Choices Choices

Last week I had a great time in the Lake District. This year the weather played ball with plenty of sun and just a few showers to add some drama. This was a total contrast with our visit there last summer. when it rained and rained and rained some more.

We were based just off the A66 underneath the slopes of Great Mell Fell. Which gives great views across the area. On the Wednesday night I headed out with my camera towards Keswick. But I could soon see that there were two options available: carry on towards a Keswick that blanketed in cloud or divert towards a sunny Ullswater.

Derwent Water
(Click to view large)

As I drove I was racked with indecision, even going around roundabouts a few times as I tried to decide where to go. In the end I decided to stick with my original choice of Derwent Water.
thick cloud was covering the lake but I rewarded for sticking with my guns by some rather wonderful lighting effects as the sun was defused by, cut through and bounced off the clouds.

Barrow Bay
(Click to view large)

In the words of the great Hannibal Smith - I love it when a plan comes together!

Portfolio 2009

I have just added my portfolio of images for 2009 to the site. We are only halfway through the year but it is already proving to have provided better light than I got for the whole of last year.
Why not take a look & leave a comment to let me know what you think of the show so far.

Brograve Mill

Loving a Lens

So, much against my better judgement I agreed to photographs a friends wedding, a few weeks back. It'll come as no surprise that I have been real busy processing the pictures, which is why this blog has been sadly neglected for far too long.

I decided that for most of the shoot I would use my 5DmkII with the 24-105 Lens, which is an ideal work horse for a wedding, especially with its high ISO performance. Though the downside of it is that processing hundreds of the huge files it produces, has moved a new laptop from the "desirable" list to the "downright essential" list! In addition to the 5D2 I decided that for the incidental shots I would take my 20D and the 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Cutting the Cake
(Click to view larger)

It has been seven months since I shot with the 20D and even longer since I used the 100mm macro on it. So it was a complete revelation - like falling in love all over again. For me there is something magical about that focal length, on the crop camera which really fits with the way I see the world. I make 100mm on the crop camera about equivalent to 160mm on the full-frame (I hope that's right) and that narrow view of the world seems ideal to me.

Being a prime it restricts you in a way that seems to force you to be more creative, there are only certain shots you can take, so you have to think a bit more about each shot.

The Rings
(Click to view larger)

The strange thing is, I'm not too keen on the 100mm on the full frame 5D2. It suddenly seems too short and I really don't like to crop using a prime as it seems to defeat the point of using a prime.

Hmm - I wonder if I can get a 160mm canon fit prime somewhere.

Hans Strand is photographer of the month for July

Swedish photographer Hans Strand is our photographer of the month for July. Hans produces some absolutely stunning Landscape work, but for me the real joy is his intimate landscapes. they show a real photographers eye at work.

Birch Bark, Abisko National Park, Sweden, September 2007
by Hans Strand

Why not visit his site now

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