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| Nikon D300s with Nissin Di866Jason Done Waterloo Rd |
Sunday 26 June 2011
Summer Fairs bring out the stars & other reporters
Today I covered a Summer Fair for a local Hospice. As you would expect the local press also turned out and I got to talking to the other photographer about how he works and how he gets paid. He told me all about taking redundancy from his staff job and then working for the same paper as a freelance photographer. Now to my mind I would never give up a staff position, (it was after all Peter Parkers dream to get a staff role), the car, the hourly rate, the portfolio, what's not to like. Now on the other hand, if he doesn't deliver the goods on EVERY job he just won't get another assignment. What this means for me is that the guy is going to have very sharp elbows and is always going to vie for the best position. Don't get me wrong he was a nice guy, he was just making sure he got the shot. I, on the other hand, always get the shot in a different way. Make sure you get to know the subject and the people who are close to the subject. People are best influenced by the people they are close to and trust.... And just as with 0any scene you can't control you only have a split second to get the right shot. So shoot on burst and always make sure your composition can't be compromised by the guy with the sharp elbows.
I did show the photographer this shoot.... He was a little green....
Wednesday 22 June 2011
You can't predict the weather....
All photographers will tell that a bit of cloud in the sky makes for interesting photos. Solid cloud cover is a different matter though......
Where I live we have some great hill walks and all sorts of sculptures that the local Councils have had commissioned so as to make your walk more interesting. One of these pieces is named the singing tree, basically, it's lots of pipes that have been assembled so as ;
Today I went up there with the sole purpose of photographing this tree...... Of course I had to hang around long enough to catch the only bit of blue sky to come my way in the hour I was their.
I think the result (post processing, which is just a B& W conversion and a texture boarder) is really good.... Let me know your thoughts....
I fired my flash during the exposure in order to bring out the structure on the near side of the image....
Cropped 20 in x 8in
Where I live we have some great hill walks and all sorts of sculptures that the local Councils have had commissioned so as to make your walk more interesting. One of these pieces is named the singing tree, basically, it's lots of pipes that have been assembled so as ;
- to resemble a tree sculpted by the wind
- to whistle or 'sing' as the wind blows across the pipes
Today I went up there with the sole purpose of photographing this tree...... Of course I had to hang around long enough to catch the only bit of blue sky to come my way in the hour I was their.
I think the result (post processing, which is just a B& W conversion and a texture boarder) is really good.... Let me know your thoughts....
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| F22 ND filter ND8+4 for 0.5 sec |
Cropped 20 in x 8in
Wednesday 15 June 2011
You get to meet some really interesting people
I do some work with a great guy called Paul....... Paul knows people, who know people....
So when he says "Hay Simon, how do you fancy being one of the main photographers on the Miss Manchester Beauty Pageant, they'll be lots of celebs there and you'll be taking photos of 35 model quality young ladies, how do you fancy it.....?"
Well what can you say to that....... "I'll clear my calendar....!!!!"
Now it's not the Celeb factor..... It's not the Models..... It's the fact that the best photographers in the World are not their on talent alone..... They are their because they recognised opportunity when it passed them in the street and clung on to the coat tails until they could walk tall beside it....
These gigs are the type of things where you get maybe 20 seconds to get the shot because things happen once and then they are gone and if someone else gets the shot and you don't then thats it.......
I try to get the Client shots.....
And I try to get the shots for me....
And then she wins and back stage you get to see the real reaction....
Well done she was great on the night and not groomed to win......
So when he says "Hay Simon, how do you fancy being one of the main photographers on the Miss Manchester Beauty Pageant, they'll be lots of celebs there and you'll be taking photos of 35 model quality young ladies, how do you fancy it.....?"
Well what can you say to that....... "I'll clear my calendar....!!!!"
Now it's not the Celeb factor..... It's not the Models..... It's the fact that the best photographers in the World are not their on talent alone..... They are their because they recognised opportunity when it passed them in the street and clung on to the coat tails until they could walk tall beside it....
These gigs are the type of things where you get maybe 20 seconds to get the shot because things happen once and then they are gone and if someone else gets the shot and you don't then thats it.......
I try to get the Client shots.....
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| Miss Manchester 2009 |
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| Charlotte..... Contestant |
The girls were great just giving all that you asked, some girls with a lot of experience in front of the camera and some with none.......
The thing is that these events are, for me as much what goes on behind the sense as what goes on in front of the people. The real beauty is in seeing how people hold up under the pressure...... Just keep smilin'
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| F7 with slave flash at 45deg up and a direct flash |
you also get to take stunning shots whilst they are waiting to find out who's the winner......
And then she wins and back stage you get to see the real reaction....
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| Miss Manchester 2011 |
Always get the photos the clients ask for but always capture the events action and re action....
Kit......
Nikon D300s
Sigma 18-70mm f2.8
Two off camera flashes with stands
It's not about the camera..... It's about the attitude....
Keep smilin'
Well Done Nichola
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