Back On The Weed

Summer Weed, originally uploaded by acampm1.

Always fun capturing the changes the seasons bring - in this case the rivers stalling as they dry up, resulting in thick weed.

For photographers though, there's something more interesting here. Do you think this done with my usual Nikon D3 and 14-24 f2.8? Or perhaps my earlier Olympus E3 and Zuiko 7-14 f4?

Nope. This is an early outing for my Panasonic G1 and Panny 7-14 f4. Tiny, and very good.

The Birthday Party

Lucy's First Birthday, originally uploaded by acampm1.

Yes, I know, you're bored of the dog. Still, it was a good first birthday party, so have a snap anyway.

D3, 70-200 VR

Should one feel guilty about using a dirty great pro camera to record family moments? I always do, a bit, but my excuse is shooting pictures of my dog is great way to learn how to get the best out of the camera.

So there.

Shotgun Wedding Photography

Wedding Shooting Part 3, originally uploaded by acampm1.

It normally starts with someone asking if you could do a few shots at their wedding. This is where you should be saying "No, I hate getting under the feet of the official photographer."  You'll probably find out that you are the official photographer, and that's a good time to run in the general direction of away.

Firstly, you could mess it up, and then you'll never hear the last of it.  If, like me, you shoot landscapes, you probably regularly mess up, shrug, move on and forget it.  Landscapes do not come back and complain the photo is unflattering.  Here's a nice landscape screwup - while I was shooting I exhaled, and since I happened to be smoking a fag at the time...  Oh well, next time, eh?

No, it isn't fairies..., originally uploaded by acampm1.

Secondly, it isn't that easy.  Look at the photo I've headlined with.  Even someone who is completely indifferent to photography can see that it looks rather "professional" (which is not the same as "good").  The reason is that it has Shallow Depth Of Field, as discussed in here before.  The bride is in focus, the background isn't.  Doing that is both expensive and hard (you need a fast lens, accurate focus, and a good feel for how the apertures will work out).  Hence professionals like to use DoF effects, because they can, and now everyone "knows" that is how a good photo looks (even if they don't realise what it is that makes it so).

The second bit that is hard is managing the light.  The wedding probably won't take place in ideal conditions.  That confetti shot was taken in hard midday light, so the only way to stop everybody looking dreadful was fill in flash.  Again, you need to know what you are doing.  I had no idea (I use fill-in flash a lot, but not on people), but I got lucky.

Wedding Shooting Part 1, originally uploaded by acampm1.

Thirdly, you probably want to know something about weddings, so you know who you are supposed to be photographing and when. I know nothing about weddings, it has always seemed to me easier to find someone who hates you and buy them a house.  Fortunately in this case the groom actually is a wedding photographer, so he was able to help.  And we still made a cods of it.

Fourthly, the bride and groom probably don't know all this, which is why they won't stump for a real shooter, so they will be disappointed when you don't do a professional job...

Fifthly, if you are used to doing landscapes, you Post Process.  When you hand your thousand shots over (and you should take at least a thousand shots, because at least one person will have their eyes closed, and another will be picking his nose, so make sure you have lots of cards and batteries) and tell the bride and groom to pick forty shots, they will come back asking for two hundred.  I don't know what a real pro does in those circumstances, presumably takes them outside for a proper kicking.  What I did was PP two hundred shots.  At ten minutes each.  Which is two thousand minutes.  Which is days of work.  These modern times, there is a real danger the divorce will have happened before the wedding album has been assembled.

Anyway, it was good fun, they seem to like the shots, and I've done it now.

But I'm not doing another.  Ever.

And if you have any sense, neither will you.

Doing It Doggy Style

Lucy And The Hose, originally uploaded by acampm1.

Well, actually this was just done as a test of the Flickr link to blogger, but it is a moderately amusing photo anyway. I've been playing a lot with a Panasonic G1, a mirrorless dSLR which makes most normal dSLRs look bulky and needless, but I have to say when you want to mess about like this, you can't beat my huge, heavy D3 Nikon.

Never Mind The Sodding Sky, Throw The Ball!, originally uploaded by acampm1.

However you don't actually need a battleship dSLR to do dog shots. I like this one of Delphi when she was young. My first ever shot with an Ultra Wide Angle lens, which is pretty much my signature style now.

Landscape With Wet Dog, originally uploaded by acampm1.

Dogs make interesting models I think, but then I like dogs. You can do this kind of shot, Delphi looking noble, easily with any camera.

Go Delphi, Go!, originally uploaded by acampm1.

On the other hand, while I have no doubt someone HAS done this on a camera phone, the D3 and 70-200VR makes it a lot easier.

It is the photographer, not the camera, that makes the picture. But the right kit for the job helps no end.