The Best Camera Is The One You Have With You
How easy is it to become obsessed by camera gear? You buy one body and a lens. Then you start seeing other people getting great results with a different lens so you have to get one of those two. Who is that guy with two bodies? Better get in on some of that action. And so on, so forth. The truth is, as you likely already know, that the most important part of any setup is the operator. Even with this in mind, the best photographers in the world are of no use if they don’t have a camera. It goes without saying that it’s not practical to carry around a DSLR everywhere you go and even compacts can be too much at times. I would imagine that 99% of us have a phone capable of taking pictures but why do we often neglect this function as a competent photography tool? It’s almost as if we think it’s not good enough for us. That we are somehow above a built-in camera or that it’s just a novelty add-on. Yet, by not having to worry about lens choice, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance etc. and by automating pretty much the entire procedure of taking a photograph, mobile phone photography is arguably the purest form of picture taking. There are no distractions. Similarly, there are no excuses when you mess up. You’re forced to constantly reconsider how you see things. I reckon I’ve learned more in the last twelve months from shooting on my iPhone than I have shooting with my DSLRs or NEX-5. I still don’t think I’ve got anywhere near utilising 100% of my iPhone’s potential. With that in mind, it’s been quite a realisation that maybe I don’t need that new lens or body. Instead, I’m going to […]
Humbled by their Sacrifice
On a recent trip to continental Europe, I made the point of visiting the American War Cemetery in Luxembourg. The cemetery and memorial, based just outside Luxembourg City, is where over 5,000 serving Americans have been laid to rest following the second World War. It’s all too easy to not really appreciate the loss of life suffered during World War II. Estimates put the total dead at somewhere between 60 and 85 million people. That number is quite simply beyond comprehension. To think, that every one of those dead was someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, friend. The memorial which is located almost directly beside Luxembourg Airport, is both a beautiful and humbling place. When you walk through the gates and past the large memorials, your first sighting of the thousands of white crosses is overwhelming. It takes your breath away. Walking through the cemetery itself, reading the names, ranks and places of birth of all these young men (and one woman) is almost too much at times. You can’t help but be humbled by the sacrifice of these young men and women, who went to war and never came home. Never was so much owed by so many to so few.
Scenes from Liverpool
I had a rare weekend off recently which I used to visit one of my favorite cities on this small planet. Liverpool has been like a second home to me since I was a kid, so I always try to make a couple of trips there each year. It was also the perfect excuse to dust off my Sony NEX5, a camera which I haven’t had a chance to use much recently. It was only a last minute decision to bring it but I’m most certainly glad I did as the pocket sized camera blew me away once more, nearly two years after purchase. This is also my first post since upgrading my website – you’ll notice now that I can run larger images (950PX) wide which although make take longer to load, might be worth it (occasionally anyways). More images after the break …
Resolutions
I don’t know if it’s just me or do the years seem to be passing by faster and faster? I can hardly believe we’re already looking back over our shoulders at 2011 with 2012 laid out before us. If I’m honest, 2011 seems to have passed me by. With an increased workload, I think I defaulted to an almost automated method of photography during the middle of the year. Looking back, I think I should have done a lot better with the opportunities that presented themselves. Having had some breathing space over the holiday period, I’ve had the chance to identify key areas which I aim to improve upon in 2012 and beyond. I don’t think my photography was in any way poor last year, in fact I’ve probably taken some of my best shots in 2011. I just think I could have done better is all. Some of the areas I’ll be approaching differently in the future will be my preparation, process of shooting and post-processing. I’ve quite a rigid methodology in how I shoot – which although has served me well in the past, I’m now looking to change by improvising and taking more risks. My post-processing is strangely the opposite – I’m always changing and modifying how I’ll edit a shoot afterwards. From here on out I plan on doing much lighter processing in my regular coverage and more thorough processing in my commercial work. I want to create two very different styles that somehow can both be instantly recognized as my work. I’m currently in the process of re-building my print portfolio, something which I’ve neglected since finishing my degree. I also hope to keep this blog more updated with more behind the scenes posts along with my own thoughts on current affairs relating to the photography industry. […]
Business as Usual …
I’ve been out of the office for the last week on a long overdue vacation to the United States. Unfortunately, the auto-responder I set-up before departing got knocked off after a power cut so I apologise for any lack of correspondence in the mean time. I’ll be back in the office from Tuesday November 1st where business will resume as usual. I’ll be sure to share some of my favorite sights from my trip with you shortly …
Anne Ellard Art Pastel Reproduction of Dubai Lamborghini
Life can be a funny old thing. One day you can have no motivation or inspiration but with the kindness of friend, this can be turned on its head. Some of you may remember last year I done a shoot of a kitchen designed by Anne Ellard for her portfolio. Just yesterday I got a knock on the front door from her to deliver this as a thank you gift. I’m absolutely blown away by not only the thought and sentiment but the quality of the drawing. There are some more images after the jump but I just want to thank Anne once again ! Now I just need to find the perfect spot to hang it …
Derby Day
Those that know me will testify to my fondness for Liverpool Football Club. I’ve followed the red side of Merseyside since I was a kid and Liverpool itself is like a second home to me. It’s a beautiful city with the greatest of people. After the recent Autosport International show at the NEC in Birmingham, I made the pilgrimage north west to catch the Merseyside Derby against Everton FC. I kept my newly acquired NEX5 close to hand and when I wasn’t getting carried away with the game, I tried to capture the full story of the match day. I hope you enjoy …
6/8/2010
Or the 8/6 as our friends in the US and Japan would say. Happy AE86 Day folks, be sure to keep an eye on Speedhunters for the full feature above along with a host of other AE86 stories !
Behind the Scenes
Just a quick snap from a shoot this weekend gone on Christy Carpenters Nexen 1JZ S15. Keep an eye out for the full feature coming soon …
Upcoming Feature in Redline …
I had the pleasure of shooting this sublime supercharged E46 BMW last week, keep an eye out it in a future issue of Redline Magazine.
Back Online …
After a brief disagreement with some technology, I’m back in business again. Have a few new things to show you over the Christmas holidays, including the acquisition of a new camera to the family. That isn’t a Canon. Also will be showing this full shoot of my father’s Escort 1300 Executive and will be writing up a Prodrift 2009 season review for the guys on Speedhunters. Take care and drive safely !
5D MKII Video Test
[vimeo width=”800″ height=”450″]http://www.vimeo.com/7708565[/vimeo] Just quickly cut together the first video I’ve shot using the 5D MKII. Really impressed with the quality and the ease of use. Coming from a photography background it’s great to be able to just jump in and make moving picture with the same tools used for the still ones. No trying to figure out button combinations or exploring a new medium to get the desired effect. The test was more so aimed at seeing how my poor little Macbook Pro would handle the files and to be fair, for a two year old laptop it put on a proud show. The original 1080P files were imported into Adobe Premier CS4, quickly cut together and outputted at 720P for use on Vimeo. There is some minor colour grading using the 5D MKII’s built in picture styles. Lense used was a Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS. Now to pick up a mic and start working on some new plans … View the HD version on Vimeo
100,000 views …
Just reached a 100,000 views on flickr, so here’s Remmo doing a burnout to celebrate !
Autosalon Feature …
Just got a PDF of some spreads from Australian based magazine Autosalon, featuring Anthony Scotts RB30 Rocket Bunny PS13 that was shot by Ross I’Anson and myself. First time ever doing a tag-shoot and couldn’t of been happier or prouder to work with a legend like Ross ! Some more spreads & original shots after the jump !
Is it wrong …
to be infatuated with a tree ? Taken on the road into Carlow. Canon EOS-1D MKII N, Canon 70-200 2.8 L, iso50, 70mm, F4, 1/200th