Doug Chinnery Photography

How do I create panoramas in Photoshop?

2012-01-14T06:26:00.000Z

Before getting in to answering this question I just wanted to mention I am running a “Capture-to-Computer” workshop in Skegness, Lincolnshire on Saturday 21st January 2012. One place is taken but there is one free place left. The basis of the workshop is creative and artistic photography – blur, ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and textures. The morning will be spent with me showing you the techniques for shooting this style of image and then after a meal (included) I will spend the second half of the workshop showing you how to process these images in Lightroom and Photoshop. If you would like to book the second place the price is £149. Please drop me a message and I will organise it for you. Right, now on with the business of making panoramas!

I love panoramic images and with modern digital cameras and software they are easy to make. I find myself rejecting the use of super wide lenses in favour of making panoramas more and more in my photography. I am not keen on the heavy distortion that comes with the super wides and the converging verticals they create. With a panorama I can get in even more width and maintain a natural looking image with far less distortion.

You can by purpose made panoramic tripod heads, such as the Panosaurus, which are designed to rotate the camera on the ‘nodal point’. If the camera is rotated while held on this point and kept absolutely level will allow it to create almost perfect panoramas with little distortion and a very natural look. However the heads are expensive and you either have to have them fitted to a dedicated tripod or be prepared to switch heads in the field, and few of us are that dedicated or have the backpack space to carry two tripod heads.

There are two very acceptable alternatives which are ideal for most of us and I use both in my image making. I will cover both methods here. You can use a tilt and shift lens (the expensive but easier option) or you can use a standard prime or zoom lens. Both require stitching images together in software and both produce great images if done carefully.

So, if you want to make high quality panoramas, how should you go about it? The first step is to get your tripod as level as possible and make sure the camera is as level as possible on the head. This is far better than angling the camera slightly upwards or downwards. The more our of level the tripod and camera are, the more distorted the final image and the area you will need to crop away from the edges of the pano will be larger. I use the small round level bubble on the top of my tripod below the head to level the tripod itself. This can be fiddly as you need to tweak the leg lengths to get it right but it is worth doing. I then level the camera on the head using my hotshot spirit level.

Next is getting the settings in the camera right before you start shooting. It is critical that nothing changes between shots or you will not be able to seamlessly stitch the image. Turn off auto focusing on your lens so the focus point does not change between shots. Switch the white balance to daylight so it doesn’t alter between shots. Zoom out further than you want to to allow for cropping the stitched image which you will have to do to a greater or lesser extent. Don’t frame the image as you want it to finally appear as some of the edges will be lost. Start the panorama further to the left or right than you want to for the same reason. I use the camera in portrait orientation for panoramas to give a larger file size and more depth for cropping (unless I am using a tilt and shift lens, but I will come to that later).

Working in aperture priority or manual, choose one area of the pano to set your exposure and focus. The exposure is often the tricky part, especially around dawn and dusk or when the scene has high contrast. I tend to aim to set my exposure based on the area of the pano which is almost the brightest. I take a test shot to get the histogram across to the right. You have to accept then, that as the camera moves to wares the darker area of the pano it will begin to under expose but we can tweak this later in the software to balance the image. I set my neutral density graduated filters for the same frame as the one I use to set the exposure. You have to accept that as you take the other frames the positioning of the grad may not be quite perfect, especially if the land rises or falls across the width of the range of shots but it will look worse if you try and move the grad up and down for each image. (I prefer to use soft grads for panos to make the transition line less obvious).Do not use a polarising filter when doing panos as this will cause havoc with the look of each frame and you won’t be able to stitch the images acceptably. Focus hyper focally or on a point very close to the base of the frame. I usually use f16 for panoramas to give a bit more latitude on depth of field, whereas in my other landscape work I am usually trying to get the aperture to f13 or f11.

Once you are all set up rotate the camera to the left or right hand end of the pano sequence. Remember go further left, or right, than you want to include in the final image you have in mind. I then take a single shot with my hand in front of the lens with my thumb up. This tells me the next image is the start of a pano sequence. Once I have taken the final shot in the sequence I take another with my thumb down. This indicates the end of a sequence. Believe me, you will be pleased you did when you get home as it can be hard to tell which images are for panos.

Take the first shot and then rotate the camera for the next as quickly as possible. The absolutely critical thing to remember is to overlap each frame by at least 30%. It is better to overlap by 50% than to go lower than 30%. The more data and overlap Photoshop has to work with the better the quality of the panorama you will get. The reason for working quickly during the sequence shooting is to minimise movement of objects in the pano. Anything moving makes it harder for the software to do the stitch, so scudding clouds, branches of trees blowing in the wind and so on can cause issues.

Don’t forget, panoramas don’t have to be horizontal. For a really different type of image use the same system but shoot vertically. Vertical panoramas look great on the wall.

Back at home on the computer there is some very specific things you can do to make the panorama stitching go well. I use Lightroom to work on my raw files so the screenshots below will show that, along with Photoshop for the stitching but Elements works in just the same way although the menu items might be in slightly different places. You can also get specific panorama stitching software but I have never used this so can’t comment on it.

Import the raw files into Lightroom. Do not allow the import dialog box to apply any changes to the images on import such as adjusting white balance or applying some preset as this will make stitching difficult or impossible to do seamlessly. It is vital you don’t do any work on them whatsoever before they are stitched. Find the sequence of images and shift click to elect them (this is when the thumbs up and thumbs down shots are a big help, but obviously don’t include them in the stitch!). Right click the selected images and select Edit in >> Merge to panorama in Photoshop. (see screenshot below)

This will open Photoshop (or Elements) with the following dialog box open

On the left hand side select the Auto radio button and in the centre area of the window you will see the list of raw files you are using. Click OK. Now just leave Photoshop to do its thing. It will take a while depending on how many raw files you are stitching and how fast your computer is. On slower machines you will have tome to go and make coffee .

Once stitched the image will look something like this;

Now you can see why cropping is required. In the layers panel you can see how Photoshop has stacked the three images and then masked them to achieve the stitch. The next step is to flatten the layers and then crop the image to the panoramic shape, losing all of the irregular edges. I then save this image as a tiff (or psd, if you prefer) and take it back into Lightroom. Now you can start making adjustments to the exposure, contrast, clarity and so on because now it will be across the whole image and will look right.

Once you have made the adjustments you want in Lightroom, move the image back to Photoshop for any final tweaks and adjustments there, and you are done.

The process is identical with Tilt and Shift lenses, with a few differences. Firstly, when doing horizontal panos you keep the camera in Landscape orientation. You make the sequence of images by using the shift mechanism and make three images, one shifted all the way to the left, one in the centre position and the final one shifted all the way to the right. All the information above about levelling and camera settings still apply and the stitching process is identical, you just need the three shots. The advantage of this method is the overlap the TSE lens produces is way beyond 30% so the stitch works well and the amount that needs to be cropped away is usually less as the lens tends to give a clean stitch if the tripod and camera have been set level.

So, why not have a go next time you are out with your camera. They are great fun to make and can be quite addictive. Enjoy!

If you have enjoyed this blog, please visit my website at www.dougchinnery.com and sign up for my email newsletter which contains more hints, tips and tricks as well as details of my digital photography workshops in the UK. You will also find my free downloads page which has very useful free downloads for photographers and details of my memory card recovery service.

New Winter/Spring 2012 Photography Workshop Schedule Announced

2011-12-13T08:47:00.000Z

Here is the new winter/spring 2012 workshop schedule for my digital photography workshops.

I am introducing a range of new workshops and locations for 2012. You will also see I have teamed up with two more very talented photographers as co-leaders on some special locations. I will be posting full details of these workshops on my website in a few days time and soon you will be able to book and pay online via PayPal. Direct booking via email will still be available.

As a special offer for the new season I am offering the first ten who book and pay their deposits a 10% discount off of the cost of a workshop in the schedule. This does not apply to Capture-to-Computer workshops but will apply to one-to-ones. (just four reduced places now remaining)

If your family or friends are struggling to buy the perfect gift for you, why not suggest they buy you one of my gift vouchers. They can select any value they wish from £10 upwards and it can be redeemed against any workshop, one-to-one or Capture-to-Computer workshop of your choice. If the value of the vooucher exceeds your chosen workshop I will refund the difference or it can be credited towards another workshop. If the workshop exceeds the value of the voucher you can use it in part payment. I even send you a blank greetings card with the voucher with one of my images on for you to present the gift to a loved one.

JANUARY

6th & 7th - 'Coast & Castles' Northumberland, with Antony Spencer (now a Light & Land tour leader). Two days photographing the spectacular coast of Northumberland so beloved of photographers like Joe Cornish, including three castle locations. £149 per day or £125 per day if booking both days. Includes breakfast. Does not include accomodation.

13th - Capture-to-Computer', Yorkshire Coast, Yorkshire Limited to two people & includes breakfast. £149 per person

16th - Black & White Landscapes, Peak District. Includes processing in Silver EfEx Pro & Photoshop. Includes breakfast. £70 per person

22nd - Beginners introduction to your camera, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire. Three hours approx. Any camera no matter how basic. £35 per person

23rd - Complex Compositions - Bole HIll Quarry, Peak District. Includes breakfast. £70 per person

30th - Peak District (New Locations) includes breakfast. £70 per person

FEBRUARY

11th - Lakeland Landscapes. A day spent photographing classic lakeland locations. Includes breakfast. £70 per person.

18th - Northumberland. A day photographing the finest coastal locations in Northumberland. Includes breakfast. £70 per person.

24th - Capture-to-Computer, Somerset coast. Limited to two people and includes breakfast. £149 per person

25th - Black & White Photography, including long exposures, with co-leader & mono specialist, Paul Wheeler. Weston-Super-Mare. Inlcudes breakfast & 'how-to' pdf's. £99 per person.

29th - Peak District Landscapes, Half day, including refreshments. £45 per person.

MARCH

3rd - North East Coast - Nature & Industry - Saltburn & Paddys Hole. £70 per person including breakfast

5th - Peak Woodlands, Bole Hill Quarry. Includes breakfast. £70 per person

9th - Capture-to-Computer - Yorkshire Coast for Seascapes & Long Exposures. Includes breakfast. Limited to two people. £149 per person

10th - Long Exposures, Yorkshire Coast with long exposure specialist, Noel Clegg. Includes breakfast. £99 per person.

17th - Capture-to-Computer, Spurn Point, Yorkshire. Limited to two people, includes breakfast. £149 per person.

18th - Beginners introduction to your camera, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire. Three hours approx. Any camera no matter how basic. £35 per person

APRIL

2nd - Peak District Landscapes, with Antony Spencer. £125 per person, includes breakfast.

3rd - Peak District Landscapes, with Antony Spencer. £125 per person, includes breakfast.

10th - Private macro workshop for members of the Nottingham Photographic Society.

13th - Bole Hill Quarry, Peak District woodland landscapes, half day, including refreshments. £45 per person

22nd - Peak Landscapes, half day to sunset, including refreshments. £45 per person

28th - Bluebells in Ashridge Forest, Buckinghamshire with co-leader Tim Smalley. Includes breakfast. £99 per person.

I look forward to seeing you on a workshop soon

Best wishes

Doug

Some recent testimonials from customers;

"Just wanted to say a huge thank you for a fantastic weekend!"

"I thought all the venues were spot on and enjoyed the fact that both of you brought so many different skills and knowledge to the event."

"Since I started doing "serious" photography about 7 or 8 years ago I've been on at least half-a-dozen workshops or courses. I gained more from this one day than I have from all the others put together."

Fotoviva Art Prints - The First Five Years

2011-11-19T18:26:00.000Z

This month Fotoviva Art Prints are celebrating 5 years in business as one of the UK’s leading online wall art retailers. Seeing as I offer a selection of my photographic work on their website I thought it was a great opportunity to sit down with the owner, Jason Wickens, and see how business has been going…

5 years as an online business is quite impressive, how have you found it?

Hi Doug, yes we are very happy at how things have worked out, considering interior wall art is such a competitive market, especially the canvas print side of things. Despite the current economic downturn we continue to see a steady flow of orders and we’re expecting a solid growth over the next few years as we add new features to the gallery and more images.

How has Fotoviva evolved over the years?

The online gallery has been improved many times, and right now we are working on a funky new design which will give the site a classier look with a modern feel. When you are selling online you have to keep up to date with new technologies and styles to ensure you look the best and can offer a good online service. We constantly tweak elements here and there to improve the customer experience. Of course the image collection is always growing too, with over 600 art prints now available – from an initial 20 images on launch! That’s thanks to our great team of photographers who provide us with such inspirational imagery.

What style of images sell the most?

As you can see, the artwork we offer leans towards the creative side of photography. These kind of images are what home owners want on their walls. We hand pick the pictures from our team of photographers to ensure the right ones are offered to our customers. There are many technically brilliant photographs but that doesn’t mean they will sell. We believe people look for wall art that has an artistic touch that touches their emotions. This is especially true with landscape and seascape prints. It’s a way to bring nature into your home.

What is the most popular type of wall art?
Interesting question! When we launched Fotoviva we only sold poster art and canvas prints, but now we also offer the images as acrylic prints. Customers tend to choose the print finish based on their own interior designs – acrylic art is more suited to homes with a modern decor, whereas canvases work anywhere. I think canvas art is probably still the biggest seller but acrylic prints are becoming quite popular and I think one day it may overtake canvas prints.

I see you also offer a print service now – how is that going?
It’s going very well. The acrylic photo blocks are big movers right now – very popular with wedding and portrait photographers as well as the general public. They are freestanding blocks and look very modern and glossy. Customers can upload their photos and choose their print style on the site. We see a lot of wedding pictures and family shots, such as newborn babies and holiday photos. We also offer a photo on canvas and photo to acrylic service in the same vein. We’re pleased with how it is turning out. There are quite a few companies doing this on the internet but I think many customers use us because of our association with high quality photography and prints – it helps to reassure them they will be getting a very good quality print for their money.

Do you get much time to take photographs yourself?
Not as much as I would like! Fotoviva keeps me busy, as does family life, especially with a toddler! There is a selection of my photography on Fotoviva but I tend to spend any spare time improving the site or adding images from the contributors. I have a Nikon D7000 and try to get out in the countryside whenever I can. Next year I’m planning to book a couple of days off and finally go on one of your workshop days. I really like your style of photography and I’m looking forward to learning a great deal.

What are your plans for the next 5 years?
Looking ahead we will continue to add new pictures to our image collections to increase the selection available. Currently we are not adding any new photographic contributors but we hope to change that in the future so we can expand the style of art prints. Our marketing will also continue online to reach out to new customers whilst retaining the current ones. As for the site itself, we have some ideas for improving this and we’ll add things here and there, including the new visual update we will be launching shortly.

Speaking for myself as a photographer who supplies Fotoviva with images, I recommend their canvas and acrylic printing service which I use myself. The quality is very good,and the prices are competitive. All products come well packaged and Jason & Carly are very easy to deal with. Obviously it is a great place to buy my images too!http://www.fotoviva.co.uk/

As Jason mentioned (and I hope to see him on one soon) I run digital photography workshops all across the UK both on my own and in conjunction with some of the finest photographers working here today, such as Antony Spencer, Steve Ashton and Noel Clegg. You can find full details and subscribe to my newsletter on my website at www.dougchinnery.com

The Best Photographer in the World?

2011-09-14T20:45:00.002+01:00

It seems that most photographers are men. I have never really understood why, because, on the whole, those women who do make images seem to be very good at it. I think I am on safe ground to say that men tend to be more competitive than women too. So we have large group of male photographers bursting with testosterone all with an eye on the competition. So the question arises, can there be a photographer, male or female, who could rightly claim to be 'the best photographer in the world'?

No, I don't think so. How could you possibly go about measuring such a thing? Even if you were to try and become the best landscape photographer in the world, or the best fashion photographer, wildlife photographer it would be impossible to make a decision. Would you base it on income? Or output? Number of books published or exhibitions held? Would you measure it by Twitter followers or number of Facebook friends? I can't think of any measure that would work. I can't see why anyone would try to establish themselves as 'the best'.

Photography, like all art forms, is subjective. I know who I feel are the best photographers in the world, but they only get that accolade from me - it is my view, dependant on my taste. Others may agree with me, many would vehemently disagree. None of us would be right. In some ways, trying to improve as a photographer is like playing golf. Golfers while out on the course in a tournament can do nothing to affect what the other players do. They just have to play the course to the best of their ability. If they get round in the fewest number of shots they win. (this is where the illustration breaks down! Because if they win more tournaments than any other golfer that year, they do become 'number 1'). As photographers, all we can do is our best. We need to strive to hone our skills with the camera and develop our abilities in composition (and, today, in the digital age, increase our skills with software too). We can build a reputation as a good photographer. We might make some great images. Our sales might increase. We might exhibit or be published. Others may view us as an authority or as an inspiration. From a personal standpoint, we can measure our growth as a photographer and have a gauge we apply to ourselves as to how we are doing. But, like a golfer, it is pointless comparing ourselves to the competition, because there is no competition.

Some photographers seem to see our 'game' as competitive. Photographic societies and clubs foster a competitive spirit. Some photographers jealously protect location knowledge or technique skills. I can never understand this. I have much greater admiration for those photographers who freely pass on knowledge and encourage others to develop. I believe if we do this we, ourselves, benefit as others will likely help us too. I see little joy and satisfaction coming from being a 'Scrooge' amongst photographers. I once emailed a photographer in the Lake District to ask him if he would mind giving me some help on the best place to park at a location. His reply left me stunned as he basically told me to 'bog off' - why should he help me to get an image that might be better than his? What drives a person like this?

You sometimes experience it on location. There you are on some beach or hillside in the pre-dawn light and another photographer turns up. You wave, smile or try to initiate a conversation and they just ignore you and give you the cold shoulder. Been there? I have, many times. What is their problem? Wy do they seem to resent our presence? What is wrong with being polite and friendly? On the there side of the coin, I have heard stories of other photographers who have met men most of us admire and look up to as being at the top of our game - men like Charlie Waite and Joe Cornish. They have met them in the field and these leading lights have been friendly, helpful and complimentary. Not aloof and distant. What a much better way to be.

I have experienced so much help on social networking sites from other photographers. Twitter is a great place to help and advice from respected leaders in our field. I have asked for advice on kit and within a minute had several replies which have been so useful and saved me so much mine and hassle. I have had location advice and help with technique. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for these guys. Hopefully I am able to the same for others because social networking is not a paces for leeches who just use it to promote themselves and suck stuff out of others. It should be a medium to be used primarily to give rather than take and then occasionally we can use it to promote ourselves. I soon stop following individuals who only want to blow their own trumpet and expect me to follow and fawn over them. Whereas those who try to offer something, even if it is just links to useful websites or to photographers sites worth looking at, I follow avidly and try to help them in return.

So, what is the point of this rant? Forget trying to compete. none of us can be the best in the World. Be happy when others sell a picture, have an exhibition, get something published. Help them do it. Share information. Give advice when needed. Promote what others do. Hit that retweet button. What goes around, comes around. Help others and we will be helped. Be friendly and contribute something. Don't be a misery only looking to feather your own nest. What's the point?

New Farm Harvest Workshop

2011-09-06T06:07:00.000+01:00

Those who subscribe to my newsletter know that I have been trying to organise an unusual workshop on a farm, of the potato harvest. Well, I am pleased to announce it is now on.

The farmer and his wife have been really helpful and we have been able to put a plan together for a small group to photograph the potato harvest – hopefully with stunning evening light. Apparently gulls follow the tractor as the potatoes are lifted and so the whole scene should be very photogenic. There may also be opportunities for unusual incidental images of things like potato boxes in the barns and farm buildings and so on. It sounds like there will be two tractors working, one is driven by the farmer actually lifting the crop, the other driven by his wife will be transporting the potatoes from the fields to the farm buildings. I have all sorts of images in mind we can try and get.

They are kindly arranging parking as close to the harvest fields as possible to reduce walking but please note the ground will be muddy and uneven so wellies or boots are required and anyone with mobility issues needs to take this into consideration when booking.

It is vital we do not encroach on the harvest, get in the way of farm machinery or impede the work in any way. I imagine we will be working from the field margins most of the time. I will give advice later on lens choice and more information on how things will work to those who book. You are, as with all of my workshops, responsible to organise your own insurance if you feel it is necessary. Our individual health and safety is our own responsibility and booking is an acceptance of this fact.

I have offered to pay a fee to contribute to the farm for each person joining us on this unique workshop and this is included in your fee. No meals or refreshments are included in this workshop but apparently there is a pub just a mile away which does serve food and snacks so it may be feasible to adjourn at some point to go and refresh ourselves -or to enjoy something there before or after the workshop.

The date will be Monday 19th September. We will meet at the farm to start at 2.30pm. Sunset is at 19:09 so I assume we will be finished by 19:30. This should give plenty of time and the best light on the day to get some memorable and unusual images. The farm is located near Lincoln. I can’t guarantee the weather, of course, but September is often lovely for landscapes.

I haven’t visited the farm myself and don’t know how ‘photogenic’ it is so will be approaching this as I do a commercial shoot where I often have to arrive without seeing the location advance and work ‘on the hoof’. It might be useful for you to see how I approach working out the best shooting positions and so on without prior knowledge of the place – a skill all commercial photographers need. There are pylons on the farm (as there is in much of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshires farmland) so some work in PS might be needed, unless you like pylons – I will be showing how to frame images and use lenses to reduce their inclusion in shots.

Please also note I will be using my camera on this workshop to make my own images so I will not be quite as focused as I am on most of my other workshops on giving instruction. I will, of course, be happy to help you with your image making and will give as much time as I can to helping you, especially early on in the session so that yo are ready for later on, but as the light gets to its best or if the photo opportunities are good I will be shooting myself too and I just want you to be aware of this. Those who are closest to me in the fields will have the best chance of getting lots of help. I am reflecting this in the price of the workshop which is lower than my usual fee.

Oh, and one other thing. The farm is just half a mile from where the Red Arrows are based and they do practise over the farm. So, while they probably won’t put in an appearance, there is always a chance the will – so you never know the photographic opportunites might be amazing!

This is a rare chance to shoot a harvest at close range and get some great images of real farm life. I am really looking forward to it. Places are limited to 10 and I was deluged with interest so it may be wise to book early to avoid disappointment. Half the places have now gone. The fee, including a contribution to the farm will be £39 per person. This will be payable in full on booking.

I would like to thank in advance Mr & Mrs Marris for their kindness, cooperation and help in making this workshop possible.

if you would like to book please use the ‘CONTACT ME’ form on my website at www.dougchinnery.com and I will organise it for you and remember your booking will not be secured until your fee is received.

Free downloadable long exposure calculator quick reference chart

2011-08-30T16:32:00.000+01:00

I have just put on the downloads page of my website a free pdf long exposure calculator chart - go to www.dougchinnery.com and click on the downloads link.

Just download it, print and laminate it for use in the field.

I hope you find it helpful.

New Style Workshops Announced–Shoot & Process

2011-08-12T21:24:00.003+01:00

I get asked all the time to run workshops on Lightroom, Photoshop, Elements and Nik Softwares plugins like Silver EfEx Pro 2. The problem has always been logistics. Finding the right location with the right facilities at the right price.
So, I have come up with a solution. A series of one day workshop held in beautiful locations where the early morning is spent learning camera techniques and composition skills while the light is at its very best. Then following breakfast we will return to my new VW T5 camper van to work on the images.

I have had the van custom converted to allow me to use it as a mobile studio for my own work as a photographer. As such it is equipped with 240v power for laptops and battery chargers, the facility to make hot drinks, a fridge for chilled drinks, lighting and even an independent heating system rated for winter conditions (perfect for those landscape trips to Scotland in the winter). There is ample room inside to sit and work and in summer it has an awning so we can work outside in the shade.

To maintain comfort for my customers I am limiting the participants on these exclusive workshops to two person only so they become more like a one-to-one with the content tailored to the clients exact needs. With just two participants there will be time to demonstrate a complete workflow, taking images made in the morning and working on the RAW files in Lightroom through processing in Photoshop and then showing various methods of outputting the files. I will be letting my customers see my complete workflow in every detail along with all of my tips, tricks and techniques for getting the best from images. In the winter when the days are shorter we can round off the day by going back out and shooting the sunset too.

Breakfast at a local cafe will be included in the price as will hot and cold drinks and perhaps even some of my wife's rather delicious homemade cup cakes (of which I am a devotee) or some of her excellent scones.

Customers can book any of the days I am announcing now at various locations around the country or if you and a friend wish to arrange a day just for you in a location of your choice I am happy to do that.
As always, all of my workshops are announced in advance to those on my mailing list first and as only two can sign up for any one workshop you may wish to email me to ask to be added to the list to get the first chance to book.
If you have any locations you would like me to consider holding one of these workshops in, please drop me an email and I will see what I can do.
Here is a list of the first dates I am offering;
30th September – Peak District – £149 per person - SOLD OUT
11th November – Dungeness/Hastings area - £149 per person– ONE PLACE REMAINS
26th November - Spurn Point - £149 per person
2nd December - North Yorkshire Coast - £149 per person
More dates and locations to be announced soon. Email me via my website to book at www.dougchinnery.com

How do I get a starburst effect at sunrise or sunset?

2011-08-07T12:14:00.000+01:00

I posted this image a couple of days ago on Flickr and was asked how I got the starburst effect on the sun so I thought I would post the answer for others who might like to try it.

The solution is very simple but timing is everything. First make sure your lens and any filters you are using are very clean and as scratch free as possible. Any smudges or dirt on the lens/filters along with scratches make the chance of getting unsightly flare effects much higher.

The next step is to be in place and have your shot composed in plenty of time. It is easy to get to a location before sunset and be moving around making images while losing track of how close the sun is getting to the horizon. I try to find the very best composition I can in good time, get everything set and then wait for the sun to dip to the horizon. I keep making exposures and checking the histogram every minute or two to make sure my exposure is spot on as the light levels are changing very quickly by this point. This is so much better than panicking to find a good composition when the light is at its very best - which only lasts for a minute or so at most.

To get the starburst effect, make sure you have stopped your lens right down - on most lenses this will mean going to f16 or f22. Normally I don’t recommend working at f16/22 as our lenses are starting to lose sharpness away from the f8 to f11 range - but with good modern lenses we are talking minor differences, and to get the starburst a narrow aperture is the key. Now wait until the sun is just touching the horizon line - either as it rises or sets, and as it touches start to shoot and check the histogram. For those few seconds as the sun transits the horizon you will the starburst you are after. the amount of burst spikes you get will depend on your lens and how many blades it has to the shutter, but the effect just adds a bit of something extra to the image - it gives it a more dynamic look.

Stopping the shutter down to a narrow aperture can also give starburst effects on other light sources such as the lights in this image of the Humber Bridge at twilight - have a play and see how it works for you.

This image was made on a recent workshop of mine in the Peak District, from Stanage Edge looking towards Hope Valley and Mam Tor. We had a great day with perfect weather. I took a Holga 120 along with me and shot a roll of Ilford SFX ‘infrared’ film as an experiment. This film is not truly infrared but by using s red filter you get a great look to images, especially on blue skies and green foliage. I didn’t have a light meter with me or a tripod (you need long exposures with this film/filter combo so a tripod is really required) so I just supported it on a rock. I am expecting some good images that are slightly blurred:) I bracketed my exposures so if any work out well I will post them.

I have been asked if any of my images submitted to Landscape Photographer of the Year 2011 have been shortlisted and the answer is ‘yes’. Last year just one image was shortlisted and I was delighted (and surprised) to get one of the ‘Judges Choice’ awards from John Langley, the Director of the National Theatre.

This year I have had two images shortlisted. There is still a long way to go and it is very probable that they will both fail to get any further. My hope is one will make it in to the book and I will be delighted with that. Neither are any where near the calibre to win the competition. So what are the two images through? Here they are;

Ironic that another of my ‘Scintilla’ series of lone cloud images (inspired by the ‘Harbinger’ series of the sensational mono photographer Cole Thompson) has made it through. If it gets through final judging this year I may have to go for a ha-trick next year!

The fence in the snow image was made in the heavy snows of last winter on the slopes of Mam Tor and was taken handheld with a 70-200mm f2.8 L IS lens with a 1.4x teleconverter fitted using the 5D mk2. The lone cloud image was made just a few days before the competition closing date down in Portsmouth. A day of pure blue skies and fluffy clouds. I have to confess this image was made from the car window (blushes). I had just a couple of seconds to get it as the cloud was not only moving quickly but also evaporating before my eyes. I spotted it, pulled up, window down and zoomed in with the trusty Panasonic LX5 and got the cloud directly above the tower block.

I have some new ideas for workshops on the drawing board including some ‘exclusive’ on location shoots followed by a workflow and image processing session to teach Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop and Nik Silver EfEx Pro 2 skills. Email me if you would like to be the first get news of these and my other workshops.

I have some spaces left on my next Seascapes and Long Exposures workshop which I am running with talented photographer, Paul Morton, up on the Yorkshire coast. We will be covering locations (tide dependant) from Saltwick Bay through Whitby, Sandsend, Robin Hoods Bay, Staithes, Runswick and so on. It looks like being a superb day and we are on hand to teach all the skills we use in making our land and seascapes. You will find full details on the workshops page of my website.

My Entry to this Years Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition

2011-07-14T10:50:00.000+01:00

Like all of us I agonised over this years entry to Landscape Photographer of the Year (LPOTY). Some landscapers have issues with the competition which I understand but I think the competition does nothing but good for photography in the UK and should be supported and encouraged. I think Charlie Waite has created a great showcase for some fabulous images and each year it gets better. (The closing date is tomorrow, 15th July at mid-day, so get your entries in quick).

I would love it to be based on a portfolio of images to decide the ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’ as this would select a photographer who consistently produces excellence. Last years winner, Antony Spencer, was one such photographer - an amazing and very hard working photographer who produces stunning images year round.

For those of us who make our living from photography or who aspire to, the competition is one way to raise our profile and help us secure work. I think it is safe to say most, if not all, of the previous winners have gone on to become successful photographers in their own right, partly thanks to winning the competition. Certainly, Tony speaks of how his life has been transformed over the last twelve months since his well deserved win. So our entry deserves careful consideration - it could be a life changer.

This year as I pulled my entry together it bought home to me how little time I have given over to my own work - working alone in the landscape trying to capture epic light, weather and atmosphere in wonderful locations. I have spent too much time either teaching photography or fulfilling client commissions. I must change this in the coming year. I certainly don’t have a potential winner in my submission - very far from it. I think the best I can hope for is an image in the book and I would be delighted to achieve that. In reality, I fully expect my entry to sink without a trace. (Last year only one of my images got through the first stage - it then went on to win a Judges Choice which blew me away but all the others died under the judges mice).

So this year, like last year, I have opted for more unusual images on the whole. My guess is they will see thousands of sunsets and sunrises at great locations. Maybe to catch an eye and give them a ‘refreshing change’ (remember those old Tango adverts?) we need to submit something a bit different. I have included a couple of film pinhole images and one from my Holga. I have held back from entering anything textured as I am guessing they would be disqualified as being over manipulated. I don’t think for a minute the bluebell images will do anything - they must see hundreds of stunning bluebell wood shots which will outshine mine. Some have come from the trusty LX5 compact which won me the prize last year and the rest from the 5D mk2.

Anyway, for those who are interested, here are my 15 images for this year. A bit of a hotchpotch. And, yes, I have sneaked in a couple of lone cloud shots... well, it would be rude not to.

Is Twitter Beneficial to Photographers?

2011-05-28T07:45:00.000+01:00

Twitter is certainly a phenomenon. It has appeared as if from nowhere and people seem to love it or scorn it. 140 characters per message only. Is it a gimmick that will fade as quickly as it emerged? Or has it filled a niche and become an indispensable feature of our online lives? In particular, for us as photographers, is it a useful tool? Or a waste of time? If we are running a business does it provide tangible benefits or is it a distraction that consumes time we could spend making our living more effectively elsewhere?

I was a sceptic but am now committed to Twitter. It has its drawbacks but I believe it has quickly become a vital tool in my social networking system.

For those of you who haven’t been on Twitter and wonder what it is all about, here is a brief description. You create a free account and sign in. You are presented with a text input box in which you can type anything you want - the question beside it asks ‘Whats Happening?’. So you type something, within the constraint of 140 characters (and spaces count as a character - you soon learn to be very concise). Press’Tweet’ and your message is launched.

But who is going to read it? At this stage, no one. You have no friends, no ‘followers’. I guess some brave souls tweet away and hope someone will stumble on their tweets and decide to follow them. However, the best way to get followers is to follow others. Twitter will analyse what you tweet and suggest like minded people who you may wish to follow. You can read what they tweet and decide if it is of benefit for you to follow them. From the people you follow, Twitter will suggest more people you may be interested in. You can also see who people you follow are following and some of these you may decide it is beneficial for you to follow.

What happens when you follow someone. Simply put, their tweets will appear on your home page in chronological order. The most recent will always be at the top. Your list of tweets will be a unique combination of all the tweets of everyone you follow. It is unlikely anyone else on the planet will have an identical list to you - they would have to be following exactly the same people as you.

If one of your contacts says something you feel your contacts would be interested in you can ’retweet’ it with a click of the mouse and their tweet will be sent to all of your contacts. In the same way you can reply to a tweet if you feel you have something to say in response to it.

Tweets can contain links to useful or interesting web pages or images. Or, they can be just text. Its up to you. Long URL’s you want to tweet can be shortened by websites which convert them into ‘tiny URL’s’ to save characters.

You do have to be aware that every tweet you make is visible to the World and all of your contacts will see it and be able to read it. The exception is if you send a private message to one of your contacts.

Your followers can send you private messages and you are informed of these in your email inbox. You also get an email each time a new person follows you, giving you the chance to check what they are saying on Twitter to see if you wish to follow them back. Here I add a note of caution. You will soon get bizarre people following you... who obviously have no intention of ever reading what you write because they are following thousands of people. They couldn’t possibly be interested in what you are saying. What they want is for you to follow them and read what THEY are saying. Most are online marketeers or people promoting their own businesses and products. I do not follow anyone who has an unmanageable amount of contacts. I believe Twitter should be a two way thing. The only exceptions I make are one or two ‘celebrities’ who do say interesting or funny things and will obviously have thousands of followers but what they say is of value to me in one way or another, so I make an exception. I follow about a quarter of the people who follow me. If you want me to follow you, then you have to be saying things that are interesting, useful, humorous and so on (and I don’t follow anyone who uses foul language or tells off-colour jokes).

Now we come to its benefits for us as photographers. As with many forms of Social Networking, Twitter has given us the ability to be put in direct contact with many like minded people. Ordinary photographers, many of whom have a vast knowledge of equipment, techniques and contacts. I have tweeted brief questions and within seconds got back the answer from contacts. I also try and respond to the questions of others (I get mad with people in Social Networking who are only on the take - it should be a two way thing - photographers I follow who only post stuff about what they are doing and images they are uploading and so on soon get deleted from my list of contacts. I don’t want to hear just what a great guy you are - -I want to interact with you.)

I do get business from my contacts. I may post about a space on a workshop and get a booking as a result which is a real benefit to my business, but it also means my customers can contact me for advice or just to tell me what they have been doing since we met and because of the 140 character limit it has to be brief and to the point. It is often so much quicker than email.

I have linked my Facebook account to my Twitter feed so when I upload something on Facebook a tweet with a link to it appears in Twitter. Now Twitter is becoming a dynamic part of my social networking system. If a follower clicks that link they go to my Facebook stream and now they don’t see other peoples tweets, they are focused on my stream alone and this may lead them to clicking a link to my website and now they are purely focused on my work and from here they may link to my blog and start reading stuff I have put up. Twitter, in this way, has become an essential tool in social networking.

As with all social networking it can become a time waster. If you have too many contacts you can spend hours every day following everyones tweets, checking all the Facebook friends streams, commenting on all your contacts Flickr uploads, processing emails, reading and writing blogs, recording podcasts and listening to those of others and so on. It can become all consuming and thats before you have searched for bargains on EBay! Very soon you will get no work done. YOu have to be disciplined and apportion a sensible amount of time to social networking - enough to give real benefit to your customers and friends and enough to derive benefit yourself, but not so much that your business or life suffers. It is just a matter of self control.

I quickly came to see Twitter as indispensable. I love how quick it is and how it puts you in direct contact with great photographers who soon form a part of your network. Most of the guys and girl photographers on Twitter are genuinely friendly and keen to help. It enables us to interact with people we would never have had chance to contact 15 years ago. Imagine being a budding landscape photographer in the 1960’s, 70’s or 80’s. We would have had no chance to talk to Charlie Waite, Joe Cornish or other greats. Their equivalents today are on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook and we can. We can ask them questions, get their feedback and perhaps even help them (they are human too). This has enormous and real value.

So, I don’t think Twitter is a waste of time (but it could be - thats down to you) and I do see real benefit to my business in Twitter. I also have learned a huge amount from the help of my contacts on Twitter and hopefully have been able to help others too. I recommend you check it out and make up your own mind.

Lavender Farm Workshop with Antony Spencer

2011-05-22T12:08:00.000+01:00

Anyone who has seen Antonys Lavender field at dawn images will know just what a wonderful location this is. It is for this reason we are excited to announce a new half day workshop in these fields.

We have negotiated with the landowner to pay a fee and have exclusive access to the fields at dawn. We can’t guarantee light like this but whatever the conditions lavender fields make a spectacular classic subject for landscape photographers.

The workshop will begin around 03:30 in the morning due to sunrise at this time of year and we will conclude when the light gets too harsh - around 09:00 - with breakfast. Breakfast will give us a chance to download some of the images onto the iPad and discuss composition and techniques.

The farm to which we have exclusive access is located in Somerset, near Frome.

We hope you can join us for this unique chance to capture this stunning location. To book, please contact Doug on dougchinnery@me.com . The price is £85 per person including your permit & breakfast. Date: 1st July 2011. Half of the places now gone.

2011-05-22T11:39:00.001+01:00

Midsummer Landscapes Workshop

with Antony Spencer & Doug Chinnery

Antony & I are pleased to announce a very special workshop. This full days photography will be based around Dorset and Wiltshire photographing the mid-summer classic landscapes from sunrise through the day. (Sunset is probably too late to include in the official workshop)

Antony will be scouting in advance to try and locate poppy fields like these shown here he has photographed in previous years. We may also be able to locate one of those elusive pale blue Flax fields that show the flowers for just a couple of hours each morning. We will be moving around making images of lone trees on horizons and all the other features we love as photographers in the rolling hills of Dorset.

Some things are out of our control - the light & weather, but this is usually good at this time of year. Also, poppies are notoriously prone to damage in winds and storms but we will endeavor to locate a spectacular display - if they are there we will find them for you.

We hope you can join us for this unique chance to capture this stunning area. To book, please contact Doug on dougchinnery@me.com . The price is £125 per person including breakfast. Date: Saturday 4th June 2011. ONLY 1 PLACES REMAIN AS OF 22.05.11

Tips for organising a photography exhibition

2011-05-16T22:08:00.003+01:00

Your first exhibition is an exciting but daunting prospect. You are amazed to have been invited to exhibit and excited that you might sell lots of prints. There is also the unnerving feeling that fellow photographers will be scrutinising your work (and some of them will be thinking their work is better than yours and it should be them up there, not you).
You have to put the nerves behind you and get on with organising the exhibition, there is no time to lose.

My very fist solo exhibition is on as I write this (at The Image Gallery, Patchings Art Centre, Calverton, Nottinghamshire every day until the 8th June 2011). I have learned a lot in getting it launched and thought an article here might help others.

The first step is to draw up a 'to do' list. I prioritised mine so I focused on the most important tasks first. Some things have to be ordered or take much time to set up so you need to get these things in motion.

I made a visit to the gallery to view the space and measure up in detail. This helps you see how many images you can exhibit and what will fit where. You don't want to fall into the trap of cramming too many images in - it will look cluttered and unprofessional. Viewers need space between each image to see it in isolation.

On that visit you also need to get a lot of questions answered by the gallery owners;
Who insures the work in the event of fire or theft? What about if an image falls and gets damaged, who is responsible?

How do they want the images framing and what fixings are required on the back?
Will you be hanging the images or o you deliver them with a hanging plan and they put them up?

Is there a facility to have a rack for unframed, mounted prints for sale?
Do they allow you to display leaflets or your business cards?
Do they provide any advertising on your behalf?
What commission do they charge? How long after the exhibition is it before you get paid? (usually at least a month or more).
How do they pay you? Direct bank transfer, cheque?
Do you need to be at the gallery at all? Can you hold an opening event? Do they provide food and drink for this or do you have to organise that?
Is there a fee for holding the exhibition in addition to the commission they take?
Do you have to make and provide the wall labels for the images? If so what information should they contain?

As you can see, you need to get a lot of things clear with them.

I then chose a theme for the show. You need to consider if you are going to sell just commercial images which are more likely to sell to average people wanting 'pretty' pictures for the home (landscapes, animals, flowers etc) or are you going to show more artistic work which will have a narrower appeal.

To go with your art is a noble decision and if you are of 'independent means' perhaps recouping your costs or making a profit may not be a consideration. However for most of us we do have to count the cost. Most people buy images to fit their decor and will be quite happy to ditch our images next time they decorate if our images don't fit the new colour scheme. We might feel outraged by this, but it's a fact.

In my case I chose a theme which allowed me to exhibit a range of images, mainly commercial but with a few artistic images included. (a great British compromise). Of course, whether they are selling or not I have yet to find out.

The next step is to start spending your money. The shopping list will be long. This assumes you will be framing the images yourself. Some choose to farm out the printing and framing to an outside firm. But this is very expensive and you will either have to take it as a loss or price your images much higher to cover the outlay (which will have an effect on sales).

You need to decide on your image, mount and frame sizes and get them ordered. I bought ready made frames and printed the images myself and fitted them in the frames.
In addition to ordering frames and mounts (remember to buy archive quality materials so the longevity of your prints are assured) you need to select and buy your paper. I use mainly Hahnemuehle 308 photo rag for colour images and Ilford Gallerie Gold Silk for my mono prints. You will also need to have plenty of ink in stock. I use an Epson R2880 printer and only use genuine Epson K3 inks.

Add to your shopping list tape to fix your images into the mounts and tape to seal the frames. You will need labels to price everything and business cards to slip into each mounted print and I stuck one on the rear of each framed print.

You will need cellophane bags for mounted unframed prints if you plan to sell them in that way and you will need backing boards to go behind the mount to hold everything rigid and to protect the print.

I also needed spray mount in aerosols for fixing jobs and plenty of A3 foam core board on which I could mount the image labels. These go beside each print in the exhibition with the image title, price and image number etc. I fixed mine to the wall with blutac as the galleries don't like the paint finsh on their Walls being damaged with pins or adhesives.

I also bought a big role of brass wire to hang the frames with, making sure this fitted in with the hanging system your gallery uses. You will also need plenty of sharp disposable craft knife blades for all the cutting jobs needed.

I made a spreadsheet which I could use to list all the stock I would be leaving at the gallery with prices etc. The gallery had a copy which they use to record sales.

I set up a production line in my studio. I got into a rhythm, sharpening images, sending to the printer and framing or mounting and then packing. I did a lot of the printing while doing other jobs as it is time consuming printing large at high resolutions. I developed a system of putting the final packed images in a safe place to protect them from damage while they waited to be transferred to the gallery.You also need to give ought to refreshments for the opening day. I was only allowed to put out crisps, nuts and so on due to the galleries own policies and I chose to offer only non-alcoholic drinks as my opening was in the day time when most people would be driving. Scholar, Appletize, mineral water etc were the order of the day - I bought far too much and we are still drinking it two weeks later.

On the day before opening I allowed three hours to hang the exhibition and needed every minute. I took a toolbox (you will be amazed at what tools you suddenly need) and make sure it includes a tape measure, spirit level and pliers. I also had a box with my framing and picture tapes, double sided tape, blutac, spare foam board and paper, brass wire, lens cleaning fluid and soft cloths for cleaning frame glass, my rocket blower, craft knife etc etc etc. I had a bin bag for all the rubbish, so all could be left tidy.

I bought in advance some Perspex business card and leaflet holders from EBay in which I display my photography workshops leaflets and business cards. I also set up a guest book so people could leave me feedback and their email address (very valuable for future marketing campaigns). In addition I set up a box with a slot and some cards for people to put their name and email address on and plan to draw one winner at the end of the exhibition who will win a one days workshop with me. Again a great way of building my email database of potential future customers.

Part of my preparations also included producing posters which I sent to all the local newspapers with a press release. I also sent them to some of the photography magazines who included me in their exhibition listings. I appeared on local BBC radio talking about my work and exhibition and this raised interest and I used social networking extensively to publicise the exhibition. This included Twitter, Facebook, Flickr as well as my own website an email list. It is vital you let people know by as many means as possible that your exhibition is on, don't leave it to chance or feel embarrassed to be publicising yourself, it is essential for the success of your show that you do it thoroughly and in good time.

I made myself available to meet and chat to people for a full day and loads came which I really appreciated. It was great to meet old friends and to put faces to names from the Internet. it was a tiring day but a very satisfying one.

How do you measure if your exhibition has been a success? Do you measure it by how much money you make (or, more likely, loose?). Or by the interest in your work it generates? Or is just having an exhibition which people visit success enough? You will have your own measure, as I have mine. The most important thing is to go into the preparations whole-souled, give it your best, have a thick skin and enjoy the whole process. It will take more work than you think but the rewards can be great. I would love to hear your advice, suggestions and experiences from holding your own exhibitions to add to what I have jotted down here. I hope my comments help you make your exhibition a roaring success.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Developments in Film - Lo-Fi Photography

2011-04-29T08:11:00.000+01:00

Before I get on to the main purpose of this post there is a couple of things to mention.

The first is a reminder that my exhibition, my first solo exhibition, opens next Saturday 7th May at 10.30 at The Image Gallery which is part of the Patchings Art Centre, near Calverton, Nottinghamshire NG14 6NU and runs for five weeks. The exhibition is free to enter and the centre is open every day from 09:30 to 16:30.

I will be there all day on the 7th if you would like to come in for a chat and some light refreshments. It would be great to see you. The exhibition has the theme ‘Time Passing’ and will feature a wide range of styles in my work. I am currently spending every second I can framing prints and making up mounted prints for the exhibition. You will also be able to see exhibitions by fine photographers Pete Bridgwood and Chris Upton who have opened the gallery specifically to show their own photography and to feature the work of other photographers.

I will also be featuring on BBC Radio Nottingham on Thursday afternoon, 5th May around 14;30 - 16:00 discussing photography and answering listeners questions.

Another bit of news I am really proud to let you know about is that two of my images have been selected by Joe Cornish and his team and now are available as part of his greetings card range. He selected one of my bluebell wood images and a stitched panorama I made some years ago of Eilean Donan Castle. I went in to his gallery in Northallerton this week to see the final cards and to collect a batch of each which will be available through my website. I must admit to be being honoured to have my images used by one of my inspirations in landscape photography, something I never thought would happen.

My next seascapes and long exposure workshop is on the 6th June and there are still places available if you would like to join us up on the Yorkshire coast.

Now on to the main purpose of this post, to update you on how things are developing in my foray into the world of film photography.

I have received my converted Soviet 35mm Zenit camera which seems to have been modelled on a cross between a Russian tank and a house brick. It is a robust camera to say the least. It took me over an hour to work out how to load the film due to a cunning design feature of the manufacturers (who mostly seem to employ welders rather than technicians).

I have found on EBay that you can buy old expired film at very low prices which is ideal to experiment with, especially as I am after a ‘quirky’ look from the images from this camera rather than high quality landscapes. I run a roll of old colour film through but had so much difficulty fitting it I have decided not to have it developed as most of the frames will have been exposed as I tangled with the internal mechanisms cursing the socialist idealists behind the fiendish device.

I have almost fired off a roll of ISO50 Ilford black and white film and am keen to get it developed. As the Zenit has no lens, just a body cap which has been modified to include a pinhole, calculating exposures is tricky. The guy who sells the cameras recommends keeping a notebook and jotting down the conditions each shot was taken in and the exposure time used. Then over time you get a feel for what works and what doesn’t.

He provides you with a guide based on ISO 100 film which explains you need these exposure times

Bright full sun - 10 to 30 seconds

Hazy sun - 30 seconds minimum

Weak/hazy sun - 45 seconds minimum

Cloudy bright - 1 minute minimum

Heavy overcast/shaded - 5 minutes minimum

Early morning/late evening - 5 minutes minimum

Any indoor shots - 15 minutes minimum to many hours depending on light levels

As you can see this is long exposure photography whatever the situation! Add to this I have put a roll of ISO50 film in the camera means I have to double all of the above exposure times. I can see why pinhole photography aficionados use ISO400 and faster film.

Most of my images were made at Spurn Point and so I was holding the shutter open in Bulb mode for around 2 to 3 minutes and I think it may still be under-exposing but I will need to wait for the film to be developed to know for sure. It goes without saying I have bought some fast film now!

I have committed myself to go further with film. I have ordered a wooden pinhole camera from Noon in Poland and await delivery. I have also ordered (for £8.99) a plastic lomo medium format camera that comes flat packed for you to assemble based on the design of the Russian Lubitel cameras. My Ebay bidding has gone further along with my support for Soviet manufacturing as I won an auction for a 6 x 6 Kiev medium format camera - modelled on a Hassleblad but without the quality, known affectionately as a Hasslebladski. I look forward to making images on 120 film in square format. I continue to hunt for an ancient Hassleblad I can justify buying in my quest to get Kenna-like images.

My final purchase, so far, is a plastic 1960’s toy camera similar to a Diana. Again bought to experiment with quirky low-fi photography.

I am still using the converted body cap for my 5D with the pinhole fitted but I am finding the fact that at f138 the amount of dust it reveals on the sensor makes the images almost unusable. A picture would have to be outstanding to spend the time required to clean the image. I am going to try and wet clean my sensor to see if this helps, as I have never used more than a rocket blower on the 5D mk2 because the sensor cleaning system works well enough for me as I rarely shoot at apertures smaller than f16 and often work much wider than this.

I yesterday took delivery of another body cap for the 5D, this time converted to take a Holga lens. This lens works at about f8, has a plastic element and ‘zone focusing’ (which is not a sophisticated as it sounds). The images are heavily vignetted especially on the 3:2 sensor as they are designed to be used on square format 6 x 6 cm 120 film so the images really need to be cropped square. They are easily found on EBay and can be bought for just over £20. They take some getting used to but I can see they will produce interesting effects if you like lo-fi quirky photography.

Once I get my first film back I will write and show some of the results. If you like this creative style of photography, either digital or film based, such as ICM, blur, Lomo, Holga, Diana, Pinhole and so on, I am running two workshops this summer to help you develop your skills - one in the NOrth at Scarborough (Fish & Chip lunch included) and in the south down at Dungeness (lunch included here too). You will find full details on the workshops page of the website.

Adventures in Film Photography

2011-04-17T12:06:00.000+01:00

I am still experimenting with lensless images. The effect you get with a pinhole adaptor on a DSLR gives a specific effect. This is different in feel to pinhole images made on film and won't be to many peoples taste, but I like it.

The downside is dust. If you think you have a clean sensor, try shooting at f138 with a pinhole 'lens'. The dust is staggering and takes an age to remove.

The images has a softness and a feel of having been taken a hundred years ago. You have no ability to focus, you can only control your ISO and shutter speed. It is rare, unless you go to high ISO's to get a shutter speed of less than 1 second and this image was a 2 second shot so if you want any degree of 'sharpness' you do need to use a tripod. For more creative 'blur' or 'ICM' type images you can handhold in bright light with no ND filters and still get plenty of movement in the image.

I have been amazed by Steve Goslings images made with lensless cameras and have made the decision to invest in a pinhole film camera to experiment myself.

As a dedicated digital user, it feels weird to be considering film. Worrying too, due to the costs. Having been so used to getting instant feedback from the histogram on a digital camera, to now face having to use a handheld lightmeter properly, bracket shots and then send the film off for processing and scanning, I am daunted to say the least.

But now I have made the decision, it has prompted me to consider taking this further. I guess this is a case of making a commitment. Now I have mentally crossed the line and decided to make the leap into film, I have decided to also try a medium format camera.

Like many others, Michael Kenna is one of my favorite photographers. He works much of the time on 6 x 6cm film. I love square format images and so have decided to try and get hold of an ancient Hassleblad film camera and one lens, if the price is right, to learn how to use it.

Of course, I will still be working digitally and adding this film work to my portfolio. I am in complete ignorance when it comes to working in film. My experience only goes as far as having used various film cameras up to my teens which just involved a lot of guess work with settings followed by posting a roll off to Bonusprint and being disappointed on the films return! I am going to have to get studying and practising.

So, if I can get hold of the cameras I need I will blog away on my exploits, failures, triumphs and lessons learned over the coming months.

You never know, it may even lead me to stepping up to large format photography at some point.

Just a couple of other things to mention. I am appearing on BBC Radio Nottingham again at about 15:30 on Thursday 5th May. I have been invited in to talk about photography and to answer listeners questions.

Then on Saturday 7th May my first solo exhibition entitled 'Time Passing' begins at the brand new Gallery, 'The Image Gallery' which is based at the Patchings Art Centre near Calverton in Nottinghamshire. I will be there from 10am on the opening day and would love to see you for a chat if you can make it. The exhibition runs for five weeks and the gallery is open from 09:30 to 16:30 every day. The Patchings Art Centre has other galleries and a lovely coffee shop and courtyard too so a visit is very enjoyable.

I have a couple of free places on my Spurn Point/Humber Bridge seascapes and long exposures workshop on 26th April. There is also a free place due to a cancellation on the Bluebell Wood workshop I am running with Antony Spencer on the 2nd May. Full details of both of these workshops and all of the other workshops on my schedule are on the workshops page of my website at www.dougchinnery.com

Announcing my first solo exhibition

2011-04-10T13:44:00.002+01:00

I am happy to announce my first solo exhibition, about which I am very excited (and quite nervous!). I would like you to join me on the opening day for some refreshments and a chance to have a first look at my exhibition.

Although I have had images exhibited before in combined exhibitions, this is my first solo exhibition of my work.

I am very humbled to have been asked to be the first exhibitor at a brand new gallery in the UK which is dedicated to the work of photographers. (so new it doesn't have a website yet)

It is a project which is the brainchild of acclaimed landscape photographers Pete Bridgwood (who also organises the annual 'Masters of Vision' exhibition which has grown to be a milestone in the annual photographic exhibition calendar and has shown the work of master photographers such as Charlie Waite, Dav Thomas, Jon Horrocks and others) and Chris Upton, himself a very fine travel and landscape photographer.

Both have won awards for their images and Pete writes a monthly column for Outdoor Photography magazine. They have joined forces to promote their own images (they will exhibit their own work all year round in one area of the gallery) but they also have a goal of promoting the work of other landscape and 'fine art' photographers. To do this they have opened up an area of the gallery for invited photographers to show their work. So every month or so there will be wonderful new images to go and enjoy.

The exhibition will run for five weeks from the 7th May to the 12th June at the gallery which is to be called 'The Image Gallery' and it is housed at the Patchings Art Centre, near the village of Calverton, Nottinghamshire. The centre has several galleries (and a very nice coffee shop and courtyard eating area so a visit will allow a look at many artists work.)

If you can join me on the 7th May, I will be there from 10am until about 4pm. Please come and have a look at my work and enjoy something to eat and drink. if you can't make it on the 7th, I hope you can find time to visit at any time between the 7th May and 12th June - the gallery is open every day from 09:30 to 16:30 and admission is free.

PS. I have one place on my bluebell workshop with Antony Spencer (winner of Landscape Photographer of the Year) on the 2nd May due to a cancellation - if you would like to join us full details are on the workshops page of my website - www.dougchinnery.com

I also have a couple of places left on my landscapes workshop in Derbyshire next Saturday, 16th April - again full details on my website - I hope you can join me.

Brand New Workshop Schedule - Spring/Summer 2011

2011-03-25T18:35:00.000Z

I have just released a brand new schedule of workshops for the spring and summer.

I am pleased and excited to be able to include several new and creative workshops that not only go to new locations but also cover new techniques and also I am collaborating on a couple of the workshops with outstanding photographers Noel Clegg and Paul Morton.

Here is the basic schedule but for full details of what each includes please go to the workshops page on my website at www.dougchinnery.com and you will find all the information you need there.

Bookings have already started coming in and most of my workshops get fully booked so please don't delay to avoid disappointment.

I hope you can join us for some great photography!

11.04.11 - Seascapes, North Yorkshire - FULLY BOOKED

16.04.11 - Landscapes & Composition - Peak District - 6 places @ £75 per person (includes breakfast)

26.04.11 - Seascapes & Long Exposures - Spurn Point & The Humber Bridge - 6 places @ £75 per person (includes breakfast)

02.05.11 - Bluebell Extravaganza with Antony Spencer - FULLY BOOKED

14 & 15.05.11 - Landscapes & Seascapes in North Yorkshire with Paul Morton - 12 places @ £135 per person (includes evening meal & breakfast)

20 to 22.05.11 - Photography Weekend Workshop in conjunction with the Norton Lodge Hotel - please book through the hotel direct.

06.06.11 - Seascapes & Long Exposures, North Yorkshire - 6 places @ £75 per person (includes breakfast)

27.06.11 - Experimental & Artistic Photography (including Tilt & Shift) - Scarborough - 6 places @ £85 per person (includes lunch)

02.07.11 - Fine Art Architectural & Long Exposure Workshop - London, with Noel Clegg - 12 places @ £135 per person (includes lunch and either tube travel pass or Thames water taxi pass)

16.07.11 - Introduction to Digital Photography for beginners or improvers - Afternoon workshop in Clumber Park, Notts. 4 places @ £35 per person

05.08.11 - Evening in the Peak - Landscapes - 8 places @ £65 per person

17.09.11 - Experimental & Artistic Photography (including Tilt & Shift) - Dungeness - 7 Places @ £85 per person including lunch

30.09 - 02.10.11 -Photography Weekend Workshop in conjunction with the Norton Lodge Hotel - please book through the hotel direct

New Workshop with Paul Morton

2011-03-25T09:50:00.000Z

Photography workshop with Paul Morton
Evening Bluebells and Landscapes at Roseberry Topping
followed by Sunrise and Seascapes at Saltwick Bay

I am pleased to announce a new workshop in which I am collaborating with very talented photographer and graphic designer, Paul Morton.

As you can see from the images above, Paul is a superb photographer and he has the local knowledge to guide us in this new location for my workshops schedule.

The workshop, unusually, will start with an early evening meal for everyone to get to know each other - this is due to sunset times. Our goal is to be fuelled up to then spend the late afternoon and evening until just after sunset depending on the light and weather making images of the wonderful (and famously photographed for years by Joe Cornish who lives close by) Roseberry Topping.

At this time of year the bluebells should be carpeting the hillsides (unusually this is a location where they grow out in the open) and they will make for stunning foreground interest with the Topping behind. Paul and I will be on hand to help you develop all the skills you need to make stunning images.

It means a late night to bed (attendees are invited to book their own accommodation to suit their own needs and budget) and an early rise on Saturday as the second part of the workshop takes us up to a wonderful sunrise location, Saltburn on the north Yorkshire Coast.

After breakfast (included, as is the evening meal the night before) we will explore other locations around this under photographed stretch of coast until late morning (due to sunrise times we will have worked for over eight hours by then).

This promises to be a great workshop for all wishing to take their images to a new level and to be guided around some wonderful locations. Ideal for DSLR users of all abilities. I hope you can join us.

Limited to 12 places at £135 per person including evening meal and breakfast but not including accommodation overnight.

Can you advise me on....?

2011-03-24T17:16:00.002Z

One of the questions I get asked most on emails goes along the lines of, ‘I am just getting in to photography and want to buy my first DSLR, can you advise me what body and lenses to buy?’

Most then go on to tell me they have a budget of £200 and would like a full range of pro-lenses, a carbon fibre tripod and a full frame body. The reply is bad news for those guys :)

Some add they want a body and lens to cover sports, wildlife, landscapes, low light, portraits, architectural interiors and close ups of flowers/insects. Often the budget still seems to be £200. Boy, is the news bad for these guys!

Most are baffled by the range of bodies, sensor sizes, the Nikon/Canon debate and so on. I really sympathise with anyone just embarking on paying out for a new kit with so much choice available. Add to this the dangers of buying on EBay and some ‘retailers’ sites and the complications increase.

So this post is going to be designed to help. I am writing it in March 2011, so if you have come to this page in November 2018 what follows will not apply (in fact some of it will be out of date by June 2011 as gear changes so fast these days).

To help I am going to narrow the discussion down to two imaginary buyers which hopefully will cover most of the needs of the average person ‘getting in to photography’. The first is a buyer who has perhaps used a digital compact camera and become aware of its limitations but is unnerved by the complexities of DSLRs. They probably have a budget in mind of about £400 but in reality when they discover what stuff costs may realise they can go to around £650. (Funny how people can always find a ‘bit more’ money)

The second buyer is perhaps a person who used film cameras years ago, lost interest in photography due to the pressures of work and a family life in their 20’s and 30’s and is now finding they want to get ‘back in the game’. They have more understanding of cameras having used film SLR’s, have a more realistic view of what to spend and have the fortunate position of some disposable income. They have a budget of £1500 which they think will be enough, but when they see the reality of the market manage to ‘find’ (perhaps with the help of a ‘flexible friend’) another £1000, giving them a real budget of £2500.

So if buyer one was a friend of mine, what would I recommend? Well, first, I need to break the news to them that although £400 is a lot of money they will struggle to buy a DSLR body for that, let alone a lens. They might be able to do a canny deal on EBay for say a Canon 30D with a lens and a few extras but for a newbie buying gear on EBay is escalating the risks of making a big mistake.

I also need to break it to them that £650 will get them a nice body and one good lens at best. They are still going to have to buy memory cards, a tripod, a bag and all the other stuff you don’t realise you need until you go out for the first time on a shoot, but we might be able to help them get what they need.

I am going to provide links to the items on Warehouse Express. This is because it is easy, I know they are reliable and deliver next day by Special Delivery if the item is in stock and the prices are pretty good. You can buy cheaper though, by shopping around and the prices I quote in the article can change daily. If you buy from less well known suppliers watch out for ‘drop-shippers’ who have very slick sites that are UK based but when you place the order they simply accept it on behalf of a company in Hong Kong usually. Delivery can then take weeks and you often end up with a customs bill to pay the delivery driver before the item is released to you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. As always, buyer beware.

For this buyer I would recommend the cropped sensor Canon 500D with the 18-55mm MkII IS lens. Currently you can buy it from Warehouse Express in the UK for £539.95 including VAT and free delivery. http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-eos-500d-digital-slr-plus-18-55mm-lens/p1031146

This camera has recently been superseded by the 600D which they can’t afford, but only months ago they couldn’t afford the 500D but as it is being phased out it has dropped in price to make it attainable. It is a capable DSLR ideal for someone new to this type of camera with interchangeable lenses.

The 18-55mm lens is much improved in this mark 2 version, especially as it now has image stabilisation. However, don’t be fooled. Expect to want to upgrade this lens soon. It has its limitations. In low light it slows down. It is not as sharp as you will want once you get used to DSLR’s, but for now you will love it.

The next lens you will buy will be a zoom as the 55mm of the it lens only gives you a view similar to what an eye sees, so forget wildlife images or zooming in on objects far away. The most popular low end zooms are the 70-300mm type. They are low cost and powerful (especially as the cropped sensor of the 500D gives the effect of bringing things closer to you than a full frame sensor camera.) However I would recommend a zoom in the 70-200mm range with image stabilisation. They could go for the 55-250mm IS lens http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-ef-s-55-250mm-f4-5-6-is-lens/p1021795 which is currently £204.94 at the time of writing. It is a good starter lens with image stabilisation in this range. If they could be patient and save up though it is worth waiting and getting the 70-200mm f4 L lens. no image stabilisation but a lovely lens (just learn to hold it well and you can live without IS - it will teach them good technique). Currently priced at £487.99 http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-ef-70-200mm-f4-l-usm-lens/p12848 (you see how lenses soon end up costing far more than bodies? But at least lenses can be moved from body to body as you upgrade - however just note that Canon EF-S lenses CANNOT be used on full frame bodies, so if you make that jump later you will need to replace your EF-S lenses).

Anyway, back to their initial purchase. You now have £110.05 left from your bigger budget. You need memory cards and a bag to protect your kit at the very least. You also need a tripod for landscapes in low light or other low light photography. It is going to be almost impossible to do this with £110. On memory cards the price fluctuates daily. I buy 8GB Sandisk Extreme III cards and watch Amazon sellers - when the price drops low, I stock up. You can get them today for about £7 on Amazon. I would buy two. After delivery you are left with about £90.

Next is a bag. The makes most favour are Lowepro and Tamrac. Lowepro are a bit more expensive and a bit more refined. I use Tamrac and love them. I would go for the Tamrac Expedition 5 rucksack. It will have ample room to begin with and will cope with future lens purchases along with other stuff you will take out with you (including a tripod). You can buy one new on EBay for around £80, but to be honest I would look for a good second hand one on EBay and you could get it with delivery for £30 which is a bargain.

You have about £60 left. PLEASE do not be tempted to go to Jessops and buy a tripod for £50. It will be the biggest mistake you make. They are rubbish. End of. (as the hip youngsters these days put it). Wait. I recommend you wait until you have about £400. Then buy a Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod with a geared head. You will never regret it. However I know what you will do. You will buy the £50 one. Go on admit it. Then you will sell it on EBay after your first frustrating outing with it and lose most of your £50 and lumber some other poor soul with it. £50 tripods should be made illegal. Did I mention I hate cheap tripods?

Then a nice man at Jessops or Jacobs will sell you a fancy looking black (its black so it must be cool and good, right? Wrong) aluminium tripod with a tiny ball head or one with a pistol grip. It is better, way better than the £50 one, but you are still wasting your money and opening yourself up to hours of frustration getting blurred, wonky images or missing the shot altogether. They cost around £100 for a reason. The reason is they are not good enough.

A good tripod is something that is worth every penny. On almost every workshop I lead I see people with low end tripods open their eyes wide when they see my Carbon Fibre Tripod and the loveliest most gloriously engineered thing that is the Manfrotto 410 gear head. The gasp at how easy it is to use and it dawns on them why pro’s use these things and always seem to get the shot while they wrestle and get frustrated with their model as the light slowly fades. I don’t understand why people baulk at buying a good tripod and head. It will last for many years, work with any camera you buy and will make photography a joy. I love mine and you will too. Scrimp and save every penny and be prepared to spend £400 or even £500 on a really good tripod and geared head (some will say go for a really good ball head - I don’t like them and was glad to be rid of mine, but some swear by them so that is up to you - I say geared heads are the future, they are so easy to use, in short they are perfect).

Okay, so our buyer number one is on the right track. What about buyer number two who we have convinced to increase his budget to £2500. First spend £500 on the right tripod and get that Tamrac Expedition 5 - lets agree combined they cost £500. (Come on, I need easy maths!)

£2k left. Not a lot. I would urge them to go for the Canon 5D MK2 body. Full frame. gazillions of high quality megapixels. Tough. It has demolished sales of Canons flagship 1ds Mk3 because it is so good. A camera which will last you years and give huge high quality prints you will adore. With some careful shopping around you can get them for £1500.

Thats the big problem. Only £500 left for a lens - yes, just one lens. lets be honest, by the next pay day you will be buying another lens but for now what should be the one lens you buy if you ‘only’ have £500?

As you have bought the 5d Mk2, don’t put lower end lenses on it. Just like you don’t put remoulded tyres on a Ferrari. Big mistake if you fall into that trap. You need to look at the L range of professional lenses, you won’t regret it. Or go for the better primes. But first you really need a zoom to give you flexibility in one lens.

This is where I would (with great care - taking all the usual EBay precautions) be prepared to buy second hand on EBay. The lens I would recommend is the 24-105mm f4 IS L. It is over £800 new at Warehouse Express but you can get it for £500 on EBay because it is a lens that many photographers upgrade (usually to get the 24-70mm f2.8 L).

It is not perfect, it only stops down to f4, but it has IS, is wide enough for nice landscapes and has the reach of 105mm. It is a great walkabout lens. Good for portraits and a bit of everything. It is a stopgap lens which you will probably upgrade but it is ideal for now.

So there you have it. My current advice to buyers of DSLR’s. yes, I haven’t mentioned Nikons or any of the other brands out there. I know a good four thirds system is great (I would like one myself) but I have had to limit my boundaries in this article to reduce confusion. If they go for Nikon, they won’t be disappointed. Both Canon and Nikon make superb camera so I don’t fall in to the Nikon/Canon debate, life is too short. I have always loved Canons and used them, never Nikons, so I can only advise on those.

The thing I have withheld from our buyers is that this is not the end. They are going to need to cough up a lot more cash, and soon. But I don’t want to stop them dipping their toes in our wonderful craft of making images.

Let’s be honest, they are soon going to realise they need a set of good ND filters if they are keen on landscapes. The only option here is Lee and that system is going to set them back £400 to £500 to get properly set up. (don’t even get me started on the horrible things Cokin call filters - they should be illegal too).

They will need a hot shoe spirit level. A remote shutter release. They need a sensor cleaning system. They will need several more lenses. They will have to buy a much better computer (a Mac if they have any sense) and a bunch of hard drives, maybe a Drobo. They will need Photoshop, Lightroom and a whole raft of plugins. They will need a screen calibration system and a high end printer (lets face it an Epson R3880 is the one to buy) and the ink for it, as well as high end fine art papers. Then there is frames for all the prints they will be making and one of those photographers GIllettes. They will need warm weather gear, a head torch, lots of pouches for bits and pieces. We haven’t even considered if they want to get serious about portraits and if so, they will need studio lights, backdrop stands, reflectors. They will need to pay for a website. Oh, and a Wacom tablet for image editing with precision. Then, if they love landscapes they will start dreaming about a camper van for those sunrises and sunsets, plus money invested in workshops and books and travel costs......

If we tell them all that, they are never going to buy a camera. That’s why I drip feed them a bit at a time. Otherwise they will never get to enjoy what we enjoy despite the fact it makes us poorer financially. It makes us richer in reality.

And finally... remember it is not about kit. Kit is fine. The pros all buy the best and then write articles saying it is not about the kit, but its true. It is your eyes and they way you see the world that matter most. If all you can afford is some second hand beat up bit of kit, don’t fret. Works with it and work on composition and your understanding and observation of light. Give any really good photographer a cheap budget beat up camera for a day and they will still come back with images to make your eyes bleed - because it is not about the kit, it is about YOU.

New Residential Workshop Announced

2011-02-21T13:10:00.002Z

For this workshop I am pleased to be teaming up with the Norton Lodge Hotel at the village of Norton Disney near Lincoln - you will find their website and read about the comforts the hotel offers here - www.nortonlodge.co.uk

The weekend will begin on Friday in the late afternoon with a 'meet and greet' session before we head off out to photograph the evening light before returning to the hotel for our evening meal (and a good natter about all things photographic). Then after the meal I will be holding a tutorial session in one of the hotels conference rooms looking at my workflow, tips, tricks and techniques in Photoshop and Lightroom.

On Saturday for those wishing to rise early (optional, as is everything on the weekend) I will be leading us out to capture the sunrise and early light before breakfast. Then we will be heading in to the beautiful and historic city of Lincoln for a Photowalk, exploring the architecture and atmosphere, along with some street photography. Sunset will also be on the menu (weather permitting as always).

After another good meal to re-charge our batteries I will be holding another session in the conference room looking at composition - showing a range of my own images and if you wish to bring some of your images we will be showing those too and discussing their qualities and looking for ways we can improve our eye on location.

Sunday provides another opportunity for a sunrise shoot and after breakfast we will develop our skills further out in the field. Over the weekend if we do have any poorer weather I will be holding a macro photography session indoors and more in depth tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom including colour management and printing. On Sunday in the late afternoon we will say our goodbyes and head home full of inspiration and keen to put into practise all we have learned.

This is to be a workshop for photographers of all abilities and all camera types - I will be helping you get the best from your particular camera and to move your photography to a whole new level. I am there throughout the weekend to give everyone individual attention and help - my brains are there to be picked!

For this workshop bookings will be handled by the hotel directly. Please contact them for information on pricing and availability or to be sent a brochure. The dates are Friday 20th May to Sunday 22nd May. Telephone the hotel on 01522 789111 or email them on norton.lodge@virgin.net

I am going to be spending some time in the area scouting out the best locations for us to work and look forward to meeting some of you there for some extended time enjoying our photography. I hope you can join us.

New Workshop Announced - Bluebell Wood Extravaganza

2011-02-15T09:41:00.000Z

Bluebell woodlands are an iconic location for photographers in England but can be difficult to photograph effectively. The flowers last just two or three weeks each year and many woodlands do not have wide or dense spreads of bluebells. Many woodlands have ‘untidy’ forest floors.

Antony & I will be leading a special one day workshop to the two finest bluebell beech woods in the UK. Both are simply magnificent for a number of reasons. The vast spread and density of the bluebells take the breath away. Both are ‘tidy’ woodlands so the bluebells can be photographed without distractions and both are beautiful Beech tree woodlands where the trunks of the trees are straight and will be showing new fresh lime green foliage when the bluebells are at their best. The image above was taken in one of the woods we will be visiting.

We have picked what is usually the peak week for photographing the flowers and by visiting both of the woodlands in one day we aim to give you the ultimate bluebell experience and you will go home with some stunning images.

We will be teaching the best techniques whatever type of camera you have to capture the subtle beauty of the display and discussing processing techniques when you get home to make the best of the photographs you have made.

The day will begin at sunrise at a woodland near Basingstoke in Hampshire and we will spend an extended session here before retiring for lunch when the light is unsuitable. Lunch is included in the price. Then we will make our way to the second woodland which we will be photographing through to sunset to get the finest light - this wood is near Marlborough in Wiltshire so there will be a drive in the middle of the day. (We may, if time allows, include a stop or two for making images of other subjects on the way).

During the day Antony and I will be available to all to freely share all our tips, tricks and techniques to help you improve the quality of your photography and take it to a whole new level. We aim to make the day fun, lively and easy going. We hope you can join us

(Both of the images on this post were taken in the woodlands we will be taking you to.)

The cost is £125 per person including lunch. The maximum group size will be 12 and half of the places are now booked. Date - Monday 2nd May (Bank Holiday Monday).

We hope to be announcing more workshops soon.

Adrian Dench is fundraising for Marie Curie Cancer Care

2011-01-17T16:01:00.000Z

Adrian Dench is fundraising for Marie Curie Cancer Care

I, along with John Birch, did a free photo shoot with these guys last week to provide them with some publicity photos for their ride.

Adrians dad died suddenly last year of cancer and Marie Curie really helped him in his final days. So Adrian and his friend Andy decided to do a sponsored bike ride from Lands End to John O'Groats in four days to raise money for the charity

It would be great if you could make a small donation via their Just Giving page to help them reach their goal - it is a worthy cause and it is going to be a very tough ride for them

Any help you can give no matter how large or small, will be very much appreciated and if you are a UK tax payer there is a Gift Aid button so if you select it the Government will give 25% of what you give in addition at no cost to you from your tax - best way I can think of softening the blow of tax bills!

Thank you in advance for any help you can give them - please use the link at the head of this post

Doug

What are we leaving behind?

2011-01-13T20:07:00.001Z

I have been thinking recently about legacies. What will we leave behind? And I don't mean money. I am thinking about images.

It used to be the case, in the days of film, that families had a few battered albums to leave to the children if they were well organised. The less organised left an old biscuit tin of prints in the attic to be discovered. I have a feeling that is what will be left for me!

If the images in the albums or tins are not carefully dated and labelled (and how many were?) it is not long before the people in the images became forgotten, the occasions depicted drifted beyond memory and the pictures became meaningless.

In our family we have piles of prints depicting people that none of us who remain know, in places none of us can recall. They are still good to look at but, sadly, they have lost much of their meaning.

This got me thinking about our images. Most of us shoot digitally and as a consequence of this, we are making many hundreds of times the number of images our parents did. Indeed, in addition to those we make with our DSLR's we may also accumulate shots made with a compact and those taken with mobile phones. At present, I seem to keep around 2000 images, personal images and anything between 4000 and 10000 customer images, per year. If this were to remain constant until I am 65 I will have a library of over a quarter of a million images to my name. Many of us who are less ruthless in their editing will have far more.

I have given a lot of thought to backing them up to protect the collection for myself and my customers. I have a multi-layered back up strategy. Which is as it should be. But what happens when I die?

Who should I leave my images to? What happens to those images I have with stock companies, who should get the ongoing commission fees? The same can be asked of those images I have licensed to print, card and calendar manufacturers.

Thought also needs to be given to what faces the individual who inherits my library. Will they care about it? Will they preserve it? Will they understand it's value? Will they know how to access the images? Will they know what the images are? ( will they be able to interrogate the metadata and mine from it the relevant information).

If I have retired some years before I die (I know its all a bit morbid, but it needs thinking about and planning for) will the computers and software my beneficiary will inherit along with the images still work? Will they be capable of opening the digital files? Will the beneficiary understand the need for keeping the back ups safe? Will they know how to operate the software to open and view the images?

Our image libraries will have a financial value in ongoing print and usage rights fees. They will likely have some sort of historical value (which will vary according to our subject matter and location) and hopefully, to our families they will have some sentimental value.

If we want our collection to be seen in future we need to prepare for it. We need to make sure the file formats of our images can be accessed. Adding metadata to files takes on more importance than ever.

If our collection is of particular note, if we are Charlie Waite or David Ward, then even more thought needs to be given to what happens to it when die. I guess they have to think along the lines of bequeathing their collections to galleries, charities, libraries or museums? Much in the way that Ansel Adams collection has been developed as The Ansel Adams Publishing Trust and an archive is held by the University of Arizona.

We might be no Ansel Adams, and most of the value of our photos will be for our families, but it is still important to make sure someone knows what to do with them before we shoot our final frame.

We need to think carefully about who to leave the images to. We need to write a document which is a "how to" on opening the files, backing them up and also details of who we have licensed our images to so royalties can continue to flow to our beneficiaries. Failure to do so, perhaps due to putting the job off because we think we are invincible, as happens so often with wills and the like, might mean our precious images end up forgotten and valued by no one. What a shame that would be.

I would be very interested in your plans for you library - have you given it thought? Do you have any suggestions on what should be done with our images?

Anyway, on a lighter note, my workshops with winner of the landscape photographer of the year competition, Antony Spencer, are fast approaching. The Dorset workshop on the 8th February is almost sold out, just a couple of places remain. There are several places on the Cornwall workshop at the end of January left so it would be great if you could join us for what promises to be great days of photography with breakfast thrown in. Full details on my website at www.dougchinnery.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Worksop,United Kingdom

Review of the Epson R2880 Printer and the ColorMunki Calibration System

2010-12-29T00:01:00.000Z

I am often asked what printer I use. Until a few months ago the answer was, 'I don't use a printer'. ( I do have a HP desk top printer but it is only suitable for document printing ). I have always shied away from the complex matter of profiles, calibrating, papers and inks. It just seemed too much hassle. So much easier to upload the files to Loxley Colour in Glasgow and receive the prints a few days later.

I then did a workshop with Scott Kelby and he covered printing, calibrating, colour managed workflow etc in some detail. Scott mentioned that he used the R2880 and R3880 Epson printers and the ColorMunki calibrator. So all fired up, and feeling for the first time that I knew what I should be doing, I took the plunge and invested in the R2880 and ColorMunki.

The set up for both was quick and painless. The ColorMunki set up involves loading the drivers and software and then running the simple calibration program. While it is one of the more expensive calibrators it is superb. it allows you to calibrate your monitor and if you wish to create your own paper profiles. You simply print a test chart and then swipe each strip of colours on the paper with the calibrator and this builds a bespoke profile for your printer, ink and that particular paper combination. So far I have only used it to calibrate the monitor (and the first time you do it, it makes a huge difference) and the software prompts you to recalibrate regularly (I have it set to prompt me to recalibrate every two weeks, although this is probably overkill - it only takes a couple of minutes so it is no burden).

The drivers for the R2880 load quickly and the printer runs a set up routine when you install the ink cartridges for the first time. One cartridge has to be swapped out depending if you are printing on gloss or matte paper. I don't understand why both can't be fitted permanently - something for the Epson engineers to sort out.

It has quite a large footprint so you need some desk space to cope with it. But the output tray and the top paper input support fold away into the printer and seal it up to protect against dust. This also means they don't intrude into your desk space while you are not using it.

It comes with a roll feed mechanism, so you can buy your favourite papers on the roll and print panoramas. It takes all sizes from small envelopes up to Super A3 which is bigger than A3 and is better suited to the 3:2 aspect ratio of full frame DSLR sensors. Super A3 paper is about 13 x 19 inches in size and the printer prints close to the edge. Prints at this size look stunning and are perfect for framing to hang in most homes. I bought some Hanemhule A4 paper but have hardly used any, when you have seen your prints at Super A3 you won't want to print A4 or 10 x 8!!!

I have been trialing Epsons Archival Matte paper for my colour prints (and next want to try Hannemhule (or however you spell it) 305gm PhotoRag paper. For my mono prints I have been using the stunning Ilford Gold Silk paper.

It was with trepidation that I set about printing my first image. I sharpened it with Nik softwares excellent output sharpened plugin for Lightroom. The monitor was calibrated with the ColorMunki. I had downloaded my paper profiles from the manufacturers for the R2880. I had set up Lightroom and Photoshop correctly for a colour managed workflow. It was time to press the print button.

Breath held, I waited for the paper to emerge. Grinning, I held the print up by my studio window because I could already see the reproduction of what I had on my screen was close to perfect. I had never seen prints of such quality outside of a high end gallery. Colours were faithful, prints were not too dark as they so often are when getting them back from a lab and mono prints are quite frankly, astounding. The R2880 has three black/grey cartridges and they deliver deep rich black and mono tones, especially on the Ilford paper.

I now have loads of my prints on the walls of my home and studio, gradually replacing the substandard prints from various labs that have been up for a while. I have also been printing for customers, their own images, as it is virtually impossible to get labs to print on anything but standard papers.

The K3 inks are as good as everyone says. They are expensive, although my local supplier delivers for free next day and charges around £7.80 per colour. With nine colours, it is not cheap, but the results are worth it. The printer monitors levels and warns you when a cartridge needs replacing, which is just a one minute job. I have always sent my empty HP cartridges off to charities for recycling but they won't accept the Epson cartridges, although a student on one of my workshops tells me you can order envelopes from Epson themselves to send empty cartridges back to them for recycling (but no charities benefit from this which is unacceptable in my mind).

At £449.99 from Amazon (which is the best price I could find from a reputable supplier and I get free next day delivery) it is not cheap, but it is well engineered and produces results worth the cost. I am already lusting after the R3880. So I am now able to wholeheartedly recommend the R2880 and the ColourMunki. Go on, treat yourself! If you do decide to buy one from Amazon, please do it through the link below. You will pay the same low price, but I will get a small commission from Amazon which will help me with my website and blog costs. It would be much appreciated.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Worksop,United Kingdom

A Few Bits and Bobs

2010-12-28T18:05:00.000Z

I just wanted to put a blog post together on a few different subjects.

The first is to announce that I am very pleased to now be writing regularly for the Great British Landscapes online subscription based magazine run by Tim Parkin & Joe Cornish. http://www.landscapegb.com if you haven’t already visited the site, I urge you to do so. Issue one is free and subsequent issues have both free and paid for content. The aim of the magazine is to provide more advanced material than that available from conventional photography magazines along with using the full capabilities of the Internet to provide video interviews with great photographers, video tutorials on software, book reviews, in depth location guides and articles designed to help us all improve in our skills as photographers. Don’t feel put off by the title of the magazine if you live outside of the UK - most of the material applies world-wide.

My first two articles are available online now, both are book reviews. One of David Notons new book, Full Frame and the other a review of the new Michael Frye book.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

I am working on new articles for the magazine to be published in January. I hope you decide to subscribe to the magazine - I feel projects such as this need to be supported to benefit our community of photographers and to promote fine landscape photography.

I am also really looking forward to working with Antony Spencer in January & February, teaching workshops with him. As I am sure you will know he is an amazing photographer and recently won the very prestigious Landscape Photographer of the Year competition www.antonyspencer.com . We have a workshop in Cornwall visiting several of the very finest coastal locations on the 31st January and then on the 8th February we are holding a workshop at several of the prime locations on the Dorset Jurassic Coast. Places are already booking up and I hope you can join us. To help those looking for low cost accommodation it seems Premier Inns have rooms from £19.99 available at their hotel in Poole for the 7th of February - these are ideal as they are room only and so it saves paying for a B&B only to miss breakfast. Don’t forget, as with most of my workshops, Antony & I will be treating everyone to breakfast. www.dougchinnery.com

Another snippet of information. I am now giving all students on my landscape and seascape workshops a laminated Hyperfocal Distance calculator. I teach hyperfocal distance use on my workshops and this calculator is a perfect thing to keep in our pockets to improve the sharpness and depth of field in our images.

I have a new schedule of workshops for the spring on the workshops page of my website, so please check these out to see which interests you. if you want to treat someone to one of my workshops as a gift I now do gift vouchers to any value of your choice which they can redeem against any of my workshops they choose. I can send the voucher to you or direct to your friend or relative if you prefer with a message from you. I hope to be adding more workshops to the schedule soon.

As you know, I am usually accompanied by my dog, Stan, while out taking land and seascapes. He has a taste for Lee Filters so I have to take care to keep my rucksack closed when on the ground otherwise he is off with them. You don’t want to hear the sound of him crunching through £150 worth of Lee Filter, believe me! Anyway, I am chuffed to be able to announce that he is now able to pay me back for some of the damage done to my kit during his grab and crunch raids - an image (the one below) I made of him in the snow has been selected to feature on a greetings card, so his fame will now grow! If you see the card in the shops and decide to buy one, you will have the added satisfaction of knowing in a small way you are helping me replace my damaged filters, and I thank you for it.

Initial thoughts on the Panasonic Lumix LX5 Compact Camera

2010-12-25T07:43:00.002Z

I loved and used my Canon G9 'compact' (for compact, read, 'house-brick') for the past two or three years and made some images I am really happy with. However, about eight weeks ago, it stopped working during a walk with Stan. (Stan was not involved with the failure, surprisingly).

As I mentioned a few blog posts ago, this was due to two tiny screws coming loose inside the camera and shorting out one of the PCB's. The cost to repair is around £200. This is to put a new 50 pence PCB in place and put the two screws back in. Which will then, in all likelihood, come unscrewed again. No thank you, Canon.

So I began my search for a new compact camera. My first thought was the Canon G12, the G9's new brother. However, it was still house brick sized, although robust and capable of making great images. I liked the rotating screen and improved low light noise performance. I love Canon gear so it was a strong contender.

However, while I was thinking it over I also happened to be reading the new book by Joe Cornish, 'A Photographer at Work'. Written in conjunction with Eddie Ephramus, I feel this is Joes best book to date. Not only does it show us more of his mouth watering images, but Eddie followed him as he made them, recording his workflow in the field and documented his thought process. The insight this gives is absorbing. But what has this got to do with compact cameras - Joe has always used a 5 x 4 field camera, hardly a compact?

Well, it seems that Joe has been investigating new technology. Over the last year or two he has been playing with several makes of digital camera from Canon's and Nikon's right throughout to Phase One digital backs. Indeed, he is now making many images using high end digital cameras. But, as part of this process, he has started using a compact digital camera as a 'digital notebook' in the field.

Instead of stetting the large format gear set up he explores a location testing compositions with the compact with it's instant feedback via the screen. When he has found a composition he likes, THEN he sets up his big camera (either film or digital) and makes the image. He finds it saves time and film stock. He also says his choice of compact camera has also produced exhibition quality prints.

This is where I really sat up to take notice. What compact was Joe using? He had gone for the Lumix LX3, the predecessor to the LX5. Now, if a compact is good enough for Joe, it has got to be worth looking at more closely. I then found out that one of the UK's very finest photographers, David Ward, was using one too.

I started to investigate the LX5 in earnest now and liked what I saw. So Amazon got £640 of my money (because the wife wanted one too...).

Did I make the right choice? Absolutely. I have been approached on Flickr by several photographers wanting to buy a compact asking for my feelings after living with it for a few weeks.

Let's put it this was, I have made far more images with the LX5 than my Canon 5D mk2 since I bought it. The size is liberating. I love travelling light.

One feature I didn't pick up on when buying it but which has become to me one of the best features of the camera, is the aspect ratio switch on the lens. I use this constantly. It allows me to choose the aspect ratio of the image. It gives me the usual 3:2, mirroring my full frame 5D mk2, but it also gives me 4:5, so I can see what these large format guys are on about. Bt, best of all, it gives me a panoramic mode and my absolute favourite, a square mode. Hassleblad heaven. Most of my images are being made in these modes.

It is interesting, too, that when shooting in the different aspect ratio's that even the RAW file comes out this shape when imported to Lightroom. If Canon had such switch, I bet the RAW file would be 3:2 no matter what you shot in. Panasonic have got it dead right making the RAW file the ratio you shot in.

Battery life is good (at around 400 images) in good average conditions, but I still need to buy a spare as I am finding sometimes, especially in the cold, that I need more power on long walks with Stan.

Colour quality is very good, surprisingly good. The lens is Leica and stops up to f2, so in some situations you can even get some bokeh, something I never managed with the G9. Anything above ISO200 is too noisy for me, unless I am working on grainy arty images. However, if you do have to pump up the ISO the files respond well to noise reduction software (I use Nik's). The wide angle end is great, quite enough width and I have not needed so far more length from the zoom end.

You can extend the exposure time in full manual to 30 seconds, which I use a lot when making creative images.

I haven't tried making movies on it yet (it will shoot in HD) nor have I played with all of the creative modes as yet although some do look fun. The flash is as bad as you would expect on a compact, but I do enjoy playing with the way it pops up!

I have printed to Super A3 with it on my Epson R2880 printer and the quality is still perfect at that size. I have in mind to invest in Lee's ridiculously overpriced RF75 filter kit, but have held off because my whole reason for having a compact is to travel very light and not to be bogged down with
Ancillary stuff (the very reason I didn't go for one of these four thirds systems, in addition to the cost).

So, in conclusion, I adore my LX5. It is close to being the perfect compact. How could it be improved?

1. Give it an articulated screen
2. Improve low light noise performance
3. Give us more image size ratios
4. Give us an unbuilt ND filter like the G9 so we can slow the shutter down (multiple stops from 1 to 10 would be nice)
5. Go a bit wider and a bit longer with the lens
6. Give us an f1.2 lens and some compact bokeh
7. A wireless remote release would be good
8. and several other unreasonable expectations....

So should you buy one? It's for you to decide, but if you want a pro quality compact which is a joy to use I wouldn't hesitate pushing you into buying an LX5. I haven't regretted it for a minute.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

If you use this link to Amazon to view and buy the LX5 (or anything else on Amazon) I will get a small payment which helps with the running of this blog - your support is much appreciated

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Why doesn't my iPad screen lock button, lock the screen anymore?

2010-12-25T06:51:00.001Z

If you haven upgraded to the latest iOS for your iPad (4.02) you may be wondering why all of a sudden your screen lock button now mutes the volume and doesn't stop the screen auto-rotating.

It seems those guys in Apples "let's tinker with it department" decided this would be a good idea. Mmmmmmm.

So if you need to stop your screen rotating you now have a way of doing this in the software. Click the 'Home' button twice in quick succession. This brings up the running tasks but as you swipe along the task bar you will see a set of 'player' style controls shown below, including a circular arrow button. Tapping this locks the screen in the current orientation. Voila!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New Workshop Schedule Announced - including some special workshops with Antony Spencer

2010-12-14T09:29:00.000Z

I am excited to announce my latest schedule of photography workshops for the winter/spring of 2011.

I am particularly excited that I will be joined on two workshops by the winner of this years Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010, Antony Spencer. If you are unfamiliar with his work take a look at his website www.antonyspencer.com

We are running a workshop in Cornwall based around some of the finest coastal locations there and then a second workshop on the famous Jurassic Coast of Dorset.

Places are already being booked by those on my emailing list, so if you would like to join us for these unique workshops with such a great photographer (and me :) ) please book early.

I have also designed a new workshop on composition skills and I have developed a new workshop for the North Yorkshire coast visiting all new locations.

Here is a list of the workshops on the schedule and you will find full details on the workshops page on my website at www.dougchinnery.com

Monday 27th December - Seascapes & Long Exposures (Yorkshire Coast) - £65 per person, includes breakfast. Four places remaining.

Saturday 1st January - Start 2011 as you mean to go on! - Sunrise in the Peak District. £25 per person. Seven places remaining.

Monday 3rd January - Architectural & Street Photography Worksop - Half Day - £30 per person, including breakfast. Three places remaining.

Monday 31st January - The Cornish Coast with Antony Spencer. £95 per person. Breakfast included. Eleven places available.

Tuesday 8th February - The Jurassic Coast with Antony Spencer. £95 per person. Breakfast included. Eleven places remaining.

Monday 21st February - Getting the Most from Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop - Essential Tips, Tools and Techniques for Photographers. £75 per person. Nine places remaining.

Saturday 26th February - Understanding & Mastering Composition - £75 per person. Nine places remaining.

Friday 18th March (AM) - Macro & Floral Photography. £49 per person. Eight places remaining.

Monday 11th April - Seascapes & Long Exposures (Yorkshire Coast) - £65 per person. Six places remaining - ALL NEW LOCATIONS

Landscape Photographer of the Year 2010 Awards Ceremony

2010-11-27T17:06:00.000Z

Thursday evening saw the culmination of the LPOTY awards. The ceremony was held at the National Theatre on London’s South Bank, which also serves as the exhibition venue for the winning images from now until the 16th January 2011. (Entry is free, the images are stunning so it is well worth going for a visit).

The evening was informal and hosted by the founder and organiser of LPOTY, landscape supremo, Charlie Waite. Presenting the awards were the leaders of the various organisations sponsoring the competition and led by TV’s Alan Titchmarsh who presented the main award to this years deserved winner, Antony Spencer.

Charlie Waite

Alan Titchmarsh

As you can see, I had a front row position... well almost.

The images displayed were all beautifully printed by Epson. The event was very busy with lots of people milling around viewing the images. I even spotted Valerie Singleton amongst the crowds (and this led to a hazy moment, remembering my childhood avidly watching Blue Peter).

I enjoyed seeing everyones work printed large and beautifully lit, and was really pleased to bump in to some photography contacts (Hi, Atavachron!). I was delighted as always to have a few minutes with one of my photography heros, Chris Friel.

Overall Winner, Antony Spencer

Chris Friel (who is blurred in real life)

In addition to the exhibition inside the National Theatre, they had set up a huge outdoor display projector, displaying the images about three stories high on a tower (talk about large format!!) It is the biggest I have ever seen one of my images. So people across London could see the images as they were out and about - a very nice touch by the National.

Here is my image projected on the NT with the London Eye in the background. (image taken hand held at stupidly high ISO on my new Lumix LX5). Amazing how big you can go with an image taken on a G9!!

So a huge congratulations to Antony, great photographer and thoroughly nice guy too. I hope the win brings him much of the photography work he loves. Have a look at his website - http://www.antonyspencer.com/ and while you are off surfing, take a look at Chris Friels website too - http://www.chrisfriel.co.uk/ - quite different in style, chalk and cheese in fact, but both very good photographers.

On a more personal note, I know I have been promising the new diary of workshops for a while now. The dates have almost been finalised, so I will be emailing everyone on my mailing list with the list first, then they will appear here on my website.

if you would like to be added to my mailing list, please just drop me a message via the about/links link above.

My winning image from LPOTY 2010

‘Cloud, Roker. 2010’

Photography Workshop Gift Certificates

2010-11-21T09:59:00.000Z

I am now doing gift certificates for my workshops.

If you have a friend or relative who you feel would love to come on one of my photography days you can buy them a certificate which they can redeem against any one day workshop of their choice, to suit their schedule.

I can email you the certificate for you to print and present, or I can print it for you and post it to you or direct to your friend or relative.

Contact me via the email link on my about/links page of my website to arrange the certificate. they make great year round gifts that will be really appreciated. www.dougchinnery.com

Like Moths to a Flame

2010-11-20T17:03:00.000Z

I have been guilty of this as much as most landscape photographers.

We are drawn to the sun. We go out at dawn and dusk and for some unknown reason we feel we have to have the sun in our images. Up goes the tripod, point camera at landscape in direction of sun, shoot, go home. Just watch yourself next time you are out. Even before the sun rises, or after it has set, we still tend to point our camera in the direction of the sun.

There is good reason, often the finest light, clouds and colour are in that direction. Yet, it also causes us real issues. Contrast levels are high. Getting a balanced exposure is tricky, even with grads. We risk lens flare shooting into the sun. Objects with their back to the sun, yet facing us are thrown into deep, deep shadow making resolving detail there very difficult.

Next time you are drawn like a moth to the flame stop and think about masters like Colin Prior ( http://www.colinprior.co.uk/ ). He so often shoots with the sun behind him, dispensing with all the issues of flare and contrast, while he shoots amazing landscapes beautifully lit by the rising or setting sun, skies full of glorious colour.

We perhaps ought to consider using ‘The Photographers Ephemeris’ ( http://photoephemeris.com/ ) in reverse. Use it to see what the sun will be illuminating when it rises or sets rather than where it will be rising and setting.

It will give us images with a fresh view on locations so often shot at just one time of day due to its relation to where the sun appears or disappears.

On another note, I have just one place free on my Landscape workshop in the Peak District on Saturday 11th December. Full details on the workshops page of my website at www.dougchinnery.com

And for those of you who fancy getting away from all the over-eating and the sales during holiday week, I am running one of my very popular seascapes and long exposure workshops on the North Yorkshire coast - why not join me for some exercise and photographic heaven? Again, full details on the workshops page of my website - www.dougchinnery.com

G9 - the demise

2010-11-19T13:00:00.001Z

I was out with Stan a few days ago and wanted to take some shots with my Canon G9 but it refused to start. After the usual checks to make sure if had a charged battery and so on it became apparent the problem was serious.

My wife did a quick Internet search and soon discovered the G9 does have an inherent fault. There are two minute screws on a bracket inside the camera which work lose. Imagine the damage a loose screw can do bouncing around inside a camera full of delicate printed circuit boards and components.

The website very helpfully showed how to dismantle the G9 to locate the screws and replace them, which is not a task for the feint hearted. I bought a set of tiny screw drives to strip it down and sure enough one of the two suspect screws had come lose and could be heard rattling around in the bowels of the camera.

Despite a serious dismantling job, I could not retrieve the screw and I could not bring the camera back to life. It is dead. Gone but not forgotten.

So now I face the decision of which compact to go for?

I soon homed in on the Panasonic Lumix range. I didn't want to pay £500 so the G12 was out, as was the retro Olympus Trip, however much I liked them. The cost of lenses and the size also discounted the Lumix G range despite the rave reviews about image quality. I really want a compact with a single lens for the ultimate in portability, not a bridge camera that takes me almost to a DSLR both in ability and price.

So I have settled on the Lumix LX5. I read Joe Cornishes comments the performance of the predecessor to the LX5, the LX3 and then read cmments on the LX5 and this has convinced me it achieves what I want. A pocket camera able to produce A3 prints, low on noise, shooting RAW with a good 3 inch monitor and full manual control.

I have found it on Amazon for £320 which is very low compared to such as John Lewis which is selling it at £370. So, in time for next weeks award ceremony in London for the LPOTY competition I hope to have it, so I can practise making some images in the capital and capture the evening at the National Theatre.

Watch this space for the results and my comments on my choice.

Just a note to say I have just 2 places on my landscape and long exposure workshop on the 11th December. Email me to book. Full details on the workshops page of my website at www.dougchinnery.com

I also have spaces on my seascapes and long exposures workshop on the day after boxing day, for all those wanting to get some fresh air and peace after the festivities - a great excuse not to go to the sales too!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Leeds College of Art & Design

I got busted!

2010-11-16T08:42:00.000Z

I feel vaguely criminal.

On opening my emails this morning I found one from Flickr. One I knew was coming, I just didn’t know when. I had hoped I was under their radar and perhaps I might get away with it, but in my heart of hearts I knew I was on borrowed time.

I had seen that other users of Flickr had been approached by the Flickr authorities and told to remove links to their websites along with any text referring to their commercial activities from their image posts as this transgresses one of Flickrs terms and conditions of use. You know, those reams of text we all click to say we agree to but no one has ever read?

One of those states,

"Don't Use Flickr for Commercial Purposes Flickr is for
personal use only. If you sell products, services or
yourself through your photostream, we will terminate your
account. Any other commercial use of Flickr, Flickr
technologies (including APIs, Flickrmail, etc), or Flickr
accounts must be approved by Flickr."

It seems that Flickr have been clamping down on abusers of this rule and my time has come. What this means is, I have to go back through all of my images and remove all links to my website and blog and also to remove any mention of my workshops, website, print sales etc. It is going to be a big job as I post one image a day on average and have used the system to promote my website on just about every post for the last couple of years. If I fail to do it though, Flickr have warned me I will be banned from the site. I have no choice.

The place you are allowed to have a link to your website and mention what you do is on your profile page. There and there only.

So I can’t complain. I clicked to agree to the terms and conditions which are clearly stated and Flcikr has provided me with much exposure so I am knuckling down to my sentence and am going to serve my time.

Maybe I will get time off for good behaviour?

www.dougchinnery.com

Joe Cornish Releases His New Book

2010-10-27T12:15:00.000+01:00

I have been waiting for Joe’s new book for ages, ever since a page appeared on Amazon making it available for pre-order.

It is now available from Amazon and I have placed my order - it arrives tomorrow.

I am particularly intrigued as Joe has been experimenting over the last year or so with many types of digital photography. It will be fascinating to see how this has affected his work and the book may reveal his thoughts on the subject.

Joe has been famous for his large format film photography and a move to digital is a massive step for him. He will only do it if he feels the image quality and other benefits really outweigh his beloved LF film. I am sure the rest of the LF film users will be watching his every move very closely. he is rightly viewed as one of the finest landscape photographers in the World today and his opinion is highly valued. I doubt he will ever abandon LF film, and who can blame him?

I will report on the book once I have consumed it but if you want to get your hands on it straight away I have put an Amazon link below. I get a small commission if you use this link to make your purchase which helps me with the running of this blog.

Here is what Amazon have to say on the book;

“This highly original book explores the working methods and creative philosophy of one of the UK's greatest landscape photographers. Over a three-year period, Joe Cornish and his co-author Eddie Ephraums, have created a unique documentary record of Joe's photography in a variety of locations, from the Scottish Highlands to the north Conwall coast, via Northumberland and Joe's much-loved North Yorkshire. Each location is used to address a particular aspect of the art and craft of landscape photography, through conversations between the authors, images of Cornish at work, plus his own pictures from each location. The pictures show us not one, definitive interpretation of each scene but alternative compositions and the development of photographic ideas, giving revealing insights into the photographer's creative process. The book also documents Cornish's gradual transition from a traditional, exclusively film-based way of working to one that now embraces the use of digital compact cameras, digital SLRs and, most recently, a large format digital camera. He describes the opportunities that each of these new tools has opened up, for example he now uses a digital compact both as a sketchbook and for exhibition-quality prints. Full of informative and inspirational images, fascinating insights and professional tricks of the trade, this book will appeal to Joe Cornish's legions of fans and anyone with an interest in photographing the landscape.”