Monday 24 October 2011

Don't just look cool

Just watched the latest Jared Polin Video about a quote from 1927 which i have been saying all along. When i first joined my local camera club and there was 5 of us in the beginners section i had the "crappy" camera the lowest spec a Canon 400D while the rest had 7D and 5D thinking they were so cool to have such a great camera but the fact is they had no idea of how to use them and how to make it work for them hell 3 of them kept it on auto just go buy a point and shoot ffs. I have had my camera for almost 2yrs now and been lucky enough to shoot some great events from Pro Boxing, premier football, Gigs with full access and i still get looked at as if im a beginner which is fine by me because i know my camera inside and out almost, they are still trying to figure out how the camera will take better pictures for them and in truth it's a partnership and im still learning but as i get to know my gear it get to know me i understand what it is capable of and how i can use that in any situation i do get it wrong from time to time but that's the point to learn, maybe some time next year i will upgrade but only when i'm ready and not just to look cool.

Friday 14 October 2011

Boxing event

Check out my Boxing on location video with picture and photo's published in paper article.

http://camphotopixtutorials.blogspot.com/2011/10/boxing-event.html

Reasons Why Photographers Cannot Work for Free


If you have been directed to this page, it is likely that you have requested the use of an image or images for free or minimal compensation.
As professional photographers, we receive requests for free images on a regular basis. In a perfect world, each of us would love to be able to respond in a positive manner and assist, especially with projects or efforts related to areas such as education, social issues, and conservation of natural resources. It is fair to say that in many cases, we wish we had the time and resources to do more to assist than just send photographs.

Monday 5 September 2011

Busy Busy Busy

Well i have been so busy, i have been able to photography a few events from cycling, a 10k race and a professional boxing contests with another one at the end of the month, i also had a photo shoot which was really good learning experience.  Over the next few days i will have a good few photo's to upload along with 3 or 4 video's which i will roll out over this and next week.


Tuesday 16 August 2011

Amazing work and video


also check out his other videos and TSO on facebook and G+

Up coming photo event

Well as im only between a beginner to intermediate photographer i seem to lucky in getting some really great oppertunities in photo shoots.

Friday 12 August 2011

1st photo shoot

I did my first type of photo shoot 2 days ago of my pals little girl called Emma (cute little girl) Out of the shoot i managed to get about 80 shots as she would not sit still for a second, out of the 80 i would say 10 were good the rest were average and i know where i went wrong, i postioned her to close to the background/drop to blow out or get full white so i learned somthing there and also need to work on my composition but the majority were not far off.



Wednesday 10 August 2011

Sunday 7 August 2011

Metering Modes

Evaluative
This is the ideal metering mode for general shooting. If youre position the camera after focusing and include much darker or lighter areas in the frame, you should use the AEL(star)button to capture a newmeter reading before shooting.

Partial
The Partial metering mode bases the exposure purely on what’s in the central region of the frame. In evaluative mode, the bright pink petals would have lost their brightness and the centre of the flower and the bee would have been dark blobs.

Centre-weighted
Agreat metering mode for tricky lighting conditions, this focuses on what’s at the centre of the frame and takes much less account of light levelsat the periphery. Here it’skept thedark wall in silhouette and stopped the blue sky from washing out.

Spot
This bright white swan against a dark background is a nightmare for any camera’s metering system. To get a nicely balanced exposure, we’ve used Spot metering and taken a reading from the shadowy midtone area to the right of the swan’s lowerneck.

Street Photography Top Ten Tips

1 Human nature
The thing that separates ‘street’ photography from architectural shooting is almost always the human element. Be a people-watcher and look for interesting interactions between people and places.

2 Wrist action
Walking around with a camera strung around your neck can draw unwanted attention to yourself. Try tucking the strap inside an upturned collar or using a wrist strap instead.

3 Candid camera
Being secretive and shooting from a distance with a long lens can make you stand out like a sore thumb. Mingle with the crowd, benatural and pick your moment. It often works well to find a good location and just wait for something to happen.

4 Stay safe
Weigh up the risks of shooting potentially volatile situations. A drunken brawl might make for some great shots but you might also end up on the receiving end of some unwanted attention.

5 Don’t shoot
In some security-sensitive places any photography is prohibited, and use common sense when it comes to shooting outside schools or around playgrounds. Also, bear in mind that if you want to sell shots to a stock image library, you may need signed model release forms and property release forms for people and places you photograph.

6 Program AE
The less time you need to spend fiddling with camera settings the better, as you’ll often need to react to photo
opportunities extremely quickly. Program AEmode is perfect, as you’ll get a good balance of shutter speed and aperture, and can easily ad just it if needed by rotating the main dial, using ‘Programshift’.

7 High ISO
Especially on dull days, ahigher sensitivity setting will enable you to freeze the action without resorting to a very large aperture. You’ll often need to avoid motion blur as people are walking around,while also having enough depth of field to keep the background sharp to add context.

8 Multi-point AF
This usually works very well for street photography and saves focusing and then swivelling the camera, which takes more time and makes you more noticeable.

9 Shoot from the hip
Try shooting without raising the camera to your eye when you don’t want to be spotted. This can also make for some interesting, alternative angles of view.

10 Keep shooting
Fleeting glances and unexpected things can happen as a scene unfolds. It’s often good to switch to continuous drive modeand fire off aburst of shots.

Friday 5 August 2011

1st Gig shoot in Oct

I am all excited i have my first 3 portrait shoots in the next 2 weeks but not only that in Oct i get to photograph for a charity called SAVI (Sexual Assault Victims Initiative) supports children/young people who have been sexually abused, assaulted or raped.  website at http://www.savi.co.nr/

I will be photographing the whole event from sound checks the bands and also backstage. so im super hyped for it. I just need to buy a new 16gb card as i only have a 4gb and 2gb and also looking at 50mm 1.8 lens as the lenses i have are to slow at 3.5-5.6.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Free online Training courses and lessons

 Here is a list of free photography course and lessons run free on the net. I will be updating this in the comming weeks as i have another 3 or 4 link to add that are really good. Also remember if your in the UK that you get £200 free Learning grant (scotland) and £300 (england) each year and these can be used for many local training centres and local colleges for night classes or day classes towards the cost of learning with a learner account from ILA Scotland & England.

http://www.photo-seminars.com/pscampus
a bit of early 80's feel but ok

http://photographycourse.net/
well put together site with lots of content

http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18891/seminar
4 free lessons

http://www.photowalkthrough.com
just need to register and start learning

http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/index.html
another good free learning resource

http://freephotocourse.com/online-photography-course.html
another good wee site to learn the basics

http://www.karltaylorphotography.com/free-photography-course.htm
really good 10 day free sample course with daily emails and videos

know your rights

Monday 1 August 2011

Photo Critique Requirements

Ok some requirements for my photo critique
Rules for submitting your photos:

1) No more than 6 of your best photos
2) Photos must have names (no default names)
3) Describe what the photo is about.
4) This critique is for beginners ONLY
5) In your email you must state "I hereby give Camphotopix the rights to replicate my images in his youtube channels and his blog."
6) Let me know what your shooting with.
7) How long have you been taking pictures for.


so get send in you pictures, like i said i dont have a backlog of replies YET..

Photo Critique 01: mellisareeves93 Dont stop clicking

Well glas it uploaded in 720pHD so this is my 1st every photo critique so you guys can let me know how i did and also what you think of mellisareeves93 work so far.

 

below is my video response to Dom Bowers Belittling Video
well hope you guys like em.

Diy photography

Coming soon to my Youtube channel and the tutorial section are some of the following

How to make a 1-4 grade light defuser for under £4

How to make light reflector for under £3

How to make a light soft box for under £7

So subscribe and check back soon as there will be photo's and detailed description on how to make each along with a video.

Sunday 31 July 2011

Google+ Howto: Share and post your pictures

More and more i see people in forums, FB and google+ asking how to Share and post individual pictures well here is how.

click on any of the pictures to open full size

Login to your google+ account 

As you can see im already in my album section in google+ and you would think that from here you could post and share individual picture WRONG! what you need to do is click on the "Photo" section shown above. Maybe at a later date they might fix or sort this but for the time being this is how you can share, post and edit your photo settings.


From the above picture you will notice that its opened in another page called "Picasa Web Albums" and if like me you thought i have never used, uploaded or even seen this page. Well if you upload pictures to your blog, Google+ and other Google web applications then all your pictures get stored in you "Picasa Web Albums" regardless if you have been there or not.



Once you have click to open one of the albums in "Picasa Web Albums" you have a few options you can "Link to this Photo" gives options to link to and also select the thumbnail size for posting, you will also notice a comments box where you can add a description and comment about the picture and if you notice just below the comments box it says "This comment will be shared on Google+ with people who can see this photo" now to set this you would do this via your google+ picture album and select you desired circle by click on the green share album button.




To set your picture setting click on the cog wheel at the top right hand side a small drop down will appear and then click on photos settings this will then open the following picture below.


Now the photo settings section will open and from here you can edit settings from the general, email and storage but most importantly the Privacy & permissions which you can allow visitors to be able to download or even order your pictures and also licence to your photos so edit these to you own needs.

Hope this little guide will help you along in google+

Check out my youtube channel Camphotopix, photography for beginners, reviews, news and hint & tips

Beginners top 10 tips

1. Background – background – background. Pay close attention to the background. Keep it simple. Make sure there are no background distractions. Make the subject the star of the photo not the background.

2. Get closer. Then get closer still.

3. Know your camera inside and out. Know every feature and button so that when the moment comes, you won’t be wondering how to catch it.

4. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Practice is important. Results aren’t – at least until you can talk someone into paying you for your work.

5. Remember that the camera looks both ways. If you’re having a bad day and your subject recognizes that – expect to see that bad day reflected on their faces.

6. Don’t waste one second of your photographic career trying to figure out if you are better or worse at photography than anyone else. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t help and it won’t make you better at photography.

7. Spend more time thinking about composition and light than you spend thinking about getting paid or recognized.

8. Spend time looking at light. Understand it. Look for it. Recognize it.

9. Take a photograph every single day. No matter what. Handle your camera daily. Become comfortable and familiar with it. Treat it as an extension of your body. Handle it often.

10. If the photograph is worth making as a horizontal shot it, it’s also worth making as a vertical shot. Always shoot both. You never know if the editor (even if that’s you) may want choices.

Iwo Jima flag-raising photographer dies

Photographer Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his immortal image of six World War II servicemen raising an American flag over battle-scarred Iwo Jima, died Sunday. He was 94.
Rosenthal died of natural causes at an assisted living facility in the San Francisco suburb of Novato, said his daughter, Anne Rosenthal. “He was a good and honest man, he had real integrity,” Anne Rosenthal said. His photo, taken for The Associated Press on Feb. 23, 1945, became the model for the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The memorial, dedicated in 1954 and known officially as the Marine Corps War Memorial, commemorates the Marines who died taking the Pacific island in World War II.
The photo was listed in 1999 at No. 68 on a New York University survey of 100 examples of the best journalism of the century.

Google+ and Hangouts

If you a budding photographer and if your not on G+ yet then get on it as your missing out on loads of photography chat hangouts. So far i have been in around 6 so far and also got the chance to join one of Jared Polins chats which was great fun. You get to talk tech and is great for beginners to learn and ask questions that maybe you could not get answers to.  I will also be hold a fortnightly G+ Hangout, more details to follow.

Saturday 30 July 2011

on the 1st page in google

cool now when you search for "photography news" my blog now shows up on the 1st page.

COOL

Wednesday 27 July 2011

News update from video

Well like i said i would have the information on the blog so here it is...

What is Sylights? 


 

Sylights is an online service directed to photographers willing to document their photos through lighting diagrams.

It has mainly been thought for strobists, studio photographers or other people playing with articial lights in general, who want to share on their techniques.

Is it free?

Yes! Sylights is meant to be a free service to photographers. We might include some “premium” features in the future, but the core service is and will remain free.

sylights

Get on Google+
The other 2 sites where
findpeopleonplus

gplussearch

Monday 25 July 2011

Wine Glass Photo Shoot

Thought i would try some photo's of wine glasses so here is just a couple so far still going through some 60+ for edits and what not. Let me know what you think..




Friday 22 July 2011

Photographers stopped in street pictures experiment

All six photographers who took part in a street photography experiment clashed with private security officials - three of the incidents sparking police action.

The verbal confrontations were recorded for a video (above) that has been published to coincide with the London Street Photography Festival, organisers of the project.

The experiment, called Stand Your Ground, took place in the security-sensitive City of London on 21 June.

Though organisers conceded it had a 'set up feeling', the experiment aimed to 'test the policing of public and private spaces by private security firms and their reaction to photographers'.

Each photographer was accompanied by a videographer and told to keep on public land. Some used tripods and one was taking photos with a 5x4 camera.

Read the full story here

Stand your ground you can photography everything and anything on public place, in the video a security managers ask "do you have ID" they cant ask that and if you really want to get picky the police cant ask that either. The most thing they will cry is the Anti-terrorist Act now when you join and get accepted into the police you have to swear on an oath to uphold the common law, NOT Acts or Statutes so hold your ground. In the video another security guard asks the camera woman to stop filming him as she need his permission, on public property you DONT need their permission only on private, same as does the government/council/police ask premission to record you about town on CCTV simple answer NO.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Check out my video response to "Dom Bower Critique Mission Statement".

After all the hard work, time spent and dedecation to helping out photographers of all stages Dom received an email basically saying he was crap and he did not know what he was talking about his own photos were poor and that he made fun of others work. Well after seeing the video i thought i have to say somrthing in response. So here it is my video, also check out his own video regarding this. Keep up the work Dom. :-)

New Photography RAW T-Shirt designs

I know there are a couple of bloggers and youtube channels that have made and sell Raw shirts like Gavin Hoey and Jarid Polin but there not shirts i would use myself so i thought i would come up with a few designs, so here are my 1st set of two designs with another 2 on its way. These will all be ordered and showcased on a new video on my channel as soon as i get them. Hope you like 'em.




so let me know what you think.

Sunday 17 July 2011

My gear so far

Canon EOS 400D/XTi

Lenses

efs 18-55mm 1:3.5 - 5.6 II (kit lens) 28.8-88mm

Canon zoom lens EF 35-105mm 1:3.5 - 4.5 56mm-168mm

Canon zoom lens EF 100-300mm 1:5.6 160mm-480mm

Small wide angle adapter lens 0.45x (REVIEW)

x10 macro lens (REVIEW)

1x 4gb card

4 spare batteries

Shutter realese cable

wireless shutter remote

youngnuo off flash cable

20mm adapter macro rings (REVIEW)

Fotga wireless transmitter and receiver (REVIEW)

Youngnuo YN465 flash/strobe (REVIEW)

softbox studio light 28"x20" 85w flash 75w continuous

36" Diffusion White Soft Umbrella

25 flash gels

cokin p series filter adapter with gradual grey, nd2, nd4

58mm 2x nd2 2x nd4 filters

cheap £20 tripod

travel bag and main camera kit bag

if there is any kit above you would lke to see reviewed let me know.

Saturday 16 July 2011

Cumbrian man told to pay to take photo outside Carlisle Castle

A Carlisle man has hit out after he was told he would have to pay £100 to take a picture of himself and his car outside the city's castle.
Robert Reid, of Carlton Gardens, parked his 1992 Volvo 850 in the driveway of the castle last Sunday so he could have his photograph taken with it.
He had just won a cup at The Volvo Owners Club National Rally in Warwick and wanted a photo to send to a car magazine.
But a security guard from English Heritage strode out and told him he was trespassing on their property and would have to get permission and pay £100 to take the photograph.
The 74-year-old said: “I wasn’t for moving. I told her I’d done my National Service with the Border Regiment in the castle.
“I said all I wanted was a photograph of the car for the club magazine because on the day I was showing it I didn’t get a photograph at Warwick. I don’t believe what this country is coming to. She said you would not go to Chelsea Barracks in London and take photographs and I told her no I wouldn’t because I didn’t want to. She eventually said they would turn a blind eye – I think it was my National Service that swung it.
“It is ridiculous that a citizen of Carlisle can’t take a photo in front of the castle. I thought I was going to finish up in the dungeon.”
An English Heritage spokeswoman said admitted that a member of staff had incorrectly told Mr Reid he could not take a picture on site.
“While commercial photography at our sites does require permission and incurs a small fee, members of the public are free to take images for their own personal use,” she said.
“Although later resolved, there seems to have been some initial confusion about the purpose of the photography.
“We fully regret the incident and apologise for any distress caused to Mr Reid.”

Friday 15 July 2011

Photography campaigners called to Home Office

Amateur Photographer magazine has once again been called to the Home Office for talks with government officials about photography and terrorism.

The meeting follows talks held in May when the Home Office said private security guards must not 'blanketly' target photographers and should adopt a more courteous, open and friendly approach to people taking pictures.

The meeting, due to take place this afternoon, will focus on the guidance provided to security guards on counter-terrorism and photography.

It is also expected to cover Project Griffin, a controversial police initiative first introduced in London in April 2004 and widely adopted across the UK.

Project Griffin calls on security guards to report people suspected of taking 'hostile reconnaissance' photographs.

Today's meeting is expected to include discussions with the Security Industry Authority ahead of a new Project Griffin 'training package' due to be rolled out in the autumn.

Amateur Photographer Editor Damien Demolder and news editor Chris Cheesman will be at today's meeting, to be held at the Home Office in Marsham Street, Westminster (pictured).

Photography organisations taking part in the discussions also include the National Union of Journalists, the Royal Photographic Society, the Bureau of Freelance Photographers and photo rights campaigning website SceneThat.

News from today's meeting will be published in due course.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Landscape Photography Magazine

The magazine is in it's 5th issue and is an online publication, you can download each mag in pdf to view, each issue has loads of articles photo's and tips to getting that great shot and is packed with 60+ pages and the best bit it's all FREE.

landscapephotographymagazine

Monday 11 July 2011

Saturday 9 July 2011

Police pay out for handcuffing photographer

Police have paid compensation and apologised to a photojournalist who was handcuffed after being refused permission to take pictures when covering a fire.
In May 2009, Bob Naylor turned up at the scene of a fatal fire on a narrowboat moored on the Kennet and Avon canal at Honeystreet in Wiltshire.
He asked a police sergeant if he could take a picture, but the officer told him that "out of common decency and respect for deceased" he should not.
Naylor accepted the fact, but as he was leaving he was seized from behind, forced to the ground, handcuffed and told he was being arrested for breach of the peace.

Full article here

Flash Mob Photo event

Cant wait as next month i will get the chance to photography a flash mob of dancers anywhere from 300 to 500 dancers somewhere in around Glasgow. If your not sure what a flash nob is just think of T-Mobile adverts or check them out on youtube.

Photography news

Latest Video on my youtube channel, please check it out.

Friday 8 July 2011

Monkey steals camera

Monkey steals camera to snap himself

A macaque monkey in Indonesia took a camera from a wildlife photographer before snapping himself in a variety of poses.

The primate went to investigate the equipment before becoming fascinated with his own reflection in the lens.
And it wasn't long before the crested black macaque hijacked the camera and started snapping away sending award-winning photographer David Slater bananas.

Full article here

War photography? Isn't there an app for that?

Two war photographers have used camera-phones and a simple app to record stunningly personal images of soldiers and locals in Afghanistan

 
A US marine returns from a firefight in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in November 2010 Photograph: Balazs Gardi/basetrack.org
Hipstamatic, as its name suggests, is an iPhone app more associated with dilettantish hipsters than hardened war photographers. But the application, which allows iPhone users to take digital "Polaroids", has become the camera of choice for two experienced photojournalists who spent much of the last year embedded with a battalion of the US marines in Afghanistan.
"We didn't go out there expecting to use Hipstamatic," says one of them, New York-based Teru Kuwayama, who first photographed Afghanistan – somewhat more conventionally – in 2004. "We had several different cameras, lenses and video recorders," he says. But the pair settled on Hipstamatic both because of its retro aesthetic and because the iPhone "was the ideal, rugged piece of gear for southern Afghanistan". With its simple touch-screen, it didn't trap dust like larger cameras do, which was particularly handy in a desert location.
"Before, I would have three cameras hanging off me," agrees his colleague, Hungarian Balazs Gardi, who was also on his second Afghan mission. "Using just the iPhone allowed me to move much more easily." The lack of a long lens also helped, Gardi says, because it forced him to get closer to his subjects. As a result, he and Kuwayama have created an unusually intimate series of portraits of both Afghan civilians, and US servicemen.
Full article here

$200 iPhone SLR Case Offers 'Mobile' Photography



The iPhone 4 is one popular camera. In fact it’s the most used camera in the world, according to Flickr, which is crazy stuff for what’s primarily a phone. So with such a popular device comes many an add-on, including a new outlandish iPhone SLR Mount. This new mount from Photojojo offers up a unique case which allows any Canon or Nikon lens to be attached for some crazy photo taking fun. However, irrespective of how ludicrous you may look using it, this SLR mount is strictly serious business as it could set you back nearly $250.
For $249 you’ll get an iPhone 4-friendly mount that is comprised of an aluminium case, an SLR lens adapter, and a UV filter; a version for the third generation iPhone is available for $190. But would it be money well spent? The demo pictures shared by Photojojo sure look nice, yet if you’re an avid photographer I can’t see at what point this add-on would be beneficial. If you’re carrying around your big hefty lenses the chances are you’ll have your DSLR along for the ride.
Full article here


All i have to say is Really why would you want to why bother stop pissin about and get a DSLR
So check out my 1st youtube video and dont forget to subscribe

1st ever Blog post!!

Hi and welcome to my 1st ever blog post. This blog for me to better review photography products, hints & tips, Rants and raves and photography idea's and news from around the world. This is also linked into my Youtube channel Camphotopix. So thanks for stopping by and dont forget to subscribe...