My favourite view on my daily cycle to work has been a solitary Sunflower which just gets the tiniest drop of sun first thing. Sure glad I carry a little reflector with me. Both images were shot with my phone.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Follow Bert, Offload Studios: dltphoto
So I am working with a new partner in crime, a right-hand man, wing-man, sidekick. His name is Bert!
Follow Bert and his adventures at Offload Studios Facebook Group or if you prefer follow #wheresbert on instagr.am.
Bert needs more friends as the world seems dauntingly large to him.
He is friends with Lucy!
Follow Bert and his adventures at Offload Studios Facebook Group or if you prefer follow #wheresbert on instagr.am.
Bert needs more friends as the world seems dauntingly large to him.
Monday, September 17, 2012
APAC Photoclub Submissions, September 2012: dltphoto
Well, Its photoclub season again. This means submitting new images to be critiqued and butchered by "experienced" judges in the photo judging industry!.. Hahahahah, not really! well maybe somewhat.
So the Judge for this first month was Francois.. no, Francoise... umm I forget, lets call him Frank for short. Frank was very specific about how he wants to see images. He wants them "RAZOR SHARP", and I quote "images need to be Razor Sharp".
Fortunately my images were "RAZOR SHARP", sadly one was of a sunset type scene. Frank suggested if your going to submit Sunset Scenes, it had better be spectacular because he's seen them all. Wonderful! this exhibition night should be interesting.
First up was my shot in the Landscape category, As you see I scored an 8, which is really not a bad score in the photoclub world. I guess the only way to have scored a 9 or 10 would have meant that my image needed to be "spectacular". Its not your stereo typical sunset, its bold and vibrant. Actually it shows very little of the sunset since its just a reflection/ ambient shot.
So, feeling pretty good about myself so far. Next up a Film Marco shot I did which I featured in a previous post "Pink Wheat". Having enter film images before and watching them being judged up against digital images and imaging wizardry, I have decided to enter them through the digital process without people knowing its film. The Judges are now so used to manipulated images that they aren't able to assess film images the way they should.
Needless to say my second entry into the "macro" category scored me a repeated 7. I didnt expect to score so well anyways. Its a random shot with shallow depth of field that really makes the image kind of messy, since the wheat was blowing in the wind, it was a case of rapid shooting to get one good one. Perhaps if I attempted some better selective cropping it could work better. I am really not a "special effects" type person, I enjoy good "razor sharp" images that I can capture in the camera and tweak mildly in programs like Lightroom. I am soooo not a heavy filter on top of filter type of guy. I am going to keep sticking to my plan and the photography I enjoy. Good "razor sharp" images as close to out of camera as possible and hopefully they will look "spectacular". Is that OK Frank?
We did have an assigned topic for this month, "though a window", but alas I didnt have anything I thought really worthy that might score well. No need to put in something I personally wouldn't have scored well. This was a pic I considered but it wasn't crying out to me.
So the Judge for this first month was Francois.. no, Francoise... umm I forget, lets call him Frank for short. Frank was very specific about how he wants to see images. He wants them "RAZOR SHARP", and I quote "images need to be Razor Sharp".
Fortunately my images were "RAZOR SHARP", sadly one was of a sunset type scene. Frank suggested if your going to submit Sunset Scenes, it had better be spectacular because he's seen them all. Wonderful! this exhibition night should be interesting.
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| Sunset on Lake, score 8 |
So, feeling pretty good about myself so far. Next up a Film Marco shot I did which I featured in a previous post "Pink Wheat". Having enter film images before and watching them being judged up against digital images and imaging wizardry, I have decided to enter them through the digital process without people knowing its film. The Judges are now so used to manipulated images that they aren't able to assess film images the way they should.
Needless to say my second entry into the "macro" category scored me a repeated 7. I didnt expect to score so well anyways. Its a random shot with shallow depth of field that really makes the image kind of messy, since the wheat was blowing in the wind, it was a case of rapid shooting to get one good one. Perhaps if I attempted some better selective cropping it could work better. I am really not a "special effects" type person, I enjoy good "razor sharp" images that I can capture in the camera and tweak mildly in programs like Lightroom. I am soooo not a heavy filter on top of filter type of guy. I am going to keep sticking to my plan and the photography I enjoy. Good "razor sharp" images as close to out of camera as possible and hopefully they will look "spectacular". Is that OK Frank?
We did have an assigned topic for this month, "though a window", but alas I didnt have anything I thought really worthy that might score well. No need to put in something I personally wouldn't have scored well. This was a pic I considered but it wasn't crying out to me.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
"But my phone takes better pictures...":dltphoto
Sadly, I hear this all to often. What can you say to this? YES, certainly a Phone is a handy device. More than likely you have it on at all times and as Chase Jarvis says, "the best camera is the one you have with you", at least I think Chase thought that up. However, NO your phone is not better than a camera. The final output is so much better with an actual camera. Now I have been promoting the use of a phone as a cool imaging device, and that's what it is, Cool, Handy, Quick, Convenient. Sometimes, if the scene is right, it can be hard to tell a phone shot from a camera shot, but it doesn't replace a real camera.
Below are two images of the same scene, but dramatically different in look. One from my Nikon DSLR, and the other from my Samsung Galaxy S Phone.
In my eyes the more intriguing image is the first one. Its far more interesting with the wonderfully shallow depth of field that can be only created by the superior talents of a real camera, I could probably add some fancy action to the phone image, like a tilt-shift effect to make it more appealing but I still don't have the in-camera control to get the shot the way I want.
So, Yes a phone creates fun images but a REAL camera creates much BETTER images as long as you are willing to learn it!
Further to that... here are two images below. One with my phone and one with another camera, cropped to almost the same shot and both straight out of ummmm, well Camera!!!! Can you tell?
Below are two images of the same scene, but dramatically different in look. One from my Nikon DSLR, and the other from my Samsung Galaxy S Phone.
In my eyes the more intriguing image is the first one. Its far more interesting with the wonderfully shallow depth of field that can be only created by the superior talents of a real camera, I could probably add some fancy action to the phone image, like a tilt-shift effect to make it more appealing but I still don't have the in-camera control to get the shot the way I want.
So, Yes a phone creates fun images but a REAL camera creates much BETTER images as long as you are willing to learn it!
Further to that... here are two images below. One with my phone and one with another camera, cropped to almost the same shot and both straight out of ummmm, well Camera!!!! Can you tell?
Monday, September 10, 2012
August 2012, Favourite Shot: dltphoto
On our way back from our last camping trip with stopped off just past Hell's Gate at Alexandra Bridge. I have seen it from the main road many times but since we were "kid-less", we thought it a good opportunity to explore it. It was baking hot during the 15 minute walk to get down to the cool old bridge!
The bridge deck, which I cant imagine is the original deck was a really cool, yet weird, metal link design. The kind where you really don't want to drop anything small you might be holding, like a phone or compact camera, otherwise they are gone forever in the gushing Fraser river.
This particular shot it s a little off-putting, it tricks my eyes into thinking the top of the shot is wider than the bottom, yet it is a very straight rectangle of course, cameras don't lie! Does it do the same for you?
The bridge deck, which I cant imagine is the original deck was a really cool, yet weird, metal link design. The kind where you really don't want to drop anything small you might be holding, like a phone or compact camera, otherwise they are gone forever in the gushing Fraser river.
This particular shot it s a little off-putting, it tricks my eyes into thinking the top of the shot is wider than the bottom, yet it is a very straight rectangle of course, cameras don't lie! Does it do the same for you?
Friday, September 07, 2012
Cross Processing..was it a happy accident?: dltphoto
Slide film development is a colour reversal process allowing a positive image instead of the classic negative, there is also a technique of doing it incorrectly, purposefully, to reach an entirely different end result. This has become commonly known as Cross Processing.
I imagine someone sometime ago accidentally, not on purpose, developed there Slide film in the colour negative process and was probably jolly ticked off, however, after calming down found the results to be somewhat interesting!
Instead of the Slide film (E6 process) going into the correct chemical procedure, putting it into the regular (C41 process) film negative process can render some very interesting results.
Firstly, its no longer a Positive, please remember back to holding up slides to the light and seeing a positive image (Fig A) you may have to go back a few years!!
Anyways, since we are scrapping this correct process the film now becomes a negative! ( Fig B)
Now we have run it through the in-correct chemicals we have also "tainted" the colours in the process. We should now expect a higher contrast and bolder colours in the cross processed negative. This can lead to blown out highlights and sometimes loss of detail.... but we are monkeying with the correct process. Its our own fault. ummmm Blah blah blah..... here's the good stuff!
I imagine someone sometime ago accidentally, not on purpose, developed there Slide film in the colour negative process and was probably jolly ticked off, however, after calming down found the results to be somewhat interesting!
Instead of the Slide film (E6 process) going into the correct chemical procedure, putting it into the regular (C41 process) film negative process can render some very interesting results.
Firstly, its no longer a Positive, please remember back to holding up slides to the light and seeing a positive image (Fig A) you may have to go back a few years!!
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| Fig A |
Anyways, since we are scrapping this correct process the film now becomes a negative! ( Fig B)
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| Fig B |
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Granny & Grumpa's Antiques, Abbotsford: dltphoto
I was introduced to an unbelievable new shooting location by one of my photo accomplices, right under our noses here in Abbotsford on the Circle Farm Tour. I didn't have much of an idea of what I was really going to see there. Next time I visit I should have a goal or a topic to shoot, since there is SO much to see there, It was quite overwhelming. Barns and barns full of, well... junk. At least junk to someone, collectable works of art to others. Expected to only spend an hour or so there, we ended up calling it a day 3 hours later, and really still didn't do the place justice from a photographic point of view. (check Wallace's Post)
Mainly I could see more "instagr.am" style shots than really good photo content. Many signs and random objects that you wouldn't normally see. Overall after being kind of wow'ed by the place for the first hour or so I settled in to some shooting. Since it was all so packed in and dark the use of flash became apparent. For some reason though I couldn't get my flash mojo going. Maybe it was my accidental foot dunk into a murky green bog thing, the concrete surrounding it had a small channel built into it with rotten plywood covering it... note to self, don't walk on plywood on concrete. Fortunately nothing got damaged, a few scrapes on the equipment and the leg, but it all still works. Could have been a lot worse!
Plenty of textures to be had. That part I really enjoyed. Anything old and rusty is going to photograph well. I found a couple of old ornate radiators basking in the sun....texture heaven
Mainly I could see more "instagr.am" style shots than really good photo content. Many signs and random objects that you wouldn't normally see. Overall after being kind of wow'ed by the place for the first hour or so I settled in to some shooting. Since it was all so packed in and dark the use of flash became apparent. For some reason though I couldn't get my flash mojo going. Maybe it was my accidental foot dunk into a murky green bog thing, the concrete surrounding it had a small channel built into it with rotten plywood covering it... note to self, don't walk on plywood on concrete. Fortunately nothing got damaged, a few scrapes on the equipment and the leg, but it all still works. Could have been a lot worse!
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| The Pea Soup-Green Bog |
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| The "Hole" |
Plenty of textures to be had. That part I really enjoyed. Anything old and rusty is going to photograph well. I found a couple of old ornate radiators basking in the sun....texture heaven
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Murky Underside of the Stunning Upperside: dltphoto
Many moons ago I acquired a wonderfully different camera to add to my Nikon collection. The Nikonos V film camera, as posted previously somewhere, sometime ago, on a blog post far, far away.
I resurrected it for some fun underwater antic's. Our kids hesitance to swim in the gorgeous green lake this year, without life jacket, was mildly frustrating. All of them now are very capable swimmers but I guess the massive lake must be a tad intimidating. Until of course I splashed out the Nikonos V and then off came the life jackets and on came the diving underwater with reckless abandon. It was quite the turnaround. I created monsters.
Working with the Nikonos is kind of odd, apparently water has some defraction non-sense that means when I focus a certain distance its actually not that distance blah blah blah... I found a technique of my own. GUESS IT.
Along with the "GUESS IT" technique, I applied the "hold the camera underwater and GUESS that they are in the shot!" technique. With the 28mm lens its fairly safe that I will get most of them in the shot as for hands and feet etc... well, that's part of the fun for me. So featured below are some of the better "GUESS IT'S" that I ended up with.
I resurrected it for some fun underwater antic's. Our kids hesitance to swim in the gorgeous green lake this year, without life jacket, was mildly frustrating. All of them now are very capable swimmers but I guess the massive lake must be a tad intimidating. Until of course I splashed out the Nikonos V and then off came the life jackets and on came the diving underwater with reckless abandon. It was quite the turnaround. I created monsters.
Working with the Nikonos is kind of odd, apparently water has some defraction non-sense that means when I focus a certain distance its actually not that distance blah blah blah... I found a technique of my own. GUESS IT.
Along with the "GUESS IT" technique, I applied the "hold the camera underwater and GUESS that they are in the shot!" technique. With the 28mm lens its fairly safe that I will get most of them in the shot as for hands and feet etc... well, that's part of the fun for me. So featured below are some of the better "GUESS IT'S" that I ended up with.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
July 2012: Favourite Shot: dltphoto
This months star image for me was featured on a previous post, I just love the lines. The depth of field worked perfectly to draw my eyes toward the triangles. Rumour has it, that things in three's are the key to a successful image, which I am not entirely sold on at this time.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
David & Goliath: dltphoto
Who do you look at more?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Android meets Real Camera, Nikon Coolpix: dltphoto
Well, this looks very interesting! A Nikon camera with Android operating system. Could this be a dream? The ability to use ones Apps, directly on the camera after image conception. This is possibly something that all mytubo'ers and instagram'ers will be lining up for. More camera capability than ever before to be shared instantly. Cool!
Where do I sign up?
Nikon Canada
Where do I sign up?
Nikon Canada
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
"The Highlander": dltphoto
One of the questions people always ask me "whats your favourite lens?". ( favourite, yes I am British!)
So it may not happen to be the smallest lens in the world, or even the lightest. Actually its quite cumbersome, expensive and jolly heavy after an entire day of shooting.
So it may not happen to be the smallest lens in the world, or even the lightest. Actually its quite cumbersome, expensive and jolly heavy after an entire day of shooting.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Photography Coaching, One on One: dltphoto
I have found in these last few years that more and more people have DSLR camera's or even very advanced compacts and they still have far too many questions or a desire to learn more but need help getting started. I realise that there are many group courses put on by very capable teachers but very often learning can feel more comfortable in a one on one environment. I am now offering myself as a One on One coach for anyone who wants to learn and walk away fully understanding the reason for which they came to me for. I am offering hourly sessions from my home studio on almost any topic of photography. Taking betters pictures( Composition) , understanding the Cameras functions. Topics such as flash, both on camera and off, understanding Apertures and Shutter speeds. I can help people who are considering future business enterprises in Photography. I can even help with basic image editing, using adobe photoshop and/or adobe lightroom.
This is a very hands on, practical course where not only will I show you the methods but help you understand why we use those methods. Clearly since I am teaching out of my home studio I wont be able to offer "wildlife" photography sessions, unless I can train my unruly cat!
Feel free to email me at info@dltphoto.com, primarily I will be available on Sundays and Mondays, but other evenings can work also . A minimum of two hours at $75 then any additional hour at $30 per hour, I can deal with couples should you both want to learn at the same time for convenience, add $25 per hour for the second person.
This is a very relaxed environment, I will not cram information down your throat to make your head-spin I hope, on the other hand, coffee can be provided should I be putting you to sleep.
You will need to bring all your camera equipment with a fully charged battery and empty memory card, for tripod work I will provide that for the coaching. Any brand of camera is welcome, or type of camera. Its just about you taking better pictures!
All sessions will be operated at my Home studio in Abbotsford.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Camping 2012, Digital, Part 3: dltphoto
the last of the DSLR Pics, Sorry to bore you all!.
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| Wells, BC |
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| Somewhere in Wells, BC |
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Camping 2012, "Nostalgic Version, Part 3":dltphoto
The Final installment...
Leaving Barkerville but rather than doing a wicked 10 hour journey in one stint we decided to have one last night at Green Lake, fortunately our 'normal' camping spot was still available!
Leaving Barkerville but rather than doing a wicked 10 hour journey in one stint we decided to have one last night at Green Lake, fortunately our 'normal' camping spot was still available!
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| Tourist Centre, 100 mile house |
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Camping 2012, "Nostalgic Version, Part 2":dltphoto
So as I mentioned I had at least one blank roll.. well darn it I ended up with two! That means that the Voitlander will either undergo surgery or it will have to be retired. Everything seemed to be operational! Alas, that's the biggest loss of frames I have ever had... as I said I am not too cut up, i did shoot most things with a couple of cameras. Its disappointing but I will live.
We opted for not staying at one location this year and headed from Green Lake to a place called Barkerville, another 5 hours from Green lake, up past Quesnel in the Middle of NOWHERE. Currently Its the furthest I have traveled within BC since I have been here... This province is pretty darn big!
We opted for not staying at one location this year and headed from Green Lake to a place called Barkerville, another 5 hours from Green lake, up past Quesnel in the Middle of NOWHERE. Currently Its the furthest I have traveled within BC since I have been here... This province is pretty darn big!
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| Williams Lake Tourist Centre |
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| All of our Rigs... |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Camping 2012, "Nostalgic Version, Part 1": dltphoto
So since I have been so amazingly nostalgic since getting the two cameras from the UK, which were my dads, I thought it be fitting that for this holiday I would use the Cameras that my dad would have used for his holiday time. Now, as mentioned before, the film processing and film technology is far superior than back in his time, so the results I am getting maybe far greater than he ever got. Not to mention that I have surpassed my father in the art of photography. For him it was a hobby, the guy who was always relied on to take pics, not that he was a wealthy man who could afford many cameras, in fact quite the opposite. The Turners were a very stereo typical working class family were dessert at dinnertime was a massive luxury. I still see the little house my dad lived in back in Taunton with Uncle Norman and Granddad Sidney and Grandma Daisy, sadly I can only remember growing up seeing Uncle Norman, I have no recollection of my Turner Grandparents.... anyways.. i got off track!
So, I am using his camera's to record our holiday! Again, I am likely to be a little less frugal with the amount of shots during the vacation than he might of been, being that film and other costs would of have been maybe out of his reach.
The two camera's I used are the Pal M4 and the Voitlander BL. I grabbed some of the oldest film I had in my fridge in the hope that I might add a bit more character to the shots with some fogging and discolouration, but alas that didn't seem to effect anything, also I used a little black and white also...None of the images are edited anyways on the computer, just scanned and saved low enough rez for the blog.
So, I am using his camera's to record our holiday! Again, I am likely to be a little less frugal with the amount of shots during the vacation than he might of been, being that film and other costs would of have been maybe out of his reach.
The two camera's I used are the Pal M4 and the Voitlander BL. I grabbed some of the oldest film I had in my fridge in the hope that I might add a bit more character to the shots with some fogging and discolouration, but alas that didn't seem to effect anything, also I used a little black and white also...None of the images are edited anyways on the computer, just scanned and saved low enough rez for the blog.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Barkerville BC, Artistic View: dltphoto
As you saw on the previous post a few of my "Promotional" style shots, well here are just some of my more artistic renderings...
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| Thought I would throw a B&W in here... |
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