This is turning into a long trip. In the past week I went from Barcelona, to Hildesheim in Germany, to Vienna and on to Budapest. Flying visits all and I missed getting a shot in Vienna. I will be going back, so next time I’ll have time to get it. Barcelona was fun to shoot. The marathon was on and that was an opportunity, but I was staying in the Barcelona Princess hotel, which is at a very nice location. Riding the elevator up to my room, there is a fantastic view across the city and I knew I had to shoot the blue hour for the cities...
read moreIt so happens, purely by coincidence, that the hotel I’m staying at happens to be on the route of the Barcelona Marathon. I crawled out of bed and stumbled into the lobby for a cafe con leche when on of the desk clerks asked me if I was going to watch the marathon. Being the nimble witted raconteur that I am I replied “what marathon?”. Seems blind luck has put me in the right place close to the right time. The runners come down one street, turn a tight corner and as they do so, are exposed to bright sunlight. I didn’t...
read moreI’m on a business trip to Europe and visiting a bunch of cities. Some I’ve been to before, some will be a new experience. first stop is Amsterdam. I’d done some research on what to shoot for my cities project, and I’ve been here before, but it’s actually quite difficult to shoot in the style I want for the project. There isn’t a dramatic skyline or single expressive feature that is present in many cities. when you think of Amsterdam, you think of canals, bicycles, “coffee bars” and, of course,...
read moreThe quest for the ultimate camera bag is an ongoing quest for most photographers. The compromises between space, size, weight and accessibility are always a battle. Do I go with a top loading shoulder bag? Backpack? Sling bag? What about carry on rules for flights? The permutations are endless and most of us end up with a closet full of bags trying to solve the problem of compromise. I think I’ve cracked it. After years of searching and expense, I’ve got the solution for travel photography. OK, so that claim is grandiose, but I...
read moreThis question comes up in conversation amongst snappers all the time. Do you use filters? Traditionally, filters have had two uses, either to modify the scene in some way, or to protect the front element of a lens. I’ll deal with the latter first. I personally never use front element protection filters – skylight or haze or whatever. The reason is that I was once told, why put a $20 piece of glass on a $800 lens? Sounds good to me and even though the lenses are much more expensive, and I do agree that the front elements are...
read moreThis deeply controversial question was posed to me recently and I thought it was worth outlining the process of figuring out what camera someone should buy. The first step is to ask a few questions. The key ones are what do you want to shoot and what are you going to do with the pictures? So, the questions were answered thus – “I want something that is easy to sling into a ruck sack whilst hiking, and I am looking to spend time photographing scenery, and weather! I have be come fascinated with ‘Atmospheric Art’ and want...
read moreMy lens reviews are highly subjective and non scientific. In fact, basically they are me waffling on about my opinion about a lens, or any piece of gear for that matter. So, why should you read it? You can find a load of “scientific” technobabble about mtf curves and resolving power on line, don’t forget Google is your friend. What I bring to the table is just a users opinion and a bit of the thought process behind it. If you’re in the market for a lens, an honest chat with an owner is the second most valuable thing out...
read moreThese things have been around for a while and have been obsoleted by the newer Radiopopper Px and JrX systems, but are still available in the original form. Some of my criticisms have gone away with the newer systems, but some haven’t, so still valid. The Radiopopper system uses a system of sensing the light signals from a master flash and converting them to radio signals. This beats one of the big limitations of the Nikon CLS system, limited range and angle of sight. I bought into the system when it first came out, expanding to two...
read moreThis is a lens I’ve owned for a long time. There are lots of reviews of it from different authors such as Mir.com and Thom Hogan, two sources I respect, so why am I rattling on about it? I’ve owned my copy of the Nikon 20mm f2.8 lens since 1996 and I’ve lived with it through film and digital. I’ve actually had a lot of problems with this lens and Nikon service hasn’t been totally helpful for other reasons. The Story begins in 1996 when I bought the lens in Qatar in the Middle East, where I was working at the...
read moreOK…so one of the photographers I pay attention to, Zack Arias, has indulged himself with a self publishing project the Onelight Field Guide. He announced it on his blog and I succumbed to temptation and shelled out for it. I’m a sucker for stuff like this…constantly looking for inspiration and new techniques and this hands out a healthy dollop of both. Now, the bad stuff. First, it’s not a field guide. a field guide is the size of a pocket book, which this isn’t. Second, it’s awfully expensive....
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