Christmas Day & Boxing Day (15)

Christmas Day & Boxing Day (15), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Christmas Day & Boxing Day (4)

Christmas Day & Boxing Day (4), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Lens comparison - by photos..

I thought that I should write something about lenses..

I decided that the easiest way would be to demonstrate via photos, all taken from the same spot in a garden in Thornbury looking out towards the river Severn.

The photos are not my best and are straight out of the camera. upon reflection I should have chosen a better subject and cleaned them up a bit, but I hope it shows you what's what!

So starting with Extra Wide Angle.

The Tokina 11-16mm:

11mm:



16mm:



Sony's 18-55mm "kit" lens (SAL-1855)

18mm:



55mm:



Sony's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens (SAL-100M28)



A slight step back in focal length for a second, but moving on to my favourite lens!
Sony's 70-300mm G SSM lens (SAL-70300G)

70mm:



300mm:



Lastly, Sony's 500mm mirror reflex lens, brilliant for wildlife, despite being fixed at f/8 (SAL-500F80)



Hope this helps, if not contact me with any questions you have.

Water Tower - snow HDR

Water Tower - snow HDR, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Used HDR toning to draw out the colour of the un-fallen leaves on the trees in the foreground.

It's really unusual to see trees with their autumn leaves still on, covered with a dusting of snow.

Gorge HDR

Gorge HDR, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Bristol had a dusting of snow on Friday night. So I got up early on Saturday.. Wandered up to the Downs and took some photos. This is a HDR Photo.

HDR? High Dynamic Range. One takes at least 3 bracketed photos, one over-exposed, one under & one about right.

The 3 (or more) are then blended together. I have used this technique to draw out the colour of the un-fallen leaves.

I can not remember the last time it snowed in November. Hoping it is a sign of a proper winter ahead.

Depth of field and f/stops

As promised a while ago, a series of photos showing depth of field and visually explaining f/stops.

For the following photographs I used a Sony a550 DSLR with Sony's 100mm macro lens (SAL100M28).

I kept the same point in focus for all the shots.

1) f/2.8 most narrow depth of field and highest shutter speed.

2) f/4.5

3) f8

4) f/16

5) f/25

6) f/32 widest depth of field and lowest shutter speed.

Keep an eye out for coffee & tea related photos

eye like coffee, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

"eye like coffee" is the 2nd photo in a series of coffee & tea related photos, in order to submit to a local exhibition.

There will be more of these to follow.

I don't know what this says about me, but this was my 2nd idea.

Paddington Station

Paddington Station, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

I was on my way from one meeting to another.. the 2nd being in Paddington Basin. As I was walking out, I turned & saw a photograph. I always have a compact camera in my pocket, so here is my panorama..

The sweep panorama feature on my Sony TX5 cybershot camera is great. One can shoot in landscape mode and get 270 degrees or, as this picture is, in portrait mode.

Would you like a slice with that?

mine, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Herring gull swooped down & took the bread before the black headed gull (in the foreground) had a chance to get to it. These birds are often referred to as "seagulls", however I'm fairly sure that there is no such animal as a seagull.

These birds get a really bad press, they're another of the birds I really like & almost everyone else seems to hate.

They're fantastic fliers & are opportunists - thus their bad reputation for stealing icecreams from tourists & such-like..

They'll eat anything they can get down their necks.

frog, emerging

frog emerging 1, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Ok, I didn't take this recently, but thought that it might be a good blog subject.

How did I get this shot? I had to lie down in the middle of some mint (next to the pond), avoid being stung by the ants, as they didn't seem overly amused at my antics.

The pond has a few frogs in it & I knew that if I waited for a while one of them would surface.

This one did. It's just a common frog, but I think they're rather cool. Well camoflaged (unless the pond, like mine, is covered in duckweed) and they eat slugs! Every garden should have a pond.

My pond is home to a plethora of species including frogs, toads, 2 sorts of newt, drangonfly & damselfies (& their nymphs), water neetles, pond skaters, etc.

wet weather gear test

wet weather gear test, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

In June I went on a trip north of the Arctic circle. I realised that my cheapo waterproof jacket wouldn't quite "cut the mustard" in the arctic.

So, following lots of research, I went to taunton leisure in Bristol and procured a Berghaus Pro-shell gortex jacket.

How is this relevant to this photo?

Well.. When testing out new waterproof gear, I have always been told to test it out in the shower, with the shower on a level that replicates heavy rain. I decided that putting shower on full blast would make a better test.

I like extremes.

I also have a Sony TX5 cybershot camera - it's waterproof, but not as chunky as its rivals..

So into the shower I got:
Berghaus waterproof jacket
old cheapo waterproof trousers
berghaus gaiters
berghaus GR20 walking boots

net result - I stayed dry & got a few photos, of which this was the best.

Apple Bokeh (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (2))

Apple Bokeh (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (2)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

This was meant to be an arty shot. I love the texture of the water on the skin of the apple, although the water was laced with glycerin to make sure it lingered.

Tears of Decay (DSLR a550 w SAL100M28 (4))

Tears of Decay (DSLR a550 w SAL100M28 (4)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

I didn't have to add any water. A few frosts have really taken it out of the yellow flag iris leaves. As the morning's frost melted it had left these beautiful glass-like beads of water behind. The leaves are sagging and decay has set in.

Macro taken with a Sony a550 DSLR and Sony's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

1/100
f/5
ISO800
0 EV

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (11)

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (11), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

However.... Sometimes nature just does it better. Post frost dew on an evergreen honeysuckle leaf.

I love the magnification of the veins that one gets from water droplets.

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (23)

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (23), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Artificial dew aka magic spray..

What is it?

I saw on some TV programme on BBC1 a tip for creating a dew effect that lingers just a little longer than water alone.

The tip was glycerin & water in a mist sprayer, no mention of concentration..

This photo was taken using a 30% glycerin with water solution. I think a slightly higher concentration may improve matters...

Crystal Ball (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (27))

Crystal Ball (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (27)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Dew from frost on the grass in my garden. As the sun moved across the sky, it forced a shaft of light across the garden, melting everything in its path.

I also added a spray of my magic mixture to promote more dew... Which I think may be what the main drop is in this photo...

The magic mixture? Detail to follow with a few more pictures..

Autumn is here now

now it is autumn 2 (HDR toned), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

One of my friends was going to throw the glass block with the word "now" reverse engraved on the back. I knew that I would at some stage start a series of now photographs. This is the 2nd in that series.

I will do more.

As autumn has arrived, I thought that the now glass would work well.
I wanted it to be frosty really, but the rain melted that too quickly, so I shot as was.

The original photo is no where near as vibrant. Some may consider this rather overcooked, but as it was such a dreary day (until late afternoon), I decided to take extreme measures..

Bridge HDR pre dawn 2

Bridge HDR pre dawn 2, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Got up earlier than normal yesterday to shoot something like this...

This image was created by layering and blending 4 long exposure photos using HDR Pro in Photoshop.

Cheetah casting a glare

Cheetah casting a glare, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Been down to Devon for the weekend!
Went to Dartmoor Zoo, if you've never been, go!

New Business Cards..

I have now almost completely run out of my last business cards.  I can't remember how many I ordered last time. 

They have gone down well and were memorable.  However the old design no longer meets my needs. It's the cow picture by my profile..


So..  What to do?  I asked some friends of mine, notably one of London's most creative Ad men.  So I now have a way forward.  One card to cover my wildlife prints, one for portraiture and one for the area I want to expand - event photography.  I will post the designs, once I have new cards in my hands.

Printing of aforementioned new cards? Well, there is only one logical choice in my mind - streetcards! Not heard of them? I would suggest that you give them a look at their website. They offer a few great things. Firstly one can upload one's own image for the card. Min order is just 25 cards. The second is in my opinion a vital option - go for the matt lamination. It makes the cards look and feel great. If one can not be bothered to create one's own card design, then just choose from one of 400 or so designs available on the site.

Price is always a factor, but they're in line with other companies. The last point is one of the most vital in any business, an all round great service..

Walkway - B&W HDR Toned

Walkway - B&W HDR Toned, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

One of the walkways on Clifton Suspension Bridge. It didn't used to have the "anti-suicide" weldmesh and wires.

I decided to have a play in photoshop and this is what I came up with. I really like the effect. It was dark, but it wasn't snowing.. Whilst ripping through the levels using HDR Toning in Photoshop the sky went like that.

Amazing...

Flickr is a great photo hosting site, I get feedback on my photos, but I also get to view stats on where viewers come from, which sites they came via and (significantly, today) the total number of views.

Today my flickr photos have had over 3,500 views. This is the most I have ever had in a single 24hr period.

My latest set of photos can be seen here

pre-flight check

pre-flight check, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

This is currently my "most interesting" photograph on Flickr.

How did I get this shot? Is a question asked by a few....

I was coming back into my house having been out in my wild garden taking photos of other creatures, I almost stepped on this chap..

The concrete slabs outside my back door face north, the day had started sunny but wasn't very warm. This Damselfy had landed, but didn't seem to have the energy to move.
I dashed into the house and grabbed my fashgun (Sony HVL 42-AM).

Lying down, with the lens hood of my 100mm f2.8 macro lens scuffing on the concrete, I held my camera in my right hand relying on the auto-focus, as with my left hand I held the flash (works wirelessly with my DSLR) directly above this fantastic insect and was pleased with this shot. Looks great printed at B+ (the biggest I can print at home)...

Quite menacing.. However, even at this size, it is still smaller than the dragonflies and damselfies that used to live alongside the dinosaurs...

Photo burblings

So when did it all begin for me? When did I start taking photos? What do I like to photograph?

I took my first photos when I was a child. I don't know how old I was, I suspect I could find out. I was shown the basics at that early age by "Dawsie" as I called her, her real name was Mrs Dawson. She was great. She had spent most of her life in Africa, Kenya mainly iirc. Her big passions were photography, wildlife and cooking.

It's a shame she died before she could see that I had grown up sharing those three passions.

Around the same time that Dawsie was teaching me all about the 3 important things in life, my parents decided to get a new camera for themselves, so I could use my Dad's old Kodak Instamatix. A film (analogue) camera. 

I have got a few of the photos from these days, but most of them have been lost... I will find what I have and upload these at some stage, for your amusement.

As time went by, I became the photographer for family events, friends, etc.

In the last few years I have been asked why I am not a 100% Pro-photographer....

My working life began in a kitchen and through various mishaps and adventures has progressed through to my current role in the corporate rat-race... It would seem that the definition of a professional photographer is that 50% or more of one's income comes from photography.

I'm not there yet, but really striving to get there now.

So the photos I do have on-line, where are they? I use Flickr at the moment, as I have unlimited storage, for a small amount each year.. The other joy of Flickr is that I have been getting lots of great feedback on my work. It also has lots of extensions, of which my current favourite is Darkr. This link will take you straight to my photos, as sorted by Darkr. My photos have been sorted by "interestingness" I know it's not a proper word, it's a Flickr word.. It doesn't mean most viewed, but factors in comments and favourited images.

All my photos on Flickr - here

My most interesting 20 photos - here

Top hat chat

Top hat chat, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

On Saturday (25th September), I went to Brisfest with the sole purpose of getting some good photographs.
I had already decided that I would give Bristol's Community Festival a copy of the photos with permission to use for the benefit of Brisfest.

I saw these two chatting and decided that if they didn't object, I would grab the moment. This has been taken with an extra wide angle lens (Tokina 11-16mm), so I had to get in really close.

No objections.

It has since transpired that one of them is a friend of one of my friends, so awaiting feedback on his feelings of the photo.

At this moment in time, I think that this is the best portrait I've taken.

A festival moment.