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Derek Smith • 15 March 2018
Sorry, unable to grab the .rss feed from the zenfolio site, so copied.
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en-us (C) Louth Photographic Society ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:50:00 GMT Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:50:00 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/img/s/v-5/u349382545-o648549513-50.jpg
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120 82 http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/2/update-jan/feb-start
Good to see members returning to the Club after the Break. The first 2 weeks were taken up with viewing the LPA Print Portfolios, which turned out to be a wealth of images in both colour and B&W. It was a difficult task to select the Club preferences to go forward, but it was achieved. Well done to Chris in Chairing the events, alongside Roger for his input.
7 Feb saw a great evening, led by Peter Cory, giving a very descriptive talk about his journeys through North Africa, then after the break with two tours of Russia. His DPIs from Slides and Prints from times past were expertly manipulated and managed and the evening displayed tales of austerity through to sheer opulence.
Our next event is 14 Feb - DPI Comp, 'Patterns in Nature' 'Open' and 'Tetney Blow-wells'. Images through to Graham as soon as possible, with a cut-off of Midnight Sunday LATEST.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/2/update-jan/feb-start Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:49:51 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/upcoming-events January 24 sees a return to the Club after the Christmas Break. This date, followed by January 31, sees two special evenings, displaying the very best in the form of the LPA Folios for both colour and mono. Historically, the quality of these evening's works are extremely high and should provide a catalyst for members to 'get out there and give things a go'. Following this, on February 7, our own member (Peter) has an evening showing his work from numerous visits to Russia (believed to be DPI).Members may note that Graham has sent out the request for programme input ideas; please support him in this and return in good time, to allow him to formulate the programme so there can be something to hopefully please everyone.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/upcoming-events Tue, 16 Jan 2018 17:42:57 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/2018---a-happy-new-year-to-all May I take the opportunity to wish all members a very "Happy New Year" and best wishes for all endeavours in 2018. I hope you all had a good festive break, including Christmas, and look forward to seeing members back at the LPS. Can I further encourage members to view the remaining programme for the year and see where they can contribute.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2018/1/2018---a-happy-new-year-to-all Mon, 01 Jan 2018 13:18:35 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/29th-november-competition-night Wednesday 29 November : Tony Gaskins : DPI CompetitionAnother robust turnout from the membership, to listen to an eminently qualified and experienced Judge in the form of Tony. This was Tonys second visit to the Club, so we must be doing something right if he's prepared to return! The 3 themes for the evening's DPI Sections were 'Breaking the Rules', 'Open' (Mono) and 'Local Architecture' (Colour). Tony had previewed the DPIs on the laptop and explained it was going to be a difficult task ahead, a good reflection of the quality of work on offer. He went on to afford a very detailed, fair and experienced critique of each image, giving time to pick up on the positives, as well as proffering advice where he though an image could be strengthened. For the showing of the DPIs, I personally sat at the back and was amazed at both the diversity and quality of work on show throughout each theme. In the end, Tony selected his worthy choices and gave his rationale as to why they made the 'final cut'. Well done to all who took part, and to Tony, for a great, valuable and entertaining evening. I believe there was something of value and education for us all in the evening's event.
To the team in the background who keep things going, a hearty 'Thank you' to John for his projector work, Roger and Carol for the points recording, and Dave for providing the hot refreshments at half time!
On behalf of all members of the LPS, we offer our very best wishes to David the President; our thoughts are with you at this time.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/29th-november-competition-night Thu, 30 Nov 2017 17:15:03 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/louth-panorama Wednesday 22 November : Richard Gurnham : Louth Panorama and its People
Another fascinating insight into the life of early Louth and its people was brilliantly explained tonight by Richard.
It is his third visit to the Club since my membership, and each visit brings not just a fresh approach, but new stories of times, both good and bad of the history of Louth and its people. Richard extracted numerous images from 'Brown's Panorama', displayed them in DPI format and had eloquent stories to tell of each, based upon his extensive research and knowledge. Keen to impart this information with meticulous precision, there were stories ranging from Publicans, Doctors and Lady Nymphs, right up to Police and JPs. As ever, we can only imagine the hardships people of the time endured.
All too soon the time limit on the evening arrived - despite many untold stories waiting in the wings.
I'm sure Richard will devolve further in his latest book (due out in 2018).
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/louth-panorama Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:51:15 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/donna-nook I visited Donna Nook today to see how the Seal numbers are doing.
It was pleasing to see a healthy number of mums and pups.
Many of the pups were very close to the fence line, with some actually touching it.
I went at 7am to see a magnificent sunrise, and catch the first light on the Seals at the southern edge of the fence line.
There were numerous Wardens constantly on patrol, and speaking to them, they advise that the pupping season is approaching its peak.
Birthing happens along the complete fence line, and a range of lenses from 50-400 on full frame or crop will cover 90% of needs.
It goes without saying, that Nov/Dec is cold, but this morning was bitter. Get well wrapped up!
Paul
19-11-17
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/11/donna-nook Tue, 21 Nov 2017 11:25:50 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/street-photography---part-2 Wednesday 25 October : Mike Bennett : Street and others Pt2Tonight saw another strong attendance from Club members, for the welcome return of Mike Bennett. The President started by thanking Mike for attending at short notice. It certainly was a further coup for the membership having a second serving of Mike's DPI images and immaculate AV. The images were as diverse in street theme as last time, with different viewpoints of known landmarks, interspersed with human action. As an addition to his expertise in street genre, Mike gave insight, knowledge and practical skill through DPI work in other fields, including Transport and wonderful Portrait work. Theme music and images captured more stories in AV. I hope the dual lectures provide some stimulus for members to get out and have a go, remember the DPI of the year Comp has opportunity to enter images for this genre.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/street-photography---part-2 Fri, 27 Oct 2017 11:28:40 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/october-print-competition At the meeting of 18th October Louth Photographic Society held a Print Competition.Our Judge for the evening was a welcome return of Jorj Malinowski who ably sorted out the 25 Open entries and the 20 British Wildlife entries. It was encouraging to see an increasing number of entries and Jorj commented that he was seeing even better quality images.
Sid Pearce took first prize in the Open section with Wrinkles, and Graham Harrison gained first in British Wildlife with Young Robin. Full details of the results and the winning images can be found on the Competition
Next week 25th October sees a change of programme with a welcome return of Mike Bennett with more images including his speciality of Street photography.
P. Huke.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/october-print-competition Sun, 22 Oct 2017 05:48:24 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/on-the-street
Wednesday 4 October : Street Photography and extras : Mike Bennett
Club events, following the Summer Break have been outstanding quality, and tonight was no exception. A genre of photography which is new to many, perhaps on the fringe of their comfort zone or bordering with slight trepidation, was unfolded in a professional, educational and motivational way by Mike. Starting with his personal belief of the topic, his discussion covered both his ethic and factual stance in terms of go/no go areas for this specialist field. Mike displayed crafted DPI work from area's including Grimsby, Lincoln, Nottingham, Sheffield and some outstanding work from within London. Colour and mono DPI told a story to the viewer. His approach through gritty, contrasty, sometimes sombre B&W showed great empathy with his subject. Extra showing during the evening included some Studio work, selective tone work and wonderful Photoshop skills. Finally, beautifully crafted and executed Audio Visual work balanced the images with carefully selected music taking the audience on a journey of perfect storytelling.
For me, it was enthralling, a new concept and one I would like to try; hope you all enjoyed it too.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/on-the-street Thu, 05 Oct 2017 05:44:29 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/photoshop-workshop "Photoshop workshops
We are planning to start Photoshop workshops this Autumn. An Open evening is being held on Monday, 9th October at Church House, Louth starting at 7.30 pm.
At this meeting we are fortunate enough to have Brian McCarthy who will demonstrate what can be achieved with Photoshop and how it can be used to improve your images. We will also discuss how the workshops will be run
All interested are invited to come along and find out more about the workshops and our Society, or contact Peter Huke on 01507 605158"
P.H.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/10/photoshop-workshop Mon, 02 Oct 2017 11:18:28 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/presidents-eveningWednesday 27th September: President's Evening.
David Hewson : Aperture Priority and Depth of Field.
Starting on time, David gave a wonderful lecture on controlling the 'Depth of Field' in an image, by the selective use of Aperture. Interspersed with a beautiful array of natural wildlife images in both Print and DPI format, David showed how a zone of focus, with front to back depth, and a focal point, could be used to great effect in composition and exposure. Throughout the evening his images 'popped' with vibrancy, as the audience were led on his journey (both geographically and technically), into achieving his image. David took time to answer questions as they arose, and gave some valuable tips into the use of Aperture Priority, including the rationale behind his preference for its use in his specialist field of work. Technically, although aperture selection, focal length, distance and Crop v Full Frame come into the equation, David spoke of the need to have the image in mind to start with. Exposure Compensation, Macro and the use of the Histogram also featured. The images were made available to view at the end of the evening and David continued to talk to members. A hugely insightful evening and one which must surely prompt members to 'Turn the dial' to Av and have fun learning...
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/presidents-evening Thu, 28 Sep 2017 15:18:26 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/lincoln-shutter-imps Just a reminder that the Lincoln 'Shutter Imps' Photographic Exhibition is currently running in the Lincoln Central Library until 30th September. It covers a variety of genres and is Free to view. I have been today, and there are a diverse selection of wonderful images from some very talented individuals.
PM.
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/lincoln-shutter-imps Sat, 23 Sep 2017 12:39:43 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/competition-night Wednesday 20 SeptemberWednesday 20 September was advertised as a 3-theme DPI evening with an external Judge. Unfortunately, the Judge was absent, so our President David Hewson very kindly 'stepped up to the plate' for the evening to undertake the Judging role. This was David's first evening back, and it was good to see him looking well. There was a robust number of images on display - totalling nearly 70, split between the themes of 'Sunrise/Sunset', 'Open' and 'Man's effect on the environment'. Each theme contained images in which members used their interpretation and skills to good effect, to give the Judge a challenging evening. Scores were close, but congratulations go to Graham Elvidge in coming first in 2 out of the 3 themes, Stirling work indeed!
Continued thanks to those who assist in making the evening a success.
As a heads-up, David returns next week (27th) to stand and deliver an evening on aperture and depth of field control, something which he uses to great effect in his work. Certainly an evening not to be missed.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/competition-night Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:54:14 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/return-to-the-club Return from the Summer Break
Wednesday 13th September saw a very welcome return back to the Club Room for the LPS Members after the Summer Break. The evening (as advertised in the local Newspaper and Lincs FM Radio), consisted of seven Members displaying and talking about their 10 favourite PDI works. The range of work on offer was diverse and excellent, and it proved to be a very good start to the Autumn Season.
It was good to see some new faces in the audience too, let's hope the show of skill and calibre has whetted the appetite.
Graham asked to remind of the PDI Comp next week; cut-off for entries is midnight next Monday.
Please keep abreast of the programme, and Peter will inform of all activities, including the forthcoming Photoshop Workshop.
PM
]]> ph.sec.lps@gmail.com (Louth Photographic Society) http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/return-to-the-club Thu, 14 Sep 2017 06:25:42 GMT http://www.louthphotographicsociety.com/blog/2017/9/exhibition I have been into Lincoln this morning and had a social coffee with a good friend, who is an outstanding nature and wildlife photographer. He advises me that a local gathering (which he is a member of), the "Shutter Imps" are holding a 2-week display of their photographic work from 18-30 September in the Central Library. Entrance is free.
Louth Photographic Society
This is always a hotly debated subject among photographers, and I would say “it depends” quietly sitting on the fence!! Let me qualify, if your resulting image is destined to be shared on social media with very little post processing, and the image is correctly exposed, then most certainly use the .jpg format. Sharing any image to Facebook will result in a degraded image because Facebook processes the image for a small screen, Instagram images will be viewed usually on a smart phone, so a .jpg direct from a camera will suffice. For many years I used to shoot primarily in .jpg, and I’ve entered competitions with those images, when I had my Fuji cameras the RAW format images from the 24-megapixel sensor were 55 megapixel, so I tended to shoot mainly in .jpg. With my Olympus cameras and the 20-megapixel sensor the RAW images are more usable. Now, let’s examine the facts behind any decision: JPEG (.jpg) images are fully processed in camera, and all settings such as White Balance, Colour Saturation, Tone Curve, Sharpening, and Colour Space are applied to the image by the camera processor and are therefore ready to use. Many digital cameras allow changing the Colour Saturation, either by adjusting the Tone Curve, selecting a Film Simulation, or applying a LUT to the resulting image. LUT = Look Up Table, primarily used for video, but can be applied to a stills image. JPEG images are an 8-bit digital format, producing 16.8 million possible colours, (256 tonal values for Red, Green, and Blue channels) any other colours that your camera is capable of are discarded, and the “lossy” compression of a .jpg will result in a loss of data in an image, possibly displaying artifacts in a large, printed image. RAW images are a proprietary format tied to a specific camera manufacturer and must be post processed. My camera system produces a 12-bit digital image capable of producing 68.7 billion colours. The RAW image has far greater dynamic range, and colour gamut compared to a .jpg image. Highlights can be corrected, and shadow detail can be readily recovered from a RAW image. Personally, when I used to shoot in .jpg I tended to post process my images, applying a preset, and any cropping, so post processing the RAW images doesn’t take much more of my time. When I’ve been out taking a set of images, my workflow involves processing the first RAW image of the set, then copy / paste onto the following images. Attached to this post are two underexposed images of flowers, and the recovery of the RAW image has resulted in a reasonably usable image, the .jpg image is unusable with washed out colours. With the two photos of a model, one is the .jpg saved directly from the camera SD card, and the other has been post processed from the RAW – I have cropped both images to 2:3 ratio, I feel that the image post processed from RAW has a richer colour palette. In summation, .jpg for simplicity, and RAW for fine detail, and greater dynamic range.
Good Morning All I hope you're all enjoying the summer break, we have just got back from a week on the Suffolk coast, staying near Lowestoft. It was good to meet up with quite a few of our members at the King's Head last night to celebrate the life of Paul Malley. Paul had been a very popular member of our club for a long time and so it was only fitting that many of us turned up to say goodbye. Harry is now wanting two things from us all, firstly it is that time of year when we enter the LPA Interclub PDI competition, if we can, as many members as possible to send him six PDI's the best you have that have not been in the competition before. Harry will also look through past competitions for entries as well. If we say a closing date of midnight next Friday that should give you time to have a look through your PDI's. We are back at the club, Wednesday 10th September, beginning with a series of mini lectures, showing us what you have been up to during the break, about 15 minutes each. If you can let me know if you want to take part then we may adjust times to fill the night. The following week, Wednesday 17th September, a PDI competition will be held with the categories of "Long Exposures" and "Open". I was asked how long is a long exposure and that was a good question, I just put it in the program off the suggestion list and never gave it a thought at the time, I will have to give the judge some guidance as well. Please email me with any suggestion if you think this is wrong. I think slower than 1/30 shutter speed but to show movement or a night shot should give us all a chance of entering. A bit of a tricky one but if you think you can have shutter speeds of many thousands 1/30 is quite long and we want members to enter. Harry will accept our entries any time now. Regards Graham
I visited the East Kirkby Aviation Centre, Props and Pistons Event yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was good to see such a variety of cars on display, from the unusual, to supercars, and everyday British classics there was a lot to see. As is normal at these events, it was good to watch the Lancaster, and Mosquito performing the taxiing runs, lots of noise from the Rolls Royce engines. The scheduled fly-past was a little disappointing as the BBMF Lancaster was out of action, and unable to take part, but I was able to get a snap of the Spitfire, and Hurricane.
The word “photography” literally means “painting with light”, and as photographers we use light to create our images. The painter Canaletto is known to have used the camera obscura – the predecessor of the photographic camera – as an aid in painting his views of Venice. Canaletto’s contemporary Antonio Zanetti, wrote in 1771 that “Canal taught the proper use of the camera obscura.” It might seem, then, that the ‘photographic’ character of the paintings is explained by an optical method of production. Light was projected onto a polished glass screen, and the artist was able to create his paintings from those projected images. The “right” light is important to create a photograph, however if the light is poor, photographers can encounter problems. These problems can be resolved on a digital camera by increasing the ISO, using a smaller lens aperture, or slowing the shutter speed, all of which can create other problems. Take this photo of the cement works at Melton Ross at sunset, the red sky was spectacular, but because I didn’t have a tripod with me I was unable to slow the shutter, opening up the aperture would have reduced the depth of field, my only option was to raise the ISO, to 1600, but that unfortunately increased the noise in the photo, thus the photo was degraded. This photo of Fleur in natural window light, was taken at a wide aperture of f/2, with a low ISO, and you can see the natural flow of light around the face, highlighting the eyes, and producing a perfect portrait. Lately, I have had a few outdoor location portrait opportunities, the difficulty here when working outdoors can be harsh summer light, this can be mitigated by placing your model in the shade of buildings or trees, but then you lose the light!! On-camera flash can be used as fill flash, but it’s important to avoid the “deer caught in the headlights” look. I use a large bounce card reflector (purchased from a large online shopping channel for under £10) to give a soft light on the subject, as can be seen on this recent cosplay photo of Merida (from the Disney film Brave) taken in Peasholme Park under trees, using this method I can create a photo where the subject and colours “pop”. My camera setup can be seen in the next image. In an indoor setting, off-camera flash can be used, with an umbrella, or softbox to soften the light, I tend to favour an LED light nowadays with either a shoot through white umbrella, or a reflector umbrella. Use the natural light where possible or provide your own. Enjoy your photography, Louth Photography Society will return with our next meeting on 10th September.
Can I just start this blog with a very bold statement? A full frame sensor equipped camera is not necessarily “better” than a crop sensor equipped camera, yes, it will have improved dynamic range, and light gathering capability than a smaller “crop” sensor equipped camera, that is a simple fact of physics. As regards photographic quality, I do not believe that there is a competition judge in the world that will be able to tell the difference between a photo of the same subject, cropped to the same size, and taken on an smart phone, compact camera, a crop sensor camera, or a full frame camera, especially if the image is processed from RAW, thus negating any signature JPEG colour processing from the camera. A crop sensor camera, and a full frame camera will easily produce quality prints up to A3 print size. Less weight, and smaller size are often given as advantages of using a crop sensor camera, but this is not universally true, a Panasonic G9 camera with a small crop sensor of micro four thirds is actually physically larger than a full frame Sony A7 iii. The Panasonic G9 measures 136.9 x 97.3 x 91.6mm weighing 658g, and the Sony A7 iii measures 126.9 x 95.6 x 73.7 weighing 650g, however my micro four thirds sensor equipped Olympus E-M5 iii does have a considerable size / weight advantage at 125.3 x 85.2 x 49.7 and weighs just 414g. It is the full frame lenses that weigh proportionally more, are usually physically larger, and can be more expensive because of the extra glass required to illuminate the larger sensor. The effective focal length of a lens will vary according to the camera sensor size, a typical zoom lens range on a full frame camera would be 24 – 70mm, the 24mm wide angle giving a field of view of 73.43 degrees. An APS-C sensor is smaller than the full frame camera sensor, and a typical zoom lens would be 16 – 50mm, the 16mm wide angle giving a field of view of 72.59 degrees, this apparent reduction of focal length is known as the “crop factor”, therefore an APS-C sensor has a crop factor of 1.5. (or 1.6 for a Cannon APS-C sensor camera) A micro four thirds camera sensor is half the size of a full frame sensor, therefore the crop factor is 2, this gives a typical zoom lens of 12 – 40mm, the wide angle 12mm producing a field of view of 71.88 degrees. So far, so not too confused, whatever camera sensor your camera is equipped with you will become accustomed to the most appropriate focal length to use in various scenarios. Most photographers agree that a trio of prime lenses, a 35mm full frame, (equivalent 24mm APS-C, 17mm micro four thirds) 50mm full frame, (equivalent 35mm APS-C, 25mm micro four thirds) 85mm full frame, (equivalent 56mm APS-C, 42.5 micro four thirds) is ideal for most photographic situations. Third party lens manufacturers, companies such as Tamron, Sigma, and Samyang have produced some stunning optics for various camera mounts. I used the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 lens on my Sony A6300 for several years with excellent results. The Sigma trio of excellent primes the 16mm f/1.4, the 30mm f/1.4, and the 56mm f/1.4, have been acclaimed by many photographic journalists, and are available in several lens mounts. The real confusion sets in when a camera manufacturer uses the same bayonet mount fitting across the camera range of APS-C, and full frame cameras, this is the scenario with Sony cameras, and the “e-mount lenses”, and seemingly with Nikon and the “z-mount lenses”, a 35mm prime (fixed focal length) lens on the full frame sensor acts as a 50mm prime lens on the APS-C equipped camera. I used the Sigma 16mm f/1.4, e-mount lens, on my Sony A6300, and reviewed the lens on Amazon, and I have lost count of how many times I’ve been asked if the lens will fit on the full frame e-mount Sony A7, the answer of course is yes, BUT, the lens will act as a 24mm lens because the camera will default to “crop sensor mode” only using an APS-C portion of the full frame sensor. I owned the APS-C Sony A6300, and the full frame Sony A7ii for a couple of years, the lenses were interchangeable, but I had to do some mental mathematics whenever I swapped lenses between the two camera bodies. It is no wonder then that many photographers are confused by the range of lenses available for the various lens mounts, and sensor sizes. The images shown on here are taken with a crop sensor micro four thirds camera.
I’ve recently read an article on “Fstoppers”, written by Adam Matthews, his opinion is that improving at photography isn’t a step-by-step process. It’s a winding, often unpredictable journey shaped by curiosity, creativity, and the kind of images we want to make. There’s a great deal of correctness in the article by Adam; however, I would argue that composition is the most important part of photography, and that is where the biggest improvement in our photography lies. When we pick up our mobile phone and snap an image, we take that photo because we want to capture the moment, some of the most iconic photos ever taken were taken on mediocre cameras, often with a fixed focal length, fixed aperture lenses, and the resulting image was everything. When we view an image, it’s the image that we see, we don’t analyse the camera, or settings, many of us will remember “The Napalm Girl”, taken during the Vietnam war of a girl running away from the American napalm bombs. More recently there’s an image of President Trump at the top of the steps entering the door of the Air Force One aircraft, just as he enters the door, he is looking into the aircraft, and his image is reflected on the outside of the aircraft, the journalist who took the photo commented that the image was more of a reflex action, she saw the image and took the shot. Recently, I was asked for a copy of some images taken some 4 years ago at a Lincoln Hotel, inside the hotel room using natural light, I was fairly surprised when I looked at the technical settings of the images, the camera was set with an aperture of f/4, which was a deliberate action on my part, even though the lens used could open up to f/2.8, but I do find the f/4 aperture preferable for contextual indoor shots, what did surprise me though was the use of auto WB, and the auto ISO setting of 1000, but regardless of the semi-automatic settings the photos had worked, and the client was very happy with them. As the Fstoppers article notes, we learn photography in often a nonlinear way, we get to learn our cameras, the associated lenses, the camera settings, composition techniques, watching the light, perhaps introducing artificial lighting to enhance our images, eventually it all comes together, and we gradually improve our photography. We learn from other photographers, we learn from viewing other people’s work, and we learn from photographic club competitions where a judge’s constructive critique can be invaluable. In my eight years of serious photography, I’ve become more confident in fully using the camera, choosing the correct aperture, and lens for the scene – but I still make mistakes as this photo of Scaleber Foss shows, I shoot it at f/2.8, and the foreground is out of focus, attached are some of my better photos. I still want to improve with my landscape, wildlife, and macro photography. In conclusion, continue to learn, use your natural creativity, try different techniques, and above all enjoy your hobby.
Good Morning All I attended the LPA meeting on zoom last Monday; I thought I would report on the main subjects that were brought up. Firstly, Deepings have left the LPA, they have not given a reason but just decided to leave. NELPS have proposed that the Battles need re-thinking, it was not discussed at the LPA Delegates meeting to let clubs think about their proposals. To simplify the Battles Competition they would like to see the Battles entries reduced to nine prints per club and judged at one event instead of travelling around other clubs. Judging by the number of our club members going to the away Battles, one to Scunthorpe and four to Cleethorpes it is probably a good idea. Grahame Dunkin has also taken on the role of vice president of the LPA.
As photographers we often take a camera out with us with no specific aim in mind, and there’s nothing wrong with that, the “ad hoc” photo can sometimes be amazing, and as someone once said, “the photo you most remember is the one you missed!!” More often as club photographers we head out of the door with our camera and specific lenses, with an aim to take a particular style, or genre of photography. In June I headed to Kirkby Gravel pits nature reserve with a long telephoto lens, and a macro lens, the insect life was very prolific, and so I spent most of the time taking photos of the insects. When I go out for a model photoshoot, I plan for the shoot and will take two cameras, a standard zoom lens on one camera, with a “bright aperture” portrait lens on the other. Recently I needed specific subjects for upcoming photo competitions, I wanted some “long exposure”, “people”, and “architectural details” photos, so I took the bus into Lincoln. For the “long exposure” subject, I had two concepts in mind, and on the day one of those concepts was realised very effectively, the image on this blog shows one of the failures, a long exposure panning of a cyclist, still it’s different!! I came away from Lincoln having completed two of my objectives, as they say, “two out of three ain’t bad”. I was able to capture a few “people” street style photographs, one of which I plan on using in the 10th November competition. Long exposure photography can produce some very strange outcomes, I watched a YouTube video a while back with an American photographer taking a long exposure photo on a crowded seaside pier, his concept was that the moving people just “disappeared” with a long exposure setting, the result would have been a people free image of the pier, however, this is true if the people are moving, the problem was a homeless man stood very still in the crowd looking at the photographer, it surprised the photographer, and made for a very unique photo, the photographer took the homeless man to a restaurant for a meal. Regarding intentional photography, how is everyone doing with the “Prime Time” annual project? One photo each month taken with the same prime lens. Enjoy the summer, Louth Photographic Society will be back in September after our summer break.
The New Inn, at Saltfleet will be hosting our well attended Classic Car Nights, these now have a regular following among the classic car and vehicle owners in the area. The dates for the next Classic Car Nights, are the 8th August, and 12th September. In addition the New Inn will be holding a Bike Night on 22nd August.
Last weekend we spent a pleasant Saturday in the north Lincolnshire Wolds. Our first stop was to All Hallows Church, Clixby, the church is very hard to see from the road, as it is hidden away among trees on a double bend. The church dates from the 13th century, is grade 2 listed, and was declared redundant in 1973. The stone carved font is 15th Century, and was formerly in a Low Toynton Church. Driving on to Caistor we stopped at the Rock Foundation Nursery, and café for an excellent coffee, and cake, for lunch. Returning home we pulled off the Caistor - Brigg Road to visit the hamlet of Somerby. A monument has been erected on the side of a hill here in 1770 to celebrate the 29th anniversary of Edward, and Ann Weston, and in the tenth year of the reign of George III. The views from here are amazing, clear across Lincolnshire to Lincoln. It was a pleasant excursion with my young lady, and my camera.
