canon 5D Mkiii
The camera I’ll never sell… I class myself as a photographer first, then a ‘YouTuber’ or whatever you want to call me… And this is the camera that really elevated my photography from a hobby to a career. I moved up from my first camera, a Canon 650D to the full-frame 5D and never looked back.
Even to this day, in the right hands this is a more than capable camera. However, I really wouldn’t see the point in picking a DSLR over mirorrless these days and advances in autofocus etc. have left this big boy feeling a little bit like old technology. However, if for no other reason than sentimental value, it will never leave my collection.
Canon Eos R
And finally, the workhorse. This is the camera I do most of my shooting on and really is the camera that pays the bills. Whereas it was pretty much attacked at launch for Canon’s excessive use of the ‘cripple hammer’ on their first venture into the world of full-frame mirorless, it has served me very well with pretty much no complaints'.
The stills look amazing with decent dynamic range, the video is good (if you’re not shooting 4k) and the 60 fps is enough to get some nice cinematic shots. The autofocus is great and as always, Canon colours steal the show. However, I’m not saying I would upgrade to an R5 (or even dare I say it, a Sony!) - but in these uncertain times, I really don’t ‘need’ to spend an extra £4-5k on a camera for features I’ll rarely use.
More so, for many amateurs/semi-pro’s - this is more than enough camera for your needs. I pretty much couldn’t live without this camera and paired with the 24-70 f2.8 RF lens - it’s everything I need… for now.
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FILM CAMERA COLLECTION
Ricoh GR1
Like it’s digital relative, the biggest selling point of this camera is it’s size, it’s tiny! Barely much taller than a 35mm film canister, this is a truly pocketable little point & shoot! To make it even better, it has pretty decent autofocus and ‘feels’ like you are shooting with a more modern camera than it’s age suggests.
This camera is far from without it’s flaws - mine suffers from the most common issue of a faulty LCD screen - so you are never really sure how many shots you’ve taken. The lens motor always feels like it’s about to pack in and it can be a noisy little thing - so not great in quiet situations - but in everything else - it’s fantastic!
Canon P Rangefinder
This is my most recent film camera purchase so I really haven’t shot with it much - so I can’t say how good it is. However, I sent it off to be CLA’d and can’t wait to get out with it. If nothing else, it’s certainly a looker! As Canon’s crack at a Leics M series, it’s got the look, feel and the heft of a Leica - but will it shoot like one?
My biggest fear with this camera is the manual focusing. I have had the patch cleaned and it seems easy enough to use - but I don’t have the best eyesight and I’m not sure I will be very accurate with it - this is very much a ‘me’ issue and certainly no fault of the camera - but I do hope it doesn’t ruin the experience.
Canon Eos 30
This camera was an absolute bargain at around £30 - and paired with a way more expensive EF 24-105mm lens it’s makes for easy film shooting. It is bulky but it feels every bit a professional film camera with snappy autofocus and plenty of features you won’t find on your vintage 35mm’s!
I think it’s size is it’s only real drawback as it is far from discreet. Most casual passers-by will assume it’s a modern digital camera and it certainly handles like one. This would certainly make a fantastic option for anyone looking to get started with shooting analogue.
Mamiya 645 Pro
My first foray into medium format and this was love at first site. A Japanese import that had been well looked after, it feels like a modern camera and shoots like one too. The large 6x4.5 negatives produce great image quality and I quickly added more lenses, an autowinder and a viewfinder to make the whole experience, well, more enjoyable.
It really is like a baby RZ-67 but without the bulk - it’s not exactly small but if you strip it down to the ‘top down viewfinder’ and remove the autowinder, it’s a more than usable little package. This really is a great place to start with Medium Format photography and is a real pleasure to shoot with.
Fujifilm GSW690III
The beast or as it’s more commonly known, the ‘Texas Leica’ - this thing is huge! However, it’s size is it’s main selling point as it spits out incredible 6x9 negatives that are just packed with detail. The camera itself is a rangefinder which is almost comical to look at when someone is using it, it has a real ‘toy’ camera feel to it.
However, don’t let that fool you, it produces spectacular images. I chose the ‘wide’ version (as I a more of a landscape photographer than anything else) and the lens can produce wonderfully sharp images. It’s not without it’s quirks and shooting long exposures with it is a real faff. However, I absolutely love it and is often the first camera I’ll reach for when I want to go and shoot for fun, rather than necessity.
Intrepid 4X5 MkIV Black Edition
The large format camera. This is probably the one camera I would save in a fire (who am I kidding, I’d be running down the stairs with my arms full of cameras!). I absolutely fell in love with this format the moment I first shot it - the slower process, the technicality of it and the enormous negatives - it really is the most fun camera I have ever shot with.
The camera itself is well made, 3d printed and pretty budget friendly. However, shooting large format is a real challenge and not for the faint hearted, in particular due to the cost of film! That said, it is also one of the most rewarding experiences I have had as a photographer and one that I am pretty much hooked on! I will most certainly be adding more lenses and possibly a new large format camera to the collection in the future!
MISCELLANIOUS CAMERAS
There are a bunch of other cameras that I own that have either been donated to me or I have picked them up from secondhand shops or eBay. Most of these will never be used or at least, not on a regular basis, but they still bring me pleasure to look at and just to have around. Part of the experience of owning cameras like these is just simply taking pleasure in their aesthetic.
Conclusion
Overall, I am very happy with my collection and feel it covers everything I realistically need and want to shoot. However, I do wake up some days and think ‘I’ll sell the lot and buy a digital medium format set-up’ - But I still think I’d be a bit short of cash so I doubt that will happen anytime soon!
On the other hand, having the versatility of a collection like this is great. Being able to pick a camera that suits the style if shooting that I want to do on any given day is a real privilege and something that I highly recommend other photographers aspire to have.
Ultimately though, this collection will continue to chop and change, some will get sold on and undoubtedly, new cameras will be added. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you would keep, what you’d get rid of and what would be next on your shopping list.
Thanks as always, Ross.
Disclaimer: All links to Amazon UK are affiliated links - you will still pay the same price but I will receive a small commission for providing the link. All information provided in this blog is intended either for educational or entertainment purposes and is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, further research/professional advice should be sort before making purchases/implementing any advice given and no responsibility is taken by the author or parties mentioned here within.
Get Your Print Order by Christmas - Last Date for Ordering!
There is no doubt that this has been a crazy year and to be honest, it almost doesn’t feel right suggesting that people buy prints at a time when we know things are very difficult for so many people! However, if you had planned to order a print as either a present for a friend or relative (or maybe as a gift to yourself for making it through 2020!) then the last date for receiving orders to guarantee delivery before Christmas is the 4th December 2020!
Christmas on Cannon Street, Birmingham
There is no doubt that this has been a crazy year and to be honest, it almost doesn’t feel right suggesting that people buy prints at a time when we know things are very difficult for so many people! However, if you had planned to order a print as either a present for a friend or relative (or maybe as a gift to yourself for making it through 2020!) then the last date for receiving orders to guarantee delivery before Christmas is the 4th December 2020!
Christmas at St Martins, Birmingham
Christmas at St Philip’s, Birmingham
I really think that this year, more than ever, we all need to take good care of those nearest and dearest to us. However, if you have a little extra left over, there are also plenty of others that could really do with the support. Below are a few ideas of how you can help those that need it most, including many of Birmingham’s best Independents/Restaurants & Bars etc. during these incredibly difficult times!
LoveBrum - A fantastic organisation that shines a light on some of Birmingham’s best charitable organisation and a great place to start if you really want to help others
Independent Birmingham - The place to go to find all of the best Independent traders in the city and I’ve linked directly to their Christmas Buying Guide!
Bite Your Brum - Birmingham’s best foodie blog to quench your thirst for supporting all of the amazing bars & restaurants in the city - linked direct to the Christmas Gift guide!
Finally, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and even though it’s going to be a very different one for so many reasons, I hope you make the most of it and of course, stay safe.
I provide all of this content for free, so if you’d like to support me, please consider making a small donation ;)
Disclaimer: All links to Amazon UK are affiliated links - you will still pay the same price but I will receive a small commission for providing the link. All information provided in this blog is intended either for educational or entertainment purposes and is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, further research/professional advice should be sort before making purchases/implementing any advice given and no responsibility is taken by the author or parties mentioned here within.
Film Photography - Shooting with the Canon EOS 30 & Kodak UltraMax
So recently, I have been shooting more film photography and even though I have had my ventures into Medium Format, I decided to pick up a 35mm film camera. I wanted something that felt familiar, easy to use and could match my current set up. After much research, I stumbled across the Canon EIOS 30 - a film camera with the feel of a modern DSLR.
So recently, I have been shooting more film photography and even though I have had my ventures into Medium Format, I decided to pick up a 35mm film camera. I wanted something that felt familiar, easy to use and could match my current set up. After much research, I stumbled across the Canon EIOS 30 - a film camera with the feel of a modern DSLR.
This video takes a look at my first impressions of the Canon EOS 30 and I combined it with Kodak UltraMax film - would I be happy with the results? Find out below…
Corona Virus Update - I'm back to work!!!
I hope you are all well!! Just a quick update… It’s been a challenging few months for everybody, that’s for sure. After all of my work being cancelled back in February, I am finally in a position to start accepting new commissions. Even though I have not shown any symptoms of the virus (thankfully) I have been following all of the lockdown guidelines and to the best of my knowledge, not been in contact with anyone who has had the virus.
With this in mind, I will now be returning to work. However, I will be being incredibly cautious over ‘what’ & ‘how’ I conduct any shoots etc. So please do feel free to get in touch if you require any assistance and I’ll be happy to describe how I can help.
I will also be returning to photographing my beloved streets of Birmingham so I will hopefully have new images available for use soon. With regards to print sales, the print lab that I use have returned to work but are working on a limited shift basis, so there may still be delays but I will do my best to mitigate these.
All in all, I am very excited to be back to work.
Corona Virus Update: April 2020
It’s amazing how much all of our lives have changed in such a small space of time. I want to start by saying that this is a truly scary time and I’m pretty certain that everyone’s lives will be affected somehow, and I am incredibly sorry for that. At a time like this, everything gets put into perspective and what is truly important to us, the health of those around us becomes the absolute pinnacle of our concerns.
With all of this in mind, I’m sure everyone has more important things on their mind but I thought I would provide a quick update of where I am with things, just in case there are any enquiries…
Are you available for work?
All of my work dried up overnight and as much as I wish I was still out there doing what I do best, I am following the government Guidelines for Social Distancing very closely. With that in mind, I have to classify my work as ‘non-essential’ and therefore limiting my contact with others. However, the moment this changes, I will, of course, be available for work.
Can I still buy prints?
I take a lot of pride in my prints and therefore choose to outsource the printing process to professionals. The company I use are currently closed and therefore, I am unable to get new work printed. However, I do hold a small selection of prints so please feel free to contact me to see if I can be of assistance.
How are you filling your time?
I have taken a little time to myself and tried to wrap my head around what is happening and the potential fall out it will have for the rest of this year. I think it will be incredibly difficult to predict what happens next so I have spent a bit of time making some much-needed changes to my website, cleaned my gear and organised a few projects that had been on the back-burner. Most of all, I am just sticking to the ‘stay home’ instruction and annoying my girlfriend, which is surprisingly easy to do apparently!
How do you keep yourself motivated?
This is a real challenge and after speaking to several friends, I know a lot of other people are struggling. However, I have taken some time to teach myself a few new skills, including home developing and a few new editing techniques. I have also thrown myself into a few good books and I am enjoying the time to find new inspiration.
Are you going out and getting ‘empty street shots’ of Birmingham?
This is a real touchy subject. I love the idea and I believe times like this should be documented. However, I personally think the risk of passing on infection and putting unwanted strain on the NHS is still too much of a risk to warrant going out just for photography purposes. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take my camera with me on my allowed ‘exercise’ time, but I won’t be producing any new projects on the back of what is a very difficult situation for so many people.
What’s next for you?
Like so many others, I am just waiting for the opportunity to return to some kind of normality. At this point, that seems a way off. I will also be producing some new work for my YouTube channel so please consider taking a look at that.
Finally, I would just like to say please take care of yourselves. This is such a strange and challenging time for so many people that our priorities must shift. Hopefully, we all come through this stronger and with compassion for those who have had their lives severely impacted by these terrible times. Stay Safe.
VIDEO: The Loupedeck CT for Photographer & Videographers
The Loupedeck CT is genuinely perfect for Photographers and Videographers looking to improve their editing workflow. It support apps such as Lightroom, Photoshop, Ableton, Premier Pro Final Cut and more - it really is a great tool, but it has one massive drawback! Would you stump up for the Loupedeck CT?
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5 Tips for Photographers - Making the Most of Autumn
Ask any landscape photographer what their favourite season is and there is a pretty good chance they will say ‘autumn’. There is just something about the golden colours, the low sun (if we’re lucky) and the cool crisp mornings that makes everything better, and more importantly, more photogenic! So how can you make the most of autumn? Well, I have compiled five tips that will allow you to take your photography one step further this year.
1) Make the most of ‘Golden Hour’
Let me just get the most obvious tip out of the way first. By now, I’m sure most photographers understand the sense of shooting at ‘Golden Hour’ to make the most of either sunrise or sunset. During the summer months, sunrise in particular is a bit of a nightmare, as it can mean a 4.30am start or earlier. However, the sunrise times in autumn return to far more reasonable times making it much easier to be motivated to get out and shoot. It goes without saying that the thing we all love most about this time of year is the beautiful colours of the trees, but throw in the warm glow of sunrise/sunset and it can really elevate your images.
2) Get experimental!
Autumn is a fantastic time of year to shoot but many of the images can be lost in the crowd of very ‘similar’ images. This offers photographers a great opportunity to get experimental. Composition is one area that can be great to play with, shooting low to the ground and making the most of the blanket of leaves, for instance. One area that I will be looking to experiment with is ‘off-camera flash’. Having recently used the PocketWizard flash triggers, which I normally use for my automotive work, I see lots of potential for illuminating backlit subjects using off-camera flash whilst shooting into the sun. Hopefully, this will create some really unique images and offer a lot of versatility in terms of lighting subjects.
3) Make use of planning tools…
Planning at this time of year is essential, in particular as the weather can be very hit or miss so every opportunity needs to be grasped. There are several tools that I utilise to make sure I have planned ahead before going out to shoot. The most obvious is a decent weather app. I have used Yahoo Weather for years and found it to be fairly consistent. However, I have also used apps such as AccuWeather and Dark Sky. One particularly useful tool is the Photographers Ephemeris - which allows you to see the angle of sunlight at any particular time of day - essential for understanding what will be bathed in beautiful light and what will be in shade. Finally, I use Google Maps and in particular, Street View to explore different areas, especially if they are further afield so that I have a good idea what to expect when I get there!
4) Expand your editing skills
One of the best ways to take your images to the next level is to improve your editing skills. It’s always really important to capture a scene as well as possible ‘in camera’. However, it’s about what you do with it next that is equally important. Paying attention to the warmer hue’s and the saturation can really help your image ‘pop’. I do the majority of editing in Lightroom and will often make a few final adjustments in Photoshop. With regard to autumnal images in particular, I like to bring out the orange and red tones to make the most of the autumnal feeling. I also like to adjust the tone curve to add a softness to the image, but it is always better when Mother Nature adds a bit of mist! A great place to learn new skills is YouTube and I will be uploading new videos on my own YouTube channel soon.
5) Print your work…
This may not seem like the most obvious tip at first. However, by printing your photos, you are committing to an image and ensuring that you are producing your best possible work. I never feel that an image is complete until it is printed and you can see the fruits of your labour. It also helps you pre-visualise an image and make sure you are making the most of a scene and envisaging the final image, hanging on your wall. More importantly though, it is the warm fuzzy feeling you get weeks, months or years after taking an image you are particularly proud of and you happen to glance back at it and get that satisfied feeling. Autumnal images always feel the most sentimental to me and many others and therefore, make a great option for printing and hanging.
In conclusion, whether you’re experimenting with PocketWizards, planning a trip to the countryside using the Photographers Ephemeris or simply printing a few images you are particularly proud of -autumn is a great time of year to be out shooting! Good luck!
Modern Nostalgia: A Backwards approach to Photography
I have been struggling with my photography lately. Call it ‘Photographers Block’ or maybe actual apathy but either way, something just hasn’t gripped me like it use to. Recently, I went out for an evening stroll, mainly just to clear my head but with the intent of grabbing a few photos. I found myself drawn to the same old things, dereliction, grime, dirt and basically anything on the more run-down side of life. As I stared at the old shop frontages, the run down streets and pictured how they would look with my heavy-handed edits, it suddenly dawned on me, I am a nostalgia whore… I pimp myself out to anything that has even a remote whiff of sentimentality.
This is nothing new, I’ve pretty much spent my whole ‘photography life’ trying to make my images look like they are from another time. In fact, Birmingham itself has a weird duality of personality between being this historic relic that should be preserved for future generations and every available derelict space being knocked down to make way for the ‘latest in modern living’. In fact, there are people out there so attached to the past that they simply must live in converted old factory units, as long as they come with all of the trappings of modern life - even I couldn’t resist that level of ‘authenticity’.
However, having more than a subtle nod to the past seems to be the new craze in Photography, well not new, but certainly more prevalent than ever. I see images all over social media that could be plucked straight out of the back-catalogue of any 1970’s photographer worth their salt. Even more, I see people returning to shooting film to try to achieve that authentic feel, something than simply ‘can’t be recreated in Lightroom’ so instead they are returning to the darkroom. This got me thinking about why so many of us are so determined to add a feeling of Nostalgia to our images and why we would even waste thousands of pounds on modern equipment, only to apply filters to make the image quality, well, worse.
As I continued my walk, thinking deeper and deeper about why I am personally drawn to a whimsical sense of past, a thought crossed my mind and seemingly got stuck there and wouldn’t budge. Quite simply, maybe we just always associate the past as being better than the present. Now that may not ring true for everyone and it certainly isn’t intended to be so sweeping, but I do think that most people have a tendency to remember the past in a more favourable light. Music, food, sport, fashion.. everything was better when you were younger, right? Well the truth is, probably not… But that doesn’t mean that we don’t hark back to a time when our lives were less stressful and our fashion choices a little simpler.
However, there is one important person that we are missing out and that is the viewer. Why do nostalgic images appeal to the non-photographer viewer? Well, from what I see it is simply that, we like old things because they remind us of a better, simpler time… a time pre-Brexit. I love the work of Fred Herzog, but have no attachment to 1960’s Canada. I’m constantly amazed by the work of Saul Leiter but have no reason to feel sentimental about New York nearly 70 years ago. Even Gregory Crewsdon and Todd Hido have their enigmatic ‘can’t really place a time on them’ style of images beguile me and they are working very much in the present!
So what does it all mean… Well, for me personally, I doubt I will be changing my style anytime soon, though the more I see the same style of images, the more I know I need to do something different. Whereas I hugely enjoy the work of many photographers that shoot with film, find beautifully nostalgic scenes or even just apply film grains to give their images more ‘feels’, I do think the nostalgia bubble will eventually burst. The main reason for this? Well you can only fake authenticity so far.
However, these are just the ramblings of a photographer trying to cement a style and work out the ‘why’ - and I will continue to dream of living in my modern abandoned factory unit with just the right-level of ‘voice activated heating’ whilst looking at bare-brick walls with images of run down 1970’s American petrol stations in the desert… Maybe one day… What are your thoughts on this? Please leave a comment below.