Capture the Moment

The Vendor

2006-02-28T22:34:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/400 sec at f/2, ISO 200
Current :: Previous

This lady had a stall in the massive flea market in Anjuna, Goa. She was a little pushy...but more than willing to pose for photos if we looked at her stall.

In the Spotlight

2006-02-25T11:45:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/1250 sec at f/2, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

One by One

2006-02-23T21:13:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (360mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

There were hundred of these little monkeys say on the roof of a train station which we stopped at about halfway on the trip on the minature steam railway from Mettupalayam to Ooty.

Final Ferry

2006-02-22T20:38:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 6 sec at f/9, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Addy's

2006-02-21T17:52:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 19mm (30mm equiv)
Exposure: 3.2 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is Addy's restaurant in Kochi, India. It's a place that's rammed full of charm and character, however it didn't live up to my girlfriends standards and she wasn't too keen on eating there. The food was good, and we weren't ill - what more could you ask for?!

Oh and I thought it was great that when we ordered pineapple juice and they obviously didn't have any pineapples, instead of asking us to choose something else - the waitress / daughter of the owner went out and bought two pineapples just for us! Now that's service.

Kochi Kathakali

2006-02-20T18:25:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/30 sec at f/2, ISO 1600

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (360mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/4, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f/4, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Phew! This was a lens changing extravaganza... Good job I had a decent chair and a front row position to view the amazing Kathakali performace in the main centre in Kochi. It's such a good show, I'd definitely recommend it, but make sure you go early and buy front row tickets.

On Location

2006-02-19T12:08:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/10, ISO 200

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/125 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (360mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/5, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

We happened to stumble across a film being shot on the steets of Kochi.

Mutton Dressed as Lamb?

2006-02-16T17:46:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/400 sec at f/5, ISO 200

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

There are loads of goats all over the place everywhere I went in India. This little dude made me laugh when I spotted that I had caught a shot with his tounge out. Oh and don't forget if you go to India, mutton in your food is nothing to do with sheep... it's goat!

Bored Fishermen

2006-02-15T20:38:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/7.1, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

These guys were working on the chinese cantilever fishing nets in Kochi, not really catching much, but my guess is that they are being paid by the local government to operate the nets for tourists. They looked pretty bored.

Tea Cosy

2006-02-14T17:55:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/1000 sec at f/5, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

The little tea cosy thing that was on the outboard motor in this shot made me smile.

Bright Eyes

2006-02-13T19:52:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/2, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

We stopped off to top up our water supply on the boat and met a group of kids. All they wanted was pens and chocolate! Nice for a change not be be asked for money.

Troubled

2006-02-12T17:51:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 180mm (288mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

My girlfriend and I hired a houseboat to take us on a tour around the backwaters near Kollam. It was fantastic, I would recommend it to everyone. Make sure you try to get a government organised boat though, otherwise you'll be charged a fortune (by Indian standards). Make sure you're hungry too... the chef we had was a bit of a sadist... Great food, but he couldn't take no for an answer!

Last Catch

2006-02-11T11:57:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 22mm (35mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

The fishermen finish their day on the water under the sunset on the beach at Kovalam, near Trivandrum.

Wanna Ride?

2006-02-10T17:38:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/400 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot at a beach just along the coast from Kovalam, near Trivandrum. The guy on the horse was offering rides on his horse, I declined but was lucky enough to catch him in a shot as he flew off.

The Spice Quarter

2006-02-09T19:20:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/40 sec at f/9, ISO 200

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

The spice market in Madurai wasn't quite as big or varied as we had hoped, but still a cool memory all the same. God knows how long it would take you to sell a massive sack of chillies like these. Evidently not too long!

Jasmine by the Pound

2006-02-08T20:22:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/60 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

Madurai Flower Market

2006-02-06T17:53:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

The Lonely Planet guide says that there's a flower market hidden in a building near to the Sri Meenakshi temple in Madurai, great photo opportunity I though, so off we went in search of it.

I had dragged along my girlfriend and Deborah (an Aussie was travelling on her own who we had met some days earlier). As the building is hidden away we were looking a bit lost and we were surrounded by children begging for money. A man came over an chased the children away, he asked if he could help us. So we described that we were looking for the place that all the flower traders and garland makers bought their flowers. He knew exactly where and led us off... we seemed to be getting too far away from the temple (if the guide book was to be believed) but we soon stopped at a little side street and followed the guy down the increasingly dirty road. We got to the bottom of some steps after hopping over some big puddles and piles of soft looking wet crap. The steps were thick with this nastiness, we soon realised that we were in the right place as the stuff on the steps looked like plant matter of some kind.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had a good look around upstairs and took a quite a few photographs. The girls left after about 2 minutes to clean the black mushy nasiness off their feet and to find somewhere they could buy some Dettol (no, really). Then once we were back out, our informal 'guide' turned out to be a hawker for one of the local emporiums. No real surprise, just a little disappointing as he seemed ok.

So the photographs don't really show the dirtyness of the place at all and funnily enough I've just been chatting to this guy over email about the same subject. Take a look at his stuff, it's pretty cool.

The Light Within

2006-02-05T20:30:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 6 sec at f/10, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Now I'm sure this is the last shot I have to show you of the Sri Meenakshi temple complex in Madurai, India. I still have another few of Madurai, but none of the temple...

It's a pity there are obvious fluorescent lights in this shot, but I suppose it's still a true representation of the temple.

Sri Meenakshi

2006-02-04T18:38:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/20 sec at f/2, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 168mm (267mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/9, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Erm, when I said in my last post that were were moving on from Madurai... I was a little confused. I looked back in my diary today and realised I still had more to go through! What can I say, it was a very long holiday and we saw so many wonderful things, it's easy to get mixed up...

So here you are, our early morning visit of the Sri Meenakshi temple.

Goodbye Madurai

2006-02-03T16:18:00.001Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 26mm (42mm equiv)
Exposure: 20 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

The Sri Meenakshi temple complex in Madurai. This was one of our last sights before departing south toward Trivandrum.

Bangle Trader

2006-02-02T18:30:00.000Z

I have entered this shot in the Photo Friday challenge - Vanity. Comments and votes welcome!

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50 f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/125 sec at f/2, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50 f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/2, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

My girlfriend bought some bangles from this man who is also the owner of the brightly painted fingernail in the first shot. I'm not sure what the reason was (other than to show his products), and the reason why I'm wondering why he had his nail painted was that I saw a few men in different places across India with one of theirs painted too. Anyone know why?

Tailored Two

2006-02-01T19:08:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/60 sec at f/2, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 4 sec at f/11, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

The tailoring was finished for the day, and the ground told the story of how busy the scissors and sewing machines had been.

Tailored

2006-01-31T19:33:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/1.8, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/30 sec at f/2, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

The two characters worked a few stalls up from where my girlfriend and I bought our clothes in my previous post. I remember the man in the first shot was so keen for me to take his photograph, he told me his name, and I'm sure it's not correct but I pronounced it as 'Sammy'. People are so friendly in India it's great, moreso than any other place I've been (noting that this was my first trip outside Europe...).

Madurai Tailors

2006-01-30T19:43:00.001Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/15 sec at f/8, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 19mm (30mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

I can't decide what photographs to post and what not to, but I think four in one day is pushing it a bit. I could just drag it out, but it would be 2007 before I finish showing off all my India shots!

Anyway, these shots show just a few of the taylors which are based in the massive Sri Meenakshi temple complex. It's a fun but tiring experience, and I think the Lonely Planet guide was correct when it mentioned the quality of the tailors varied wildly along with the prices. On our first day there (when these were shot) we had a quick look around and then picked some fabric and were measured up for our new clothes. I ordered a couple of shirts and my girlfriend bought some Salwar Kameez (about Rs. 220/- and Rs. 400/- respectively). We went back in the evening and picked up the finished articles, we left pretty pleased.

The next day we went back feeling pretty chuffed with our purchases the day before, and thought we'd have another look around... but we were ultimately sucked in by the cheaper offers of another tailor (notice the red and white striped t-shirt guy who was strangely hanging around the day before in the shots above...). What a waste of time. To cut a long story short, when we went to pick up our new clothes we ended up being so disappointed that we had to have a big argument with the fabric shop owner about the abysmal quality of the clothes. The money involved wasn't a problem by UK standards, but no-one likes being ripped off. So I took just one shirt and ended up paying about double what I had the day before for two shirts, and my girlfriend argued well enough to get all her money back.

My top tip - make sure the fabric shop owner has his own tailors working there right in front of him.

So What?

2006-01-29T19:30:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/80 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

I love how most of the Indian locals don't even blink an eyelid when there's an elephant walking down a busy shopping street. I say most, because it's still an event for some of them.

After it had finished raining in the previous shots, we continued down the street only to find this guy and his elephant walking from shop to shop. The shop owners were coming out and giving something to the elephant, then it would reach up with it's trunk and pat them on the head as a type of blessing, or thank you I think. So being the silly tourists we were, we started looking in our bags for some biscuits or something to feed the elephant... We soon worked out and the locals weren't feeding the elephant, but giving it money!

So I got my couple of Rupees out and over came the elephant. I dropped the coins in the trunk and up it came to pat me on the head. I'm a bit taller than the average Indian, so I didn't so much get a pat on the head as a thump on the noggin. I went away happy though, but we never did work out where the hell the elephant put all the coins...

When it Rains, it Pours

2006-01-28T10:00:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 33mm (53mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 33mm (53mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/9, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

We wondered the streets of Pondicherry on our last day in the city looking for some padlocks and chain for our first Indian train trip (we didn't realise that it was a sensible idea to lock our bags up whilst we slept... travel virgins eh?). It then started to rain, and in India this was ony a little tiny shower, for us it was massive - so we took a break and sat on the entrance steps to a shop. It didn't take long before the shop keeper and his sons, brothers, uncles, cousins and friends were there too looking over my shoulder to see the screen on my camera.

In the Heat

2006-01-27T16:43:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/8, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

These shots were taken in the blazing hot sun of the botanical gardens in Pondicherry, India. It was ok until we suddenly walked into a cloud of mosquitos and were getting bitten like crazy... We left, quickly.

House of God

2006-01-26T20:52:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/4 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 0.4 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/9, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is the Sacred Heart Jesus church in Pondicherry. We didn't see many christian churches in India (not because they're not common, just because we weren't that interested - there's plenty to see here...). But still this one was pretty nice and well kept by Indian standards.

Auroville

2006-01-19T19:47:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200mm f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/320 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Auroville is a small community which has been set up just outside Pondicherry. I'll let you read the blurb in the link, but basically it's a group of people from all sorts of nations all over the world who want to live in a place without religion but with respect for others. Unfortunately the only day we could go was a Sunday so a lot of it was closed, but we did get to see this place - the Matrimandir and Amphitheatre. There was some work going on to repair the Matrimandir so we didn't see it in it's full glory.

Bay of Bengal

2006-01-18T18:58:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/2500 sec at f/2, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64 equiv)
Exposure: 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

The tail end of a cyclone was just passing by Pondicherry, so the weather on our first day wasn't brilliant.

Rendezvous - Pondy

2006-01-17T19:45:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/20 sec at f/2.8, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/8 sec at f/3.5, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

The Kingfisher was cold, and the food in this restaurant was great. If you're ever in Pondicherry - give it a try.

Pondicherry Post Office

2006-01-16T21:18:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1600

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 40mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f/4, ISO 800

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (80mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/40 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

We were posting Christmas cards home. Funny how the little things stand out as being different - like the fact that not all stamps come with glue on them that you lick. I'm not sure what I prefer, licking glue, or getting my fingers covered in this green paste...

Oh and for those of you who have Google Earth here is a link to the rough location of where this was shot. I say rough because the satellite coverage in India is very poor so I can't find it exactly. I spotted this idea on another photoblog somewhere (I can't remember where, so if it was you - sorry!).

Auto!

2006-01-15T22:05:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/40 sec at f/4, ISO 200

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/160 sec at f/4, ISO 100

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ mm (64mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/40 sec at f/7.1, ISO 200

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/60 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Driver: "Meter?...no, no, no sir!"
Me: "Look ok, 40 rupees?"
Driver: (shakes head and smiles) "Please sir, petrol is expensive!"
Me: "C'mon, I'm not a stupid tourist..." (beckons another auto)
Driver: "ok, ok" (gestures toward the seat, my girlfriend and I get in)
(Auto arrives at destination, I get out and pay)
Me: "You're ripping me off" (thinks, well it's only about 50p)
Driver: "..." (massive grin and customary head wiggle)

The bartering with the auto drivers and shop keepers was endless, 99% good natured and I enjoyed it so much. But it really wears you down after a while if you're in a crap mood and things aren't going your way. My starting bid was normally about 20% of 'the price', my girlfriend was much more generous and normally started at about 50% (tourist!).

Kathna Stainless

2006-01-13T19:47:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

My girlfriend and I were just walking along the street when this place blinded us from the 'pavement'. Note: in many places in India there isn't continuous pavement along the street, you'll have to dodge piles of rubble, rubbish, cars, lorries, etc. It's strange actually, at first when you have to walk along the side of a busy road with your back to the oncoming traffic it's quite scary. Then by the end you don't mind at all as you realise that the drivers seem to be much more vigilant over there and used to driving very, very close to things and can judge distances!

Chennai Garlands

2006-01-12T20:32:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/100 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Happy new year to you all and I'm glad we all made it to the other side! I'm just about recovered from my month in India... It was fantastic, such interesting people, mad trips in auto rickshaws, brilliant food and wonderful scenery. Just go. Book it now.

I could ramble on here for ages about the whole trip, but hopefully the journey should explain itself as I post the photographs over the coming weeks.

This was shot in Chennai, my first destination. My girlfriend and I spotted these guys who were weaving flower garlands just off the street. Everyone uses flowers in India... Women put them in their hair, garlands get draped over doorways and over cars, trains, etc. It's great really, fresh jasmine in the air wherever you go. Well ok, not everywhere... some places stink like you wouldn't believe. Anyway these guys were pleased to have their picture taken.

Unknown

2005-12-04T23:34:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 603 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Hi everyone, this will sadly be my last post of 2005. On Tuesday I'm off on holiday to India! I won't be back until the new year, but you can rest assured that there'll be some interesting shots to look forward to.

Merry Christmas and happy new year!

But please don't forget about this site in the interim! I'd advise you to use my Atom Feed so you know when I'm back and don't have to keep checking manually. Incase you're new to all this, by using an Atom feed reader (or 'news aggregator') in your browser you can find all the updates and headlines to things you're interested in. Rather than me trying to explain it, read the Wiki.

I went out this evening to shoot some nice Christmas photographs, the 'light trail' at Westonbirt Arboretum would be perfect I thought. Wrong. Lets just say when you've seen one tree with a big red light shining on it, you've seen them all.

So I came home totally frustrated having taken no decent photos. So off I went again to trusty old Portishead. Problem is, there's no moon at the minute. So it was tricky to get a decent exposure, but the area I went to didn't lend itself to night shooting anyway. There's loads of light pollution down by the pier (hence the strange colour on this shot). EDIT >> The colour is annoying me on this shot, I'm packing to go on holiday and I just had to get back on here to change it! It's obviously now B&W, you can see the colour version here still.

In The Jungle

2005-11-20T23:02:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 422 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

The fog has put me off shooting this weekend, so instead I thought I may as well post this.

This was the path to the viaduct in the previous shots. As I walked over this little bridge to get the viaduct, I thought I'd be shooting it on the way back. It was a bit too cold and late, so I popped this one in the can and left for home.

Pull The Plug Alt

2005-11-18T20:34:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1086 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is quite similar to the shot from yesterday, but I still thought it was worth posting. The shot here is actually a composite of two shots taken in sequence, so the viaduct is exposed the same in both, but the stars have rotated further in the second photograph. So this makes a kind of 18 minute exposure.

Pull The Plug

2005-11-17T20:41:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 603 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I wish, I wish, I wish I had knocked the ISO down and exposed this for much longer (yes ok Bob!). I didn't see that I had caught the North Star in this shot and I now wish the trails were much longer. Oh well, another time.

By the way, this took bloody ages to process in photoshop. Mostly because I was messing about trying different stuff and reading my trusty photoshop book. The nice thing was, in the end I shut the file down and started fresh and did it all properly in about 10 minutes. I learned some cool new sharpening techniques to bring out the stars, and I'm glad to say I mixed and matched parts of different techniques from the book and added in a bit of my own stuff to get the best result. I think I'm actually starting to know roughly what I'm doing...

Midnight Catwalk

2005-11-16T23:30:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 724 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I wanted the stars to show up a little clearer in this, but sadly not.

I have a load of pictures of this Pensford viaduct from tonight but it's waaaaay too late and I should be in bed. So this is literally the first shot, I've processed it quickly and slapped it on here. Tell me what you think!

Black Nore

2005-11-14T22:05:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 483 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot in Portishead too. It's not quite as good as last night's shot. But still one of my favorites. Oh and do yourself a favour - go and check this out - No Traces. It blows my night photography away, just brilliant.

Battery Point

2005-11-13T01:07:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 905 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I haven't posted in a little while as it's been a little manic around here. My girlfriend has gone to live in India to carry out some research for her PhD so we have been running around organising stuff and hence I haven't been shooting much. Now that she's gone I'm really bored... come back soon honey! The solution to the boredom has to be my 20D, so out I went tonight. The moon is pretty full, the sky was clear and this is what I ended up with.

This is Battery Point in Portishead. Kinda strange place to be in the middle of the night, but very relaxing in the moonlight. Starting to get cold over here now though so I shot a few 10 - 15 minute frames and then came home.

Wonderland

2005-11-03T17:45:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50 f/1.4 (80mm equiv) with Canon 250D close up lens
Exposure: 1/3200 sec at f/1.4, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

Doh. I really want my next camera to display the ISO in the viewfinder. Even still, ISO 800 is still pretty smooth with the 20D. Especially when processed through Neat Image it comes out great.

The 50mm f/1.4 is a great lens too, super tiny DOF when you want it and super sharp when stopped down a tiny fraction. For this kind of shot it's brilliant.

On The Slipway

2005-11-02T20:01:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 149mm (239mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/500 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Llys-y-fran Dam

2005-11-01T21:33:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 163mm (261mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/13, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Dominating Dam

2005-10-30T12:56:00.000Z

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 70mm (112mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/640 sec at f/10, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

This shot was taken at the Llys-y-fran dam.

Lotus Elise

2005-10-29T21:25:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv) with Cir-Pol
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/7.1, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is Dean's little baby. A top quality Lotus Elise , some would argue that this Series One is better looking than the S2. I'm not so sure, but I think in 10 or 20 years time this version will look much nicer.

On a photographic front, some may squirm at split in sky/foreground not matching the golden rule of thirds. I think it works though...

Civic Type R

2005-10-28T15:54:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv) with Cir-Pol
Exposure: 1/40 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is one of the first shots from the weekend that I spent with my mates Jim and Dean. This is Jim's Civic Type R. It's a pretty nice car, looks good, handles well and feels quite connected. I wouldn't say no anyway!

As for boy racer (ricer if you're American) comments, well it is actually possible to drive normally, and you can rest assured that none of us are into that rubbish. Oh, except Dean though. ;)

Prepare To Strike

2005-10-25T17:43:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, my parents have been visiting and I spent a weekend out with the lads shooting our cars and driving some great roads in Wales (stay tuned!).

Quiet For Now

2005-10-13T21:47:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

She is a young bald eagle, apparently you can tell by the colour of the whiteish feathers. A fully mature bird is totally white around it's head, neck and tail.

See, I was listening during the display!

Prickly

2005-10-12T19:33:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 188mm (301mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

As with the previous couple of shots, this was taken at the National Birds of Prey Centre.

I like this shot, although it needs more DOF.

Gaze

2005-10-11T17:34:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/320 sec at f/9, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Another shot from the National Birds of Prey Centre near Newent in Gloucestershire.

The Stare

2005-10-10T17:53:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/800 sec at f/11, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is one of a few shots I'll post after I went to the National Birds of Prey Centre.

Whilst I was there I met another keen photographer and very nice lady called Linda Wright. You have a look at her shots from the centre over here, I'd recommend it.

Warp Speed

2005-10-09T17:41:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L
Exposure: 0.6 sec at f/22, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot in the 'Explore' part of @Bristol. My girlfriend was swinging a load of light rope around. Infact, it's the same light rope featured a while back here

Incidentally, I messed up the exposure on this shot, ISO was way too high. I'm another person that wants Canon to add a permanent ISO value in the viewfinder...

Salad Cream

2005-10-08T21:20:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4 (with Canon 250D close-up filter)
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I love how sharp this lens is.

Midnight Mass

2005-10-03T20:35:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 120 sec at f/8, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

I almost forgot about this pic, I was fumbling around my folders looking for something to post and struck gold! It was only about a week and a half ago I think, but it had totally gone from memory. I want to sky to have a more dramatic colour, but I didn't want to go overboard with Photoshop.

In other news, I'm a bit stiff and sore so I'm not out shooting tonight. I spent a few hours yesterday and Saturday changing the brake pads and discs on my car. I've never done it before and I'm so glad I did. Quite easy really (but a bit of a workout!) once I had the right tools (7mm allen key anyone?) and it saved me about £100...hmm what camera gear could I buy with that?

Cutlery & Soy

2005-09-29T21:56:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 50 f/1.4
Exposure: 1/200 sec at f/2, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot in Budokan. Thanks for the meal honey ;)

Christmas Steps

2005-09-28T21:56:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 4 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I like this shot a lot, but the lens flare annoys me. I might go back and re-shoot it, I have a suspicion that my 'multi-coated' UV filter may have been to blame.

This is another shot taken on the Christmas Steps in Bristol. I should have said last time, but these steps have been there since 1669! Still looking good!

Arnolfini

2005-09-27T18:44:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is the Arnolfini in Bristol. It's a place with lots of different things to see and do. It has a bar and cafe, as well as showing films and hosting exhibitions.

Thirteen Foot, Six

2005-09-26T17:47:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/50 sec at f/4, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

John King

2005-09-25T17:39:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/400 sec at f/5, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot looking across the docks in Bristol.

In A Rush

2005-09-24T20:12:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 0.6 sec at f/13, ISO 400
Next :: Current :: Previous

Do long exposures of traffic like this look interesting or are they a huge cliché these days?

Sazz on the Steps

2005-09-23T18:06:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/2 sec at f/8, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot on the Christmas Steps in Bristol.

I go through cycles of loving and hating the colour of our streetlights here in the UK. These weren't too orange, but I've still had to tweak the RAW file until it (the general colour of the image) looked better. Still not as I'd like it...but, oh well.

Close Combat

2005-09-22T18:08:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 200mm (320mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/4000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

These guys flew over where I work the other day. It's not often these days that you'll get the chance to see two Spitfires flying side by side.

Fiesta ST

2005-09-20T22:02:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 118mm (189mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/125 sec at f/4, ISO 1600
Next :: Current :: Previous

I was going to perhaps post one of the shots I took tonight, but I've just got back in and it's too late. So as with yesterday here's another from the other night at the rally.

Edit: Blogger is rubbish sometimes and I can't post. This has been waiting since last night!

WRC Wales 2005

2005-09-19T22:34:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 70-200 f/4L @ 188mm (300mm equiv)
Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/13, ISO 800
Next :: Current :: Previous

I went to the Millenium Stadium on Saturday to see the World Rally Championship roll into town. The rally legend Colin McRae was driving for the fist time in a few years, and this shot shows him attacking a double apex corner.

But any of you who follow the rallying will have heard some very sad news. Michael 'Beef' Park was sadly killed on one of the final stages the next day. He was Markko Martins co-driver. I would have posted a picture here, but the only shot I had of their car from the previous night was out of focus.

I feel very sorry for the family that Michael leaves behind. He risked his life to have a good laugh and entertain thousands and thousands of people like me. Thankyou Michael.

AT-AT

2005-09-18T19:27:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 19mm (30mm equiv)
Exposure: 573 sec at f/14, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

I just love loooong exposures like this, streaky clouds and star trails. I thought I'd follow up my previous shot of this pylon, as the last one was shot with my old camera and is full of noise. The slightly strange colour of the pylon and grass etc is the effect the nearby streetlights have.

Man Made

2005-09-16T20:42:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 120 sec at f/13, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

After taking the previous photo of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, I noticed a cool glow in the sky beside me. There was a mixture of streetlight bouncing off the clouds and sky peeking through. So I turned the camera up and around and fired this off.

And yes, I tweaked the colours slightly in the RAW converter in Photoshop.

Brunel's Finest

2005-09-15T22:06:00.000+01:00

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: EF 17-40 f/4L @ 17mm (27mm equiv)
Exposure: 120 sec at f/13, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's finest creations. It's the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

999

2005-09-14T21:13:00.000+01:00

17mm, 8 sec at f/11, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Hi everyone!

Hopefully some of you are getting this via the Atom feed from this blog, that way I might not have lost all of my old regulars...

Ok, so why haven't I posted in aaaaaages? Well, a lot of things have been happening recently. I have been working with a wedding photographer as an assistant, mainly shooting candids. This actually took a lot out of me (photographically speaking), I found it difficult to go out after the wedding shoots and be creative all over again. I have been shooting at least 1 wedding a week for the past couple of months.

So I was in a bit of a creative slump and I felt I needed a break from trying to post every day. I should have really left a message here saying that, I have no excuses - I'm rubbish.

So welcome back to any of you who used to visit here regularly, and hello to any new people!

Oh and one other thing has changed...after using a DSLR at each wedding I decided it was high time that I splashed out on this 'hobby' and got my own proper kit. So now I'm the proud owner of:

- Canon 20D digital SLR (with grip)
- Canon 17-40mm f/4L
- Canon 70-200mm f/4L
- Canon 50mm f/1.4
- Canon 580EX speedlite
- Canon TC-80N3 remote timer
- Manfrotto 055MF3 tripod with 488 RC2 ballhead

No excuses for crap photos now...

Croyde Sunset

2005-07-18T21:25:00.000+01:00

50mm equiv, 1 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot about 45 miutes before yesterday's shot. The change in light was pretty dramatic, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.

Moon Wash

2005-07-17T21:43:00.000+01:00

35mm equiv, 15 sec at f/4, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

My girlfriend and I went to Croyde (further around the south coast from Bristol) for the weekend. It was great, fantastic weather, nice people, lovely beach and very relaxing.

Once we had a bite to eat on Friday night we decided we'd go to the beach for a while, but the sun was going down fast. I took a couple of shots of us in the sun and then the sun had gone and the moon was helping to light the beach.

My girlfriend noticed the shine of the moon on the water so we went for a look and I took some more photographs. It was such a laugh because we were messing about with long exposures. Firing the flash during a 15 second exposure then moving about into other positions. I'd never taken long exposures with the flash before as animate objects (people!) don't appear too often in my night shots. But we had a great time and I'll remember it for years I think.

Wispy Water

2005-07-14T21:47:00.000+01:00

100mm equiv, 1.5 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I'm not sure if I like this or not. Something about the cold colour puts me off I think.

Hexagonal

2005-07-13T23:20:00.000+01:00

24mm equiv, 0.6 sec at f/7, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is the Giant's Causeway in Bushmills, back home in Northern Ireland.

Rocky Outcrop

2005-07-06T18:46:00.000+01:00

210mm equiv, 1/120 sec at f/7, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I went back home to Northern Ireland at the weekend, I've just had a quick flick through some of the shots I took and this one popped out.

Aston Martin DBR1

2005-06-29T18:17:00.000+01:00

Canon 10D 216mm equiv, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
Next :: Current :: Previous

Another car from the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This 1957 Aston Martin scored 6 of the 8 international wins from '57-'59 that were made by this particular model. The wins included Goodwood TT's, Nürburgring 1000km and Le Mans.

Triumph Dolomite Sprint

2005-06-27T17:34:00.000+01:00

Canon 10D 105mm equiv, 1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is a 1974 Triumph Dolomite Sprint. This 235bhp Group 2 car set the 2 litre lap record of 99.92mph around the 1975 Silverstone TT.

I was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday, and it was class as always. In retrospect I didn't see as much as I could have. But this time it was purely on a photographic mission, and the main lesson was 'panning'.

I went with a couple of other guys who were keen on the photography side too, Terry allowed me to use his Canon 10D with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. My opinion? Much easier to pick up and use than the Nikon D70. The actual photographs were very similar, possibly the Canon having a slight lead on the metering.

And Lewis used my little Fuji. We got covered in dust, expensive cameras and all. Kinda difficult to stay out of it when a Group A World Rally Car blasts sideways a few metres past you. But it was still good fun.

Problem...

2005-06-26T12:01:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 29mm equiv, 1/2000 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

He landed ok... just.

Reverse

2005-06-23T19:28:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 70mm equiv, 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I wish I hadn't chopped of part of his rear rim, but otherwise I like this.

Do you think the horizon should be straight?

Big Air

2005-06-22T17:26:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 29mm equiv, 1/2000 sec at f/5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This was shot at Hengrove skate and bmx park in Bristol. The kid with the blue rim was Scott, and he was pretty good on a bike.

Bristol Biking

2005-06-21T18:11:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 112mm equiv, 1/100 sec at f/16, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride happened on Sunday, so I decided I'd get out in the scorching early morning / midday sun to try my panning skills with the D70.

Result? Bloody difficult. I realise that panning is something that you have to take time to really learn, but the screen on the D70 wasn't helping me much. I tried to zoom in on some shots I'd taken to check for blur in the wrong places and it was really hard to see. To be fair to the camera, it was very bright, but I felt it could have been better.

So as a result I ended up with many, many exposures in the recycle bin. But I did catch about 3 or 4 almost spot on. I was working in shutter priority, trying a multitude of shutter speeds to catch the right amount of background blur whilst still giving me a chance to track the subject and keep them sharp.

Mallards Pike

2005-06-20T21:19:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 28mm equiv, 1/80 sec at f/22, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is the Mallards Pike lake in the Forest of Dean.

Fishing

2005-06-19T14:53:00.000+01:00

Nikon D70 28mm equiv, 1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I borrowed a Nikon D70 from a friend (cheers Dave!) for the weekend. As the weather was amazing, Carole and I went for a drive around the Forest of Dean. We stopped off by a lake and I met these two lads out fishing. Malc and Stu were just pulling in a catch as I walked past.

I thought this would make a cool photograph with their bikes in the foreground. But the light was so harsh that it was tricky getting a decent exposure.

I think the D70 is a great camera, but I'm having to get used to it's metering system. Compared to my little Fuji it seems quite different.

Teenage Kicks Alt

2005-06-16T21:20:00.000+01:00

65mm equiv, 1/100 sec at f/3, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Well Rock asked in the previous post, and he shall receive.

This is a crop (therefore with larger more visible grain), but in B&W the grain adds an element rather than detracting I think.

Teenage Kicks

2005-06-12T17:29:00.000+01:00

126mm equiv, 1/110 sec at f/3.1, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

His favorite song is Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. He sells the Big Issue in Bristol city centre on most days, and he'll probably sleep rough tonight.

Yellow Belly

2005-06-09T22:07:00.000+01:00

79mm equiv, 1/10 sec at f/3, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Over on the Google Photoblogs Group there was a thread about clichéd photoblog shots. I thought I may as well add another flower pic to the billions out there. Although I can't claim it's anywhere near as professional as Alec's.

Severn Pano

2005-06-06T21:48:00.000+01:00

35mm equiv, 1/20 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Ok, so I've broken my own rules here. I don't think I've ever posted a pano on my blog, but saying as this one is a vertical pano I didn't think it would be too much of a problem. Also because it's a pano (roughly 22 mega-pixel final version) there's loads of detail so my usual 600 pixel image size doesn't do it justice. So this one is 800px.

The odd aspect ratio of most pano's means that they don't lend themselves to easy web presentation. Horizontal is obviously worst because it might mean that you have to scroll the page from left to right, but at least this way you might only have to scroll down (which you should be used to...)

If I were to critique myself, I'd say I like the composition of the previous photograph better, but like the inclusion of all the rocks in the foreground of this one. So much so I think I'm going to go for a re-shoot!

Severn

2005-06-01T22:12:00.000+01:00

35mm equiv, 1/15 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

~~This is a bit bland, I tried to burn in the sky a fraction to add a little drama...but it still looks much tamer than I'd like.~~

Thanks to the comments below, I've now edited this photograph slightly. I've added an overall traditional s-shape curve in Photoshop to increase general contrast, and I've also added a seperate additional curve for the sky.

You can see the original here.

Any suggestions for improvement? (other than a re-shoot!)

Prancing Horse

2005-05-30T16:00:00.000+01:00

79mm equiv, 3 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

PhotoFriday - Symbol

Three Friends

2005-05-25T21:23:00.000+01:00

24mm equiv, 1/18 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I might close this series here, if you're all a bit bored of it. If not, say so and I'll post some more photographs from my adventures with these cars!

Prepare to Fire

2005-05-24T17:49:00.000+01:00

84mm equiv, 1.3 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I love this detail of the Pagani Zonda. It's an amazing car, and it has lots of details to photograph...but...it is difficult to compose a shot from some angles and keep it simple. The other exotica I've shot recently were much easier to photograph in this respect, much more elegant; where this is a brute.

Not that I'm complaining fo course...

History

2005-05-23T20:56:00.000+01:00

66mm equiv, 1/680 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

356

2005-05-22T22:59:00.000+01:00

79mm equiv, 1/3000 sec at f/3, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I was invited to a UK Porsche owners club meeting today (thanks Godfrey & Linda, I owe you), and it rained, and rained, and rained.

But in-between clouds I managed to fire off a few shots. My hit ratio (number of good shots to poor) was very surprisingly high. This has encouraged me after my disappointment at the huge number of shots I took on my last outing. It may have rained, but the light was great when the clouds cleared up.

Pagani Zonda

2005-05-20T19:58:00.000+01:00

44mm equiv, 1/34 sec at f/4.5, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is a Pagani Zonda, and I was lucky enough to spend a whole afternoon and evening with it.

Oh...my...god...this car completely redefined my understanding of 'fast'. I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as I was sat in the passenger seat whilst we grabbed gear after gear. But what made it all the better was that it came out to play because I was available to take photographs of it...

To make things little more interesting, Jonathan (the driver) invited some friends along. One in a yellow Ferrari 355 and the other in a...Ferrari F40.

I have never had a better laugh in my car than the time I spent chasing these 3 cars around to find our first photo location. I would be cruising along behind them watching ahead for a gap in the traffic to appear, waiting for the pop, bang and scream of the F40 downshift and we're off.

Let's just say we were going 'fast' but keeping it constant and then to my surprise, the F40 would downshift again with the same noise but this time with a flash of flame...they all take off like I wasn't moving.

The best 5 hours of my life? Quite possibly, and a day I won't forget for a long time.

The Perfect End

2005-05-18T17:55:00.000+01:00

57mm equiv, 1/5 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I could post loads of pictures of this car and the great evening I had with it, but I think I'll make this the last. Partly because I don't want to bore some of you, and partly because I have some other shots of another evening out that I spent with Andy and Jonathan... stay tuned!

Forza!

2005-05-17T00:19:00.000+01:00

35mm equiv, 1/56 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

Another in the Ferrari series.

Once again, thanks to Jonathan and Andy for giving me the opportunity with a car like this!

Maximum Attack

2005-05-16T06:46:00.000+01:00

35mm equiv, 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I had a brilliant day out yesterday, I met up with a couple of guys who are perhaps even more obsessed by cars than me, and we took some photos. What would I do without Jonathan and Andy? Huge thanks to Jonathan for letting me shoot his immaculate Ferrari GTS Turbo, I can't remember the last time I saw such a perfect car outside of a showroom! I owe Andy a massive favour now for introducing us - cheers boss!

Anyway, we used the suction mount and took some photographs, loads came out blurred and I'm sure the 'pros' don't have these difficulties to this extent. I'm going to have to get clever I think with a solution...

Enjoy!

Magic?

2005-05-09T20:29:00.000+01:00

62mm equiv, 8 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

This is a follow-up to the previous lightbulb series a few days ago. I took another few shots to try and take into account the comments that you all left, and this is the result.

I'd appreciate your comments on this version.

The Getaway

2005-05-08T20:15:00.000+01:00

24mm equiv, 1.2 sec at f/8, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I washed my car today so I thought it would be just rude if I didn't take any pictures of it.

It's been a while since I've used the suction pad, and I've now got a longer extension bar for it (thanks Ben), so I thought I'd give it a go. Problem now is that because the camera is even further away from the car there are even more vibrations.

I'd love to hear if anyone knows how the 'pros' take these type of shots for car mags. They bolt on some type of equipment and it enables the camera body to be miles from the car and therefore give a nice wide view. Their equipment allows them to take shots that are just sooo pin sharp.

Oh and you can see my previous photographs taken with this equipment here (plus a few after that). Oh, and this is my entry for the Photo Friday challenge - 'Action'.

Glow Worm

2005-05-04T18:01:00.000+01:00

66mm equiv, 0.8 sec at f/3, ISO 200
Next :: Current :: Previous

I didn't get round to taking any other shots of this bulb last night, but I'll try again tonight. To be continued...

I'd love to hear which of the last 4 photographs stood out more to you.