1.3s @f13 Z7 +24-200mm at 61mm
Harris, a landscape photographer’s paradise. Moody skies, windswept beaches and Atlantic storms over opalescent seas. For many it is almost the perfect seascape location giving beach foregrounds, brooding skies and views beyond to distant hills or islands. I had one day to photograph on Harris - read here to see how I got on.
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A change of camera bags. Not to be undertaken lightly and never without significant expense. I’ve been with the same bags for the last three years but have now returned to the brand I first used nearly 20 years ago.
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This is the second in a mini series of short reviews to clear a backlog of lenses I’ve been using and reviewing. These have all been purchased at full price and I am under no pressure or inducement. I bouth this one at a great price from Cotswold Cameras who in addition to being very competitively priced were exemplary in their service.
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Whether you entered or ever enter competitions and whatever your views on competitions, this is a beautiful book. I can recommend it without hesitation. It flies the flag for natural, authentic images that faithfully record our beautiful landscape.
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The low cost lenses emerging from China are changing dramatically from the manual focus legacy designs of only a few years ago to modern, well made high quality optics. This delightful little lens is small, light, metal bodied and feels very well put together. The AF is quick and quiet
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Creation of Sadamitsu by S. Nei Fujita from the album cover of Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet
I'm approaching my annual summer sabbatical from landscape photography. Every year I take about six weeks off during which the big camera, tripod and all the other paraphernalia stay packed away
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Having set up the printer from the box and installed ink cartridges, the next step is to make some prints. However there are some significant steps to make before we hit the ‘Print’ button in Photoshop. The major parts of this are monitor calibration and colour management.
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Every print that I've sold since leaving a wet darkroom environment has been produced by a specialist printer. Some years ago by the inestimable Paul Grundy and for most of the last ten years by Loxley of Glasgow. I've never needed to print beyond admin stuff and whether by luck or skill, Loxley precisely match the images I see on my screen.
However I have become increasingly dissatisfied that I'm not fully au fait with what's going on under the hood.
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Cod and Lobster - Staithes
I'm halfway through my annual summer sabbatical from landscape photography. Every year I take six weeks off during which the big camera, tripod and all the other paraphernalia stays packed away and I spend time just being with my family.
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Blea Tarn
Last year I reviewed the outstanding Kingjoy C85 Tripod and found that it not only performed as well as my Gitzo Systematic 3 Series but that by the end of the review period I was choosing it in preference on a regular basis. My interest was especially raised therefore when Kinjoy invited me to try out another of their tripods. This time the C83S.
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Is a cropped image of less value or less ‘pure’ than one in which the entire captured frame is used? There has been some debate on the subject recently and I felt the need to nail my own colours to the mast.
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It's the little things that often make a disproportionate difference and for those of us given to obsessing about small details, some such small details can be all but life changing.
Read MoreI like the look of a minimal depth of field image. I think it instantly creates a sense of depth by virtue of the layers of focused and unfocused elements. This will give at least two layers and if there is some foreground then three distinct layers resolve giving yet more depth.
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A dramatically curtailed trip to the far NW of Scotland. Fabulous locations, enjoyable photography but an unexpectedly short visit cut short by Covid.
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Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to try a new tripod, the Kingjoy C85 - in this instance with a Ball Head, the T30x. KingJoy may sound a new name to many but they seem to have been around for quite a while, quietly making tripods for other brand names so while the name may be new the experience is clearly there.
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This review has been difficult to write, I feel as though I've been swimming against the tide throughout. I've had to force 'head over heart' and analysis over instinct. I've had to forget decades of experience and accept the new.
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Inertia and familiarity are powerful forces that act against all change. When one adds in the substantial investment we make in photographic equipment, changing brands is not something I undertake lightly. I’ve used the same brand of camera, Nikon, for the last 40 years. The same brand of tripod and the same square filter system for the last 10.
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This delightful book arrived a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the inestimable @blackwellbooks. I've been waiting for the release since I first heard about the possibility. It is a brand new book but not brand new content. Rather it is a carefully curated collection of Neill's essays for Outdoor Photographer, the American magazine.
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Normally we would say ‘Cry Foul’ but here we invoke another acronym that describes the paranoia experienced by Landscape Photographers.
Here the acronym stands for
Fear Of Wrong Location
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Aspira Smock
If considering an item of waterproof ( or indeed any) clothing for use in wild country, a number of factors need to be balanced. First and foremost the purpose of your endeavours. In my case there is a need for complete compatibility between foul weather protection, landscape photography and comfort. Comfort? That's clearly very individual but while I'm prepared to endure ( and even relish) the extremes of UK weather, if they compromise what I'm doing I feel that I have failed.
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