Bradley Wiggins

Bradley Wiggins, races up the Champs Elysees, on his way to an historic victory in the Tour De France.

Nikon D800 180mm/2.8 125th sec f11

Bit of an addition I wrote a letter to Cycling Weekly about their woeful photography here is the letter and the reply (I was thinking it might be interesting to readers for the letter's page) but just elicited a response from the picture editor:

To: Default User Name <Cycling@ipcmedia.com>
Subject: Photography Coverage of Bradley's Win

Dear Sir,

I have just returned from Paris where we witnessed the finest sporting achievement by a British man ever. Last week I ordered Cycling Weekly from my local newsagent and eagerly awaited its arrival yesterday. 

As a photographer I was amazed that of all the many pictures including the fine poster which came with the magazine there were none that really showed the "motion" of the bike. By that I mean blurred spokes and some blur in the background, a technique achieved by "panning" with a still camera. 

Indeed the poster picture could have been taken with the bike and rider lent against a stand as the wheels were stationery despite the bike being in a leaning position. Even the many images I have seen of Wiggins going round the bend at the Arc de Triomphe are shot so that he is totally "stationery". We know he is moving pretty quick so why not show it. 

Panning is not some computer trick it is done in camera, sure the rider will not be as sharp but at least it looks like he's going some. The attached picture was taken from the barrier half way up the Champs Elysées, I had no press pass or special access.

Yours faithfully

Mark Davey

Cycling Weekly picture editor Jason Hardy says I may not reproduce his reply as the email is protected by a confidentiality clause.

So, quoting from an email I received, Mr Hardy said:

"Many thanks for your expert advice on cycling photography, examples of which I have seen on your website. I'll be sure to pass it on to our photographers and hopefully they'll take it on board and raise their game.

By the way, I think you meant "stationary" as opposed to "stationery" (writing and other office materials)."

Never Work with Animals & Children

A Barn Owl Delivers Rings at Cringletie House, Peebles on Saturday 9th June
Guests are looking forward as they are totally unaware of what is taking place.

Photographers used to have a maxim which stated never work with animals and children.

I don't photograph many weddings these days and am pretty selective about the ones which I accept.

When Kathryn Hooper originally contacted me in 2011 she wrote:

"We are getting married on the 9th June 2012 at 5 pm and it will be a small wedding. We are only wanting some photos taken during the ceremony and then some group/family shots and a few of us straight after. We would probably only need a photographer for an hour and a half or so."
I decided to take the job, slowly things expanded, as often happens. The hotel was booked for the whole weekend for the two families, then I received, what I thought was a strange request:

"Will you be able to photograph the owl flying down the aisle delivering our rings?" I said probably yes. as the wedding day approached I started to have a few sleepless nights thinking about this one off shot. Especially as I had begun to try photographing birds this spring and found it pretty tricky.

On the day the falconer didn't reassure me when she said about 1 in 100 wedding photographers have got an image of the bird in flight. I thought I'd hit it with flash using Nikon's high speed sync at 1/500th with the SB700 off camera.
The registrar conducting the ceremony said: "Sorry no flash during the ceremony", room was quite well lit so went back to ISO 800, 1/500th f8 with 70-300mm zoom (VR) which I'd recently bought. The resulting image was a bit soft but perfectly acceptable, although I did think perhaps I should have used th 85mm/1.8 as the eventual image was shot at 80mm on the zoom range.

Tobermory Lunchtime

Lunchtime Tobermory (The inspiration for Balamory)
Nikon D100 + 70-300mm (VR)

Lunchtime diners on Tobermory pier enjoy alfresco eating as the mercury hits 30°C on Friday 25th May 2012.
The modernist 1930s building, which used to house Caledonian MacBrayne  - God made the world and all that it contains except the Western Isles and they're Caledonian Macbrayne's -  is now fancy fish restaurant Cafefish on the top storey and The Pier Cafe down below. Dinner for two at Cafe Fish is a bout £65, lunch for two down below is about £20!

Evening Calm

Ben More & A'Choich Reflected in Loch Scridain from Penygheal.
Technical: Nikon D100 with 24mm/2.8 and polariser

Wedding Breakfast

Wedding Breakfast
From the award winning chip van on Tobermory Pier, Isle of Mull

Wren's Feeding

Feeding Time
Technical info: Nikon D100 camera with 70-300mm vibration reduction lens plus blip of flash from pop-up gun on camera. 1/60th f8

Mouse Feeding

A mouse in a tree photographed with a Canon 5D MKIII and 100mm/2.8 L series lens.

Tiger's teeth

A tiger yawning photographed with a 600mm/f4 lens on a Canon 5D MKIII through a fence at Marwell Zoo Park near Southampton on May 3rd 2012. Note this is not my conversion to Canon!

Nikon D800

"Hello Mark, I'm just calling to find out if you have the Nikon D800 in stock?"
I have heard the above question about three times a day since 22nd March 2012, when the camera was due to arrive from Nikon. Some are a bit more shirty than that and some downright rude, as if I can magic up a camera there and then.
Yesterday one customer even said that a rival dealer had stock. At lunchtime I rang the dealer who's exact words were:
"Ha, ha, no of course we don't have them and when we do we have 330 orders so if you want one you will be 331 and might receive a camera just before Christmas!"
I relayed this to my customer who said she would leave the order with us but really needed the camera for three jobs next month. If it is just a matter of the high resolution then a film camera would make a good substitute.
I find it hard to believe that there would not be an alternative especially as three months ago no-one knew for certain Nikon would bring out a 36 million pixel camera this year, or even ever.



This is an image shot by my wife Geraldine with the new Nikon D800 and 24-70mm/2.8 lens. Exposure is 1/160th f4, WB Cloudy with fill flash, ISO 100. It will probably be the last she will take until we get our hands on a camera. It was shot at the Calumet spring open day in early April on a camera loaned by Nikon UK.

Daniele Mabe Brochure

Back and front images of the Daniele Mabe Winter 2012 Brochure on which I worked as photographic assistant to Brazilian Photographer Gustavo Zylbersztajn, see earlier posts in December 2011 and January 2012.