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Warrior
It’s ages since I had fun making a composite, as I have spent the last few months on writing a photography-related book. But last night, with only a programme on TV about jet planes (sorry, yawn, yawn) to compete for my attention, I made a start on something new. The subject is Claire and the background is in Devon. Deciding on the different elements is a challenge. Backgrounds are difficult for me, as I never seem to have enough of them. Deciding when an image is finished is even more difficult…deciding if it any good, impossible. Perhaps all composites should therefore be considered to be a work in progress until they have…
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The Secret Life of Squirrels
Did you ever wonder what squirrels are doing when they are not digging holes in your garden or finding cunning ways to break into your bird feeders? Well, down in the deepest, darkest, most hidden part of your local woodland, they are living their very secret life…
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To leave or not to leave…that is the question
Britannia I have a surrealism project on the go, one of the regular “challenges” that we set at our photo club, Oldham Photographic Society. We began to set these challenges about three years ago and we do six per year. Also ongoing, we have an insect photography challenge and our previous four projects were macro, time lapse, high speed flash and painting with light. I’ve done a bit of surreal photomontage in the past and have lots of books for inspiration (and there’s plenty of inspiration on the web) but I was struggling to come up with something new. Although surrealism involves the juxtaposition of disparate elements or an avant garde…
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Le Weekend
Last weekend’s photography started early Saturday morning. My friends, who know I am not an early riser, will be surprised that I was up just after 5 am and on the road, with two photographer friends, by 6 am. Our destination…the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs on the North Yorkshire coast. Unfortunately, a few winding roads and a slightly foggy morning brought on my motion sickness and I spent most of the first hour sitting in the car in the car park, waiting for nausea to subside. Meanwhile, my friends went off in the fog to explore and came back with the bad news that the fog was very thick…
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Shooting into the Sun
We’ve had some clear sunny skies during the last week or so but from our house I can never see a sunset, because the sun goes down behind a hill way before it sets. So I’ve taken to going up even higher, or going around the hill, where I can to shoot against the setting sun and use flare to reduce the contrast and romanticise the picture. This suggests a question “can shooting into the sun damage the digital SLR camera sensor?”. There is much advice on the web but it is hard to find the definitive answer and it is all a matter of degree. The sun’s brightness can vary…
