French Door

While browsing landscape folders for project images that have been misplaced I came across a lovely old doorway shot in France a while back. Not what I was looking for but it became an interesting 10 minutes of working with monochrome, Silver Efex Pro and the History Brush.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 2 has enhancements using the History Brush to dodge and burn overall as well as selective adjustments to hightlights, shadows and contrast.

High ISO

There are occasions when the available light is so low that in order to get an image the ISO has to be set high. On a recent early morning visit to Thetford Forest the situation looked grim. It's 19th December 09:30 overcast with a slight drizzle and I am inside one of the darkest forests in the country. We have already seen Fallow and Roe although only through the binoculars and we start the stalk deeper into the forest with the breeze onto our faces. Roe in the distance but even with the 600mm f4 on the D3 they are specks and not worthy of a frame. While not well concealed 2 Fallow move out into the clearing and feed on the grass. They are over 100m away and with heavy cropping there might be a frame worth recording. As soon as I take a frame they look up. Their hearing is so acute and they stare in my direction, while I keep behind the camera, aware that my face is the only part of me not camouflaged and they will be off if they know ime human. The ISO is at 2000 and I am struggling to get anything that wont suffer from camera shake. Wide open at f4 I am just getting a reading that is maybe 1 stop underexposed at 1/125 sec. A few more frames and they quickly disappear as the camera spooks them once too often. Later that day after I had made some prints and they are laying a round so people can look at Bambi and ohh and aaah a bit I realised just how important it is to take an image, even when the technical out come is not perfect. The D3 with its legendary high ISO capability is going to struggle at -1 stop when at ISO 2000 and then later I make a crop that is only 30% of the image, but what matters is that there is an image. It wont win any prizes but myself and others have a record of that moment, the contact I made with the camera and an incredibly shy creature whose only predator is generally a man with a gun.It is a privileged to photograph wild life in their habitat, it may not be art but it is great fun.

D3, 600mm f4, ISO 2000, f4, 1/125sec

5x4 update

Not much in the way of activity with the 5x4 recently, mainly due to the need for speed to get projects moving forward again. Apart from the issues when using the Wista (bulk, no metering, dark cloth, tripod, dim image, inverted image, no depth of field preview) there are problems scanning film that still need ironing out. Film selection (for me) is random. Ive tried some Provia and wow, when seen on the light box they are yummy. Delta 100 is miles cheaper if monochrome is the final output and I have tried that too. The last to be tested (sounds posh) is some Portra 160 colour neg. I am led to believe that Kodak have made their new films with a eye on scanning and that sounds promising. The scanning problems so far have been the lack of dynamic range in the Provia and the grain in the Delta 100. The Portra will perhaps overcome these problems and give me a colour output if needed, but more importantly a better route to monochrome. A few scanning technique problems have been ironed out in the past. Firstly, switch everything OFF that the scanner thinks it can do best, especially the sharpening. The scanner will pick up the grain structure and when compared with digital images it is either loved or hated. I don't mind it at all, but being able to control it is where I need to be. Research suggests that wet scanning would reduce it ( a technique used in drum scanners where the film is mated to the glass drum with special fluid) and I could try that with my scanner, but at a last resort as its very smelly and a bit toxic. The alternative answer lies in the post processing in Photoshop. Grain reduction/control can be applied by using an adjustment layer of Gaussian blur (small amount) and a blending mode of Darker. A few tests shows its promising but the amount of blur and the opacity of the layer are variables that I need explore.

Just need to load the dark slides and get moving again.

Printing - Paper - Profiles

About a month ago I acquired an HP Z3200 24" printer and during the last few days it has undergone some intensive calibration and a host of test prints now adorn the walls.

The problems with printing are well understood but by way of a checklist and as an Aide-mémoire, this is my list, hopefully all checked and complete.

1. A monitor that is calibrated.
2. Ambient light levels to suit.
3. Photo quality printer.
4. Suitable paper.
5. Paper profiles.
6. Photoshop CSx
7. Printing software. (Optional)

Some are obvious and some not quite so obvious, so I will look at them in more detail.

1. The calibrated monitor. My ASUS is  1900x1200 and does a good job but it will not calibrate properly. The calibration is by an Eye One Display 2 and it simply will not get rid of a red cast (best seen in a monochrome image, which should be entirely neutral) so, an Eizo CG241W is now used and the difference is considerable. The Eizo comes with its own calibration software and accepts the Eye One  device. The difference is that the Eizo is hardware calibrated, so therefore the vagaries of Windows, Video cards etc do not come into play. Item 1,✓
  
2. Ambient light levels. Not a huge problem but improved here by installing all lighting tubes that are daylight colour balanced, together with two desk lamps with daylight bulbs. Print evaluation under these conditions is therefore entirely neutral. Item 2, ✓

3. Photo quality printer. The HP Z3200 is my choice. It uses 12 Vivera ink cartridges which include a gloss enhancer to eliminate bronzing and is the only printer at this size that makes its own icc profiles.
Item 3,✓
  
4. Suitable paper. This is more difficult to establish an absolute outcome. There are just so many to choose from and although it is possible to buy sample packs, they come in A4 size and only one of each type. Internet research establishes that other users have their preferences but this is such a subjective issue it is difficult to know. For now I am using HP roll paper and some sheet from Hahnemuhle and Harmon.

I will soon get some Canson as they seem to be well into HP printers and offer presets ready for profiling. Item 4, can do better

5. Paper profiles. The HP 3200 makes its own. Load some paper, two clicks later and about 30 minutes due to drying time and a bespoke .icc profile is loaded into the PC and a new Custom paper joins the list on the printer display. Apart from the correct calibration, platen distance etc the profile is essential for soft proofing. My wish list is that all paper looks the same when under soft proofing, but unfortunately that is not the case. Satin and Gloss types require less work under SP conditions. Matt goes very muddy (as it does with the profile for a Blurb book if you download their profiles) and is difficult to work with. There is work to do before the SP set up is truly correct. Under View > Proof Set Up > Custom a number of options need consideration. From the list in Device to Simulate pick up the profile of the paper. Rendering Intent is a area where there doesn't seem to be a whole amount of agreement or direction. Perceptual and Saturation seemingly produce similar results and I will choose Saturation in most instances. I keep Black Point Compensation ticked. Display options to Simulate Paper Colour and Black Ink will often horrify me as the bright screen image of the photograph now looks muddy again. The screen settings recommended by Eizo for photography are 100cd 6500k 2.20 and will always be brighter that the print. So, a few test prints are needed to establish what looks best but once recorded they will be good for 90% of printed output without any further. Save the Custom proof  with a name and date and use it as required. Control + Y toggles to the current settings.  Item 5,✓  with work ongoing to introduce Canson paper as soon as possible.

6. Photoshop CS5 for some post processing but I don't use it for printing. ✓ 

7. Printing software. My preferred method for output to the printer is via Qimage It is stand alone software and has a few features that are superior to the likes of CS5. The most notable is its ability to up size images from their native size with algorithms better than Bicubic found in CS5 and the output sharpening is automatically determined to suit the print size. Item 7. ✓


Conclusion.

Digital printing to exhibition quality is nowhere as easy as in a wet darkroom, although the angst is at least consumed in daylight and without the smelly hands. Printing with an inkjet device requires research and patience, but when it all comes together the rewards are joyous.

P.S. Use white cotton gloves when handling paper rolls. The dreaded finger prints show up if not.

Photoshelter - Educational Guide

One of the disadvantages of registering interest at some websites is that they bombard you with junk mail. I get mail from Photoshelter every week and I hardly ever open any of them. I know what they sell and I am not buying, and maybe I should find that tiny little "unsubscribe" link and stop them, but cant see it. Today though I had a second look at the mail and they were offering me an Educational Guide and it is pretty good. Called " Selling Fine Art Photography" it is a down loadable 25 page pdf with content from nine contributors offering help on getting work into galleries, being seen online and some insight from a Fine Art Printer.

The introduction has a phrase that sums up so much about photography. "..... finding the "recipe" to selling fine art proved elusive. There is no recipe, but there are common threads."

We are often tempted to go and find the recipe, especially when faced with a new or difficult situation and become disappointed when its not there. The common threads are there and although they are tricky to find they can be joined together.

The little book is an interesting read and can be found along with their other free booklets at www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/

Textile photography continues with simple kit.

In July I made an entry detailing the photography of Altar frontals for a book that I was involved with  to be published at an exhibition at Alexandra Palace in October. This led to more work for the book in Chelmsford Cathedral ( a banner) and the culmination was a shoot of The Jubilee Cope at St Pauls Cathedral last week. The techniques learned in Kings Lynn were helpful although the Jubilee Cope had to be photographed flat on the floor. The only place in St Pauls that I could find was in the library, shooting from a gallery looking straight down. The space was limited and the studio lights were really too close to the item and the exposure was not even. Being a pessimist I had anticipated some kind of "problem" but didnt know where or what it would be, so I had again taken everything with me.90% of the extra kit is never used but it did include 2 panels of 25mm thick polystyrene about 4x2 feet. These simple reflectors (hand held in place by my two assistants) made all the difference and bounced some light back into the under lit areas of the fabric. So, the simplest and cheapest bit of kit saved the day. The Cope image was the last to be inserted into the book and it is now with the printers and we are all looking forward to the first print run.

The Washing Line with Chair

The Photographer's Ephemeris

This evening I set about the task of researching a "Photography Website" so that I can make use of a domain that I own, http://www.nigelroberson.co.uk/ . my other .com website is used for my engineering work and the .co.uk directs visitors there at the moment. I do have a copy of Dreamweaver CS5 so should build my own, but right now I need something quick to get a few photographs into the public gaze without reinventing the wheel. So, looking at Clikpic. Layerspace etc I came across a website where the photographer was using "The Photographers Ephemeris". Now I know the world is big and the www even bigger but I had never heard of this phrase, nor did I realise it was software. In a nutshell it is free software that shows you on a map where the sun/moon will rise and set at any location. For landscape and architectural work this device is another tool in the box that will take some of the hard work out of planning a shoot.

For instance:
Location : A149 Knights Hill, Kings Lynn
When will the sun set exacting along the center of the road looking towards the town ?
Answer: 15th October, 18:03

The alignment of the setting/rising sun and moon along strong topographical features will only happen twice every year and is a constant source of disappointment when the opportunity is missed.

Needles to say I haven't got much further with the website as I am now mousing a little icon all over Norfolk and The Fens looking for upcoming alignment of the sun and moon with rivers, churches etc.

The Photographers Ephemeris

10 stop ND Filter

Some time ago I purchased a 10 stop Neutral Density filter from Lee Systems. It is a 100mmx100mm plastic filter that has a density equivalent to approximately 10 stops. The purpose of this filter is to allow long exposures during daylight photography, thus showing movement to a degree not possible just by stopping down and using a slow IS0. The photograph below was taken on a 5x4 camera with Delta 100 film. 3mins at f11 has given the water plenty of time to show the movement, although when there are highlights it is possible the DR will exceed the film and the white burn out. Camera movement must of course be zero, even to the extent that standing still beside the tripod is essential, as any small vibration could induce movement. This example is a horizontal crop from a vertical shot. The water in the bottom half had burned out and no amount of work while scanning could find a texture in the white. This subject is of course a bit "old hat" but for experimentation has served the purpose.

Further Monochrome - Experiments with technique

The possibilities for monochrome conversion are endless and it is possible to get carried away and end up with pointless images. From time to time though I revert to this work although somewhat haunted these days by my last assignment report, and conscious of making images interesting that may be intrinsically uninteresting. I proceed with caution but optimism that my own judgement will have to prevail.

Beryl Dean - Ecclesiastical Embroidery - Photography - Instinct

This is not Landscape photography (I haven't defected to the Textile degree either) but there is a point to this, and as it is the only photography I have completed recently I feel the need to share a day on location working way outside my comfort zone and just how rewarding that has felt. I was contacted about 2 weeks ago to photograph three Altar frontals in St Margaret's church in King's Lynn. The brief changed from time to time but the final requirement was for High Res digital images for an exhibition catalogue/book and maybe some large panels around the exhibition or on the building exterior, and maybe some postcards, so a wide range of end usages. A visit a week beforehand satisfied myself that the shoot was possible (always a pessimist until I am assured) and that there were 13 amp sockets close by, and enough space to use some short telephoto lenses etc. My engineering background always telling me "the devil is in the detail" and that is never wrong. Then I spent some time to find out more about what it was I was doing and why were these pieces so special. Beryl Dean MBE (1911 - 2001) was a embroiderer, designer for ballet, teacher and writer and an innovator in the field of 20th century ecclesiastical embroidery. Her work is at St Georges Chapel Windsor, Chelmsford Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, St Martin's Dorking and St Gile's in Northbrook Illinois and her "Head of Christ" is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. With a modest amount of research and talking to her official archivist I realised that these pieces were special and needed my best attention. More online research confirmed my initial thoughts on technique and that there were a number of important criteria to satisfy by way of photography as the viewer of the images are likely to be specialists in this field. The images then should have no distortion, correct colour, have maximum detail and show the depth and texture within the work. Specialists are working in this area, especially one studio in the USA where the pieces are photographed from above in a massive studio with a museum quality controlled environment. The lighting needed to be even, but not flat. I needed an overcast day as on my first visit the sun was streaming through a high window onto the Altar and this, although attractive was not what I needed. The day of the shoot I was to meet the archivist and the Dean at 10:30 to gain access to the pieces, so as usual for me I was there at 08:30 (dull overcast which was good) to unload the 3 strobes, stands, boom, cables, laptop, 2 cameras, 2 tripods, 4 lenses, gaffa tape, batteries, charger, tools, softboxes, dishes, barndoors, you name it and it was in the Landrover. By 10:30 I was ready, camera set up, laptop setup on a nice big desk sort of thing where the Bishop sits (maybe not entirely the correct etiquette) and a few test shots made to prove the lighting. Once the first piece was out and in place it was obvious the lighting was wrong. The flash meter was showing even light and no ambient in the readings but it was uneven. We switched off some high level flood lighting which did make a difference, switched off the flash and went for ambient only, 1sec at f8 with the 85mm. The symmetry of the large high windows (no stained glass so no colour cast) were giving me a soft even light that was working for me and the archivist. By using the Nikon tethered to the laptop instant viewing of the large image is possible and essential to allow the specialist an opportunity to see the detail and lighting. Three items were photographed using ambient and strobes. One in particular has gold threads and these worked better using the strobes, allowing the lights within the family of angles (FoA) to produce some reflections from gold thread, which is a characteristic of Dean's work. The second part of the shoot was to shoot close up detail and even closer towards macro. I had checked the AF Fine tune on my 60mm and 105mm macro lenses, so had confidence in correct focus and these had the wow factor, showing every thread.  It was trial and error for some part when it came to the lighting. The shiny bits in the fabric were required to shine and they were only specular highlights anyway, so moving lights in and out of the FoA allowed some variety. Working as a team with the archivist was good. Her explanation of the work was interesting and her ideas changed as I showed her the Live View on the screen and some of the shots in PS with a little work to levels and sharpening. The peace and quiet of working in the church was destroyed (harsh word maybe) when the organist for the next days lunchtime recital started her practise. She choose to only do the difficult bits though, time and time again. By 14:30 we were finished, it was a difficult decision to stop but we were over our time. Equipment back in the car and totally exhausted, physically and mentally. How difficult is it to explain to anyone that taking some photographs inside a gorgeous church of three pieces of cloth had had that effect. During a late lunch we discussed the morning's work and how the images would be used and delivered to the editor and designer. All they needed from me were RAW files, so pretty much everything that was shot went on the DVD. I did a few cropped, retouched (I really didnt know how much to do here as there was damage in places) capture sharpened versions if they want to use them. Book publishers never want final sharpened files, due to variations in sharpening requirements at printing. So, apart from the  technical issues being described, is there a point to all of this being described here ?. Recently I have read a thread on a forum discussing the issues of taking on board a tutors remarks and making adjustments to your work prior to assessment. The second chance if you like, did you get it wrong first time round and do you need to make changes. Good advice for the degree process but on a day like I have just described you have few second chances, you have to produce work that is good, maybe some that is very good, without a second chance. So, what do you do ?. You research the subject, you research some techniques and you get an opinion, but in the end its your call. Yesterday the actor Sir Patrick Stewart was at the UEA in Norwich and during the graduation ceremony had the following advice for the students.  "Timidity is a killer" "My message is also about trusting your instincts. Often people second guess too much. When your instincts tell you somethings not right, trust them and act on your instincts".

I hope my instincts were right. Sending Raw files for others to post process is perhaps a little scary, but it was what was required and the results will be on display in October at the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexander Palace in October, Dublin and Harrogate in November.

No 1

Detail 1

The setup

Auto Focus - Fine Tune

In my quest for image quality I have in the past performed a "Fine Tune" to the AF on my Nikon D3. A few Canons and Nikons, maybe a Sony as well have this feature and it is well worth the time to do the set up. In the past I had used a home made target and was never that happy about the alignment of the target and the sensor. Recently however I acquired a Lens Align Mk 2 target and decided to go through all the AF lenses again to check their performance at auto focusing. It is disappointing that nearly all AF lenses do not do focusing that well. Some are spot on but some will back or front focus by as much as 20mm in my experience. This on many occasions will never be noticed ( wide angle lenses and when using say f8 due to the improved depth of field) but when working close to minimum focusing distance and wide open with a fast lens the lack of sharpness where the focus point should be can be puzzling.

The front view of the target has focus area and alongside it a sloping ruler to determine where the actual focus lies. The centre AF point is aimed at the main target for testing, with the rear alignment just visible through the small hole in the centre.

In the photograph below (600mm f4 at f4 at 25 times focal length distance) the focus is clearly behind the target. Adjustment is made in the camera menu and the camera lens combination can be forced to focus correctly. The camera memorises the serial number of the lens and changes the adjustment to suit each individual lens and up to 20 can be stored. Images are made in monochrome to allow ease of assessment and against a dark background and maybe over sharpened to evaluate the focus area. Trial and error is required and the lens should be sent through it full movement range between each test.



A chore but the results are noticeable when completed.

5x4 First Batch of Negs

The first batch of Delta 100 negatives have been processed and for the first time I have Large Format images. There is still work to do and much to learn not just with taking, but the scanning and the post processing. The making of images in the field (I haven't tried anything studio based) is simple but alarmingly complicated. After all, all I have is a box with film in it and a lens, but its remembering the sequence that things happen and not being impatient. Light will change during the set up and the first meter reading wont be the last. Tilt and shift is awkward but not as complicated as one might think, especially if you use a loupe and not get too geakish about the Scheimpflug rule. Knowing roughly what is happening helps but like most things in life, if it looks right then it probably is. Scanning is made complicated by the fact that the more you read on the Internet the more opinions you gather and they are not similar. I am using the Epson software with the V750 although it comes bundled with Silverfast and I also have Vuescan, the variables here are too many too soon. The only advice that I am listening to is from Ken Lee who makes a valid point that less is more when working with a scan and getting the work done in the scanner software is the best choice. Over processing in PS will destroy the analogue feel of the film.

So, here is a test image.  Delta 100 Wista Field. 150mm Rodenstock Sironar S 1sec  f 32 Front Tilt. Some small amount of dodge and burn, but generally a straight print.



Hampered here a bit by file size and resolution. I will FTP to my website and make a link to the original file soon.

PS CS5 Books

Having installed the new PC and CS5 I decided to buy a couple of new books to speed up the learning between my older CS2 and 3 to the newer version. I am generally impatient when it comes to learning functional commodities and prefer to use the trial and error method, but this seemed like a good time to buy more books, as unlike a lawnmower or multimeter the controls are hidden and you can hunt forever to just switch to Photography mode. Adobe Photoshop for Photographers and The Ultimate Workshop, both by Martin Evening arrived while I was in Cumbria,(looking for assignment 3 in 80 mph winds). It is astonishing to think that (if we knew nothing about PS) that we now need a book with 746 pages and a further one 484 pages, just to process photographs beyond the normal man in the street techniques. I know that is an exaggeration but I don't think my textbooks for my Private Pilots License had so many pages and just how much do we need to know ?. I am aware that I know enough to get by, but as a student for a degree in photography I feel I should know more and be something of an expert in the field if one day I was to say teach the subject. It would be inappropriate to not be able to answer questions on the finer points of PS and while we have no examinations I am making the effort to read more.
This of course is a further distraction from getting on with new images, but is at least "something akin to photography" and I am not watching mindless television, which could be the death of us all.

Further monochrome conversion - test

Off topic for Landscape but I love my vintage car bits and cant resist twin SU's



Testing new monochrome techniques

With assignments and projects in the wings a bit I have spent some time looking at a new monochrome work flow. I am particularly interested in the vintage style of print that incorporates a slight tone but high contrast and dynamic range. Within PS I can of course adjust curves and apply tone and produce a sepia type of image but I have always found the results below par. This of course is not new and my current research has taken me into HDR and Silver Efex Pro. The image below is pretty ordinary (I am liking ordinary though, and have stopped chasing the extraordinary) in its native state. In SEP I am using for now the straight (normal) conversion and making three version. -1, 0 , +1 stop and then taking them to Photomatix for HDR conversion. After HDR the image is again taken into into SEP and Vintage Plate 2 used as an adjustment layer. Various blending modes are to be tested and % opacity. This is early days but if and when I perfect the workflow it will be used in future work.



NIkon D3 85mm f1.4 ISO200 1/250sec f2.5

New Years Eve - Day Trip

Undeterred by the near Nil visibility my friend Richard and his son Edward joined me for a day trip along the coast from Hunstanton to Cley for photography and food. We all had new toys from Christmas and were on our way to Hunstanton by 0800. Hunstanton in the winter is a dark and melancholic place, that would challenge anyone with a camera. The summer visitors enjoy a typical buckets and spades environment in the only east coast resort that has a sunset out at sea due to its west facing coastline within The Wash. The only buckets were with a few bait diggers looking for lug worm and seeing them in the vast empty space of the foreshore at low tide made me wonder why I hadn't packed any telephoto lenses. Anyway, the plan was to use the digital range finder and the 5x4 and move towards a minimalist style that had a naturalistic feel rather than the compressed perspective of telephoto and conversely the difficult world of wide angle The light was surprisingly good provided you didn't mind 640 ISO, 1/125 sec and f2, but on the other hand it was an even flat light that in a studio would be so hard to achieve. After an hour or so it was clear we had "done" Hunstanton and we needed coffee and buns. Hunstanton of course refused as it was shut and we moved further East. Further "closed" signs until we decided to give the RSPB a chance of doing some life saving at Titchwell where we found good beans on toast, bacon and coffee, with the enticing 50% off sign on the shop door to get us in and buying. Quite naturally the 50% off wasn't applying to the Leica spotting scopes so we moved on to Brancaster Staithe. Very foggy to the extent of being wet but I did manage a few (3) with the 5x4 using Delta 100. Typically the exposures were 1 sec at f22. The fog was closing in and became virtual rain so we pressed on to Wells next the Sea and to the "East End" where the cockle fisherman have their shed and boats. I didn't "get it" there. I looked at the ground glass on the Wista for a while and apart from showing a walker how a 5x4 camera worked didn't make any photographs. Moving further east we did various drive throughs at potential shooting places but with falling light headed for the beach at Cley. There isn't much there apart from shingle sea defence and about four small boats. The boats have space around them that almost puts them out of context, with no other features or fittings for fishing and I am sure there is good photography there, but not on this occasion. Last stop was for more food at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust visitor centre for more tea and cakes. 1430 now and almost dark.

So, 80 or so images with the M8 and 3 with the 5x4 and no real prospect of more than a few that I can use for coursework projects. But, none of that matters in reality. The issues here are that the more you shoot the more you learn, not only about simple matters of exposure and the like but a build up of ideas for the future. Subconsciously this small trip, which is similar to many from the past will provide me with a preamble when I next go to those locations. Even if none of that is true and photographically it was poor I now know that the RSPB at Titchwell do good beans and bacon, which cant be a bad thing to know.

Hunstanton - Closed

Leica M8 50mm Summilux 1/125 sec f1.4 ISO 640

Birding - Project 15 - 5x4

21st December, the shortest day of the year so probably not the best day to do some bird shots with the 600mm lens. Started the day with a "Winter" set for project 15. I now have all the seasons shot at Castle Acre and will process them and put them in the journal when I have caught up on some of other projects prior to 15. Also made some very wintery shots with the Wista 5x4 around Castle Acre, using Provia and Delta 100. Then to Cley and Salthouse for some bird shots. I have always wanted to do more with the 600mm lens and while the odd trip to Thetford forest for Dear never quite comes up with that magic moment and "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" I decided to have a look at seabirds and waders again. One reason for choosing them over songbirds in the garden is their size. The 600mm has a closest focus distance that is still 5m or so (cant remember exactly) and makes a finch small in the frame and a gull therefore is easier to fill the frame. Salthouse on the North Norfolk coast is about as cold and windswept a place that you will find. Problem number one was that the pools behind the shingle banks were 98% frozen over and not much prospect of gulls or waders using them. Some birds, havent looked up the names yet and a few images for todays posting, maybe more over Chritmas.

 

Nikon D3 600mm f4  1/1250 sec f5  ISO 1000

 Nikon D3 600mm f4  1/1250 sec  f5 ISO 1000

Nikon D3 600mm f4  1/800 sec F4 ISO 1000

And some departing Geese

Nikon D3 600mm f4  1/1000 sec f4 ISO 400

Anticipation v Images = Bad Score

Sometimes I wonder if the anticipation of results from my photography is becoming over optimistic. I recently spent a number of hours along the North Norfolk coast around Cley and Salthouse on a very bright day, albeit very cold and was convinced that there were plenty of good images on the card. Tonight I am looking at them and I cant say there is one that I find inspiring and worthy of inclusion anywhere. At the time I was excited and busy, moving around with all the hints and tips running through my brain, for good composition, dealing with the difficult light but using incident readings and all to no avail. Ive tried a number of rescue remedies, high contrast monochrome, panoramic crop, selenium tone, but they are all poor.

The only bad technique that day was a zoom lens. Technically its very good but in the main I don't like them , and I like to use a single prime lens. The discipline of thinking in one field of view is better for me. Next time, no zoom. Pick say 2 primes and work around it.

For a while I am going to return to the course projects and work on the tasks. Maybe that will focus me on a task rather than the current roaming. Also they need to be completed and some of them are better done during these short days.

Robin

Call me old fashioned, but its not winter without a Robin picture.

D3  600mm f4 plus 1.4x  1/1000 sec f 6.3