Wednesday 23 February 2011
Eye
Have been trying this for quite a while - have only just got one that's any good but am still struggling to get as tight as I would like with my lens even with +4 dioptre, going to try combining them later... anyway:
Evening Antics (backlog) -Edit
Weirdly this has been a draft since Nov 10 and I never posted it - not sure why?! anyway here it is, there were a lot more pictures from this shoot but they were among the unlucky few that got lost when my laptop was stolen so we will have to stick with the original uploads :(
When my brother Ed Makes a trip down to Bristol from his home in East Grinstead we always make a point of having some kind of photo-shoot. Besides being brothers our love of photography is not the only thing we have in common, we also share quite the passion for fire, explosions and generally dangerous things. Needless to say, when Ed came down last we took to the centre, bags packed with cameras and and potential energy, in the form of fireworks and steel wool. It didn't take us long to come across and abandoned warehouse ....
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The scene was ideal, it was time to introduce some pyrotechnics...
When my brother Ed Makes a trip down to Bristol from his home in East Grinstead we always make a point of having some kind of photo-shoot. Besides being brothers our love of photography is not the only thing we have in common, we also share quite the passion for fire, explosions and generally dangerous things. Needless to say, when Ed came down last we took to the centre, bags packed with cameras and and potential energy, in the form of fireworks and steel wool. It didn't take us long to come across and abandoned warehouse ....
Pre post processing:
Pre Post processing:
Texture#2 - Skin
The most familiar texture to everyone who has ever lived in my estimation based on the fact that it covers us from head to toe 24/7/365 until we die and even then some, for a little while.
We assume it is smooth until we take another, closer look - and see the detail and intricacy of the undulating folds, closer to ripples on the surface, like a million sand dunes all packed into a tiny little desert in the palm of your hand. On your finger tips a hundred miniature frozen waves breaking on the shore where skin meets nail.
Back hand - pores, hair, dimples, crinkles and veins.
It's beauty aside skin and specifically the portion wrapped around your fingers is exquisite. Entirely unique from person to person and distinct enough to be able to distinguish between even 'identical' twins.
I find it staggering the level of detail - of design that is observable and never more than an arms reach away.
'In the absence of proof, the thumb print alone is enough to convince me of Gods existence'
-Isaac Newton (I think?)
The challenge:
Take some time, sit back, closely examine your fingerprints and think.
We assume it is smooth until we take another, closer look - and see the detail and intricacy of the undulating folds, closer to ripples on the surface, like a million sand dunes all packed into a tiny little desert in the palm of your hand. On your finger tips a hundred miniature frozen waves breaking on the shore where skin meets nail.
Back hand - pores, hair, dimples, crinkles and veins.
It's beauty aside skin and specifically the portion wrapped around your fingers is exquisite. Entirely unique from person to person and distinct enough to be able to distinguish between even 'identical' twins.
I find it staggering the level of detail - of design that is observable and never more than an arms reach away.
'In the absence of proof, the thumb print alone is enough to convince me of Gods existence'
-Isaac Newton (I think?)
The challenge:
Take some time, sit back, closely examine your fingerprints and think.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Texture
I have decided to start a little series on texture. This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while and this was the straw on the proverbial camels back. So texture study #1:
Living in a city I often think it would be great to go and get some hardcore grunge urban shots in the centre or in the local industrial estate but actually being in a city urban is everywhere, this lamp post is literally a stones throw from my house and has clearly been around for quite some time - I think it has had more than it's fair share of storms, bumps and knocks.
I think the above was at one point a service hatch of sorts for the lamp post, it has clearly long since ceased to function in that role. The rust around the edge has made it almost indistinguishable where the door finishes and the lamp post starts. This is a door forgotten by man and sealed by time.
This is my favourite texture on the post, a familiar texture but in an unfamiliar environment. when I see this I think 'dry mud'. It feels like the post is trying to shed its skin of paint that has sealed it for so long, like a snake shedding its skin.
Finally I cannot not comment on the colour - while it is shape that gives texture it is all the more accentuated by the contrasting colours and the two directly relate. I can see 3 layers and 3 colours in this, the first is the outer coat of blue paint then just under that a white coat- perhaps the original colour of the lamp post before it was painted blue? Then finally the rich deep browns and oranges of the rusted layer beneath. Now that I look closer again there is also some deep pink/Magenta, maybe from the rust bleeding through into the paint or maybe this lamp post was even red at some point, I do not know but I like that fact.
My challenge to you:
When you see the mundane - look again, closer and think again.
Let me know your thoughts on the above textures in the comments v
 |
| Battle Torn |
Living in a city I often think it would be great to go and get some hardcore grunge urban shots in the centre or in the local industrial estate but actually being in a city urban is everywhere, this lamp post is literally a stones throw from my house and has clearly been around for quite some time - I think it has had more than it's fair share of storms, bumps and knocks.
 |
| Sealed Through Time |
I think the above was at one point a service hatch of sorts for the lamp post, it has clearly long since ceased to function in that role. The rust around the edge has made it almost indistinguishable where the door finishes and the lamp post starts. This is a door forgotten by man and sealed by time.
 |
| Break Free & Breathe |
This is my favourite texture on the post, a familiar texture but in an unfamiliar environment. when I see this I think 'dry mud'. It feels like the post is trying to shed its skin of paint that has sealed it for so long, like a snake shedding its skin.
Finally I cannot not comment on the colour - while it is shape that gives texture it is all the more accentuated by the contrasting colours and the two directly relate. I can see 3 layers and 3 colours in this, the first is the outer coat of blue paint then just under that a white coat- perhaps the original colour of the lamp post before it was painted blue? Then finally the rich deep browns and oranges of the rusted layer beneath. Now that I look closer again there is also some deep pink/Magenta, maybe from the rust bleeding through into the paint or maybe this lamp post was even red at some point, I do not know but I like that fact.
My challenge to you:
When you see the mundane - look again, closer and think again.
Let me know your thoughts on the above textures in the comments v
Friday 18 February 2011
Me
Self portraits are surprisingly tricky with a D-SLR that does not have a flip screen but having recently been inspired to try it out here is a first attempt.
Sunday 13 February 2011
3 landscapes and a portrait
Have recently been getting used to the very comprehensive B&W conversion tool in Lightroom so here are some head shots.
Improving
The more I take, the better they get - not a hard and fast rule but a general trend. However research also helps and awful lot in improving the quality of pictures with certain subjects- smoke being the specific to which I am currently referring.
Here is the set up that I used to get the pictures, obviously the camera was on the tripod and the flash gun on the camera. I had to make a huge snoot for the flash to bounce it off the mirror in the correct direction to hit the smoke but not the black back ground. An annoyance that I have now remedied with the purchase of remote flash triggers meaning I now simply put the flash where the mirror stands.
Here is the set up that I used to get the pictures, obviously the camera was on the tripod and the flash gun on the camera. I had to make a huge snoot for the flash to bounce it off the mirror in the correct direction to hit the smoke but not the black back ground. An annoyance that I have now remedied with the purchase of remote flash triggers meaning I now simply put the flash where the mirror stands.
Sunday 6 February 2011
Friday 4 February 2011
Pretty Smoke
I mentioned quite a while ago that I wanted to capture 3 different things because of their ever changing nature, these were fire, water and smoke. I have taken thousands of photos of the first two and now to finish the trio, here comes smoke:
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