One Day Photography Workshop

The Old Sun Inn is an ideal photographic subject

Today found us enjoying the warmest day of the year so far, and what a day to be out and about in Saffron Walden with my clients, on a one day beginners and improvers photography workshop. Only ever taking a maximum of four people, I like to keep the workshops small so that each person can have the attention they require. Sadly today one client was unable to make it at the last minute, and one place had remained unfilled, which meant my time was divided between these two lovely people. One had been given a gift voucher as a birthday present, the other had been promising themselves a workshop day for a long time. Both, however, had the same aim -  to understand more about their camera and to feel happy about moving off auto.

After spending a while in the classroom getting to know the desires and needs of each of the attendees, then looking into the basics about the exposure triangle, it was time to get onto the real practical nitty-gritty.

First, it was about getting to grips with handling the camera - here, a Sony Alpha 200 which had been put to one side in favour of a point and shoot which "appears to give me just as good results, with less mucking around" but was given a second chance for the workshop.

Here a reflection of the landmark golden bunch of grapes which hang in the market square, was spotted high up in a window and was lined up for a photo on a Fuji M-X1. The strong sunlight caused a slight issue with this otherwise great little camera as it lacks a view finder.

Woaaahh!! Don't lean back any more!!!

As well as trying out camera settings, which today was mostly concentrating on understanding aperture, there were also opportunities to look at different aspects of seeing a picture and the beginnings of the art of composition.

...The art of looking, and simplifying an image.

...The art of looking where perhaps you wouldn't normally look for a picture

...The art of creeping up on the subject.

OK this one wasn't going to go anywhere but gave an ideal opportunity to spend time looking for the best angle to view, and the place which would give the best lighting, given the powerful sunlight creating great contrast.

By following the Town Trail, it provided the opportunity for the local to see and learn new things about Saffron Walden, and the visitor, who was new to the town, to discover what a photogenic place our north Essex town is.

Finishing up at the impressive St Mary's Church, with the clock saying it was time to return home for lunch, this left time to spend the rest of the afternoon reviewing the images from the day, learning from the successes, and valuable lessons from the failures too.

In the words of Magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins:

"Study and theory is useful but you learn most by doing. Take photographs, lots of them, be depressed by them, take more, hone your skills and get out there in the world and interact."

The reactions at the end of the afternoon were greatly encouraging...

"Well I think I know which camera I'm going to use from now on. Just a shame I'm working tomorrow and won't be able to take my camera - I'm itching to get going with it now!"

"I shall take my camera out on my dog walk tomorrow and try out all I have learnt today."

Thank you both for being such lovely company - I'm just delighted I can pass on a measure of enthusiasm for the art of photography which I have enjoyed for so long.

And what of these sugary confections?
I actually use them as a teaching aid and clearing up at the end of the day, discovered this lady who was enjoying them so much that she didn't want to fly away home!

If you missed this workshop (and want to find out how the Skittles get brought into the teaching!) there will be further opportunities throughout the year to join another one day workshop. Just keep an eye on my website, Facebook or Twitter.

West Cork Photography Breaks - Young success

For many children, these past couple of weeks have been the school half-term holidays, with many kids either complaining of boredom or spending their whole time glued to assorted gaming or video screens. It was during a half-term last week, that I ran a special and early West Cork Photography Breaks workshop. No boredom encountered here and indeed, one student had reason to be extra happy. Why would that be? After only four days of beginning to learn the art of photography, this young lad became a published photographer!

At just 7 and three-quarters years old (yes, that three-quarters is important at his age although his birthday isn't far off) Sam was my youngest and most inexperienced photographer to come along and take in the new (to him) sights of West Cork. Indeed, so new was it, it was his first time to travel on a ferry, his first time to Ireland, his first time being able to visit beaches AND his first time to pick up a camera. To date, he had snapped a few selfies on his tablet he used to play games on but to start to understand what makes a picture began the day he arrived at WCPB HQ.

Without too much thought, he was snapping away on his tablet, taking pictures of those around him, until a passing suggestion was made.
"Do you focus on the eyes?"
He happened to be left to his own devices for a while and when I returned I was greeted with,
"Look! I have taken a picture of Bullseye* I set him up on the table and focused on his eyes"
(*Bullseye is his 15" tall soft toy of the horse from Toy Story, which currently travels everywhere with him)
Wow! this kid was quick and I had just the perfect camera I could offer him to use in his little hands, in the form of an Olympus E-M10 + 14-42mm pancake lens. He didn't take too much persuading, and with the camera set to auto, as it was his first experience, we set off to the beach in search of new things.

He soon learnt how to hold the camera and how to focus, and he snapped away on each new thing he saw - barnacles, limpets, seaweed...and we all encounter things for the first time at some point. At one end of the beach we came across a piece of driftwood, this flotsam covered in something I had myself, only encountered a few years before on a West Cork beach. Getting into the swing of things by now, I suggested Sam should get down to a lower viewpoint. With an air of confidence, he laid down and rattled off a couple of shots (whilst I snapped him at work!)

Returning back to the house, he was keen to look over my shoulder as I loaded the results of his snapping onto my laptop. I was impressed! Sam clearly had an eye for a picture and had captured a great shot of these strange creatures, which he identified himself by looking up and comparing pictures in a super book by Maya Plass - RSPB Handbook of the Seashore
We later used the same really comprehensive book to identify his other 'finds' too. (More of those in the next blog)

Gooseneck barnacles - Lepas anatifera (Yes, he learnt that living things also have Latin names too, even if he couldn't get his tongue around some of them!) These were what he had found, probably washed up a few days before as they were no longer alive, unlike the live examples I had found back in 2011.

As with all of my West Cork Photography Breaks workshops, I encourage the students to select a favourite image from the first two days, which, on the Monday morning, is prepared and sent to the local newspaper, The Southern Star. This is then considered for their 'Reader's Picture of the Week' slot, with the possible accolade of becoming published, and winning a canvas print too.
...Roll on to Thursday, publication day, and I dashed into the local shop to turn down the corner of the newspaper to reveal the picture on the back page.
'Fist pump'
My novice photographer had impressed the editor, and I was so delighted for him.
How many of his school friends could go back to school with such a great 'what I did in my holidays' story to tell!

West Cork Photography Breaks runs for 4 weekends in the spring** and again for four weekend in the autumn.

**Sadly due to unforseen circumstances, the spring series has had to be cancelled.
However, the autumn weekends are still going ahead as scheduled...with the autumn being peak season for whale watching (subject to weather conditions)

Butter Wouldn't Melt...

Over the years, many of you have come to know Mutt - my trusty photographer-assistant and to look at her now you would think butter wouldn't melt.

Sadly, the old girl is now nearing 15 years old, and with it has come traits that one would expect from a puppy. The long and the short of it is, she has a form of doggy-dementia. She has started bin dipping (ugh!), redistributing the contents of the recycling box and recently, she was caught stealing a sandwich from the work surface in our dog-sitters kitchen - oh the shame of it! She has never done this in the 14 years she has been part of our family, just as she has never run into the main road when walking her on The Common...until last week. Now that was a heart-stopping moment! However, one of the things she has always done is, if we leave her for a spell, she would find something of human ownership, often a slipper, and carry it off to her bed - her little den. This was quite an endearing trait of hers, although on one occasion it was himselfs phone, and another, his wallet, both manageably moved and yet both undamaged. On both occasions there were some perplexed expletives as to who had moved them?

Mutt asleep next to my camera bag - so tired after her little escapade!

Roll on to this morning and I had had to leave her downstairs whilst I carried out some tasks upstairs for about an hour. On returning to my study, I found mutt happily asleep on her rug which is snugly situated between my desk and the radiator. I noticed she had chosen to make a pillow from my lovely leather and canvas Olympus camera bag, which also happened to be temporarily next to my desk. I jokingly passed comment to her that it surely couldn't be very comfortable (Yes, we do talk to our dog!!) and I thought nothing more of it.

Time had now come for me to sit back at my desk to tackle the edit from the theatrical shoot I'd had in London yesterday, firstly loading the few hundred images off the memory card from my Olympus E-M10, then the memory card from the Olympus E-M5ii...wait! Where was my E-M5ii?!! It wasn't in my camera bag, where I thought it should be...maybe I was suffering temporary dementia? Had I left it on the kitchen table? As I walked into the kitchen my heart sank. There, next to mutts little doggy-den was my E-M5ii + 40-150mm f2.8 Pro lens - all 1.5kg (and £1.5k+) of it! Eeeek!!!

I had presence of mind to snap a pic of it to show himself later, as he probably wouldn't believe me if I told him, and then I swiftly scooped it up from the floor, checking it over for teeth marks - not one!! The only mark I could find was a scratch on one edge of the lens hood, consistent with it being dragged the 10 metres or so along a quarry-tiled floor. I can only assume she had carried it with the strap in her mouth (she does something similar with her own lead too). A quick switch on and everything appeared to be in order - thankfully.

All I can say is that Mutt the Assistant must also be delighted with the lightened load that the OM-D offers - I couldn't have seen her managing my DSLR equivalent in the same way!  Tomorrow I fly back to Ireland to host my last West Cork Photography Break of the spring season. Gone are the days of the whole of my hand luggage allowance being used up with my much larger DSLR kit. I will travel, as I often do, with just hand luggage. This will include all of my OM-D cameras and lenses, as it has done for the past year or so since switching kit.  My back is loving the much lightened load and the bag has room to spare.

...it's been a long while coming

...and at times it has been like climbing a mountain road but finally I can say:

Welcome to the new Autumn Season of West Cork Photography Breaks!
Four weekends of residential photography workshops for beginners and improvers, in stunning West Cork.

It has been a while coming as there was a little piece in the jigsaw that I was still waiting to fit but finally I can announce that I am delighted to be running these Autumn workshops...

 

So what does that mean?
Firstly, it means that Olympus UK have been kind enough to agree in sponsoring me, by providing a range of the great little OM-D cameras for all the workshops.
Second it means that my shop window has enlarged from the small back-street outlet I had last season, to a High Street position, with a place in their Olympus Image Space website.
Thirdly it means, for you, my potential student guests, there will be cameras for you to try out, without any obligation.

How cool is that?!

Just think - You want to get into photography but you don't have a camera and don't know where to start? You have a camera but not sure it is really going to allow you to do what you want? You bought a big DSLR a few years back because you thought it was the thing to do but now resent having to carry around a heavy, bulky camera? Well then, this is THE break for you! All your questions could be answered during one of the weekends, AND you will be learning all about photography whilst enjoying a holiday in the South-West of Ireland. Now isn't that something you have been promising yourself for ages?
Do go and take a look at what is on offer via the West Cork Photography Breaks entry page. All the links and  information you need should be there, and if you can't find the answer, just get back to me and I will gladly respond to your query.

There will be a maximum of just four places on each of the four weekends, so don't hang back, they could all fill up in one booking!

Saturday 26th - Tuesday 29th September
Saturday 3rd - Tuesday 6th October
Saturday 10th - Tuesday 13th October
Saturday 17th - Tuesday 20th October 

The first and the last of these weekends will be completely dedicated to the Olympus OM-D. If you already have an OM-D, and want to explore more of its capabilites, then this is the weekend for you too - just bring it along!

What's that? You have your own non-Olympus camera but still want to learn? No worries! The second and third weekends are open to all-comers, so whether it be a smart phone, point-and-shoot or DSLR, the principles of photography remain the same - and it is a fact you don't need fancy gear to achieve stunning results! It is how you use it, and my fellow tutors and I will do just that - guide you in the how. So there is a weekend suitable for everyone. All you need to do is decide which weekend and click the BOOK NOW button.


Hear from you soon!


(PS So now you may understand recent blogging silence - I've had this exciting development in progress, and now I've made it!!)

National Nest Box Week

With a brief respite from the appalling weather this weekend, many of us managed to get back out into our soggy gardens, albeit for just a few pleasant hours. Prompted by a friend who mentioned he had cleaned out the nest boxes in his garden, it reminded me I really ought to get around to re-installing a special nest box which had been sitting on a shelf for the past five years. It had been brought from a relatives home when they moved as it was too special to leave behind. I may have mentioned this box before as it is no ordinary nest box. This is a box with a birds-eye view - well, sort of. This box has an internal camera fitted and so any bird taking up residence isn't allowed to be camera-shy.

It was possibly the logistics of the cable run which delayed the setting up of this potentially absorbing piece of kit. However, after five years of thinking about it, the route indoors has become quite obvious and with just enough cable to spare, the connectors are now ready to be plugged into a monitor, situated in the warmth of the house. With a few minor adjustments to the set up, we should be up and running to watch out for the first couple to take up residence - hopefully very soon.

I have written about this today as we are currently in the middle of National Bird Box Week which began on Valentines Day, the day when it is traditionally said the birds start pairing. Certainly it is around now that the blue tits start investigating suitable nest sites and so I hope we may be able to follow a family of blue tits if they choose this as their new home. If these little beauties don't like what is on offer, then maybe another year we will open up the front of the box, which will be an invite to another garden favourite, the robin. It is surprising how birds can be quite choosy when it comes to setting up home. Just a couple of years ago, a blue tit decided to take up residence in this upturned water hopper - not a good move when rain can come straight in through the front door! Needless to say, the nest was abandoned before too long, probably helped along by a visit from the local feline patrol, who sadly are the usual avian bailiffs in our garden.

Whatever, if I do get any interest in this 'CBB' studio nest box I will be certain to keep you updated. In the meantime, it isn't too late for you to go and put up a nest box or two!

Photography: Day of Discovery

Havergate hare. A guaranteed spot on the Days of Discovery

Did I manage to whet your appetite with my post last week, all about how special Havergate Island in Suffolk is?

-Would you like an opportunity to visit this exclusive nature reserve to experience the unique mix of wildlife?
-Do you wish you knew how to capture great images of birds, animals, plants?
-Would you like the chance to capture some stunning Suffolk landscape images?

If the answer to at least one, if not all of those questions is yes, then read on...


For one day each in March, April and May, there will be a rare opportunity to visit Havergate Island as part of the events programme presented by the RSPB:-

"Photography: Day of Discovery"

Set up with beginner / intermediate photographers in mind, this will be an ideal opportunity to capture an image or two to be proud of, and will be a unique mix of "observation, fun and education in the wonderfully diverse and fragile habitat." Visitors will be guided through the photographic opportunities by four differently experienced tutors. The day will be divided up, so that all visitors will be able to experience landscape, macro, digiscoping and telephoto photography.


The tutors will be:

Landscape photography with Gill Moon  www.gillmoon.com
Digiscoping with Danny Porter  www.dannysdigiscoping.com
                       or Paul Hackett
Telephoto photography with Jon Evans  www.jonevansbirding.blogspot.co.uk

and finally, I'm pleased to announce,

Macro photography will be with myself (You know where I am!) on the 21st April only

(Sadly, due to pre-arranged trips I will be on an alternative photographic venture in West Cork for the other two days. Of course, I am disappointed to be missing the Havergate days but there will be another wonderful tutor available instead)

So, do take a look at the programme for this fantastic opportunity.

Places are limited to just eight visitors per trip so run along- they will go quickly!




Oh, and if you haven't already made up your mind, did I mention there will be some really yummy food provided on the day too?!




Photography: Day of Discovery has been co-ordinated by Monika Koch in association with the Vodaphone 'World of Difference' programme

(Transport suitability and wildlife spotting subject to weather conditions)

Rain!

Well, what other title would be appropriate for this post?! After months and months of abnormal rainfall, or rather, of no significant rainfall, we are currently experiencing a bit of a notable event. We have had some rain! Over 80mm of it this month, it appears. That is more than the total for the past five years for April.*

Rain in April is to be expected, is it not? After all we frequently pass comments referring to April showers but that simply hasn't happened for the past few years. Even the rest of the months have fallen short with their totals. I had blogged on several occasions that the East Anglian landscape was starting to resemble a desert, with cracks appearing in the ground that were wide enough to put a hand in... until now. For the past week or so, we have had rain like we haven't seen since, well? It has been the main talking point pretty much everywhere and to boot, as we all know, a drought was officially announced at the beginning of April! However, we mustn't make light of the fact that we are still in a rainfall deficit and the reservoirs still have some way to go to be back to normal. We could be fooled into thinking though that the overflowing gulleys and streams now mean we can disregard the drought?

I have to admit, it was a concept that crossed my mind as I slipped and slid down a muddy track this afternoon, on my way to revisit a location I first posted about back last July.


Then, water was notable by its absence. Today, I couldn't stand in the same spot for fear of being washed away. I have to say, having been dry there for well over 12 months, I was very pleased to see the water flowing again at this significant spot.

I had been wanting to get back to photograph at this location for a long while and so today, as the sun dared to venture out mid afternoon, so did I. Suitably wellied, me mutt and camera took to the bridleway where a sign warned me...









With mutt keenly leading the way, she carefully negotiated her way around the puddles forgetting me following along apace, and forced through the puddles. That was all well and good until we hit a track-wide muddy 'pond'.

She daintily dabbled her way through whilst I tried carefully to negotiate a safe passage - or so I thought! For one heart-stopping moment - my leg, boot-deep in muddy water (a Dr Foster moment if ever there was one) foot slipping from under me, lead straining in one hand, camera strap clenched in the other - I thought that was it. But for once something was on my side and my other foot made contact with a safe area, the impact splash showering me, mutt and camera with a 'nearly had you' spray.

That was close enough and photographers will always look after no.1!
I will get wet if I have to but noo, noo, noo, not the camera!


*Taken from unverified data

No Whale Spotting Here!

View eastwards from Galley Head to the whale feeding area

I arrived in West Cork part way through this current spell of fine weather and had already enjoyed a couple of stunning coastal visits at the weekend, when on Tuesday lunchtime, I got wind of something that was to engage me with the sea for at least another 24 hours.

Rumours of humpback whales off the east of Galley Head came through and it was something I just had to check out for myself. Gardening was soon to become a very poor alternative as the afternoons entertainment, and after quickly loading my gear into the car, I set off eastwards from home. Having eluded us on two whale watching trips out of Reen Pier in the past, I was excited that I might finally catch sight of one of these splendid creatures.

Making my way down the narrow winding road onto Galley Head, I encountered a few vehicles which were clearly leaving the viewing spots and I feared the show was over. However, a handful of men were still clustered around a gateway, scopes on tripods, scanning the sea for the tell-tale signs of these whales who had not been known to be in theses waters in April before. As I joined them I casually asked what they had spotted.

"Spotting is what birders get up to, we do none of that, we watch"
I felt rather silly, not only for making such an obvious faux pas but also because I had forgotten to pick up my gloves to protect me from the chill north-west wind blowing off-shore. The land had created a visible band of sheltered water, which in the recent spell of good weather, had encouraged a plankton bloom, which had in turn brought in the sprats which had then brought in the feeding whales.

"Blow!"

"Fluke!"

The seasoned whale observers alongside me were seeing things that I had yet to tune my eye to. Diving gannets were indicative of the common food source and I watched carefully in the hope that what might be thought as a gannet splash might actually be a whale blow. Suddenly I saw a dark shape appear and then disappear into the water. I had had my first sighting of one of the three humpback whales feeding off Dirk Bay. Now I knew what I was looking for, the task was to capture a record of them. Before long another opportunity presented itself and three shots later I had some images that frankly, to the untrained eye, could be just about anything!

It so happened that one of the observers was Padraig Whooley, co-ordinator for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group who assured me that this, believe it or not, is indeed a fluke. Whilst I'm pleased I have proof of the presence of the whales, it's certainly not a noteworthy image apart from using it to reiterate my comment from last week that this is the reality of wildlife photography. There are days when we capture nothing of any worth and Tuesday was one of them - not even a bonus picture on the way home.

So, you can imagine when I overheard Padraig arranging a trip out for the next day on the Holly Jo, with expert whale-finder, and friend, Colin Barnes, I was the first to stand in line to make up the numbers. This was my chance to attempt to bag one of those stunning wildlife shots that would make up for this lean day, and the fact that I'm a very poor sailor didn't even enter my head, well, not until I was back home anyway.

Morning arrived and I had prepared my kit - important things first. Stugeron! Next, checking and making disposable waterproof covers from sandwich bags, then finally my clothes and lunch pack (in cling film as I had used the sandwich bags for more important items!). Poking my head out of my back door confirmed that the north-westerly had certainly become brisk and with it a wind-chill and a roughed up sea. I decided it would be wise to call Colin two hours before travel to know whether to take my 'sailors little assistant', when he beat me to it. Sadly, the trip had been cancelled as it had become too windy. Even the observers up on the head were having difficulty keeping their tripods steady. Naturally I was disappointed as this would also have been an interesting research trip by the IWDG, but I couldn't help feeling a tad relieved that I wouldn't be facing a bobbing boat ride, and the message had arrived in good enough time, thus saving the little tablets for another occasion.

Feeling a little deflated, I began to wonder if they might still be seen from the land. So not one to waste a packed lunch, I jumped in the car and began a journey in and around the little bays and headlands between home and Galley Head, in the hope the whales might just be spotted elsewhere. I arrived to a bleakly empty gateway that had been busy only 24 hours earlier. Although the sky was blue and the sea turquoise it was intensely bitter in the strong NW wind, and which had roughed up the sea even more than the previous day. (They do say photos never lie. Well believe me, the one heading this post is doing just that!) I scanned the sea but with no success, which, conspicuous by their absence, had also been the lot of the morning observers.

Quickly jumping back into the protection of the car, the wind became less bothersome and the sun turned into a welcome heat source behind the glass as I drove back along the coast. Finally, I parked up overlooking Rosscarbery Bay where I consumed my packed lunch, and I enjoyed watching the gannets plunging into the sea - but alas, there were no whales.

This is wildlife photography after all. However, I am here for a week yet, so here's hoping for another phonecall for a chance to go whale watching.

IWDG report

New Baby!

At two days old, the new addition to the Canon family is certainly drawing a lot of admiring eyes. This was the scrum today to get a hold of this much rumoured, third 5D sibling. As you can see, it was the male eyes it was attracting and I wasn't prepared to fight with my handbag to get to the front.

I'm in no hurry for the upgrade though as it tends to benefit the HD video users more. I will wait until the fuss dies down, then I might just take a look but meanwhile I will save my (imaginary) £3k for other uses.

Canon TC-DC58D 1.4x tele-converter. Review

Canon Pro Solutions 2011

When I visited Canon Pro Solutions at the Business Design Centre last year, I could barely get a look-in at the then, new Powershot G12. This year, all focus was on the new 1Dx thus allowing visitors ample time to get a look-in on the G12.

However, as I have now been using my G12 since August, there was no need for me to try out this camera at the show yesterday as, if you have been following my blog, you will see I have been putting this addition to my camera bag through its paces over the past couple of months. I have been particularly pleased with the close-up ability and the general adaptablity for this pocket camera. Sadly, one of my gripes has been regards poor results at the far end of the digital zoom.

So, it was with this in mind that I took the opportunity to try at the show, the TC-DC58D 1.4x tele-converter on my own G12. By doing this, I have been able to bring the resulting images home for comparison before I make any decision as to whether it is worth shelling out around £130 for this potential addition to the G12 kit.

Here are the results:

Normal

Maximum digital zoom

Normal + 1.4x tele-converter

Maximum digital zoom + 1.4x tele-converter

 Comparison with & without 1.4x tele-converter

Conclusion:

The 1.4x gives only a marginally better magnification. In this example the 1.4x also appears to be sharper than the full digital zoom although I would like to have done another test to discount camera shake.

To be perfectly honest, for the small boost in magnification that it provides, coupled with a potential dust-containment issue inside it and fiddly attaching proceedure, to me, means it really isn't worth it. The tele-converter would only be attached, when required at full reach as the vignetting that is created means that there is only a very small useable portion of the actual lens. At other times,  the 1.4x would just be in the way.
I actually feel that this piece of kit would only end up staying in my camera bag and so can  say now I definitely won't be buying one. I can think of far better additions for my 5D II that I could spend my money on instead.

Final word:

Am I expecting too much of what is only intended to be a pocket camera? Well, no but I will accept its limitations and stick with this useful little G12, using it in the close to mid range that it is best at. Full digital zoom will therefore only be used for those 'no alternative' occasions.


If you have found this review helpful, it would be helpful for me to know too. Please could you indicate by ticking the 'like' box below. Thank you.

June Rebellion via Canon G12

The little G12 was put to the test again yesterday, during a superb regional performance of 'that' musical based in 19th Century France.

 
The resulting images indicated that there were possible metering/focusing difficulties with the shots bathed in the low light from the red end of the spectrum, resulting in more noise. (Photography, exposure, dark rooms and red lights always appear to be linked) Scenes, such as the one above, using light from the blue end of the scale, proved to be far more successful. Certainly the images in the optical zoom range were far superior too, confirming that the digital zoom range is best used with discretion or if there is no alternative.

Then flicking into movie mode, and with no preparation, a very acceptable recording of both sound and image was achieved (not published here), proving that this little camera really is the handy all-rounder to carry around to events of this nature.

Finally, whilst students involved in uprisings might well be sustained by sturdy ales, closer inspection of the stage props revealed the use of items from a well known East Anglian brewer.
Always did suspect that the region had influence over more than just the Romans!

(Big thanks and well done to all those involved in this splendid production)

Preparing for Spring

With the onset of drizzly rain, the summer appeared to have naturally come to an end today. This indicated high time to begin preparing for Spring. Sensibly, now is probably the best time of year to check over the bird boxes and put up new ones. Thus I decided I really should check over an old bird box that has been sitting around for a couple of years ever since a family member moved house and the bird house moved too.

However, this is no ordinary bird box - this is a bird box with a camera in the attic. (Well, did you expect anything other from me?!) During the house move, one of the cables that powered the little camera got broken, and it has been sitting awaiting repair ever since. Fed up of tripping over this vacant residence in my utility room, I bit the bullet and ordered a new cable for it just yesterday (along with a couple of other fieldcraft products for another on-going project) I was delighted when, as promised in an email, the box arrived within the delivery window this morning. Well done Garden Nature! Into the bargain I got a real live earwig in the box, which I also thanked Garden Nature for when I emailed them my praise, to which came the reply,

"Great news that the earwig arrived safely, baggage to follow!"

(At least it made me smile on this dismal day, thanks Simon!)

 

Oops, I digress. So, first I must check that the camera will still work. Next I must decide on a suitable location for this des. res. Then I must screen the applicants - robins or tits? Followed by final fix and electrics. Finally I must sit out the Autumn and Winter and hope that a little feathered friend will like the new residence come the Spring. And if it doesn't? Then you and I will just have to wait another year before the next chance to watch 'Avian BB'

RSPB Birdfair 2011

Simon King

Jonathan Scott

One day just isn't enough!
Unfortunately we didn't actually arrive at the showground at Rutland Water until lunch time and there was no way we were ever going to get around the whole show and find time to sit in one of the hides (that will have to be for another day).

Shamefully I can admit, that the only birds I saw down a camera lens yesterday were cardboard cut-outs set up deliberately so we could drool over the amazing 500mm lens on a 1D mk IV, set up on the Canon show stand for potential purchasers (that will have to be for another day too).

My main aim then, in the short time we did have there, was to get a seat in a couple of the guest lectures for two naturalists whom I greatly admire, buddies from the Big Cat Diaries days, Simon King and Jonathan Scott.

I remember first watching Simon King on TV way back in the 70's and apart from being exceedingly envious of the amazing wildlife opportunities he has had over the years, he has to be admired for his amazing camerawork and his endearing presenting (or should that be en-deer-ing, in the light of his Autumnwatch rutting coverage?!) I am obviously not the only one to appreciate his easy-going presentation, as a long queue had formed outside the lecture marquee some time before he was due to speak. He didn't disappoint either and provided us all with fuel for thought as well as great little wildlife challenges to have a go at.

Jonathan Scott followed on stage with an up-date to the story of the Mara's big cats. As well as being a highly knowledgeable naturalist, he is also a previous winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the year (as is his wife Angie). This ensured a spectacular presentation of stunning images from the Mara, something that for me was quite personal too. I had been fortunate enough to be part of a small group, spending a week in the Mara accompanied by Jonathan, a couple of years ago. To have on hand, his knowledge and expertise in all things Mara and photographically was the finishing touch to this must-do photographic travel experience.

So, as I said, I have no bird pictures to show from our day out, only these couple of record shots, further testing the ability of the G12. Whilst it coped quite well with the difficult lighting situation - black-out marquee and stage lights, there was a need for the digital zoom to be brought into use and that is when the noise began to take the edge off the clarity of the image. It is becoming clear that the handy little G12 is definitely better at one end of its range than the other.

English Countryside via Canon G12

A montage of close-up images taken during a countryside walk, to test the ability of my new Canon G12.

(By clicking on the image it is possible to see a larger version in another window)

England v Wales, Twickenham. 6th August 2011

Having really enjoyed watching the England v Wales Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham from behind the G12 today, I was also pleased to get back to see the results of this 'test for the day'. Questions like, How quick is the shutter? What is the refresh time like? How would the zoom cope? all needed answering.

Happily the shutter is like lightening compared to the old p&s, Refresh time is a bit slow for sports action as I often missed the actual kick whilst waiting for the previous preparation shot to buffer, but then I was purposely testing single shot mode in automatic. (Multiple shots and manual tests will come later.) The zoom though is pretty good with many of the shots taken on the day, moving out of the optical zoom and into the digital zoom range. An example being the one above, with Johnny Wilkinson preparing to give England the first three points of the match.

However, in my haste to stand up and cheer this early lead, I forgot I had my finger on the shutter button and the resulting picture appeared. A happy accident I would say, as I love the mottled and colourful pattern. (I know, I know, it's not Rugby!)
Meanwhile the shots in the optical zoom range prove to be quite capable of telling the story, although they will never perhaps make it into print on the sports pages*. That won't be an issue though as I have no plans to sit alongside these guys anytime soon.

Whilst it was perhaps not the most exciting of games for all those dedicated followers, just being there was excitement enough for me, having never before been to a rugby match, let alone an International rugby match.

Needless to say, we were delighted to come away with an England victory, for Johnny Wilkinson being named man of the match, and me starting to get to know my G12.

*Sports pages Some great pictures from a great vantage point with a great lens!

Changeable Weather

After the 30 degrees of yesterday, came the rain of today, and with it a frustrated mutt and me. Mutt because she really wanted a walk but refused when she realised it was raining, and me because I couldn't get out to play with my new toy.

Finally this evening though, the rain eased off just long enough for us to take a stroll around the park but in the process finding ourselves stepping over myriads of rain-loving gastropods. Here presented an opportunity to test out the theory that the new camera could take an image just 1cm from the subject. Following a couple of aborted attempts due to the snail recoil mechanism being triggered by the camera twitching the grass blades, I resorted instead to a distance of around 5cm from the subject. Reviewing this image in processing, it was possible to see an interesting reflection of the grass blade showing up in the water droplet on the shell. Clearly a good indication of what might be possible with a little more time and finesse being employed.

With an HD movie function as well on this little bundle of joy, it was the next thing to play with. Anything would be better than the offering of the weekend, and whilst that slow camera was trying to cope with a fast subject, this faster camera was of course having no problem with this slow subject.

Crouching so as not to put my knee onto the wet grass, I didn't act as the best tripod from which to record the action, but for a first attempt, I am amazed at the clarity in comparison with the last offering. I will obviously have to practice my cinematography skills and I will definitely have to get to grips with iMovie but it is all exciting stuff.
(Sorry, uploading seems to compress the file here which makes it less clear than the original)

So, exciting possibly isn't how some would describe our weather; hot one day, wet the next, but if it didn't change like it does what on earth would us Brits have to talk about? Or for that matter what would a photographer be able to choose as a subject?

Into Retirement

On a day when the car temperature sensor hit 30 degrees, I chose to hit the air conditioned shops. Making straight for a favourite department store, I was happily on a mission to buy, rather than just looking longingly at, a successor to the p&s role.

I am pleased to announce that 5D mkII now has a baby sibling - a G12. Just like any anticipated new arrival in the family, there is already a familiarity with the way it might behave, but now begins the real getting-to-know. There will be highs and lows during this settling in period, I know but in general I am excited about the increased abilities of this useful, photographer's companion.

So what of the old p&s? Well, it will be put into semi-retirement during this change-over period and then maybe full retirement. It will be hard to do as it has been an excellent camera along the way. It was my entry point from an SLR into digital around nine years ago, choosing it specifically because I was told it would 'Keep SLR users happy' And it did just that. It has travelled many thousands of miles including trips to Europe, America and Africa (twice). It has been around the clock at least twice, if not three times. I admit, the deteriorating battery life has been a bit of an issue by switching off at critical moments, but all in all, it doesn't owe me anything. Even when it was demoted following the arrival of my first 5D it still proved useful for the situations where a full-blown camera would be a problem. G12 will be thrust into such a situation this coming weekend, so it will be interesting to see just how the new arrival performs.

I will leave you with one last thing. As I was leaving the customer service till, the assistant instructed me to keep the receipt.
"The camera is guaranteed for one year and the (store brand) camera bag is guaranteed for five years"

They do say it is hard to put a value on some things but old Sony, you were invaluable.

A Pack of Stoats

I just hate it when I have the wrong camera with me (or worse, no camera at all) for when something interesting happens.

This morning, on our way to a dog walk venue, my better half spotted a goings-on in the middle of the lane. As we drew close, we realised it was a pair of stoats, fluidly writhing with acrobatic skill. Stopping and reversing up onto the verge, we sat and watched the comical pair, reminding us of the hours we had watched our own pet ferrets (sadly no longer with us) playing in a similar way. Not surprising really as they are both from the same Mustelid family.  As we watched, two additional pairs also joined in this game of dare to cross the tarmac in the most acrobatic way. All of them took turns in taking cover in the verge, particularly when any form of wheels came towards them, and re-emerging for another performance when the coast was clear.

Having only my p&s with me, they were all playing just that bit too far away for a decent shot, (my apologies for the poor image above). So, I thought their antics might be better suited to a recording in the small mpeg files the p&s can produce. Sadly they were still just that bit too far away and the quality is poor. If only I had had my 5D mkII with me, who knows what I could have captured through the lens, but as it isn't pocket-sized, the reason for carrying my p&s was obvious.

This frustrating incident today highlights how the replacement p&s that is on my wish list just can't come soon enough. I can feel a G12 shopping trip coming on!

Meanwhile, I do hope you enjoy watching the little film showing just two of the playful stoats from this pack as much as we did.

Three legs with two legs + four legs?

If there are two things that don't go together they are wildlife photography and dog walking.
Today I was (foolishly) trying to do both out of necessity, as I am in sole charge of our four-legged friend for the next couple of days. As the sun had happily graced us with its presence today I thought I would grab a few evening shots on our walk out at the woods. To ensure that I stood a vain chance of spotting anything exciting I kept mutt on the lead, but as expected, that white stag and his girls were just too wise to show even their noses to this wrestling duo.
Why wrestling? Well, each time I tried to put the camera to my eye, I would have to clamp the end of the lead between my knees, as, with the ground beneath my feet resembling a mud bath I had already (sensibly) dismissed the option of standing on it. This enforced restraint was just too much for her with those enticing wafts of beckoning scents and after a minute of patiently sitting next to me, she started the binding process. Feeling trussed up like a spiders next dinner, I swung the camera back on my shoulder and unwound myself from the mess, mindful of the fact that me, dog and camera could all end up in a heap in the mud.
It was at this point I suddenly wished my camera was securely on top of a tripod, fulfilling two roles. One of keeping the kit out of this wrestling action and the other of allowing some stability for those tricky evening exposure times. Actually, it was a stupid wish on this occasion, as it would only have been another awkward walking companion. Apart from which, that particular piece of kit is currently on (pain of death!) loan to my dearest who is away for the next couple of days.
So, in the absence of any wildlife and with no three legged assistant, I resorted to a fence post as an impromptu monopod and took a shot at the one thing that stayed still for long enough - the lovely (almost) full moon, before two legs + four legs rambled back for tea.