Misty Moments

The fog which we experienced yesterday evening was still in evidence today, even in the Old Market Square at lunchtime.

I met up with my workmate who is a photographer too, as he wanted to have a go with my 40-150mm, f2.8 lens. He has just converted to Olympus from Fuji, and wanted to try my lenses out, to see if they would suit his style of photography.

So while he was having a go with that, I was using another lens. So decided to take a photo of the Council House, which was bathed in grey.

Apparently tomorrow's weather should be a lot better, so we'll see what what is on offer for our cameras.

Lighting The Way

There's a new photo studio in Beeston that opened earlier this year called The Flour Mill. And yes, you've guessed right, it is based in an old Victorian flour mill.

Sian the owner has done a great job of turning it into a working space for artists. It's one large, light airy room that has been painted white.

I visited the studio for the first time a few months ago to interview Sian for the magazine that I write for, but returned today as the studio was running its first photographic workshop. All about lighting.

There were eight of us in total, and the workshop was led by professional photographer Nick Dunmur. He first went through the main types of lighting. We then split into two groups and practiced what we had learned, using ourselves as models.

This is my version of Steve. I used a bit of side lighting, just to highlight his face and body, but wanted to keep it quite dark, almost mysterious. Just enough information to see who it is, but not why they are there.

Dreaming Of The Past

Sometimes I will see something in a shop window that will make me stop and take a photo.

Today is a good example, as I saw this display of vintage goods in a charity shop window, during my lunchtime amble around the city centre.

Quite a colourful arrangement of things, and looks influenced by the 1950s.

The only thing is that I'm sure they've put those cat styled glasses on upside down.

A Monk In Time

My pal at work who I meet up with at lunchtimes for a bit of photography bought an Olympus EM-1 yesterday, as he hasn't really got on with the camera that he bought earlier in the year, and it has affected his enthusiasm for taking pictures.

So he made the momentous and expensive decision to go and buy the model of camera that I use. He's been impressed with the camera's features and the customer service that Olympus provide, so he wanted to join the club. He's also pleased that I can offer help and advice on settings etc, as I've had mine almost since it came out.

So this lunchtime we decided to visit the castle, so that he could take some photos and I could give him a bit of training on how to get the best out of the camera.  Whilst we were walking around the grounds, we came across this 'monk' who was telling some visitors a tale about the history of the castle and its involvement in religion.

A good subject to photograph, as the actor was quite expressive and didn't mind being photographed. So we both took some photos, me with my 45mm lens and my pal with his 12-40mm. He was pleased with the results and the camera appears to have sparked his interest in photography again, which is brilliant.

He's not entirely sure what he is going to do with his other camera yet. He may trade it in, so he can buy some more lenses, or simply keep it for now, or pass it to his son.

I'm In His Sights

Most times that I cycle home through Highfields, I see this swan all on their lonesome. There are other swans on the lake, but he never seems to want to play with them in the water. Preferring to be alone, or just sitting with the odd duck or moorhen.

I don't know why he prefers his own company, and recently I have started to feel sorry for him, as I know what it is like to be alone.  So I have been buying some bags of wild bird seed for his tea.

He seems to enjoy it, and soon gobbles up the pile that I pour out of the bag. I know not to feed him bread, as it isn't very good for them, so I have been popping to the pound shop, and buying the largest bag that I could find, which usually lasts for two or three visits.

I think he has got used to my visits now, as tonight he started to waddle up to me as I was getting off my bike. He also gets quite eager to sample the goodies that I bring, as sometimes he tries to peck at the open bag as I'm pouring the contents out.

I took this photo with a vintage lens. A Hanimex 35mm f2.8, which I bought from a charity shop at the weekend. As it was sunny today, I thought I would give it a go. I wanted to get a different angle, so tried one pointing upwards. I had to guess whether I had the shot fully in focus, as I couldn't use the viewfinder. Instead I had to make do with the EM-1's back screen.

Not a bad effort, if I say so myself. There's also some interesting shaped bokeh, which makes for something different.

Dino Saw Us

It seems that dinosaurs are alive and well and living in Highfields.

But country to their ancestors, the modern version is a lot smaller. Mother Nature has helped them adapt to the changing environment, and human development.

Apparently they have also become quite shy and timid. It's the reason that you don't really see them in urban areas.

I just happen to spot this one. And fortunately I managed to get a quick shot. I had been shooting in black & white earlier, and so didn't really have the opportunity of changing it back into colour. But I was very lucky to get it, before it ran off into the bushes.

Posing Pooch

I bumped into a photographer from Peterborough in the Old Market Square today. He was here for a bit of street photography. He had one of the large Nikon models in his hand, so I knew that he wasn't really a tourist in the general sense of the word.

We had a chat and we parted. Strangely enough somehow we both ended up looking in the window of a local second hand shop, even though we went off in separate directions.

So we ended up having another chat about photography. Then I saw this dog tied up outside this shop, and took a photo or two. Just as I managed to get a good shot, the owner untied her and they walked off.  So we then mentioned about getting the shot and missed opportunities.

Shopping For Lord Vader

I didn't think Darth Vader had time for photography, as he was so busy trying to rule the universe and eliminate all the Jedi knights, but I spotted one of his Stormtroopers out shopping for camera equipment at the Photography Show.

He must have had a lot of money to spend, as the Stormtrooper has a shopping trolley to fill. I don't know what currency he'll try and use to pay for the cameras, lenses and lighting equipment, as the stalls only take Sterling, Euros or credit cards.

Apparently the Stormtrooper's name is Eric and he has become quite well known on the Internet, as his visits to Earth have been documented by a photographer called Darryll Jones. If you want to see what else Eric has been up to, then pop over to Eric's page.

Don't Mess With The Ladies

I have just been reading on the Internet that there had been a demonstration at the premiere in London of the new film about the Suffragettes.  Apparently over 100 women ran onto the red carpet while smoke bombs were going off. They were highlighting against the cuts in services for domestic violence. This ties in well with the theme of the film, as the Suffragettes demonstrated over the fact that women were't being allowed to vote.

I was at the Broadway Cinema on Wednesday, at a short photography workshop. After the lesson was over, I was walking down the stairs to leave, when I saw someone carrying a large stand that was advertising the film of the same name.

I stopped to talk to her, as I had noticed her clothing, which reminded me of a sailors uniform. She said that her name was Jess. I asked if I could take her photo, and kindly posed for me next to the big piece of card that she had just moved.

On The Run

A bit of an arty photo today of the trees in Highfields.

I used an old manual lens on my digital camera, and was just playing around with the f stops and shutter speeds. I also employed a bit of camera shake, just a little bit to give it a feel of say being chased or the feeling of not quite being alone, but you can't see anyone there.

Glamour Puss

Thankfully Princess Leia put down her Lightsaber and struck an art nude pose for me. Another present for the blog's ninth birthday.

Nag's Head

These brass horses are actually part of very dramatic door handles that I came across today whilst at my local police station.

No, it's OK, I hadn't been arrested for taking photographs, which seems to happen a lot these days, but was on a conducted tour round the building, which was built in the 1930s and is full of art deco architecture.

On The Tiles

A bit of fun with a game of Scrabble.

I created it for a little contest a few of us photographers have on Twitter. Some are UK based, and other are Stateside. The theme was tabletop games. I thought I would use Olympus, as it's a seven letter word, and also the make of my camera.

Peek-a-Boo

A sunny lunchtime today, so I took a stroll around the Lace Market. Whilst I was walking along, I began to notice that there seemed to be a lot of photography students about in small groups and all carrying cameras.

Passing through St Mary's churchyard, I saw a couple of girls trying to take a photo of another girl who was hiding herself in-between the branches of a tree. They were obviously trying to learn about light and shade.

One said that it was too dark to take a photo, and I thought that they should either increase the ISO, reduce the shutter speed or change the lens's f stop.

If anyone is interested, I took this with my 45mm lens, 100 ISO, f1.8 at 1/60th. Also slightly tweaked in Lightroom.

Smile

I was just testing my camera and I shot this still life scene by accident.

Thought it looked quite amusing, and so I thought I would share it with you all.

Artography

Photography takes many forms, from the straight portrait to documentary and street photography. If you've been following my blog for some time, then you would have seen that I have tried them all.

But I came across a new and probably unique form of photography today, when I visited my local Waterstones bookshop.

Howie the artist has taken normal photos of Asian women and then tweaked them in Photoshop so that they look like paintings. He also gives his photos an old sepia look too.

I enjoyed looking at the photos in the exhibition and chatting to Howie about photography. Here's a WEB-LINK to his site, where you can see some more of his fine art photography. And if you have the opportunity, do pop into Waterstones and see the work in real life. You won't be disappointed.

Mother's Pride

Gail and I went to Ripley in Derbyshire today to see the new photo studio that a modelling friend of ours has just opened.

You've seen photos of Kelli Smith on here before, and she is having to give up modelling shortly as she is expecting her first child; a little boy that she and her partner Tim are calling Lawson.

Just as I parked my car in a nearby car park, I noticed the flash of a red E Type Jag in the corner of the car park.  So out came my camera and I took a couple of shots.

It was difficult in trying to get a good angle, as there wasn't a lot of space to work in. So I decided to try an aerial view instead, as there was some steps that led to the beer garden of a pub aptly called the Red  Lion.

I must say that Kelli and Tim have done a good job of creating a great photographic space, with many different areas to shoot in; an American diner, a Parisian cafe, a Versace bedroom, a library amongst others. They have nearly finished a shower area for wet shots.

There were quite a number of photographers there when we arrived, including a couple that we knew. So it was good to catch up and see what everyone was doing.

Of course I have to show another photo of Kelli, thai I took at our studio, who's showing of her baby bump. After all it is Mother's Day.

The Force Is Strong In This One

For the next few days, the NEC in Birmingham will be full of photography enthusiasts, as it holds the relaunched and rebranded Photography Show.

Today was the first day & so Gail and I popped down to see what was going on and how much money we could try not to spend!

Of course it was packed.  And there was a good buzz in the air. It seemed a lot different to last year's Focus on Imaging. Plenty of brightly lit stands showing their wares. The Olympus stand looked enormous, and it was good to say hello to top tog Damian McGillicuddy, who had just completed a demonstration using one of Olympus's latest cameras.

During the time we were there, I was looking for something unusual to photograph, other than people trying out cameras or looking at the latest kit. So I was quite surprised to see Darth Vader and one of his Stormtroopers there in full menacing stance.

They of course haven't mistaken the West Midlands for Tatooine and were about to destroy it with the Death Star, but were posing, as part of a studio lighting demonstration.

Bathing Beauty

Gail & I spent an enjoyable afternoon near Cambridge, with professional photographer Andrew Appleton and top model Zara Watson.

We were part of a workshop that Andrew was running about an aspect of photography that we wanted to learn more about.

The workshop took place in a converted windmill.Sadly the sails were missing from the building, but strangely there was an abandoned swimming pool in the grounds, which made for a great location shoot.

I took these photos with my iPhone, as Andrew was the one taking the pictures, rather than the group. A shame, as I would have liked to have taken some photos of Zara in such an unusual building.

Always Judge A Book By Its Cover

I think nearly everyone on the planet has now heard of Brandon Stanton and his HONY Facebook page, which has now been turned into a book.

For those that don't know, during 2010 Brandon gave up his job as a bond trader, moved to New York with the idea of photographing 10,000 New Yorkers. Whilst taking their photo, he would ask them a simple question, like  "What's your favourite thing?" or "Do you have any regrets?"

I think at first he found it a little difficult, but as his fame spread, people are actually coming up to him and asking Brandon to take their photo. They might not be the best photos in the world, but they are honest and show the people in the raw.

The book contains 400 portraits of people, doing all sorts of things, in all parts of New York. Some are dressed strangely, or eccentrically. Some are just strange. I guess that's one of the beauties of living in a big city, strangeness is normal.