Another day
February 7th, 2012 § 3 Comments
I have no proper post for you today because I’m trying to avoid being a neglectful hostess. However, I’m determined to make it through a complete NaBloPoMo challenge this month, so here is a tidbit of my day… the sun setting over a field of snow.
(Photo taken at: 1/3200, f/11, ISO 400)
The snow covers colours, muffles sounds, and makes the world feel so quiet and peaceful.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
February 5th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
After a mild winter, which gave us only one quick flurry of snow before Christmas, spring finally seemed to be on its way. Bulbs are appearing everywhere, there is blossom on choice trees, I’ve even seen lambs frolicking in fields. But no, winter hasn’t quite finished with us yet. Last night produced the first solid snow fall I’ve seen since last year’s cold spell.
A good 5 inches fell through the night, blanketing the town in a thick white layer that disguises everything. Snow on a Sunday is a beautiful thing. Most people are at home, no one bothers to leave the house unless they have to, or to build snowmen, so the snow stays white instead of turning into grey slush soup at the side of the roads.
(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/2.0, ISO 100)
A day and night beside the sea…
July 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I don’t often get to see the sea, so when I do it’s quite a treat.
(Photo taken at: 1/2000, f/3.5, ISO 125)
This photo is sadly not mine, I was too busy blowing the bubbles.
Photo by the wonderful Becky, edit by me.
(Photos taken at 1/2000, f/1.7, ISO 125)
Becky’s Molly enjoying a run in the sand.
(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/1.7, ISO 125)
The sun was setting as the tide went out..
(Photo taken at: 30", f/9.0, ISO 100)
But by midnight it was high enough for this to be the view from the end of the garden.
A perfect end to a perfect day.
The Tiger Gala
June 30th, 2011 § 1 Comment
In March I was asked by Wildaid to take photos at the Tiger Gala, a black-tie charity fundraiser hosted by Wildaid, Born Free and the Environmental Investigation Agency, three charities working together to highlight the shocking truth about the desperate plight of the wild tiger, and to help raise funds for conservation efforts.
Photographing people, some well-known, all dolled up in their black-tie best, there to enjoy great entertainment and give generously to a touching cause… I was excited about this assignment.
Sophie – Headshots And A Walk In The Park
February 13th, 2011 § 1 Comment
This week it was like Christmas all over again, x50. I’ve finally been able to replace my stolen lenses! Never again will I take my equipment for granted.. it’s been five days and I’m still giddy with excitement.
So the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the wonderful Sophie to request some headshots for her acting work. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to try out my new lenses, and to have such a lovely model for the afternoon.
Our first stop was the British Museum, where I’ve always wanted to test how the glass roof of the Great Court diffuses the light. I wasn’t disappointed.
Look at the smoothness in the lighting! Like we’re under a giant softbox. Delicious.
(Photo taken at 1/250, f/2.2, ISO 100)
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Autumn Walk
November 20th, 2010 § 3 Comments
The days are drawing in closer, and nights are growing long and cold.
I took advantage of a rare Saturday off work and went for walk in the woods with my brother to enjoy the last of the autumn.
(Photo taken at 1/320, f/6.3, ISO 320)
I love this season. It may be cold, but the colours are rich, the air is crisp and loaded with the rich smell of the fallen leaves that drift into heaps by the side of pathways. I refuse to grow out of jumping in these drifts, far too much fun.
(Photo taken at 1/60, f/5.6, ISO 320)
Sunshine and Imperfection
July 20th, 2010 § 2 Comments
A few weekends ago, I was helping I was helping a friend with a music video project. Filming with him is always fun, he’s great to work with, and he has a drool-worthy range of equipment that I would be over the moon to own. As the day went on, however, I found myself getting frustrated by the… I don’t know… the preciseness of everything I guess.
Being a professional filmmaker, at least in projects like this, makes it all about using the perfect lens and ticking shots off the shot list. I missed the spontaneity of my usual photographic style. (My filming and my photography are interchangeable in my mind, the only difference I see between the two is that one of them moves.)
A few days later I went to stay with my very lovely friend in the fields of Norfolk, and we made our own film using her D90. Shedding the constraints of perfection, we used purposely dodgey, over-saturated colour settings to shoot shaky, handheld footage through a lens that had a smashed UV filter. We captured snippets of anything that caught our eye as we wandered through fields, jumped into rivers and trailed along the beach. It was so freeing and so, so much fun.
The finished video is imperfect, and I love that every moment is entirely unique to us. A four minute window into our very own summertime.
All together now… awww!
May 19th, 2010 § 11 Comments
Life has been hectic lately, and I haven’t been able to get out much with my camera. I’ve missed it dreadfully, so when I woke to sunshine and blue sky this morning I decided it was time to do something about it. I slung my camera in my bag, hopped on my bike and went off to see what’s new in the world.
My favourite discovery of the day was two gaggles of little goslings (Did you know a group of geese is called a gaggle on the ground, and a skein in the air? I didn’t.), one group a little older than the other. Each group had two guards standing watch, bobbing their heads at other birds, and me, in warning if we stepped too near.
(Photo taken at 1/250, f/4.5, ISO 400)
I fell in love instantly and filled my entire card with gratuitous photos of the little balls of fluff.
(Photo taken at 1/500, f/5.6, ISO 400)
Spring has truly sprung!
April 22nd, 2010 § 1 Comment
I love spring more than any other time of year.
It’s the season I eagerly wait for, and year after year, it never disappoints.
(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/1.8, ISO 200)
After about 5 months of cold, grey, drizzly English winter (okay, so technically not 5 months, but winter here kind of stretches across three seasons), suddenly one morning you pull apart the curtains, and the grey sky has become blue. The sun is shining, and glorious green has emerged seemingly overnight.
A Lesson Learned…
March 24th, 2010 § 1 Comment
Last week my friend and I were eating lunch in the park when a pair of Air Force helicopters roared through, the wind from their blades blowing bags off our bench.
By the time I’d pulled the camera from my bike panniers, the choppers were directly overhead. I clicked away until they were gone, then looked at my photos.
(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800)
I confess that sometimes I’m rather lazy with my camera settings, thinking, “Ah well, I’ll fix it in Photoshop.” But after a month spent thinking and writing about creative exposures, the first thing I thought when I saw these photos was, “Oops.”
