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Check Out The New Flickr - It's F@#king Amazing

2013-05-21T22:15:44Z

If you haven't already get on over and explore the new Flickr - it's looking great!

Cheers, Rob.

SCL Photography Podcast 219 - Who Are Your Photos For

2013-05-05T19:49:36Z

Out and about, some soul searching and a new assignment...

Subscribe on Itunes. (Will open Itunes, then you need to click on the "subscribe" button.) (Free)

Subscribe with other Podcatchers. (Google Reader, etc) (For Free)

Download / listen to the mp3. (Right-click then "save target as" / "save link as".) (Did I say it was free?)

Download / listen to the LOW BANDWIDTH (small file-size) mp3. (Right-click then "save target as" / "save link as".) (Again, free!)

Please check out TechPodcasts.com.

Some Photos From My Cosham Photowalk:

March / April Assignments - "Spring" and High Key".

Our New May June Photo Assignment: "Straight Up / Straight Down."

2013 Projects Flickr Thread.

Check out Everyday Jones at their website and on Facebook.

If you'd like to contribute a little something to SCL, please Donate!

Come on over and join the Flickr group.

Cheers, Rob.

The Ultimate Guide To NOT Buying A New dSLR Digital Camera Body

2013-04-27T21:24:24Z

Roll up, roll up, carrry on reading for the ultimate guide to NOT buying a new Digital SLR!

That's right, you may be sitting there right now, about to pull the trigger on a new camera, but I'm here to save you, to say no, don't bother . Intrigued? Puzzled? Well I am, and I'm the one writing this post...

The first step in renouncing that burning desire to spend your hard earned cash is to truly believe that great photographs aren't about the camera that took them, therefore you need to accept that your current kit is good enough to take amazing photographs.

"I don't believe it!" You're shouting at the screen, surely a newer camera will take better photographs than an older one!

Ok, how about this, you're better off spending the money you were going to waste on a new SLR body on actually going on holiday to some great places. How about following in HCB's footsteps to Paris, or emulating Mr. Adams in Yosemite?

"Interesting, but wouldn't my photographs just look better of even those places with a shiny fresh camera with loads more megapixels?" you reply.

Well, no, they wouldn't - why don't you spend those greenbacks on a training course or workshop about photography. Get some quality tuition from one of your photographer heroes. Spending a couple of days with experts that can guide you onto a better path will save you years of struggling through books and magazines.

"But all those guys and gals on those courses have amazing kit, I'd feel intimidated with all that lens envy!" is your excuse.

Another misconception is that you really must have specialist gear to shoot specialist subjects. Ya gotta have 8 frames a second to do sports. Without a full frame sensor your low-light portraits will be flat and uninspiring. You can't do a professional job without a professional camera.

All untrue. Consider what you're using now. When your camera was new, was it considered great? Did people think it was a massive improvement on what went before, including film SLRs? Of course! It's still the same camera, if a little dustier and worn around the edges.

While we're on the subject, let's discuss the film argument. Compared to using a film SLR, even a pro one, your camera has so many advantages. It can shoot hundreds, if not thousands of photographs on the same memory card. You get instant feedback on your photograph, down to a in-depth histogram. You can shoot, edit, print and share your photos in a matter of minutes instead of hours or days. Yet those film SLR's have taken some of the greatest images in history. Kind of puts things in perspective, right?

"That's all well and good" You're thinking, "But I want to use the latest technology in my camera so I've got the best chance of taking a good photo, because sometimes I need all the help I can get. I've seen the latest cameras, the reviews look great and I can just about afford one, so I'm going to buy a new dSLR body."

Fair enough, I can see that all my logical arguments have failed, and that despite the evidence that your current dSLR is more than good enough, I need to appeal your more emotional side, the visual right-side of the brain. in other words, lets look at some pics.

Unless we want this post to go on for a lot longer than it should, you'll have to have a go at the first few examples, then look at the specific images from the camera you have and the camera body you want. What we're going to be doing is looking at full resolution images from that most excellent (but maybe a bit too thorough) website, dpreview.com.

The idea is that you'll download and examine lots of example images from your current camera and the one you're interested in so you can have a close look at them and see if there really is a big difference. I'll also include the link to the summary page for the review at dpreview.com. Lets get started.

Canon EOS 350d vs Canon 550d.

Ahem. My current camera is a rather long in the 350d / Rebel XT, but is the 550d / Rebel T2i that much better? Let's look at a load of sample images.

Here's the 350d sample images. (Will open in a new window.)

Here's the 550d sample images. (Will open in a new window.)

What do you think. Zoom in to have a good look (you may have to click the photos to go to 100%). Download the original photos at full resolution. Apart from one image being bigger than the other, is there a massive difference in the quality?

If you're still undecided why not read dpreviews conclusions about the 350D and the 550d.

So now ask yourself - will upgrading the Canon 350d to the 550d really give you better looking photographs?

Canon EOS 600D To 5d Mk. III

Let's say that unlike myself you've got a newer dSLR but want to move up to one of the most eagerly anticipated cameras of the last five years.

Here's the 600d sample images.

Here's the 5d Mk. III sample photographs.

Have a close look at as many of photographs as you can. Scroll around, examine the details, the tone and the colours. They all look great, but is one camera really that much better than the other?

Have a read of depreviews conclusions for the 600d and the 5d Mk. III.

Nikon D5100 To D4

Here's the D5100 sample photos.

Here's a D4 sample photo.

A true heavy-weight versus a very capable amateur camera, but is one head and shoulders above the other?

It's Over To You

By now you've got the idea. Stop reading all the reviews. Just look at the sample photographs of the camera you're interested in over on dpreview, remembering to look at the sample photographs of your existing camera, and honestly ask yourself if there's really that much difference in the quality.

Thanks, Rob.

PS You could of course also just spend a fraction of that money on a nice little film camera...

PPS Actually, don't try to contact me for a while because the AF on my 350d seems a little dodgy so I've got my eye on a tasty 600d body on eBay...

You Vs Them. Just Who Exactly Are Your Photos For?

2013-04-24T20:55:40Z

Here's a question: Who do you take photos for?

It's all well and good following your vision, polishing your style, fine tuning your artistic statement, planning projects and getting out there and shooting, but what happens if nobody else is interested in the final result?

What happens if after all this studying and practice, when people look at your photo's, noone says "wow".

Is it possible to become too obsessed with the way we think about what photography should be, so that we loose that ability to create images that will impress other people?

You could say that it's the difference between the professional and the amateur or artist. The pro has the skill-set to deliver the goods that the clients want, albeit with a twist of their own style. The amateur discards this idea and captures their own vision of the world.

The danger for the Professional is that this requirement to meet the needs of others could lead to a disillusionment with photography, whereas the amateur or artist could become lost in their own artistic dead-end.

If the accepted answer for the Pro is to take on personal projects whenever possible to feed their artistic side, then surely it is a very good idea for the amateur or the artistic photographer to take on assignments where they're not pandering to their own needs, rather they occasionally should take photographs in a way that other people want.

Sure, you could be lucky and your artistic vision could align perfectly with what other people love, but you'll probably find that you'll have to work on it.

To go back to the original question, as a photographer who are your photos for, you or them? The answer must be both - if you truly want to develop as a professional, artist or amateur.

Thanks, Rob.

SCL Depth of Field Guide - Improve Your Photography By Understanding Focal Depth

2013-04-21T16:24:51Z

(If you can't see the video, please click here.)

Being able to create photographs where the background is nice and soft, or where the whole scene is tack sharp, is one of the main reasons why we buy expensive dSLR's, or use film SLR's. To control the depth of field in a photograph is to control a large part of how the viewer feels about that image - so we all need to have at least some passing knowledge on how all this works.

As I explain in the video, there's some concepts that we can work on to adjust our depth of field (DOF).

1) Lens Aperture. The size of the aperture relates to your DOF. Use a large aperture, such as f/3.5 (small f number), to have only a small portion of your photo in focus. Use a tighter aperture, such as f/16 ( large f number) to have a lot of the photo nice and sharp. Focus about a third of the way into the scene and almost everything will be sharp.

2) Subject to background distance. Move your subject further away from the background, and it's more likely to be blurred.

3) Camera to subject distance. Get closer (and therefore focus closer) and you'll DOF will get smaller - and the reverse works too. If you want a bigger DOF try not to focus on things very close to the camera.

4) Lens choice, or focal length. If you use a longer lens, say your Telephoto Zoom at 100mm, it will appear that your DOF is smaller than if you used a wider lens, but stood closer (and had the same apparent framing or crop). What is happening is the longer lens effect is compressing the scene due to the fact that you've got to stand further away to get the same framing - the blurred background is being magnified, so the DOF looks smaller.

To put it a little simpler, to take flattering portraits with blurred backgrounds, use a longer lens such as your telephoto zoom. If you want to take landscapes where most of the scene is in focus, use your zoom lens at the wide-angle.

I hope that the video and this short article have been helpful - if you've got any questions (or corrections!) add them to the comments.

Thanks, Rob.

Kylie Minogue / William Baker "Fashion" Book Review Video

2013-04-20T20:03:11Z

(If you can't see the video, please click here.)

This is a very special photobook, so if you're in the UK and it's shop hours, stop reading this, pick up the phone and get on the blower to your local TK Max and see if they've got it in their book section, for a measly £5.

"Fashion" by William Baker follows Kylie Minogue throughout her love affair with fashion and the fashion-worlds love affair with her. This is no fan book - we've got the worlds best photographers and the worlds most influential designers, all together in a beautifully crafted and presented body of work.

Far superior to the excellent La La La, "Fashion" deserves a place on the book-shelf of any photo lovers collection.

So what are you doing sitting there? Grab the phone and track a copy down now!

Cheers, Rob.

The Photax Projector Screen - A Portrait Photographers Friend

2013-04-19T20:11:50Z

(If you're having trouble viewing the video, please click here.)

Let's face it, there isn't really enough space in your average family house for a photographers portrait studio. If you're trying to recreate the white-backgrounds a la Avedon, Peter Hurley or Bailey, it's a bit tricky to convince your better half to convert your front room into your personal photographic space. This is where a simple projector screen comes in.

Every slide shooter in the 60's and '70's would have had one of these- the best way to show those holiday chromes in all their glory, but sadly slides are now mostly a thing of the past. This means we can pick up these gloriously white screens for a song. They roll up into a relatively small and lightweight size and are perfect for making a bright background for your portraits.

The make, obviously, doesn't matter. Just make sure that the screen is clean and the stand unfolds properly. I tend to use a couple of flashes on my subject and one on the background. The background flash doesn't need to be that bright, just check your histogram to see that the screen is tipping over to pure white. If the flash is too bright you'll get glare and flare ruining your shots.

Because the ceilings in our house are quite low, I have my subject sitting on a chair in front of the screen, with umbrellas in front. The background flash usually sits on the floor, just behind the chair and shinning up at the screen.

So if you fancy creating some simple but effective head shots, track down a second hand projector screen and have some fun.

Thanks, Rob.

How To Fix Rosco Strobist Gels To Your Flash Or Speedlite

2013-04-18T20:48:17Z

(If you can't see the video, please click here.)

If you've bought a Gel Holder with your Rosco Strobist Gels then the above video won't be of interest, unless of course you've got more than one flash and don't fancy spending another tenner on a piece of plastic....

Quite simply, the Rosco Strobist Gels are a little too short. As you offer them up to the front of your flash, you'll wonder how on earth you're meant to fix them on. You could flick the diffuser panel down and use that to hold the Gel, but that reduces your power and will probably lead to a melted piece of coloured plastic sticking to your flash head.

As I've said, you can buy dedicated Gel Clips that'll hold the colored Gels in place, but they're more expensive than my solution - just add tabs of sellotape to each side, with a white tag detailing which Gel it is.

Simple, cheap, effective, and I'm sure someone has thought of it already!

Cheers, Rob.

10-600mm Canon EF / EF-S Lens Collection For Under £250, Including Macro

2013-04-15T21:14:03Z

(If you can't see the video, please click here.)

Remember the first time you got a SLR or dSLR? You feverishly opened the box, fitted the lens, charged the batteries, read the instruction manual, then went out and took some photographs. The images looked great on the back of the camera, perhaps not so good on your PC, and maybe something else felt lacking.

If you'd come from owning Bridge Cameras or Super-Zooms, the lack of focal length of the kit SLR lenses can be a little disappointing. A quick surf of the web or scan of photo magazines would reveal the startling costs of more lenses to give you the telephoto or wide angle or macro that you're used to.

So then you've got a choice. Dig deep and buy new lenses, or if you're a skint photographer like myself, you're going to have to try and grab second-hand bargains off eBay, Gumtree, car-boot sales and charity shops.

As you can see from the video at the beginning of this article, with a little luck and a lot of patience you can build up a nice little glass collection that'll see you right in most non-professional situations, and as long as you work around the lenses limitations, which revolve around tight maximum apertures and non-standard lens mounts, you'll get some quite good results.

I'll have to admit that I've been lucky. Over the last few years I've managed to pick up some right bargains, learnt some good techniques, and put together a very cheap collection of glass.

Let's start with the basics - my Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS and 55-250mm IS lenses. I use these two for 95% of the photographs i take. Lightweight, sharp, and with that ever-so-helpful image stabilisation these lenses do fine in most situations. The telephoto is sharper than the wide-angle zoom, and it's more flattering for portraits, so it's probably my favourite lens. I got the two together from eBay (in mint condition) for about £150. Not that cheap, but I've been very, very pleased with them.

The Canon 28-80mm EF was a stalwart kit lens of the Canon EOS film cameras, so you could argue that it's a little out of date, but as a back-up it's more than capable. Not the sharpest lens, and there's no IS, but stop it down to f/5.6 when wide open, or f/8 when zoomed in, and the image quality is up there with the newer lenses. I got mine for under a tenner, atatched to the front of an old film camera. It now makes a perfect back-up telephoto zoom.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 MK. 1 lens is undoubtedly my best ever bargain. This is the original sought-after metal mount lens with the DOF scale, but I've used the MK. II 50mm and that's a good piece of glass too. The perfect piece of kit for no-flash low light situations or shallow depth of field, my example cost me £3 from our local car-boot sale, again it came on the front of an old film camera.

The Massa Wide-Angle / Macro converter is a bit left-field. Sure, the telephoto adapter it came with is junk, but the 0.45x wide-angle filter really does work. It may be a little soft around the edges, but if you're in a tight situation and need more of an angle of view, screw the Massa on the front of your wide-angle and you're set. The macro bit works well too, and is a lot smaller and lighter than a close-up lens. The pair cost me about £12.

If you want great, cheap, macro photography, why not go down the M42 route. With a simple EF-M42 mount adapter (from eBay), some extension tubes and a nice cheap lens like the Helios 135mm, the macro world is at your fingertips. On a Canon dSLR you'll be shooting Aperture Priority, manual focus and you'll have to "stop down" to expand the depth of field, but it's easy to get used to and with enough light, a tripod or a flash, you'll get amazing shots. I got the lot for about a tenner.

Let's finish off with the longer end of the scale - my Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6 Zoom, coupled with my Jessops 2x Teleconverter. Unlike the 55-250, this longer lens has no IS, and with the teleconverter we've lost two stops of light, so a tripod, a very bright day or a high ISO setting is required, but where else are you going to get 600mm of reach for £50?

So there we have it. A nice little set for under £250. It may have taken me a couple of years, but I'm ready for most situations and I hope I've inspired you to consider cheaper glass for your dSLRs.

Thanks, Rob.

SCL Photography Podcast 218 - DOF Days Are Over

2013-04-14T14:52:57Z

What I've been up to and a chat about controlling Depth of Field.

Please check out TechPodcasts.com.

"Gelled" Flash shots around Fort Brockhust:

My Youtube Video On Depth Of Field.

New March / April Assignments - "Spring" and High Key".

2013 Projects Flickr Thread.

Check out Everyday Jones at their website and on Facebook.

If you'd like to contribute a little something to SCL, please Donate!

Come on over and join the Flickr group.

Cheers, Rob.