Photography

Gordon's Gin

2012-01-30T23:05:00.000Z

A couple of riders heading

home

on Sat-

urday

after-

noon

for a

drink.

Both

shot with a D200 + 85mm

1.8

Contre-

Jour.

Photography Course

2012-01-23T06:24:00.002Z

My latest DSLR Beginner's course for Border's College starts today with the following programme:

Week 2 Weather & Landscape, try to illustrate the changing moods of the weather with a scenic
picture, I recommend using Aperture Priority mode and an aperture of f8 upwards or manual if
you already feel confident!
Week 3 Apertures, this week I have set a technical exercise, please bring a minimum of two
pictures, one an image shot with a wide ie f3.5 - f5.6 aperture set, the other using an aperture of
f11 - f16. Try to have the main subject about 3 metres from the camera.

Shallow depth of field, Wide f2.8
aperture. Focus on main subject.

Week 4 Nightime - this is an exercise in using long shutter speeds normally of 1 second or more
to capture the atmosphere of the night. Could be buildings, traffic trails try not to use flash.
Could try painting with light using a torch.
Week 5 Valentine’s Day/Cooking An image to illustrate either Valentine’s Day or something
from your Kitchen, could try macro/close-up
Week 6 Movement/Sport, this is an exercise in using shutter speeds, either very short to freeze
movement or longer to show the essence of movement.
Week 7 Silouettes/Contre-Jour, this is about shooting against the light to create graphic shapes or
about using backlighting to improve a subject you might shoot it indoors or out.
Week 8 Portraits - use what you learnt during contre-jour to create hairlights or create a striking
Hollywood look with a table lamp and black background to make a moody low key image. No
Pets.
Week 9 Street Life/ Shoot from the hip to show people in one of our towns or cities, the key is
to make sure that you are not observed as a photographer and look for an engaging composition
which makes the viewer think.
Week 10 Reflections - put together everything you have learnt to capture any reflective surface -
remember composition, depth of field, maybe revisit one of the earlier topics and combine it with
this one.

Kodak Film

2012-01-22T07:51:00.000Z

Photographers are still c-dacking with Kodak film. Yesterday a customer of ours bought 55 rolls of Portra 160 for a trip to Australia, and it was in 120 roll film. At £229.00 it did not quite match our biggest Kodak film sale of 2011 with a value of £1098.00.However, this is not an isolated sale and it is not just students who are sticking with celluloid. Another regular buys Ilford HP5 and Provia 400x at the rate of about 30 a month. This customer tried digital but returned to film for the quality.Don't be too quick to snap the door shut on a truly innovative photo company.
Fujifilm unlike Kodak has embraced the digital market in many ways from building a range of innovative cameras and sensors to getting involved in large format inkjet printing. In addition it makes top quality lenses for companies such as Hasselblad, sells pharmaceuticals like skin creams used cosmetically, Two years ago Fujifilm's revenue from imaging was $4.2bn half the level of 2005 but in 2010 it made six times that amount from other businesses. More than two years after the demise of Polaroid Fuji still makes an instant analogue camera the Instax and the 20 image film to go with it and it is still selling!
Even as an ordinary consumer I was ahead of the trend, I first used a Casio digital camera in 1993. At that time I faithfully wrote a monthly diary on an Amstrad word processor which is long gone sadly stolen with its discs. That month I wrote: "Today I have seen the future of photography."

See also:
The Sunday Observer January 22nd 2012
Could Kodak's demise have been averted? http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/22/john-naughton-kodak-lessons
Kodak Advance Warning: Mr McNaughton writes:
"What's not often appreciated is that it was Kodak that invented the digital camera – in 1975. And four years after that a Kodak executive named Larry Matteson produced a report that predicted, in some detail, how different parts of the market would switch from film to digital, starting with government reconnaissance, moving on to professional photographyand finally the mass market, all by 2010. As it happened, Mr Matteson got the time-frame wrong by about five years, but apart from that he was spot-on."

Pati Beck

2012-01-21T12:48:00.000Z

Bruce Telford

2012-01-13T00:16:00.002Z

Olympics 2012

2012-01-06T22:13:00.003Z

Today Nikon joined the race to provide the top camera for London 2012. The firm's D4, available in the UK from February 16th for Nikon Professional Scheme Users, is firmly positioned to capture gold winning performances in eight months time. Despite having fewer pixels than Canon's latest flagship 1DX, Nikon is looking to cement the reputation its predecessor the D3 gained in Bejing in 2008. This afternoon I spoke to award winning sports photographer Russell Cheyne, (Sports picture of the Year 2000 and 2004). A long-time Nikon user he said he will not rush to get the first camera off the blocks but will wait for any bugs to be ironed out. However by July he reckons the camera will be well sorted for its run in Britain's biggest sporting spectacle for more than 60 years. Both cameras available to pre-order from Calumet.

Ben Vorlich Summit

2012-01-05T23:53:00.001Z

Anonymous walkers share a drink in wintertime on the summit of Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond) Photographed with Rolleiflex TLR on Fuji Pro400H + Polariser

Grey Imports

2012-01-03T17:30:00.002Z

A customer experienced a problem with his Canon 7D, it would not work on e-TTL even with a dedicated flashgun.
As the flash was a Nissin, I checked the camera with canon 580 EXII and found that it had the same problem but would fire on other modes. I looked carefully at the shoe and noticed that the four pins which transmit e-TTL information were not connecting to the hotshoe contacts. It was possible to slide a piece of paper between pins and contacts even with the gun locked on.
I told the customer the camera would have to go to Canon for service, was it still under guarantee? Yes, came the answer but I bought it in Dubai for ½ the price of a camera in the UK.
I think we know why it was so cheap....................

Camera Club Talk

2012-01-03T17:03:00.001Z

Yours truly making a presentation: "My Life as a Weekly Newspaper Photographer" at Midlothian Camera Club in October 2011. Photo by David Meikle Midlothian Camera Club

Sophie Swinton

2012-01-03T16:52:00.001Z

Sophie Swinton on Boxing Day 2011, Nikon D700, ISO 400, 1/320th f2.8 with 50mm/1.4 Manual Focus and Polariser.

Patricia Beck

2011-12-23T00:04:00.001Z

A relaxed moment during the Daniele Mabe shoot, Isle of Syke, Scotland.

Black Cuillin

2011-12-22T23:51:00.000Z

The Black Cuillin mountains seen from "Joe Cornish" beach, Elgol, Isle of Skye. Nikon D700 + 28mm polariser 1/15th sec f22 handheld

Krishna Carvalho

2011-12-22T23:39:00.003Z

Make-up artist Krishna Carvalho, Nikon D700 + 180mm f3.2 1/500s Iso 400, nicely dropping off focus on right eye.

Location Lighting

2011-12-19T23:30:00.002Z

Model Patricia Beck in high heels and make-up artist Krishna Carvalho ignore health and safety on the
edge of a 100ft precipice at the Quairing, Isle of Skye. Photo: Mark Davey

Make-up by Krishna Carvalho, concept and photography by Gustavo Zylbersztajn Camera Hasselblad H4D + 35-90mm, Lighting Profoto 5ft Octabox on 7B head with B2 Pack triggered by Pocket Wizard. Winter collection for Brazilian designer Daniele Mabe. Lighting supplied by Calumet Edinburgh.
Bruce Telford (Bruce's Highland Tours)holds the Profoto lightstand and Octabox, used for fill,while I grab a quick shot, Nikon D700 + 28mm/polariser

Brazilian fashion photographer Gustavo Zylbersztajn flew from 32ºC to -1ºC when he chose the Isle of Skye for his latest shoot.
Mr Zylbersztain, 36, from the equatorial heat of Sao Paulo, Brazil visited Scotland during the harsh winter of 2010. He was stunned by Highland Scotland's soft subtle lighting compared to the often harsh light of his homeland. On his return to Brazil he sought a client who might be interested in using the Scottish landscape for an advertising campaign.
The former building's civil engineer, who now earns a crust photographing beautiful models around the world for magazines such as Vogue and Elle soon found a designer with the same vision. Small Brazilian designer Daniele Mabe was looking for something slightly different for her 2012 winter collection.
Winter in Brazil, which begins in April, is a relative term as the temperature in Sao Paulo rarely drops below 6ºC. Miss Mabe's styles would be suitable for a Scottish summer.

Patricia Beck balances on the icy parapet of the old bridge, designed by Thomas Telford, at Sligachan,
Isle of Skye. Photo: Mark Davey

Model Patricia Beck, more used to sunnier climes such as Mumbai and Madrid, where she has recently worked said:
"It was very cold but last winter I did a shoot on Brooklyn Bridge, New York, when it was -10ºC and although there was a temporary tent for clothes changes, it had no heating."
On Skye Miss Beck made all changes between different outfits in the back of a four-wheel-drive provided by Bruce Telford of Highland Tours where Krishna Carvalho also applied the make-up.

Elgol Beach

2011-12-19T23:12:00.000Z

Black Cuillin range from Elgol Beach at 1/15th sec handheld. I was lucky enough to be assisting Brazilian photographer Gustavo Zylbersztajn and his wife Patricia who was modelling a winter range for Daniele Mabe.
I kept telling him he was enjoying amazing light for the Isle of Skye in December.

Edinburgh Calumet Night Out

2011-12-16T18:08:00.001Z

ephotozine

2011-12-07T20:44:00.001Z

A link to the ephotozine site: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/ephotozine-s-fantastic-christmas-newsletter-prize-draw-17954

Film

2011-12-07T20:31:00.001Z

It never ceases to amaze me when photographers have a shoot booked but leave buying film till the very last moment. At the shop we experienced such a situation last week, the customer ordered 5 rolls of Ilford 120 Pan F film on Wednesday afternoon and was told "we cannot guarantee that it will be here on Friday." The shoot was booked for Saturday.
At 5.15pm on Friday he phoned and said: "I might not make it before you close would someone wait back till I arrive." He turned up just as we were pulling the shutters down. Unfortunately we did not have the ordered film and as an alternative offered 5 rolls of FP4.
The reaction was: "You've ruined our shoot we'll send you the bill for the model as you have failed to supply!"
Another pro photographer, on hearing the story said: "If he's going to use film why doesn't he have his own in stock."
Digital has killed many films for instance another customer this week wanted 400 slide film, there is only one easily available which is Fuji Provia 400X and currently that is out of stock. The customer was going to order 20 but when I told them about the problem of ordering it they immediately upped the order to 100 rolls. That is the way to ensure having your own stock when needed.

Nikon V1 - Sensor Detail

2011-11-21T12:03:00.001Z

Nikon V1

2011-11-21T11:57:00.001Z

Nikon

2011-11-20T09:37:00.001Z

Despite being a dedicated follower of Canon Scott Louden thought us Nikonistas deserved something to cheer us up. While Canon ran a big lens day Nikon sent us this giant camera ably displayed by Gavin Dougan at Calumet, Edinburgh.

Canon Day at Calumet Edinburgh

2011-11-18T12:32:00.001Z

Ebay

2011-11-09T17:21:00.002Z

Took a phone call at work yesterday and the conversation went like this:

"Hi, I have bought a Nikon D300 from a seller on Ebay."
"Yes," I was thinking he'll want to book it for a sensor clean,
"The seller told me it had 5,023 actuations but when I loaded a file onto Flickr.com, the data said the actuations were in fact 23,521," So what I was beginning to think.
"I wondered if you would act as an arbitrator as I'll have to send it back," said the caller.
I was speechless,
"Why would we want to be involved?" I asked him.
"Well I paid £620 for it and it's not right."
I replied:
"You are right about that, we have a used one on the shelf for £520 inc vat."
I then asked was he a customer of ours,
"No, but I thought you might help..........................."

White Water

2011-11-06T00:05:00.000Z

Nikon D7000 + 180mm at f4 1/2000th Iso 400 while waiting for salmon to leap!

Cross Screen Filter

2011-11-05T23:41:00.002Z

Photo taken with a Nikon D7000, Manual mode, 1/30th f4 50mm manual focus lens, flash fired. Starlight effect created in camera with filter. Colours in the lens are light refracting from my pop-up flash.

Citroen Light 15

2011-11-02T00:52:00.000Z

BMW R45

2011-10-23T23:02:00.000+01:00

Polished Rocker achieved with P320 Wet and Dry followed by P600 Wet and Dry, final polish with autosol applied with a toothbrush and polishing cloth.

Refund

2011-10-21T23:24:00.001+01:00

Today a guy came into the shop with two 2GB compact flash cards. Unfortunately both cards, purchased in 2008, only allowed 1GB of memory in the camera. I agreed to exchange them for two 4GB cards, as we no longer have 2GB cards.
Told the customer our process would be to refund the original purchase to his credit card on the understanding that he would buy the replacement cards. Checked his account and discovered that there was no history of him purchasing the 2GB cards.
He said they were purchased as a present by a woman, whose name he gave. I said he would have to get her to come to the shop and we would be able to refund to her card.
Later in the day she turned up and said that an ex-boyfriend she'd split with two years previously had asked to meet him in our shop to do some sort of refund. The original customer entered the store and the process began:
I refunded her more than £70 and he said she'd have to use her card to buy the 4GB CF cards, she agreed but both the credit cards she tried to use for the transaction were declined. (The refund can take three days to go back).
In frustration he took his wallet out and paid £60 for the two cards, our margin on the cards was better than the original sale.
Afterwards we were splitting our sides as his ex walked off £70 better off and he now had two new cards but had lost the use of the 2GB cards which had been returned. Plus it appeared he'd spent two hours trying to put the deal together.

Ceilidh Dance

2011-10-17T22:33:00.001+01:00

Sarah and Paul Harrison dance the night away on their wedding day at Norton House Hotel near Edinburgh.

Photo Notes: Nikon D700 + 28mm/2.8 ISO 800 f8 1/4 second + flash from SB900 Rear Curtain Sync and handheld.

Fujifilm announce interchangeable lens system | Photography News | What Digital Camera

2011-10-14T23:06:00.000+01:00

Fujifilm announce interchangeable lens system | Photography News | What Digital Camera

Brilliant Inkjet Paper

2011-10-09T19:58:00.001+01:00

Printed some photos on Brilliant's new 4 x 6 inch Supreme Lustre this morning through Picasa 3.0's printing function. I set the printer properties for my Epson D88 A4 on Epson Premium Glossy. The results are excellent even without using ICC profiles.

WNEG

2011-10-07T22:53:00.000+01:00

Police BMW

2011-10-07T22:46:00.000+01:00

BMW R1150RT

2011-10-05T23:07:00.002+01:00

Tour of Britain Escort Bikes

2011-10-05T22:59:00.000+01:00

Ricoh GXR M

2011-10-04T23:07:00.002+01:00

From http://www.ffordes.com

Swiss Cheese

2011-10-04T22:56:00.000+01:00

Click on Title: "Swiss Cheese" to follow a link to the competition.

Traquair House, B&B / Guest House in Innerleithen, Scotland Scottish Borders - YouStayUK

2011-10-02T23:50:00.000+01:00

Traquair House, B&B / Guest House in Innerleithen, Scotland Scottish Borders - YouStayUK

North Cup Burgie

2011-10-02T23:24:00.000+01:00

Anna Davey on Wispa rockets across the water during the cross-country.
Photo notes: Nikon D700 + 85mm/1.8 ISO400, 1/1000th f4 + Flash from Vivitar 283 which seems to sync ok even when camera is set to Auto FP which takes the sync speed to any speed. I always understood that this mode only worked with Nikon guns.

Nikon Facebook

2011-09-30T12:58:00.000+01:00

A photographer is only as good as the equipment he uses, and a good lens is essential to taking good pictures! Do any of our facebook fans use any of the NIKKOR lenses? Which is your favorite and what types of situations do you use it for?

So say Nikon on its Facebook page. This comment has met with howls of derision and comment from amateurs and pros (who have the time) alike.
Nikon responded:
"We know some of you took offense to the last post, and we apologize, as it was not our aim to insult any of our friends. Our statement was meant to be interpreted that the right equipment can help you capture amazing images. We appreciate the passion you have for photography and your gear, and know that a great picture is possible anytime and anywhere"

Karsh

2011-09-22T23:29:00.000+01:00

Karsh began his study of photography at an early age. Born in Mardin, Turkey in 1908, he was sent by his family, at the age of 16, to Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada where he apprenticed with his photographer uncle, George Nakash. Nakash felt his nephew had great potential as a photographer and arranged for him to study in Boston with a fellow Armenian portrait photographer, Joseph Garo. When he returned to Canada, he set up his own studio in Ottawa in 1932, not far from the seat of Canada’s government and through a connection with the prime minister, he began to take portraits of prominent figures.

Karsh had a keen apprehension of the function of light in the context of black and white photography and went to great lengths to achieve the prints that express his signature look. His work at a local theater in Ottawa introduced him to the use of incandescent — as opposed to natural — light and he was to use this medium to dramatic effect in his work. For some of his assignments, he and his assistants would transport as much as 200-300 pounds of lighting equipment to a shoot. He also developed a strategy of lighting his subjects’ hands separately from their faces, a technique that deepened the interest of the shot. Karsh made use of a number of large-format cameras, but his favorite instrument was the Calumet 8” x 10”, whose large negative made possible a finer image quality in the printing process. In many instances, he would spend considerable time with his subjects before actually taking any photographs, talking to them, and persuading them to relax. However, in the case of the famous Churchill photo, taken in 1941 after Churchill’s speech at the Canadian parliament, he recounts that he had only a few minutes to catch the essence of the great man.

The darkroom processing of the image was as important to Karsh as the composition and actual taking of the shot. He developed his own negatives and the prints were made through a photogravure process on especially manufactured heavy paper to produce silver gelatin prints. This process made possible a great range in tonality of the final prints, from the deepest blacks to the most brilliant whites and everything in between. He also made extensive use of retouching to heighten or diminish the density of an image. When he signed the original prints, he used a special heavy, soft, black ink.

In all aspects of his work, Karsh must be admired and respected as the consummate professional who mastered both his art and his craft. There is virtually no photographer today working as Karsh did, and with the advent of digital photography, it is highly unlikely that his darkroom skills will ever be replicated.

Link: http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2011/09/22/karsh-exhibit-captures-spark-almaunveils-gallery/

"A Bit Behind" by photobymdavey | RedBubble

2011-09-08T19:12:00.000+01:00

"A Bit Behind" by photobymdavey | RedBubble:

Creag Leacach

2011-09-03T13:58:00.001+01:00

Creag Leacach photographed with Fuji Provia 100 on the afternoon of Saturday 20th August 2011

Cairn Bannoch

2011-09-03T13:45:00.001+01:00

Tim Breeze reviews photos on the summit of Cairn Bannoch July 3rd 2011. Photographed with Fuji Provia 100 using a Nikon 28mm/2.8 series E Lens

Sony Nex-7

2011-08-28T13:27:00.000+01:00

The Sony Nex-7 featuring a 24 Million Pixel APS-C size sensor is a huge leap from the original Nex 5. It has the largest pixelled sensor from any camera close to a compact and is sure to prove popular. While Nikon and Canon do not have anything close to this in APS-C sensors surely those companies cannot be far behind.
Main features:

24.3 effective megapixels Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
Quick, responsive autofocus and world’s fastest (0.02 sec) release time lag
Quick, versatile new TRINAVI control
High-resolution XGA OLED Tru-Finder and built-in flash
Full HD Movie with 50p/25p, manual focus, full P/A/S/M exposure control and improved audio
10fps continuous shooting (Speed priority mode) Thanks to Ephotozine: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/sony-nex-7-interchangeable-lens-camera-17250

Bull

2011-08-28T12:42:00.000+01:00

"So you want me to walk round that ring?" Bull photographed at Peebles agricultural show August 13th 2011 with Nikon D200 + 180mm/2.8 lens.

Citroen Xsara Picasso

2011-08-19T23:41:00.000+01:00

Just onto the Isle of Skye from the Glenelg ferry in early June 2011 with mountains of Kintail in the background. Photo by Geraldine Davey

Citroen Light 15

2011-08-19T23:38:00.000+01:00

Cartoon of George Davey working on his Citroen Light 15 drawn by a colleague when he left Havant in the 1950s.

Piglets

2011-08-14T22:29:00.004+01:00

"There were Four-in-the-bed - and the middle one said: "Roll over..........."

Loganberry

2011-08-04T22:33:00.000+01:00

Loganberry shot with a Nikon D7000 and 60mm/2.8 Macros lens

Hopetoun House Cross Country

2011-08-04T22:13:00.000+01:00

A Competitor in the cross-country at Hopetoun House eventing on Saturday 30th July, shot with a Nikon D7000, 85mm/1.8 and Nikon SB700 flash.

Provia 100

2011-07-15T22:57:00.000+01:00

Summit of Carn an t-Saigairt Mor shot on a Nikon FM2N and 28mm Series E lens plus polariser.

Tripod Plate

2011-07-08T23:09:00.001+01:00

More than three months ago a customer phoned me after losing her tripod plate. She wanted me to source a new one, at the time I took her number but was busy for the last hour of the day.
By the time I called her the next morning she had written and emailed a four paragraph complaint about my slovenly service to our customer services team in London. We did not even list the plate she wanted for the head of her tripod, I contacted the importer and within a week we had the plate in stock.
Now in July it is still on our shelf awaiting payment, each time we phone her she insists she wants it as her tripod is useless without it.
Is this punishment for not calling back instantly?

Comment from David Whitehouse:

We have well-heeled Warwickshire residents who want to use vans to bring waste material to recycling centres beacause they don't want to sully their Jaguar, Aston Martin etc! You can't please all the opeople all the time. Some people you will never please.

10:22 AM

Poppy

2011-07-07T23:44:00.000+01:00

Poppy about to open shot on Provia 100 film

New Nikon Lenses

2011-07-06T00:43:00.002+01:00

This is a list of lenses scheduled to be announced by Nikon in the near future (not necessary in 2011):

Nikon AF-S VRII Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4G IF-ED N
Nikon AF-S VRII Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4 IF-ED
Nikon AF-S VRII Micro-Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 IF-ED N
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/2G
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/2G
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/2G
Nikon AF-S DX VRII Zoom-Nikkor 16-70 f/3.5

Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/#ixzz1RHGeoKVn

Being Prepared

2011-07-06T00:40:00.000+01:00

A photographer from New York is attending a conference in Edinburgh from Thursday. However, today he has decided that he needs to hire some extra equipment, not just a few bits but a camera and two lenses, three studio lights, stands, backgrounds etc.
Luckily most of the equipment should be available, but this joker is just one of the many who seem to leave everything to the last minute..............

The big bite

2011-07-05T23:34:00.001+01:00

The big bite
Originally uploaded by MartynJB

Peebles Beltane 2011

2011-06-23T00:09:00.000+01:00

Cornet's Reel at 10.30pm outside the Tontine Hotel, Peebles High Street, Wednesday June 22nd 2011, Nikon D100, 28-70mm/2.8, Vivitar 283 Flash 1/4 sec f8

Tyranny of the Camera

2011-06-21T22:46:00.001+01:00

Tourists' tripping the shutter can seriously damage the enjoyment of a beautiful scene. Or so thinks Nick Trend writing in Saturday's Weekend Telegraph.
Mr Trend, who seems to have "borrowed" the bulk of his argument from a blog written in 2009, argues that it is best to remember views seen on your travels in the mind's eye. He says that seeing life through a viewfinder and remembering it afterwards through pictures diminishes the reality of the experience.
Until about 1961 my father was a very keen photographer. It was only after his death in 2010 that I found out how keen he'd been when I discovered many previously unseen albums. He largely seems to have used a folding camera, I have speculated it may have been the impossibility of keeping up with his sister's Leica ownership which turned him away from photography. In later life he often said to me:
"It is better to remember things in your head as the colours are better."
Whenever I took pictures of him, and latterly of his grand-children he was always very keen to display them, which seems at odds with his views about retaining images in the mind.
At first when I started to pursue photojournalism as a career he was fairly against the idea, but when I landed a job on a weekly paper seemed to come round. Even then he said I'd have been better off going into TV news, despite the fact that in the last 20 or so years of his life he didn't own a TV.
So perhaps there is something in this not viewing life through a viewfinder - I'd certainly save a lot of money.............

Matterhorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn & Dent Blanche

2011-06-16T23:47:00.000+01:00

Another shot with the folding Zeiss Ikonta from the North Ridge of the Weisshorn in August 1989.

Weisshorn View

2011-06-16T23:36:00.001+01:00

The view East at Sunrise one day in August 1989 from halfway up the Grand Gendarme on the North Ridge of the Weisshorn, Swiss Alps. It's a bit magenta but I've not fiddled with it in Photoshop.
Taken on Kodak Gold 200 film, using a Zeiss Ikonta 6 x 6 cm camera, with a 75mm/4.5 Anstigmat lens. Unfiltered. I'd only owned the camera about six weeks and the picture has some flare from the uncoated lens.
It is ideal for mountaineering as it is light-weight with the lens folding into the body and shoots medium format negatives.
I'd hate to take a modern Hasselblad digital up the North Ridge of the Weisshorn - the battery would probably fail!! Apart from the weight................oh and £8,000, the Zeiss cost £80.00 and you can still get them for about the same money.

Isle of Rum

2011-06-15T22:34:00.002+01:00

Looking back to the Isle of Rum and the Cuillin mountains from the deck of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Mallaig. This was the first clear day after 8 days of rain and storm. Taken with Provia 100 film through a Nikon FM2N + 28mm lens and polariser.

Isle of Rum

2011-06-12T23:25:00.000+01:00

Deer Tracks on Kilmory beach, Isle of Rum. Somewhere in the haze and rain clouds in the background lurks the Isle of Skye.
Photograph by Geraldine Davey, on a Nikon D200 with standard 18-55mm zoom at 18mm.

Long Lens

2011-06-12T23:15:00.001+01:00

Spent some time pondering purchasing a variable aperture zoom such as the 70-300mm VR before our trip to the Isle of Rum.
Eventually took my 180mm/2.8 and a manual TC200 2X converter. On the D200 this gives the equivalent of a 560mm f5.6. I used that to take this photo of a duck? (Does anyone know what it is?)
Settings 1/500th f5.6 ISO 125

Carn na Caim

2011-06-12T00:15:00.000+01:00

Camera Panning

2011-06-11T22:28:00.000+01:00

Taken on Fuji Provia 100 film with a Nikon F100, 70-300mm G VR lense 1/60th f11 using panning where the camera moves at the same speed as the moving subject thus blurring the background

Amateur Photographer

2011-06-11T21:15:00.000+01:00

Amateur Photographer reader Martin Johnson reveals, in Backchat this week June 11th, that film is far from dead.
He relates a conversation which he had with a work colleague. She told him that her daughter is at university studying photography but won't use a digital camera.
"She doesn't like the complexities of modern cameras and all the stuff you have to do on the computer. She'd rather wait and see what comes out and loves working in the darkroom."
The girl visits camera shops which sell second-hand equipment and is always adding to her collection of film equipment at bargain prices.
Mr Johnson concludes by saying that perhaps "...we are losing the anticipation of photography - those wonderful moments when we get back the pack of prints, the box of slides or the sheer satisfaction of seeing a selection of images taken on basic equipment."
As regular readers will know and by looking at my captions will see, this is just the approach which I have taken since last year. I'm not a luddite and am happy to use digital equipment when commercially necessary, I usually hire a D700 from my work, I have all the necessary lenses.
Last night I was talking to a former colleague, Mike Bascombe, who is now the photographer for Lyon & Turnbull Actioneers in Edinburgh. For work he uses a Canon 5D MKII but told me he has recently bought a Hasselblad 500CM and lenses for his personal work.
Digital may have caught up with the resolution of film but film still looks different, whether black and white such as Tri-X or colour such as Provia 100.
I get my film processed, printed to 6 x 4 (for the album) and scanned at 3000 x 2000 pixels for the web. Certainly it costs me on a regular basis, but buying a D700 and probably its imminent replacement, not to mention a D3X would be a major expense. Many people looking at the prints remark on the sharpness and colour and ask what on which camera the images were captured.
I trained on black and white and transparency film, getting the exposure correct even without a meter is not a problem as I have shot so many pictures in the past.
The only problem is that new film cameras are not being made so eventually the old ones will wear out or film may become unavailable. Film is still selling at Calumet not in the quantities of the past but there is still a demand. An archaeologist who buys from us generally gets 20-30 at a time having tried digital and reverted to film.

Cloud Inversion

2011-06-09T23:37:00.005+01:00


Clouds bubble round the summit of Snowdon North Wales originally taken on a Kodachrome slide with a Zeiss Ikonta Folding 6x6cm camera with 75mm f4.5 lens in 1992

Floors Eventing 2011

2011-06-09T23:25:00.005+01:00


Floors Castle eventing shot on a Nikon F100 + 180mm/2.8 with Provia 100 1/60th/f11 taken by panning (moving the camera at the same speed as the horse and rider as they approached the fence).

Floors Eventing 2011

2011-06-09T23:21:00.003+01:00


Shot on Fuji Provia 100, Nikon F100 + 100mm/2.8 Series E lens 1/500th f4 pre-focused on the top rail of the fence, motordrive on single shot. Timing is key.

Mecanopsis

2011-06-09T23:06:00.003+01:00

Mecanopsis at Glendoick near Dundee, shot on Provia 100 film with 60mm/2.8 on Nikon FM2N

Harris Mausoleum

2011-06-08T18:50:00.001+01:00

Nikon 10.5mm

2011-05-24T23:46:00.002+01:00

How to "Shave" Your Nikon 10.5mm Lens from singaporevr.com
Removing the lens hood of my Nikon 10.5mm lens is something that took quite a bit of courage. Especially since I still remember paying SG$1,150 for it several years back. Now that I have upgraded to an FX (full frame) camera, I did not want my old DX fisheye to become obsolete. I thus embarked on a journey to convert my DX lens into an FX lens. Take a look at the ‘before & after’ shots.

Then saw away… SLOWLY ! ! ! Use your thumb to help guide the saw. I cut my nails flat just for this project. The saw cuts through the plastic very easily so you do not need all your macho strength to do this job. Take it slow and steady.

The pieces of the hood come off really easily and all that is left after that is to file off any rough edges and to clean off any stray particles. I used a can of compressed air to blow the whole lens clean. That’s it… my DX lens is now and FX lens. It works perfectly.

Fuji Provia 100

2011-05-23T23:36:00.002+01:00

Glas Bheinn Mhor and Ben Starav Shot on Fuji Provia 100, Nikon FM2N + 28mm Series E Lens

Floors Eventing 2011

2011-05-23T23:27:00.004+01:00

Nikon D200, 70-300mm VR panned at 1/60th f11 Iso 200

Floors Eventing 2011

2011-05-22T22:33:00.003+01:00

Lenticular Cloud

2011-05-16T22:48:00.003+01:00

Mount Keen

2011-04-18T22:08:00.003+01:00

A Day on Mount Keen the most easterly Munro photographed on Kodak Tri-X with a Nikon FM2N and 28mm Series E lens and 50mm/1.4 plus orange and green filters.

Hahnel Inspire

2011-03-31T23:27:00.003+01:00

Camera Accessory company Hähnel's wireless Inspire LiveView Remote Control is now available at Calumet in Cannon Or Nikon fittings for £200.

Ideal for wildlife, sport and even hazardous photography, the Inspire features a built-in, 3.5” colour LCD on the hand-held transmitter that displays a LiveView image independent of DSLR.
You can then view these images from up to 60m away, ensuring that you take the perfect photo at exactly the right time.

Control up to 4 different cameras remotely from one transmitter and then switch between the LiveView image of each camera at the touch of a button.

Features:

3.5” LCD displays LiveView image of the Camera
Built-in camera gives LiveView image even for those DSLR’s without this feature
Easily switch between DSLR LiveView & built-in CMOS camera view
Playback the pictures taken without having to go back to the camera
Control several cameras withone Inspire
Several Power options for every situation
Available for Canon & Nikon DSLR’s

Black Grouse or is it?

2011-03-29T23:36:00.001+01:00

Taken by Geraldine Davey using her D200 with 70-300mm/4-5.6 VR lens, Sophie made a noise to disturb him from his meal and he obligingly flapped his wings.

Magnum Photo

2011-03-29T23:22:00.001+01:00

Picked up the link to the Magnum site from chrismorephotos&grafix
So thought I'd give the old agency a plug with a "PrintScreen" of its front page.

Lover Boy

2011-03-29T22:48:00.005+01:00

LOVER BOY - Teaser from Max Swinton on Vimeo.
LOVER BOY is a new short film by Max Swinton, to be released in 2011.

Jack and Chlo fell in love. They love each other very much. But Chlo can be cruel, her behaviour erratic. As Jack's increasingly fragile state of mind begins to rapidly degrade, he will have to choose between facing up to the fatal flaw in his and Chlo's relationship, or exploring his own potential for cruelty to it's fullest potential.

Starring ZACH SELL HANNAH WILDER CALLUM FULLER
Written and Directed by Max Swinton
Produced by Max Swinton and Zach Sell
Original score by Stuart Torrance
http://www.happysadpictures.com/lover-boy/

Nikon FM2N

2011-03-27T23:29:00.001+01:00

The first FM2N I snapped up, and fitted with this bashed 50mm/1.4, was a chrome model. I parted with £175 for that camera in 1992 at Leeds Photovisual in Birmingham.
It was my main camera for the next four years of building up my photojournalism. I used it for sports pictures published in a myriad of local newspapers as I created a portfolio.
In 2010 I returned to mainly using film for my own work and alternated between my F100 and Rolleiflex. But both are weighty compared to the sublime FM2N.
A month ago I spotted this mint condition black FM2N in Cameratiks, Morningside Road, Edinburgh. Patrick, the proprietor added this neat Nikon strap and again I spent £175.
The first rolls of Tri-X from it were great as you'd expect from a virtually unused machine.
Hillwalking last weekend I handed it to a stranger to take mine and Geraldine's picture,
"What a lovely sound," he said as the shutter went off.

Fuji X-100

2011-03-23T22:48:00.001Z

Why not just buy a used Olympus 35RC rather than the hyped horror that is the Fuji X-100. The Olympus with its razor-sharp 42mm 2.8 lens and modern film will give far better resolution than the 12mp sensor in the £800 Fuji. Cameratiks, on Edinburgh's Morningside Road has an RC for £80.00 a 1/10th the price of the Fuji.

If you shot one film a week and had it processed and scanned at say £15.00 it would take 48 weeks to match the price of the Fuji. By that time the clever engineers at Fuji will have a replacement planned and the X-100 would be worth a couple of hundred pounds as we all know new digitals are worse than new cars when it comes to depreciation.

Oh yes the Fuji even offers film simulation modes to mimic Provia, Velvia and Astia so even more reason to use the real thing - probably not what a camera salesman should be writing!

A Much Hyped Horror- The Fuji X-100

Kodak Tri-X (2)

2011-03-23T22:15:00.001Z

Another shot on the Nikon FM2N with Tri-X + Orange filter on a nice day looking down the Leadburn Road towards the hills above Peebles.

Kodak Tri-X

2011-03-18T23:37:00.002Z

Shot on Kodak Tri-X 35mm, using my Nikon FM2N + 28mm lens and orange filter, 1/250th f11.

Edinburgh's Royal Mile

2011-03-17T21:32:00.001Z

A former colleague has spent much of his leisure time photographing the goings-on along Edinburgh's Royal Mile. He is now so well recognised as a street festival photographer that he is to fly out to Dubai next week to be the official "street photographer" at a festival there. No doubt he'd have something to say at this image. I liked the view of this couple enjoying the pictures on their LCD outside this tourist trap shop.

A Wedding Snapper Snapping

2011-03-17T21:15:00.001Z

Everyone who has viewed this wedding photographer at work has asked:
"Was the bride happy with this shot?"
I was out and about with the trusty Nikon FM2N and some Tri-X when I happened across this guy at work on a Saturday afternoon.
At first I thought he was using a 5D MKII and shooting video but no this was a still.

Earthquake

2011-03-15T23:26:00.001Z

Nikon has shut down its Sendai plant in the earthquake hit part of the country. Nikon's Sendai plant is where cameras including the D3S, D3X, D700 and F6 are made.

'We are suspending operations there and continuing to evaluate further details of the damage,' Nikon said in a statement.

'We are unable to announce how soon the operations will resume due to the regional interruption of life-lines…'

Canon has similarly shut down a factory in the troubled region.

Nikon has contributed 100 million yen to relief efforts and Canon, a much bigger company, has given 300 million yen.

Ansel Adams The American Wilderness

2011-03-14T23:02:00.001Z

At Peebles' Charity Book Sale on Saturday I picked up a mint first edition of this beautiful coffee table book for £10. I'm not a great Ansel Adams fan as I prefer my landscapes to have some human interaction, such as rock climbers halway up El Capitan or Half Dome, rather than just be pretty pictures.
This is probably why my first Yosemite book was Galen Rowell's "The Vertical World of Yosemite." Also John Cleare's "Rock Climbers in Action in Snowdonia" from the 1960s takes some beating for gritty black and whites.
In modern large format photography of British mountains Gordon Stainforth's series are as good as Adams with the benefit of comprehensive shooting notes.
For something a bit more basic W A Poucher's Guides, mostly shot on early Leica's are quite inspiring.

Painting Colours in B&W Using Photoshop Elements

2011-03-13T22:09:00.004Z

Painting in Layers to add colour to a Black & White:

I have opened a colour image and converted it to B/W(Enhance>Convert to Black and White).

To add colour to the black and white image and make the car blue and the driver’s helmet red. Layer>New layer name it colour. Change the layer blending mode to Color in the drop-down menu.

Select the brush tool from the tool box and set the background colour to blue or any other color you wish.

To change the colour of the brush click on the squares at the bottom of the toolbox, the default is black and white. The foreground colour is ontop the background colour underneath. Clicking on the foreground color opens a color picker window.

Using the brush tool paint in the blue colour on the car body, I used a brush size 100px, opacity at 100%.

It doesn’t matter if you go over the edges as the next step is to use the eraser to rub out those bits.

The final stage with this image was to set up another new layer and repeat the above process to paint the driver’s helmet red.

Final Picture:

Canon NP-E3

2011-03-01T23:53:00.001Z

Had a true pro in the shop today, with his Canon 1DS MKII, he was in a bit of pickle as he'd left his battery charger in London and was shooting in Edinburgh for a few days. Sold him a Calumet equivalent battery great value at £70 less than the Canon battery.
Then spent the rest of the day with the battery on charge so that our super snapper has power for his camera tomorrow. Course if they'd hired an Edinburgh photographer he'd not have had so far to go to get his charger.
No-one's perfect, in the year 2000, the Bishop of Winchester was walking the Pilgrim's Way I was sent to get a picture of him at one of Kent's fine churches in Wrotham. Shot some great pictures with his "shepherd's staff" as a prop.
Rushed off to my next job, arrived a bit late, and thought: "I'd better change the film before I begin".....yep you've guessed in no film in the camera for my unrepeatable shots of the Bishop. It is a bit harder to make that mistake with digital.

Nikon 17-35mm F2.8

2011-03-01T23:41:00.003Z

Spoke to a customer last week about ordering this lens over the
14-24mm as he wanted to put filters on the front.

Panasonic GH2

2011-03-01T23:32:00.001Z

Max's latest camera and the latest one to our household! The Panasonic GH2, he chopped in his Canon 7D on ebay to get this so here's hoping it's better for video.

Unable to use as yet as the lens adapter for Zeiss has not arrived.

Canon 200mm f2.8

2011-02-24T21:50:00.001Z

Just advised one of my students who asked whether to buy the Canon 70-200mm f4 or 70-300mm f4-5.6. I suggested spending less than the 70-200mm, as I figure most people want the lens for its telephoto, and getting a 200mm f2.8 and moving up to the world of 2.8 optics. Have to wait on his decision.............

Canon 550D

2011-02-22T22:54:00.002Z

A student from my evening course digital SLR photography for beginners snapped up a Canon 550D + 60mm Macro lens for her daughter today. The lucky lass was also given a tripod as mum bought herself a Manfrotto 190XPROB and Giottos ball and socket head. Sometimes I wish I got commission for the business I attract from people who take my leisure courses.

50mm f1.8 Nikon

2011-02-22T00:07:00.001Z

A bargain Nikon AF 50mm f1.8 pre AFD but very nicely made with metal rear mount spotted for £59.00 on ffordes.com see screen shot below:

www.calumetphoto.co.uk

2011-02-21T23:48:00.001Z

My daytime employer www.calumetphoto.co.uk has got a new look website as per the screenshot below:

Canon 600D

2011-02-21T23:35:00.001Z

Features
18-megapixel CMOS sensor Scene Intelligent Auto mode Full-HD EOS Movie On-screen Feature Guide 3.7fps continuous shooting Wide-area 9-point AF 1,040k-dot vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) screen Basic+ and Creative Filters Built-in wireless flash control Built-in wireless flash control is a nice feature in a bottom of the range camera as is a swivelling screen.

Kodak Portra 160

2011-02-21T23:22:00.001Z

Kodak is to streamline its current Portra 160NC and 160VC emulsions into one Portra 160. There is nothing yet on the Kodak website but the news was announced on the British Journal of Photography website today.