Iceland photography

I am going to be away from posting here for a little while - we are lucky enough to be going over to check out the summer scenery in Iceland. I am looking forward to doing a lot of photography in near 24 hour daylight...

New Brighton

These images I like. When I started taking pictures with my first film SLR as a wee lad, I could never understand why the disappointing colour pictures I got back from Jessops didn’t compare to the dark blue skies and lush green foregrounds I had imagined when I looked through the viewfinder. I didn’t realise that the camera wasn’t telepathic, or that the dynamic range of film was less than the dynamic range of the human eye. If I knew taking pictures was that complicated, I think I would have given up taking any pictures at all.

These images are created using a technique called HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging. This technique lets a photographer capture something similar in colour and contrast ranges to the range the human eye experiences. I am hooked. The results look just like the pictures I imaged I would be getting back from Jessop’s when I looked through the viewfinder on that old film camera. The only slight disadvantages with this technique is that you have to shoot at least 3 separate exposures of everything, it needs fiddly processing to merge exposures into a usable image, you can’t shoot moving objects, oh, and the results are totally unpredictable. Minor details. Click images to view larger.

Mountain Bike Trials action

Thanks to Adam and the rest of your talented mates for letting me do these mountain bike trials shots with you on Sunday. It was great fun watching you ride and I hope our plan of meeting for another photoshoot in a few weeks time comes good. Click images to view larger.

A wee change of blog direction...

At the start of 2008, needed a new creative outlet. I chose photography as it gels well with my day job as a graphic designer, but is different enough to not feel like work. I got hold of a digital SLR, saved up for a decent lens then got to work. I started out with the goal of shooting every day of this year and publishing the results here. Practice makes perfect, right? It also creates a visual record of the year. All good. Mid-way through this year though, I now find this daily photography concept restrictive. I am finding myself wanting to explore subjects in more depth, develop projects and process images with more finesse that the relentless search for a new daily photographic subject allows. I still mean to shoot a lot this year, contine to document places I visit and people I meet, but hopefully just that little bit closer.

Cherries, wooden plate.

I might try something like this again, but using a more diffuse light and a spray of water on the fruit. I also think a wider depth of field could be beneficial.

I am getting a bit tired doing of these 'filler shots'. These are really only taken, and always in a hurry, to fill up all the blog days out in this 356 photo project. Time for a change of concept I think...

I thought this candid shot of a girl removing her make-up was quite sweet. Click image to enlarge.