It’s been a busy week. I’ve a lot going on on different fronts and at times things have been a little stressful around here.
But today I got to play with (and photograph) five wonderful kids on a stunning Autumnal afternoon: warm sun; dry, freshly fallen leaves; kids running free and having a ball; me in the middle of it all taking pictures.
Sometimes I need to be reminded that I have the best job in the world. Today was one of those days.
Thank you to the kids and Mums who met me in Fitzgerald’s Park today. It was just what I needed. Just perfect.
I’ll be posting some pictures from this and some of the other Autumn Model sessions shortly – watch this space.
Families Sought for Free Family Session & Framed Print
Kids in the Wild
I am looking for families in the Cork area to get involved in a series of promotional photo sessions over the next few weeks. I want to create some fresh images of kids having fun in the local parks, woods and forests now that Autumn is here and there’s so much wonderful colour out there.
I will be using the photographs to extend my portfolio of images from the outdoor sessions for use on the web site and for my own publicity.
There is no charge for the session and in return for their time, participating families will get a framed artwork from their session as a thank you.
This is going to work pretty much like the Spring Promo sessions so if you want to get a better idea of what to expect, scroll down the blog to where I have previously posted images from those sessions.
In addition, want to use these sessions to create example storyboards and studio albums.
You need to be prepared to go out and have some fun – and get photographed in the process – but apart from that there’s no other specific requirements for ages and number of kids. If a couple of families want to do a session together that often works well too.
I hope to start doing sessions in the next couple of weeks and the promotion will run until the end of the October half term holiday.
A lot of the sessions will need to happen during the week so it will probably suit preschoolers whose parents are available during the week. But there are a limited number of sessions available at the weekend and during half term for families with older kids.
So if you’re interested in taking part in one of these sessions just email me your details or give me a call.
The Small Fella started preschool yesterday. All credit to him he just skipped in without so much as a backward glance. Another milestone for our family – I think we are still a little in shock!
It was very quiet around here with all three out for the morning.
Good luck to every one starting, returning or moving on this week.
I think we all still think of digital photography as being free. The fact that we no longer have to pay for film, processing and printing every 36 frames makes us think that there is no cost to clicking away with our digital camera, phone or iPod.
But photography is certainly more expensive in the digital era.
Today I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new second hard drive for my main workstation. The time taken to shuffle working files around to create space for new work was just getting too much. Granted I took the old one from my old laptop so I can’t really complain
Now this drive is just for the ‘active’ images – those jobs where I’m still expecting print or album orders – the archive is separate (and I’m slowly filling that up too).
I remember doing a broad check on the cost of the pro-level Nikon SLRs back from the F4 days to current D3 generation. I didn’t do a full NPV calculation but the cost of those bodies hasn’t changed an awful lot – of course you get a lot more technology for your money.
But now you need to add a whole lot of extra stuff to the cost of your pictures: computing power, storage, backup.
And in the end you’ll still have to print your best images if you really want to enjoy them at their best.
Digital Photography has changed the way we take pictures for ever. Many of those changes are positive (and there are a few more subtle negative ones). But you get nothing for nothing.
Its an old joke in the camera world: amongst the many modes your camera has are ‘A’ and ‘P’ – they stand for ‘Amateur’ and ‘Professional’ :o)
Well of course not really. In fact quite the opposite. ‘P’ is for Program Mode in which the camera makes all the decisions about everything and therefore gives the photographer no control. At least in ‘A’ mode you get to choose your Aperture (‘A’ is for Aperture Priority BTW) so you control how much of your scene is in focus.
Teachers and Pro Photographers generally scorn Program Mode and I understand why. Many courses will start you out with the most basic camera in Manual mode because it really is the best way to learn how photography works (because if you don’t get it right you don’t get a photograph).
This definitely works (although it can be frustrating for people used to instant success in a modern world). I ‘grew up’ on manual cameras (mostly because as a student I couldn’t afford anything else).
But I don’t agree with the ‘you have to shoot Manual – always’ mantra that you pick up on a lot of the Fora. Once you have the skills and experience (which you get from shooting manual) then your camera is a very functional tool with features to help you in many varied circumstances.
Moreover, these days they are very good at what they do: why not use the auto features if you can control them and predict what they’re going to do for you?
I use: autofocus 99% of the time – but I decide which focus point to use; auto ISO most of the time (it is an entirely predictable algorithm); Auto exposure – in Aperture Priority Mode – with a mix of metering patterns and manual compensation when it doesn’t quite give me what I want; and auto white balance sometimes does the job of tricky mixed lighting (and it can easily be changed afterwards).
Using these tools gives me a very high percentage of in-focus, well exposed images so that I can concentrate on my subject.
So, as usual, I think the right answer is ‘never say never’. If you understand how a tool works, you can control it, you know its limitations and you know what to do when it isn’t working for you, why not use it?
The understanding is the key – and that is where the hard work lies.
This holiday, my daughter was sent on a mission by her mother: get a picture of Dad on holiday for once. Prove that he was here. She took this up with some enthusiasm and between Mum’s camera phone, and her iPod she did well.
One evening I took the D700 to the playground to get some overall pics of the place in which we were staying for the holiday album. Daughter Number One asked to use my camera for her Mission. I set it to ‘Professional’ mode, auto iso, auto focus, auto focus point selection, auto white balance. I hung my big, expensive camera around her 9 year old neck and I told her which button to press.
Amongst them is a shot which I might well have taken myself:
We’re just back from a fantastic week at Bosinver Farm Cottages in Cornwall. Great trip. It really is the perfect place to holiday with a young family – they couldn’t do anything more for you.
It’s been a long time since we were in Cornwall and there’s no shortage of things to do in the area. But as usual the most memorable were the simplest: crabbing off the quay in Looe in the lashing rain (8 crabs caught in 30 mins – lots more got away); feeding the animals at Bosinver everyday; fish and chips on the quay at Mevagissy.
And of course – the zip wire at Bosinver:
How to catch a small boy on a zip wire with no help: the fisheye lens
Lots more pictures to work through including some lovely ones from animal feeding and of course the ‘boy with gigantic poo shovel’ picture from the pony riding day! Keep an eye out on Facebook…
After some glorious sunny days in Kinsale, the Clipper fleet left Cork in drizzle. We had an image of sitting on the grass next to Blackrock Castle with a picnic and watching them sail past – but it was not to be. Still, it was a great sight to see them motoring out to the harbour.
