Panoramic photography gone Mental! In"Seine", one may say...

A panoramic shot from Kate and I's recent trip to Paris. It's about 8 images stiched together. The lack of a tripod, and my poor technique, has meant that the effect isn't perfect, but I am quite pleased with it's overall look. I can't really get it any better, due to the technical limitations of the source files, but with more care, it could have been great. I put it up here just for interest.

April (!) Portrait Competition Entry

What is the photo of - Maddy (3), daughter of our friends Pauline and Guy.

When was the photo taken - A couple of months ago.

Where was the photo taken - Cafe, Cambridge Botanical Gardens.

Why was the photo taken - I wanted to capture her enjoying the chocolate ice-cream.

Why was this composition chosen - I wanted to get close-in, to avoid distractions. I wanted her face, covered in chocolate, to be the main interest, but to be sure to get the cone in the picture, so the context was clear.

How was the photo taken - Canon 350D, EF-S 17-85 lens, ISO 100, 1/50sec. Focal length unknown (likely 17mm).

How was the photo processed - Basic levels, curves, colour saturation, cropping and unsharp masking.

My lovely new lens...

...has arrived, and the first decent pic I have taken (last evening, between massive thunderstorms) is here. It may not be apparent, but other shots I have taken here, with the 28-135mm lens does not allow for such a good amount of foreground while also including a good amount of background and sky in the same image. Also, nice sharp detail from very close to the distance. Will need to get used to it, but I'm sure it's a winner. The low res picture below does not show the great image quality with the lens.

The shot is from down in the local nature reserve, at the end of our street, by the River Cam.

Ivan

Guidelines for colour management

Hello there,

Just came across this site which aims to "...clarify issues affecting accurate reproduction and management of digital image files". Thought it would be worth checking out. http://www.updig.org/guidelines/index.html.

Damian

Grant, this is the DSLR for you...

Grant
If ever you were thinking of taking the DSLR plunge, this is the time, and price, to do it. You can get the 350D and lens for under £500 delivered. There's also the Nikon D50 for under £500, or the Nikon D70 for under £600, but both of these are only 6MP, compared to the 8MP of the 350D.
Now's the time...
Cheers
Ivan

Camera Club thoughts

Hi both

With baby coming, my photography will "go dark", as Keifer would say in "24", for a while. However, it's important that it doesn't die. So, I've decided to join the Cambridge Camera Club, who meet every Monday evening, just up the road from me. This will put me amongst, and up against, top quality amateurs (like yourselves), and the regular slot will mean I get out and do some non-baby stuff, as well as develop (if you'll pardon the pun) my photography further. They have photo competitions, guest speakers etc, so hopefully it'll be good fun.

I'll update you after I start, which hopefully will be in September sometime.

Ivan

My new lens is coming...

Chaps
Very excited - my new Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens is coming! I've long wanted a proper wide-angle lens, and this EF-S lens is the ideal balance of Canon quality and affordability. Got it for £399.99 (compared to the £550-600 from high street retailers and UK websites) from OneStop-Digital, from Hong Kong. It's en route now.

The "S" means it's been developed for reduced AP-S size sensors in DSLRs, hence the 10-22, which, when multiplied by the 1.6x (due to the smaller AP-S sensor) comes in at 16-35 in 35mm format. It's not Image Stabilised (like the 17-85 Damo and I both have), but, as a proper wide angle for landscapes, one should really be using a tripod anyway...
Will update and post when it arrives.

Ivan

One for Damian

Damian

This is another interesting article about being an artist in business. It may provide some useful tips for your photography business.

Ivan

Portrait Assignment 3 - Portrait of Joseph

This is my third and final posting for the Portrait assigmnent.

What is the photo of -My nephew Joseph.

When was the photo taken - 25 May 2006 at noon

Where was the photo taken - In the house; Brighton

Why was the photo taken - I had my camera out shooting stuff and he looked right at me, quite close to the camera, in a different sort of way.

Why was this composition chosen - Joseph sort of created the composition since he tilted his head and stared at the camera and was quite close to it. I just waited for the right moment when everything looked good. I liked the way he looked at me, since it was different; the tilt of the head, the stare at the camera. I moved in closer to him and really focused my attention on those melting eyes. He looks quite puppy'ish.

How was the photo taken - 1/60 at f5.6; RAW; focal length 85mm; ISO 100; flash

How was the photo processed - I will get few points here since the very basics were done. Exposure, white balance, curves, saturation were done in Camera RAW. Slight adjustments to these settings were made in PS. And that is it. There is an odd shadow in the lower right of the image. I tried to crop the image to remove it but it really changed the overall composition of the photo; the focus moves away from the eyes when cropped. So I decided to leave it in and hope it is not too distracting.

Morning light

What is the photo of - The bathroom tap and sink in morning sunlight

When was the photo taken - Just the other day, in the morning at around 9'ish I suppose

Where was the photo taken - In my bathroom

Why was the photo taken - I was sat on the toilet (!) and I saw this amazing light come into the bathroom and create this wonderful sight

Why was this composition chosen - I sat there thinking hard about what it was that really struck me. I realised that it wasn't the whole tap but only part of it, and that the real focus was the silhouette of the tap on the white basin. So I moved in real close.

How was the photo taken - f320 at f11. ISO 200. JPEG. 85mm focal length

How was the photo processed - Pretty basic adjustments. Just adjusted the levels and I think I added some sharpening but that is about it.

So I just wanted to share this with you. I really like the photo.


Morning light