Images of Essex RSS Mash Feed Recent RSS Mash Posts from Images of Essex http://www.imagesofessex.co.uk Coltrane Koh is photographer of the month for February Our photographer for February is Coltrane Koh.  His website shows a versatility for a huge range of  subjects,   am sure there is something for everyone at http://www.coleshot.co.uk/


The Blissed Days Of Snow
by Coltrane Koh


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/lUqWQHXGKh0/coltrane-koh-is-photographer-of-month.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:14:00 +0000 GMT Lightroom Configuration Backup
The problem came that when I restarted Lightroom was not in a happy state.  It had returned to default and had forgotten all my presets, plugins and export settings.  Luckily I could drag them back from a backup but it was a bit of a pain.  So I was interested to find this Lightroom configuration backup plug-in, which creates a zip file of all your settings and can be setup to do it automatically.

Another feature of it is the ability to zip up your catalogue backups,  which if you combined it with my tip on how to automatically delete old backups could really save some disk space.


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/m8HBsQsSlhw/lightroom-configuration-backup.html Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000 GMT Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2011 Outdoor Photographer of the Year Competition a few people have enquired how I got on.  Well it appears that I will have to settle for shortlisting only this year.

The strange thing about the system is they tell you that "one or more" of the images you entered has been shortlisted which means that between 4 and 12 of my shots were shortlisted.  Here they are in all their glory - I'll let you decide which ones were shortlisted as your guess is as good as mine:

Category - At The Waters Edge


Isle in the Storm

Leigh Creek
Snaking Ashore


Category - British Landscapes


Curbar Gap
Start Point Light


Ashness Landing


Category - Dawn To Dusk


Gull Rock Blues
Coniston Sunset

Morning Mist


Category - On the Streets


Lunchtime
Looking at Legs
River Pheonix




]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/NvAFRlcLc5c/outdoor-photographer-of-year-2011.html Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000 GMT Peter Simonides is photographer of the month for January
I have been recently really enjoying the abstract photographic work of Peter Simonides. Really unusual and interesting wor that is well worth a visit to his website.



 Paper
by Peter Simonides


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/8Sxn6UZ3ORQ/peter-simonides-is-photographer-of.html Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:05:00 +0000 GMT Lighten the land, don't darken the sky
Eventually they began to understand that you are not really darkening the sky, you are in staid lightening the land/  The key is to think that you are using the graduated filter to reduce the exposure range into  something the camera can cope with so that you don't end up with blocked shadows or blown out highlights.

I said I would create an example for them to show the effect of using a graduated filter.  The below images show the rather subtle effect of a 0.6nd grad in use.  Moving your mouse over the below should show the effect of inserting the filter:
Mouse over to see before and after
Hopefully you can see that we have slightly darkened the top left corner of the image and brightened the right horizon area by using the graduated filter at a jaunty angle like this.
ND Grad Position
The angle of the grad filter was to match up with the way the early sunrise was lighting the land from one side. Although it is usual to use grads in a more upright position it is important to pay attention to balancing the position as well as the intensity of the light.

Here are the before and after images in case the mouse over doesn't work for you.  Try opening them in seperate tabs of your web browser & switching between them.


Before - No ND Grad
After - With ND Grad


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/xk66_51Hw_U/lighten-land-dont-darken-sky.html Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:02:00 +0000 GMT Can I call you a cab sir ? http://www.heathrowairportcarsuk.com/ are now using my image of Tower Bridge as the header image of their website:


The Original image of tower bridge can be found here.

Tower Bridge


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/xk9WNTfC8pw/can-i-call-you-cab-sir.html Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000 GMT Gary Horner is photographer of the month for December
Our photographer for December is Gary Horner and his EastCoastImages.co.uk website. Gary's work overs a wide range of subjects and shows a great eye for the landscape of his native East Anglia and is well worth a visit.




  Herringfleet Mill
by Gary Horner


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/wCa740i4np4/gary-horner-is-photographer-of-month.html Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:49:00 +0000 GMT Black and White Photographer of the Year 2011 Comp
Well I didn't win,  you can see the winners here.  Congratulations to Binh Trinh and the other winners.

I was pleased however to get one shot recognized in the "Shots we liked but didn't quite make it" section featured in this months magazine and was chosen to go on the welcome page of the magazine.


I'm taking that as pretty much a second place in one of the categories - which is nice. I am also really proud that the shot in question is of my beloved Smudge,  a dog with more personality than a little dog should have, who unfortunately passed away exactly a year ago.

Below are the three shots that were shortlisted:

Gormley Towers


Smudge

Lunchtime






]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/hEOB6tgb5sg/black-and-white-photographer-of-year.html Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000 GMT A hard case for the LEE Big Stopper LEE Big Stopper is fast becoming one of the most popular filters in photography today. The ability to setup the shot with other filters then slide in the 10 stopper at the last moment makes it much easier to use than the screw in filters.

In fact the only real problem I have found with the Big Stopper is the absence of a hard case for it. The soft pouch they come in is great for stopping it getting scratched but if you are as clumsy as me they offer little protection against snapping the thing. The filter is actually as brittle as cinder toffee, so if you are not careful your £100 filter will end up looking like mine:

Luckily when I explained my predicament to the good people at LEE helped me out with a replacement filter really quick.  Fantastic customer service from LEE, I'm never buying filters from anyone else.

So - how to keep my new filter from the same fate?  It was time to investigate a hard case option.   LEE don't make a hard case and a search on the web drew a blank too.  It was time to make my own.

If you are old enough you may remember that before downloads, music used to come on a physical disc called a CD. I happen to have a fair few of these archaic things laying around the house and they are almost exactly the right size to be a Big Stopper case.

Conversion from ancient recording technology to modern filter storage is simple:

  1. Take out that old Steps CD and chuck it in the bin
  2. Pull out the bit the CD was laying in throw it away.
  3. Tape the LEE exposure table to the inside of the case so you can find it easily
  4. Cut two pieces of lens cloth to fit the inside of the case and fix them using double sided tape.
  5. Cut a thin layer of packing foam the to fit the inside of the case.
  6. Cut a filter sized hole in the foam and fix it into the the case with double sided tape
  7. And your done.





Please let me know if you decide to make a similar case & if you find a better way of doing it.


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/g0MDSL3HIFY/hard-case-for-lee-big-stopper.html Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:40:00 +0000 GMT Nigel Wilkins is photographer of the month for November
Our photographer for November is Nigel Wilkins. Nigels website has some stunning views of The English Lake District and is worth a visit.


  Striding Edge
by Nigel Wilkins


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/GM1p_XSl22U/nigel-wilkins-is-photographer-of-month.html Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000 GMT Where are we going
I suggested he put his thoughts down and make a blog out of his thoughts. Below is what my friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, came up with.  I hope you enjoy reading his thoughts on the state of popular photography today.


The Basics of Photography


A few years ago I enrolled on a one year course to study photography. One of the first lessons I learnt was that 'photography' meant writing or painting with light, the ability to capture a moment in time with the prevailing light was the essence of photography. Little did I realise then what could be achieved without such illumination.

I feel a photograph should represent what the photographer saw at the time of capture, using the skills he has learnt and fashioned to manipulate the camera by adjusting exposure or shutter speed and balancing light by using filters. Gaining a fundamental knowledge of these tools of the trade, with equal importance to how light interacts with the equipment, will lead to better and more honest results. In a recent internet forum thread, about this very same subject, one photographer alluded to better photography results would be achieved with "patience, planning and understanding in the field in the right conditions" I fully endorse these comments.

I had been trawling my way through various popular photography sites recently with a fairly glum outlook to the future of my beloved hobby. It seems an image has to go through a Photoshop metamorphous before it is appreciated and applauded. One such image so infuriated me it prompted this blog.

The image in question is from a popular photographers spot, shot many times, in fact I had been there recently, what grated me was not so much the photoshop manipulation, (well actually it did) but more the comments and accolades it received.
  • "Lovely colours"
  • "wonderful colours captured"
  • " love the winter colours"
couldn't anyone see what I was seeing? The shot was straight out of a Pixar movie and nothing to do with real colours. It was a cartoon still, a make-believe impression from the time it was taken. No one mentioned manipulation, not one mention of
  • "nice Photoshop work"
  • "good use of the saturation sliders"
  • "love the cartoon effect"

It certainly wasn't in the photographers' description. It was as if the image had the emperor's new clothes on and what pains me is this seems to be becoming the norm. With more and more images sent through the Photoshop grinder coming out appearing total unreal from the original "painting with light" concept than ever before.


A photographer I have huge admiration for wrote

I want to recreate the scene that you would have witnessed with your own eyes had you been standing next to me at the moment I fired the camera's shutter.

This is a poignant statement to those in the modern era of photography that the basic concepts of photography should be learnt and not everything should be resolved after the occasion via the PC.

So, what do you think? Have we forgotten the essentials of taking pictures? Has manipulation taken over from craftsmanship or is it all part of a broad church called photography and everything is valid?


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/A8eouZ62FRA/where-are-we-going.html Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000 GMT Black and White Photographer of the Year Competition 2011 I recently had 3 photos short-listed for the Black and White Photographer of the year competition 2011.  Unfortunately I didn't come anywhere in the final judging, but I am just happy enough to be short-listed.
For those that asked here are the three shots that were shortlisted.



Gormley Towers

Lunch Time

Smudge


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/KeapE9_VRQU/black-and-white-photographer-of-year.html Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:26:00 +0000 GMT Tm Daniels is photographer of the month for October
Our photographer for October is Norfolk based Tim Daniels. Covering a range of subjects, often in a carefully stylised way, his website is well worth a visit.


  The Underpass
by Tim Daniels


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/2HKbrB0PBEQ/tm-daniels-is-photographer-of-month-for.html Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000 GMT Summer on The Southbank
Here are a few shots from the festival, I seem to be in a B&W mood at the moment.  I hope you enjoy them.


Standing in the Rain

Mine all Mine
A snack on the steps

Monsoon Season
Prisoner of Love

Run from the Rain
Life Stories


]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/ejhPIY_LRVk/summer-on-southbank.html Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:15:00 +0000 GMT Cathy Taylor is photographer of the month for September
Our photographer for September is Dorset based Cathy Taylor, covering a range of subjects her website is well worth a visit.


 
by Cathy Taylor


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]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Shepherdpics/~3/rTsU2TxgEhI/cathy-taylor-is-photographer-of-month.html Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000 GMT