Autumn Sonata

Autumn is the most beautiful season, and not just because of it's rich palette. It's a time wrapped in the glamour of decay, but the air is fresher and crisper than summer, whispered warning of winter's chill. It is that poignant time when things begin to sleep, to die, to dream.

Death And The Maiden

Are you one of those people who like to know someone suffered for their art? Well, someone did in this instance, though it wasn't me. The images were shot at first light on a cold October morning as we frantically tried to avoid the dog walkers of Dedham.
A more extensive set of these will appear on the website of my alter ego, James - they're a little bit too grown up for this blog.

Ebbtide

A windy day in Brightlingsea. I took my backup camera since swapping lenses in such conditions can be hazzardous. Took the tripod too but forgot to take the quick release plate (which was on the main camera), so what to do but more in-camera blur.
The technique works well with seascapes, bringing out their constant movement and chaos more readily than a frozen image will. Here I used gentle lateral panning and zooming.

Pictures at an Exhibition

No update to the blog this month as I'm exhibiting in the real world for a change.
The place is the Wivenhoe Gallery (Wivenhoe Business Park, Brook Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9DP), and it's the first group exhibition by the Wivenhoe Photography Group. All the images exhibited (by 8 photographers) were shot during our group ventures.
If you're interested in photography or participating in the group, pop down Tues-Sat 9-5 throughout August.

A Walk In The Clouds

A bumper update featuring images from Wivenhoe Regatta 2010, divided into three groups:
1. Some straightforward photos of the regatta in colour, b&w and sepia.
2. A selection of wideangle views of Wivenhoe Quay; the camera was angled such that the dramatic sky we enjoyed that day covers most of the frame, with the water front running along the bottom of the image - a reversal of the standard rules of composition.
3. Some impressionist views of the quay, smacks and other sailing vessels.














A bumper update featuring images from Wivenhoe Regatta 2010, divided into three groups:
1. Some straightforward photos of the regatta in colour, b&w and sepia.
2. A selection of wideangle views of Wivenhoe Quay; the camera was angled such that the dramatic sky we enjoyed that day covers most of the frame, with the water front running along the bottom of the image - a reversal of the standard rules of composition.
3. Some impressionist views of the quay and assorted sailing vessels.

Angels and Insects

After completing a test shoot in the studio for a potential client I had a play with the same setup and some dead insects. Pass the Chianti....

The Trip

A trip to Fingringhoe where everything appeared to be against us - ok, not literally everything, but there was no skipper for the ferry, so we had to drive there, then after a glorious summer's day, the light turned flat. I therefore decided to play with some different blur techniques - panning, long exposure of moving subjects, zooming, and double exposure (1 sharp, 1 blurred - combined later in photoshop to add some vibrancy to an otherwise flat image).