Category Archives: Photo-Technique

Landscapes, Photo-Technique, Streetscapes, Uncategorized

Improve Your Urban Photography for £2.99!

CITYSCAPES!

Let’s face it – landscape photography is not for me! Successful landscapes seem to involve lots of early mornings, long arduous climbs to the top of mountains, hours of patient waiting for the sun to be at exactly the right point in the sky, or for the tide to turn… All much too energetic!

But I do find cityscapes to be intriguing, – I like the Belfast skyline when I’m passing through the city, and wandering the streets with a camera, making images of historical buildings, churches, dereliction, narrow entries and architecture can be really worthwhile and fulfilling.

Continue reading Improve Your Urban Photography for £2.99! →

News and Commentary, Photo-Technique, Training

Progressing and Sustaining Your Photography Practice – a Strategy for Personal Progress

Progressing and Sustaining Your Photography Practice – a Strategy for Personal Progress

I’m starting to panic! In another six months or so, I’ll be an OAP! A ’Senior Citizen!’ Now, I’m not in any way thinking that on my 65th birthday I’ll be locking the studio door and throwing away the key! That’s not going to happen – not in this day and age, – but I’m curious as to how I’m going to practice photography with the same drive and enthusiasm when it’s no longer my source of income! A recent read through a photography degree course curriculum confirmed my own thoughts. One of the modules was ‘Developing a Strategy for Personal Progress’ So what’s MY strategy – for when retirement finally kicks in?

Continue reading Progressing and Sustaining Your Photography Practice – a Strategy for Personal Progress →

Photo-Technique, Training

Keeping It In Perspective

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Keeping it in Perspective.

This church at Hillsborough is popular with photographers. And why not? Look at the image!

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There’s a pretty scene in there, with lots of the elements of design. There’s colour and shape, there’s lines drawing the eyes into the church, the central focus of the image. But there’s one problem. In many photographs of the church the trees are seemingly angled inwards, a distortion of perspective. It’s a natural lens effect, because the lens is low (usually at eye level) and the trees are high… Continue reading Keeping It In Perspective →

Photo-Technique, Training

Playing with Light

The LensBaby Composer Pro 2 with Sweet 50 Optic.

I’ve recently aquired a LENSBABY!  It’s the LensBaby Composer Pro 2 lens with Sweet 50 optic.  Basically a LensBaby is just a lens with a ball-joint, so that the lens can be bent!  Attached to the front of the lens is a removable optic, in my case a 50mm attachment, with a sweet-spot.  That’s an area that is in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred. (Bokeh)  Ok, it’s easier to show you than explain in words…

Lensbaby.jpg

Continue reading Playing with Light →

Photo-Technique, Training, Uncategorized

Back to Basics #2 – Shutter Speed

Shutter Speed Facts

If the aperture controls the amount of light that falls on the camera sensor/film, the shutter determines how long that light falls on the film/sensor. Choosing the correct shutter speed is important because:-
* It can freeze a moving subject.
* It can blur moving subjects.
* It can help reduce camera shake.
So, how can we use the shutter speed to best advantage?

Continue reading Back to Basics #2 – Shutter Speed →

Belfast, Photo-Technique

Belfast Cathedral Qtr Photowalk

One Hour Photowalk in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter.

Spend an hour with your camera, with other enthusiasts and with a local professional photographer, walking through familiar streets, and seeing Belfast through the lens.  Get help along the way with composition and exposure and go home with a days experience, and an SD Card full of great images to share on your social media accounts. Continue reading Belfast Cathedral Qtr Photowalk →

Photo-Technique, Training

Back to Basics #1 – Camera Aperture

BACK TO BASICS #1 – APERTURE

The aperture is the diaphram in your lens which controls the amount of light entering the camera. (The shutter controls the time that the light falls on the film/sensor) The diagramme attached to this post illustrates the effect of closing the aperture diaphram, and how it changes the light falling on the film/sensor. Continue reading Back to Basics #1 – Camera Aperture →

Photo-Technique, Weddings and Events

Kissing on Camera!

Kissing on Camera!

It wouldn’t be much of an engagement or wedding session if there wasn’t a little cuddling, holding hands and kissing in shot. Now, we are not going to scare your parents (unless you really want to!) but you do want to look like you are together.

We have some nice, standard, formal poses that make you look nice and together without it being all over each other. We also have some more fun styles, that are modern and happy.

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And when it comes to the kiss, well actually we are looking for just the moment before the lips actually meet. The anticipation looks so much better than the event on camera.

Oh, unlike our happy bride and groom here, the guy’s nose always goes behind the girls, we always want the girl at the front 🙂