Total Page views

Monday 19 December 2011

Photomanipulation

WHSmith is a dangerous place i have decided...

looking harmlessly to learn more about the depths that are photoshop, and gain some insights into editing my piccys... then Jen has to go pic ups mag/book full of photo based illustrations and amazing artworks. now that in itself would be fine, but I'm a geek and this was like a little geek fest party going off, so now I'm stuck in editing hell, whats to much whats not enough, is it photography, does that matter.... more to the point I'm crap at being patient, waiting for the shot isn't by strongest feature spending months editing one.... well it ain't gonna happen is it..

but on the positive i have spent some time getting to know photoshop more, and I'm quite pleased with the learning, the result.. not sure, but it was a play, you tell me what do you think, is it photograph or art, does it have a place in photograph clubs and circuits....


steve

Lens lens lens...

it seems that i am just a gear whore....

saw this old Vivitar 28-105 f2.8-3.6 on rocky cameras and have fallen for it... not good really is it, it won't auto focus it won't meter and its macro is only 1:2.5 but i know that there supposed to be sharp contrasty and a classic bit of kit, £60 isn't a lot of money i know!!! so sell the Tamron before i even use it and get this or hold of on the Tamron sp 90mm 1:1 macro.... or leave it of course choices choices... id love to pick it up, i fancy a collection of lens, but i also can't help thank that the Tamron shiny and new is sensible choice for a newbie like me.....

Steve

Monday 12 December 2011

Lens window shopping


Well ive been having a little dilemma about buying my first lens, if i am to invest my money in a new lens, i want it to be right for me not what people just recommend from there own bias opinions.
After lending Steve's 35m f/1.8 prime a few times, i have grown to love how sharp and how georguos the DOF is on it. It has made me understand the how important the quality of glass in lenses are and how my 18-55m nikon lens that comes with most cameras are cheap, but does have its uses for the wide ange of it and all round purposes. Now the other choice i had was to go for a nice macro because of my love for macro bug shots. This would put that lens in my bag alot and not on my camera,  it would restrict me on having to change all the time and not having better glass for all the ordinary shots. Macro can be very seasonal as well, because of subject matter. But on the other hand it is my favourite type of photography...

   Now the choices ... I could ether go for the same lens as Steve and go for a raynox macro attatchment for macro work. The other choice would be the nikon micro 40mm. Now the raynox attachment is not known in shops so i cant go see the quality for myself . The reviews i have read seem very promising, and the only complaints are from people who have been rough with it, or unexperienced people who have not really tried macro photography and do not know how the depth of feild can be. This is the least expencive option and very tempting cos of my use of Steve's lens and how i have grown to love the quality.
  The nikon macro 40m can be used for both uses prime and macro, this is why this lens has come to my attention. This lens DOF isnt as much as the 35m but the diffrence is not enough to bother me that much. The fact i could do both types of photography with out changing anything on the camera is a good thing ( fussing over lens or attachment while following a bug is not ideal) but the unknown quality was an issue, so we went to a camera shop to try it with my camera. we found a dark little shop where they were happy to assist us in any queries we had about the lens. I had a play and took the pics back and had a look at the results. Now as a prime it was nice sharp  and nice portait quality as a macro even more impressed, in a dark and dingy shop it managed to take good shots letting plenty of light in so less grain hehehehe.... now this lens will not suit all, not many people know that there is two kind of ways to take macro shots. One is to stand back and take the shot precisely, carefully and calculated, the other way is to crawl on the floor and get up close to catch your little bug (takes a diffrent kind of perception of how to compose your shot) i like the crawling around and am used to it. i therefore think the 40mm macro lens is the baby for me, despite its extra cost.
Jennyxx

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Camera club reflections!

Camera club, it's nice to be part of something local, meet new people share ideas around a common intrest and of course a cuppa tea, now as a youth worker you might say, of course! You should know this... And of course I do. But the experience is certainly worth more than than theory.. Anyhow! Reflections on a night, a night of projected images up for critic and competition scrutiny, it safe to say that I don't see myself as anywhere near the top of this group of talented photographers abilities, but I'm not at the bottom either, does this matter? Well of course let me not be blinded by some nostalgic idea that it's taking part that counts, we all compete to win, weather it's a nice comment to give us a warm glow or weather it's the prize money! So it's safe to say I feel confident to put work in, knowing that I'll get a honest hard critic, learn from some awesome photographers and maybe some pretty words of encouragement, but also that intrinsic reward of others seeing my work, after all it's useless in the cupboard isn't it... Oh and i think Jens decide on the 40mm micro so looking forward to seeing that when she gets it and what she can do!

 Steve

Thursday 1 December 2011

30th november 2011... strikes

Well today was an intresting day, we went up to Swansea to participate and to use the photographic opputunity at the public sector strike over the robbing of pensions. But we all know that its not the only reason people are striking, public sector workers face many more attacks from the coalition, mass redundancies, a two year 1% pay cap... Think its time the people in this society get up, switch off there TV's and wakes up to what they have let themselves in for. A govenment that we have let become what it it is by ignoring or failing to reconise it ..

     Anyhow it was also intresting as a point of view of a photographer, i have not done any street photography before today, A new and exciting chalenge using the standard kit lens 18-55m and Steve's 35mm. both a different challenge in the same circumstance. Learnt alot about depth of field with the 35 but struggled to stand back in the croud to get the shots, but the other lens it was the total opposite. they both give a diffrent feel to the photos. Pleased with todays shots.

Jenny

Tuesday 29 November 2011

November 30th, strike day

Well it's a big day tomorrow. The public sector go out on strike against the pension reforms, but really they go out against the governments drastic cuts!

Anyhow, photo oppertunity, well you'd like to think so wouldn't you? Hoping to join my fellow man and get some shots of democracy in action, never tried anything like this before so well see what we get!

Steve

hello

Hello and welcome to our first blog post! a motto for the future. A safe guarding of sanity in a dirty world, where consumerism wins at the expense of our hearts and minds.
stay true, get out, watch less tv, buy less, create more and keep the spirit of mankind alive.