Gunnberg Photo

Har du behov for blits?

2011-08-07T20:43:00.001+01:00

Har du lyst til å kjøpe en blits til speilreflekskameraet men vil ikke ta den utgiften ennå uten å vite om du har behovet? Nå kan du leie blits for å prøve. For øyeblikket har jeg kun enkle, manuelle blitser til Canon, Nikon og Olympus, men i løpet av de neste ukene vil en automatisk blits til Canon være tilgjengelig. Så langt er det kun manuelle blitser som er klart for utleie. Leie inkluderer blits uten batterier, en Dome Diffuser for å spre lyset bedre samt norsk brukerveiledning. Priser er som følger :

Leie i én dag             :     29,- kroner
Leie fredag - søndag :     50,-kroner
Leie én uke               :     99,- kroner
Leie 2 uker               :    159,- kroner

Dersom blitsen skulle bli ødelagt pålegges et gebyr på max 500,- kroner. Dersom det koster mindre enn 500,- å reparere blitsen vil faktisk reparasjonskostnad gebyrlegges. Dersom blitsen er ødelagt gebyrlegges du 500,- kroner. Defekt blits må alltid returneres.

Automatisk blits for Canon er som sagt ikke klart ennå men forventet prisnivå er som følger :

Leie i én dag             :     125,- kroner
Leie fredag - søndag :     210,-kroner
Leie én uke               :     480,- kroner
Leie 2 uker               :    750,- kroner

På sikt vil jeg også forsøke å få til utleie på objektiver.

Good an bad models

2011-06-17T22:11:00.002+01:00

Melika Kaffesh, a photo by ogunnberg on Flickr.

I've touched this subject before. The quality of models vary a lot. There are the type of model that does everything you want, comes with inputs and strikes a pose before I have had a chance to describe the pose I want. On the other hand I meet models that have little or no interrest in striking the pose I want. I don't talk about weird poses with limbs and arms all over the place. I'm talking about simple, basic poses.

The funny thing about the last mentioned type of model is that they have so big issues with small imperfections that they simply refuse to show it to the camera. A good example is a model I tried to photograph not long ago. This model is associated with an agency but I had the chance to shoot her for free. I tried to start out with a few basic poses. I had set up the main light to the right of the camera with the kicker light on the opposite side. The model posed nicely with her left chin mainly facing the camera. It was OK and I got a few shots, but her movement was very limited. I wanted to try some poses where she faced the camera a little more. Making a 7/8 pose seemed to be impossible. This girl did not want to face the camera in any way, and trying to get her to face the other direction, facing her right chin towards the camera, seemed even more impossible. I couldnæt be bothered and left it there. I don't have the time to argue with a model with low self esteem. I've got more than enough with the women in my own house complaining.

On the other hand I was lucky enough to be able to take photos of Melika (Pictured above) on another occation. Fantastic girl to work with: positive, smiling, positive and she is the type of model that would strike the pose I wanted before I even knew I wanted it. Fantastic! Great look as well. She also belongs to an agency and I guess the attitude will help her a lot on her way. Somehow I see a bit of Eva Mendes in her. I hope I have the chance to work with her again before I move back to Norway.

In memory of a man

2011-06-14T23:49:00.002+01:00

In memory, a photo by ogunnberg on Flickr.

When you take photos you see lots of things that many might not pay attention to. In some cases that means that the photos you end up with are brilliant candids. They might be a fantastic moment, a look or a happening that never came back or noone else captured. But sometimes you capture the simple things that you don't start thinking about until you get home and take a good look at the photo.

The above photo was taken today. It's a plaque on a bench at the hill overlooking the Tynemouth piers. there were lots of banches and plaques, but somehow I took a photo of this one. It wasn't anything special about it and it didn't stand out from any other on the hill. It was just the bench we were about to sit down on.

When I got home I opened the RAW-file in Lightroom, made all my adjustments and uploaded the photo to Flickr. Then I started looking at the text. The text tells me he was married with kids and he managed to become a grandfather during his life. His family name will continue and, obviously, he's not forgotten. Then I started looking at the dates. He died in May 1993 at an age of 72 years. This means he was born in 1921.

He wasn't old enough to experience World War 1, but he was well alive during World War II. In fact, he was 18 years old when the war started and 24 at the end. During these years there is a big chance that he somehow served as a soldier. Either in England or abroad. Or he could come from a wealthy family, working as a tradesman or other work outside the war.

If you google any name you will find lots of hits on various names. Even though they lived before the time of the Internet and the digital revolution, someone have put their names in the big cloud called Internet. But I can't find anything about the Lawrence Sinclair who lived from 1921 to 1993 and died at the age of 72. Who placed the bench there? He must have family still alive. Who was he? If this plaque wasn't put up there, would he be just another person passing by on this earth? I used to think this tradition was a bit weird - to put memory plaques on benches - but here I am puzzled about a strangers existence.

Do you REALLY need a dSLR??

2011-06-12T20:19:00.000+01:00

©My wife

Have you ever wondered if you have to spend houndreds or thousands of pounds, dollars or whatever currency you're using, on a digital SLR? If you're a man reading this the answer is Y E S !!! not just yes, but YES!! I will explain why later. But if you're a woman or a man who likes to be sensible you might have played with this thought for a while before spending a lot on a camera with a kitlens that you will never replace. So..do you really, REALLY need a dSLR?

The photo above is taken by my wife with her Samsung camera that I bought her. I paid £89 for it and I think it's a fantastic little camera. Earlier cameras like this was restricted to ISO400 and there were no options for changing anything. Everything was automatic and took decent, not good, photos. This camera can take photos on ISO1600, I can adjust the exposure plus or minus 2 EV (If you don't know what EV is I REALLY hope you don't own a dSLR that did cost you a months salary. Then you've got too much money or just want to "look cool". I'm getting off the track here. I can basically adjust everything that I need and it doesn't have all these fancy programs for sports, nature, macro etc (which I don't like). So why should you buy a dSLR?

Good question as I have the same thought. Men wants to buy a big, expensive camera for two reasons : They want to impress others or they're gadgetheads and have to get the newest, biggest and most expensive gadget they can find and will feel stupid if they have to take photos with a smaller camera than the guy next to him. Women on the other hand wants to buy a dSLR for one reason. Yes, they are simple minded and yet we are struggling understanding what's going on in their heads. They think that a more expensive camera will take better photos. Wrong, wrong wrong!! I'm not getting into technicalities, but the more expensive the camera is, the more difficult it is to get good photos if you have no clue about photography. You might get the odd lucky shot, but in general it makes no difference. In the end it's the person behind the camera that makes the photo.

If you are really honest with yourself; how many times have you had the thought where you wish you had a lighter, smaller and more handy camera? Most people only use the stanard lens and never changes it or buys anything better. that lens covers 18-55mm while a smaller camera, like a bridge camera, covers a lot more focal length than that and is therefore a much more versatile camera for you. It's cheaper, it's lighter, it's got the same adjustments a dSLR have, it's more user friendly and you get fantastic photos. If you don't know anything about how a camera works and what to do to make a good photo you can as well use a Canon Ixus 2MP camera. Megapixels don't mean anything for the common photographer but I'm not ranting about that in this post. Try Googling "Do megapixels make a difference"

I would say that at least 80% of all the people I know owning a dSLR would be better off in all directions with a bridge camera or a compact camera. Why did you buy a dSLR?

Treat your models well

2011-06-08T20:38:00.002+01:00

Forzana Begum, a photo by ogunnberg on Flickr.

I'm picking up as many things as possible in the world of photography, and as of now I'm learning to work with people. Human beings that will trust you to make them look as good as possible, both male and females. But when it comes to working with models there's one thing I've learned that can be Alfa or Omega for your work. That is to treat your models well.

Most of the models I see around are female models. There are lots of male ones as well, but I've worked with mainly female models so far. As most women, models talk. They talk with each other, they post on forums and they socialize with other people in the industry. This is where lots of information is being shared - which make up artist is good, what studio to work in and (drumroll!) which photographer they enjoyed working with. This is where you and your behaviour comes to play.

If you as a photographer is demanding in a negative way, shouts more than you instruct and give orders rather than cooperate with the model, you might have sidelined yourself in the modeling industry and might as well change area for your work. The model industry in Newcastle is surprisingly big compared to number of people living here but I'm always surprised of how small this modeling world is. People know each other or know someone who knows someone. The 6 degrees of separation is down to 2 or 3 degrees of separation. And they WILL talk with eachother and about you. People will start looking at your photos and if they like what they see they will most likely contact you for a photosession. That being that you have treated your previous models well and with respect.

So in the end it's all up to you how successfull you want to be in the industry. Treat people well and respect them and they will have a positive attitude towards working with you and recommend you for others.

What do you expect from a model?

2011-06-03T11:15:00.000+01:00

Lucy Baty in studio

I have taken photos of lots of models over the last few months but I have never paid a model directly to work with me. I have participated in workshops and taken lots of photos compensated with photos. But when you take the step and decides to pay for a model to pose for you in a studio or in any setting where you decide - what do you expect from that model?
In my eyes you become a professional the second you start charging for your services, and a model is no different. The second you have to pay a model to pose for you, she's a professional. The price doesn't matter. A higher level of professionalism normally comes with higher prices. But with professionalism comes expectations.

For me I would expect a model with a selection of outfits depending on the shoot. If I pick the setting I'll do my best to supply her with what i want her to wear. But it's a dialogue before the shoot where I tell her what I want her to wear and what make-up and hair I want her to have. And I'd expect her to supply me with suggested alterations to the setup if she sees the potential for improvement. In the same way I'd do if a model hired me for a shoot.

Finally I'd expect her to be able to pose. I've worked with some models who are close to clueless to how the body works and how to move and it's a pain to tell them how to do as some hae horrible body coordination. Others have been just fantastic! I give the rough description to what I want and they just do it. Bang on! I love when that happens.

Lucy, in the photo above, is a model with Boho Models in Newcastle upon Tyne, and she had a great look and a great movement. She's one of the models where you just describe what photos you want and she just does it. I love it! It saves my time and the models time and we're having so much more fun.

What do you expect?

Experimenting in studio

2011-05-26T11:38:00.004+01:00

When taking pictures in a studio you are in no way limited to a white or a black background and a smiling model posing and waiting for the flash to go off. And you are in no way restricted to use 1/160sec or 1/250 sec depending on your cameras sync speed. Remember that ambient light is controlled by the shutter speed and by being able to change shutter according to the photo you want is really important

I have earlier found my self using down to 1/60sec shutter if there's a window in the photo and I don't want that window to go competely black on me. Take a look at the photo above. I know it's not a good one but it's to be used as an example. In this photo the shutter is set to 1/250sec for max sync speed and to shut out as much ambient light as possible. The sun was so bright that I got a little rim light on her hair on the right side, but if you take a look in the mirror the light is quite flat and almost at the same level as the flash. So what to do then?

In the photo above I have lowered the shutter to 1/60sec in order to let in more ambient light. As I went from 1/250sec to 1/60sec I have got 4 times as much ambient light comparet to the previous photo. 2 stops of light. As you can see the rimlight on her hair is much stronger and if you take a look in the mirror you see the second advantage I got: the light on her face is diferent. The side facing the window is more bright than the side where the flash is coming from. Her arm is also more visible and she's more defined. All by lowering the shutter speed letting more ambient light in. Don't lock yourself to always shoot with flash at the maximum sync-speed.

Inspirational people

2011-05-24T22:25:00.001+01:00

Last weekend I participated in a workshop hosted by the Banana Studio in Newcastle and the "lecturer" was fashion photographer John Barone. The crowd was a mix between amateur and experienced photographers. All shooting digital, except from one. A woman from Texas, living in Newcastle, came along with a film-based Rolleiflex camera. It's not a camera you see very often and you would think that a newcomer to studio photography would walk to the shop and buy a digital SLR. Not this woman. Lots of jokes were flying around but at the end of the day she tought me a lot of stuff.

When we're using digital cameras they will last for anything from 50.000 to 200.000 actuations. When you take a photo you see it instantly. The photographer shouts instructions to the model and during 2-3 minutes on the set the photographer finishes with 10, 20, 30 photos at least. It's only digital and lots of us thinks "we'll fix that in Photoshop" But what if you can't see the result instantly?

This woman, named Heather, was fantastic to observe as she carefully posed the models between every shot. She had a limitation to how many photos she could get so she obviously wanted to get good ones from the ones she got. The posing was almost like watching a dance. She was so calm, relaxing in her voice and carefully positioned the model, who were used to changing pose every 2 second, to fantastic poses. The details she looked at and the level of care she showed was fantastic.

I think every photographer at the workshop left with a feeling that she learned them something about studio photography. Even though it's "only digital" and we can shoot and fail with little cost we should be able to have the eye for details at the same level as she had. Shooting digital doesn't take away our responsibility to get the best from the model and in the end that's the difference between a decent and a good photographer. Everyone can buy lights, set them up and take photos, but can you get the best from your model?

Do you crop?

2011-05-20T23:19:00.000+01:00

Do you ever crop you photos? You're definately not the only one. I have no idea on how many times I see a picture inside the picture. The last one I discovered was after a shoot in the (World Famous?) Banana Studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. The model, Jodie Day from Boho Models, did a fantastic job this day and she's got a stunning look as you probably can see above. The above photo is the original photo, but inside this photo I found a better photo. A photo I should have seen with the camera.

Because every time a photo is cropped you loose pixels. I'm not at any stage where I need every pixel. I'm not being published and I don't have the intention to blow this photo up big time although I think I've got a fantastic shot. I didn't like the mirror initially. I found it very distracting and drawing attention from the model. So I cropped it to the version you see below.

I think the composition works a lot better in this photo compared to the original. But I wasn't able to see it when I had the camera to my eye. I was busy focusing on how much of the mirror I should keep in the photo. It's things like this that a good workshop will help you with. Lots of practice and spending time on the computer testing various crops will take you a little step forward and make you think. The next time you're in a similar setting you might think "I did like the crop I made, but this time I want to make the crop in the camera and not in Lightroom"

Do you find yourself cropping often to get the photo you want?

What's the best focal length?

2011-05-15T19:22:00.004+01:00

Photo by Martintoy on Flickr.

As I trawl through various fora (Plural for forum) I find the same question over and over again. "What's the best focal length to use for xyz-photography". I find lots of polite answers but very often I find the same response that I'd like to give to everyone asking this question.

The best focal lentgh is determined by the style you want to adapt. As an example I did see a question earlier today about someone wanting to take car photos but he didn't mention what car photos he wanted to take, how close he would be to the subject etc. Based on the information this person gave I could recommend lenses ranging from the cost of a 50mm f1.8 up to the cost of a Sigma 200-500mm f2.8 or range in focal length from 12mm (Full frame) up to 800mm+.

Photo by Martin Pettit on Flickr

If you want to take photos of cars, is it at a race? Is it on a car show? Indoor? Outdoor? Will you take photo of details or pictures of the whole car? The above photo is taken with a 300mm lens from a distance, while the photo below is taken with a 10mm (15mm equivalent Full Frame) lens. They're two different styles of photos but they are both good within their style of photography.

Photo by Beadmobile on Flickr

So please, the next time you ask what focal lenth is considered to be best for xyz-photography, please provide me with more information on what style you are looking for, where you'll be standing etc. It'll help a lot in order to help you.

Off-camera flash for your point-and-shoot?

2011-05-14T19:46:00.003+01:00

Photo by stevelyon on Flickr.

Do you own a point-and-shoot (POS) camera and constantly wish that you had a better camera? The flash on a POS is extremely small and isn't offering a lot when it comes to power. I see and talk to lots of people who wants dSLR's because the flash is som much better. But you don't need a dSLR to use an off-camera flashgun.

Photo by juninhosarpa on Flickr

There are lots of flashguns on the market that will trigger based on a flash of light. The little flash from your POS will be enough to trigger this flash. The YN-460II that I'm using have got a position to trigger the flash if another flash is fired. I paid around £40 for this flash and it's definately not a lot of money to spend in order to increase the quality of your photos without having to invest in a dSLR.

Primes or zoom lenses?

2011-05-11T21:24:00.004+01:00

(Creative Commons) Photo by Stephen Edmonds on Flickr.

Every photographer loves to look at lenses and drool over bigger, better and faster glass. There's a huge selection of lenses from ultra wide to super tele on the market with the purpose of tempting the photographer to buy them. But what to buy? Zoom or primes?

No matter how much we love lenses there's always lots of swearing when you have to bring all the lenses along. Especially if you're travelling. Weight and space is "wasted" while your missus, packing 2 kilos of make up and 10 pair of shoes, complains about why you have to bring all that stuff on a holiday. When moments like this occus every photographer wish for the super lens that ranges from 15mm to 500mm with f1.4 maximum aperture. Imagine having only one lens with these specs and no CA and pin sharp from center to the edges?

My self, I'm actually considering skipping the search for the ultimate zoom-lens and aim to find good primes that doesn't cost too much. I could buy a 24-70mm for about £1000 or I can buy several primes, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. All with apertures faster than 2.8 and, in most instances, with better resolution than zooms can offer. I know it will be more hassle with changing lenses depending on the situation and the zoom has got the uppoer hand when it comes to flexibility with less effort. But what the primes can offer is an aperture bigger than the zoom lenses. 1-2 stops faster in low light conditions means a difference between ISO800 and ISO3200 which is a massive difference in low light conditions.

I'm also hoping to take event- and concert photos which means I'll take photos in low light. Yes, I wish there were a 15-500mm f1.4 lens but as for now I'll buy primes and use my feet to zoom with. Primes with large apertures vs. fast zooms.... 1-0 in my yard. I might come back in a few months wanting zoom lenses for all it's worth. Photography is great for gearheads. I wonder what to to if I had all available lenses in my possesion?

Do I need to know about fashion as a photographer??

2011-05-10T20:54:00.002+01:00

I went to the studio to take photos of a model from Model Mayhem this weekend. I have to admit that I have little to no knowledge about fashion and what clothing that fits with what shoes etc. I am a man! I don't pay attention to this. I haven't been able to assist my wife in putting together an outfit through 8 years simply because I have no idea of what fits with what.

So when I got in the studio on Sunday I was hoping that the model knew what outfits she would wear as we had discussed various pictures we wanted during the shot. And then the penny dropped..... She started asking me about what shoes, tops and trousers that would fit together. My manbrain went in to tilt position and was unable to respond. lots of thoughts went through my head - "Do I have to know fashion?", "Do I have the qualification to tell a woman...a WOMAN how to dress?" etc.etc. Brain locked a few seconds before I was able to respond.

1 second after the question popped the thought I had was "be confident!" So while my brain was rebooting I tried to give her a confident look that might have given her the impression that I knew what I was doing and that I was considering various options before responding. The brain rebooted quickly and I threw out a few suggestions. I had no idea if it would work but as she went changing I was able to restore my brain functions and set up the lights.

I am by no means a fashion orientated guy. I am, unfortunately, very technically driven which means I know all the geeky stuff about photography and I'm teaching my self people skills in order to communicate in a good way. But fashion??? Do I really have to study this? Or can I rely on the models, hairdressers etc to make decisions on clothing, hairstyles etc?

Why do you hide EXIF-info on Flickr?

2011-05-07T21:01:00.001+01:00

I love browsing through Flickr. Yes, there's a LOT of crap photos there but people have different reasons for putting photos on Flickr. It could be for backup, for showcasing to others, to show your kids to Grandma living on the other side of the world, etc... But when you use the right search words you can find lots of fantastic photos and I love looking at other photographers good work to learn techniques, settings and to do research on lenses.

This information can be written underneath the picture in the description field, and many photographers do so. Especially as some groups require some information on what techniques the photographer used to create the photo. But not all photographers write this information under the photo and so I either have to guess the settings and lens used or I can have a look inside the EXIF info for the specific photo. The EXIF info contains information about camera type used, lens used, aperture, shutter and ISO. It can also tell you if the flash was fired. Be aware: If you're using certain types of triggers the camera will not register the flash.

From this info you can get a rough overview of how the photo was made. Light angles and shadows will tell you where the external light comes from. Either as flash or ambient light. But all this info is hidden by many users. I have wondered why by many occations. Sometimes you can store sensitive data in the EXIF info like email, telephone numbers and even your address. When I import photos to lightroom I automatically put my name and email address in the EXIF data and this data is shown in the EXIF-info on Flickr. Guess what will happen when you display your email address on the Internet? SPAM!!! Some automated robot created by a money-hungry computer geek in a boys room might pick up the email address, put them in a huge file with lots of other email addresses and sell them to a spammer which leads to your mailbox being filled offering you Viagra, money from Iraq, lottery money from Nigeria etc.etc.

So why do people hide the EXIF-data? To avoid Spammers and stopping people from misusing your personal data. Not to stop you, as a photographer, to learn about settings and techniques.

Scotland To Boulmer charity run

2011-05-05T22:45:00.003+01:00

The Crew, a photo by ogunnberg on Flickr.

A fantastic effort from the runners who ran 36 miles today in order to get money for Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Cancer Research UK. If you want to give your support..... : http://www.justgiving.com/s2b-brf

The weather was great for running and the fastest runner completet the course in 5 hours 28 minutes. Great time! Some others had to dig REEEALLY deep to find the energy to complete the last 3 miles. Photos from the run can be found here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogunnberg/sets/72157626531085815/

Craving for lenses!

2011-05-03T19:41:00.004+01:00


(Creative Commons) Photo from Flickr by Andrew Wong

I'm suffering from the same thing that most photographers, professional as amateurs, suffers from. Zack Arias called it GAS. That's Gear Aquisition Syndrome for those not familiar with the term. I really, really want to have more lenses in my setup. I really, really want a better body. At least I know my wife wants to have one, but we're, as usual, talking about different bodies. I want more lights, both studio lights, portable lights and speedlights. Why? Do I really, really need this?

I'm not a professional photographer but I'm hoping to be able to earn some more money on my photography. First of all to be able to satisfy my GAS. Secondly to be able to do so with a high WAF. That's Wife Acceptance Factor. I'm spreading abbreviations like a machine gun spread bullets. No more! I promise.Photography is taking alot of my time and I'm trying to limit my use of money. I've got a second hand Canon EOS 1D mkII N, a Sigma 20-40mm f2.8 and a Canon 85mm f1.8 together with a bit of cheap Yongnou flashguns with radio triggers. For my current use that's actually a good setup for me on a budget. it's not fantasticly wide and I'm lacking tele above 85mm but I haven't missed it so far. I know I will if I pick up sports photography again.

Deep inside of my my senses speak to me about "it's not the camera that takes photos, it's the man behind it" But this voice is drowned by the man's eternal wish for gadget aquisition. It's like the first Europeans that came to America with fake jewellery and shining stuff to buy their stuff and trust. Men are really simple like that. It's not just women whi like shiny things. Deep inside, every man wants shiny, new gadget stuff that can satisfy them for a brief moment until something newer and more shiny comes along.

(Creative Commons) Photo from Flickr by pinboke_planet

A good proof that it's not the equipment that matters is easily shown on Flickr. The above photo is taken with an iPhone. There are thousands of photos on Flickr showing good photos taken with phones and "old" cameras. But the wish for bigger, better, newer and shinier stuff drives everyone to buy a Gazillion megapixels dSLR's, takes crap photos, blames the camera and the equipment and goes to the shop to buy a newer, bigger, better and more shiny camera. just to discover that the photos are crap...again! Photo course? Tutoring? Reading the manual? "Pfuh! Naaah! I can do this!! I'm going to be a great photographer in no time with this equipment. I just have to give away all my good shots first then they will see how great of a photographer I am!"

For those who's done this without being really good and knows the end of that story : "After I gave away a few lucky, good images of my pool of 50.000 photos, I wanted to sell them to the same paper/magazine/website and when I asked for money they just laughed at me. I now own camera equipment worth thousands of pounds and I've overdrawn my credit card to the limit because I thought I was a good photographer"

I'm trying not to step into the same trap. So I'll manage with the equipment I've got until more money comes around. My GAS is itching but I'm maintaining a good level of WAF.

How much time have you got?

2011-04-28T23:22:00.001+01:00

I read all the time about how little time you have as a photographer if you want to take photos of a celebrity. All have to be done in short time. Well...it's not only celebs that requires short time on location. If you live in the UK (Great Britain, England etc) and wants to shoot on location during daytime you'll never get a clean background or more than a few minutes before you have to move on.

During the day the carriage was driven around the town to promote the company and create some focus on the Royal Wedding tomorrow. Especially as the wedding couple will be transported in a horse-drawn carriage. So they wanted me to follow them to get some photos for the website, brochures etc. No problem, except from the traffic. Travelling by horse and carriage might not be the fastest but with 50.000 cars on the road at the same time AND trying to find parking in vicinity of the areas where we planned to shoot...now THAT's a challenge for you.

We managed to get 2 nice locations for photos of the carriage moving in traffic and only one good location where the carriage could stand still for a few minutes in the shadow. The afternoon sun was bright and created hard shadows and with very little time I didn't want to experiment too much with fill flash with no VAL's to run around for me. So natural light was used most of the time. I managed to sneak in flash in some photos. A YN-460II on camera with a radio transmitter connected to camera to trigger an off-camera flash. Wasn't too bad.

So what have I learned today? You can't plan with a million people wanting to spend time exactly where you want to take pictures. Stay flexible and plan as the traffic flows. Also, shoot RAW to allow yourself some room for error. It's easy to correct later if you're not a God with the camera. And the only way to be better is to read books, watch films and take pictures.

Charity Run

2011-04-26T20:55:00.000+01:00

On thursday 5th of May a group of friends and colleagues of mine are completing an idea idea they had for charity. They are running from the Scottish border to RAF Boulmer in order to raise funds for Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Cancer Research UK. It's by no means an easy run. The hilly landscape makes it a great challenge with steep climbs and rolling hills.

36.7 miles (app.58km) is not a short distance. Imagine yourself running a full marathon. Add almost another half marathon. Then add lots of steep climbs and rolling hills and you've got the challenge they're facing. I will document the run by taking photos and support them in all possible ways during the day of the race. I have also supported their charity in order to raise 1000GBP. that should be possible.

The charities should be supported by anyone who cares for the cancer research. Newcastle is one of the hubs in UK and the world when it comes cancer research and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation have helped lots of people and funded lots of vital research on Cancer. You can read more about the charities here and here.

If you can, please help by donating on this page : http://www.justgiving.com/s2b-brf

Learning, learning and learning..

2011-04-24T19:26:00.003+01:00

For a long time I have hardly used Photoshop for editing photos. Lightroom provided me with all the things I needed; adjusting exposure, colour correction, saturation etc. This all changed when I started learning studio photography and I now find my self spending more time in Photoshop than in Lightroom.

I have read lots and lots of books, I read links in tweets (Thank you, Matthew jordan Smith) and I've watched hours of videos on Youtube and on Kelby Training to learn about lighting, posing, communicating and editing. Internet is an Amazing source for all this. you can choose to search and find the free stuff or you can pay to get what you need and at the same time sponsor the pro's that make all the books, films and tutorials required for you and me to learn about all this stuff.

The best things I have done is :

1. Buying a subscription to Kelby Training.
Scott Kelby and his team of photographers contributing on this website is fantastic. It's not teaching on "You have to use this f-stop, this ISO" etc but it's more like behind-the-scenes where the photographers tell you what their ideas are, how they think and how they communicate with people. You will have to pay to get access but it's definately worth it.

2. Following Joe McNally and David Hobby
These two guys do amazing things with flashguns. David Hobbys Strobist website is a great source to start if you want to learn how to use flash. If you don't learn anything from reading his stuff, you can pack your flash away and never look at it again. When you've learned all the basics you can also (Don't leave David Hobby behind, because he's genious) follow Joe McNally. He throws a few flashes around and creates lighting like no Roman God could ever do (What was the name of that God??)

3. Buying books. And buying more books
I've spent lots of money on books over the last year. I could list a lot of books but the best ones I've read are written by Scott Kelby, Joe McNally and Bjorn Thomassen. If you find a book that looks interresting; buy it! If you didn't like it you can put it on Amazon or eBay to get some of your money back.

4. Jump in it.
Every time a new opportunity bids I have jumped in it. Even though I was close to not knowing anything about what to do, I still had to try. But...be careful on what you promise as an outcome. As an example; DON'T charge shitloads for your first wedding unless you are sure you can deliver the goods, and DON'T offer great sports images when you, at best, can offer some blurred photos of the winner 5 seconds after he crossed the finish line. Learn the trade by trying and failing and be humble if you f**k up!

Happy snapping!

Football photographers

2011-04-20T10:05:00.003+01:00

I know you need long lenses for football, but do you need a 400mm lens to capture the players as they enter the pitch? Are they taking nostril pictures?

Imagenomic RealGrain

2011-04-19T22:41:00.000+01:00

Imagenomic is known not to be the cheapest products around in the photo editing world but the quality of the products are fantastic. I've tried both portraiture and Noiseware and I'm really happy with the results I get from their products. Recently I've tried to get my head aroound all the funcions available in their RealGrain plugin for Photoshop.

The above image is made by using one of their preset plugins. The presets are made to replicate various films from the golden days when photographers had to use film and the digital image was just a fantasy. This particular image was made using a replication of Ilford Delta 3200. A result I was really happy with. The photo ended up looking like it was taken in the golden days of coalmining. the grain and the looks is just fantastic.

The plugin costs $99.95 so unless you really feel the need for it or unless you know how to do this yourself in Photoshop then this might not be for you. But if you like to create the "old" feeling easily with full control of every little grain, then this is money well spent.

Build your confidence

2011-04-18T10:11:00.000+01:00

There's a lot of talk about all the pretty models who looks stunning in front of the camera with a confidence most women would kill for. But...when you're looking great in your pictures you also feel great in life outside the viewfinder. So every woman can get that confidence by having their photo taken by a professional. Not by a professional Photoshop retoucher, but by a photographer who knows what poses you should hold in order to look better, slimmer, taller etc.. But what about the photographers confidence? I haven't read many articles where the photographers confidence is mentioned.

I'm not the most outcoming person but I'm improving slowly. Mainly because of photography. I used to love Sports Photography because it didn't mean I had to interact a lot with people. I also did still life and stock photos without people as I had no idea how to direct them, what to do with them, talk to them about etc. The whole thing about photography is more complicated the second you have to interact with something else than your camera.

But I started taking photos of my wife, my kids, the dog(!) and I invested in some lighting equipment in order to learn the trade a little better. I was one of the people that hated flash "because it was not possible to control". Thanks to David Hobby, AKA Strobist, I have learned a LOT. And Joe McNally and Scott Kelby have been contributors in my learning process. Youtube also contains a lot of good information for learning about flash photography, working with models, posing people etc.

The first time I was working with professional models I was mildly spoken terrified. These pretty people standing in front of my lens being directed by ME?!?! Confidence was low, my palms were sweaty and I hardly dared to shake their hand (after wiping it, of course). My pulse probably increased 20-30BPM in this phase. But after 5 minutes with the first model I realised something. I looked at the back of my camera, on my LCD-screen, and I discovered that I was able to capture this beauty with my camera and a few flashes. I was able to replicate this girls beauty with my simple skills.

The confidence grew a little and after working with a few more models, doing a few weddings and socialized more with other people with the same interrests, the confidence grew a little more. I'm not saying I'm about to become cocky or stuck up but I have learned to communicate with people in a different way. While fiddling with my camera, changing light setup or changing lenses I talk to my model. I talk to people involved and I even feel more confident to talk with new people at the pub. I have learned a trade more important than taking pictures. I have learned to communicate with people with more confidence. So photography is more than just taking great images.