Camera Shy

The beginning of the month and its theme day. This month's is a camera shy self image.

Not difficult for me, as I hate seeing myself in photos. Yes I do have a negative body image, always have done. So here's my photo for the day. Fortunately it was sunny when I took it, so I got a decent shadow. Just a shame that you can't see my camera.

Passing Strangers

One of the so-called rules of photography is that you're not meant to shoot into the sun, but rules are meant to be broken, especially those that are to do with photography.

The sun was very bright when I shot this at lunchtime, and I like the way that it has made the road shimmer, like it was wet with rain.

Yes, I've tweaked it a bit in Lightroom, but only to enhance the silhouettes and to turn it to monochrome.

I'm intrigued as to why the person is walking in the road, especially with some cars that are heading towards them.

Jingle Bells

The big switch-on of the Christmas lights in the Old Market Square happened tonight. It has been estimated that about 8000 people stood and watched the plunger being pushed. Not by anyone famous, but some children that had come from a renal unit of a local hospital.

It's always exciting to see the lights come on, even though they are always the same. The big difference this year is that the Christmas tree is in a different position and an open air ice skating rink has been built around it.

So instead of popping up a photo that might be similar to last years, here's a bit of an arty shot that I took of some overhead decorations reflected in a puddle.

Trial And Error

I recently ordered a new lens for my OMD, and it came yesterday. It's a fixed f8, 15mm. Very small. In fact it looks like a lens cap. So I popped it on this morning and took it to Beeston with me for a trial run.

Although it was very warm still, the sun had disappeared, and was cloudy.  Not ideal f8 conditions. So I cranked the ISO up a little bit to compensate.

Unfortunately there wasn't any events on today, so I just went for a stroll up and down the High Road, randomly shooting from the hip, just to see what sort of photos would turn up.

Most of them were rubbish, but I quite like this one. Fairly sharp, and at a jaunty angle. Just a shame that the lad in the middle is obscured by the tree. But it all adds to the fun of not looking through the viewfinder. I also like the gaze of the guy who was reading a travel brochure. He just seemed to look up as I was walking by. But I don't think he had suspected that I had taken his photo. Such is the beauty of the little lens.

Moody

This is Chrissy, our model for the evening, while we were doing a small lighting course at our friends studio in Clifton.

Besides working in the studio, we went outside and using just one flash, set up a shot like this one.

Child's Play

If anyone gets off the train at Beeston Station they pass a children's nursery, called appropriately enough Station House Nursery.

I had a little chuckle when I saw the line of these amusing, friendly looking characters, of a builder, a postie and a nurse. So I just had to share it with you all.

Lines

After so many events and places that we've been to over the past few weeks, I thought I would slow the mood down a touch with a little bit of street photography.

I haven't really done that much photography on the streets of Nottingham recently, even though I go out walking around the city centre every lunchtime. It's just that I don't really see anything that's worth taking. Or I'm just not quick enough.

But I did spot this girl propped up against the wall of the Contemporary arts centre, and thought it would make an interesting shot, with the various vertical and horizontal lines, with the mirrored effect of the girls' legs.