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Name Checking

July 31, 2010 by jedwee

The other day I was engaged in a bit of “friendly” repartee with a user on a large online photographic forum. The user in question was insisting that access to higher level sporting events would help boost their portfolio and generate more experience. It’s not a concept that’s altogether alien, but at the same time not one that I subscribe to.

As long as the sport that you’ve photographing is of a decent standard (say, University level for example), then you can generally get as good pictures shooting at that level as shooting at the very highest level. That is to say, as long as the physique is decent – sadly rules out Sunday League! – and the technique is sound, there’s no reason you cannot get as nice an image as you would photographing professional athletes.

Full of Impact

Full of Impact: You don't need high level sporting events to produce good sports photography. Durham University women's rugby union.

Indeed, frequently the reverse is true and the opportunity for excellent sports photographs is actually better at lower level events.

Take as an example, football. Games in the lower leagues such as the English Championship, League One and League Two, are frequently more frenetic than in the Premier League. Players are generally more committed and physical, diving into tackles, and more frequently committing themselves to 50-50 challenges. All that gives you ample opportunity to take good sports photographs.

Compare that, say, to a Cristiano Ronaldo stepover or Spain stringing together 20 passes in the World Cup Final. You would maybe get a picture of Ronaldo or a picture of one of the world champions, yes. But you wouldn’t get an eye catching sports photograph.

Furthermore, even if you are given access to a big sporting event, for example as a member of the press corps, access at major sporting events is often very restrictive. At grassroots level sporting events you frequently have much more freedom to go where you want, explore different angles, try different things. You simple can’t do that at high level events.

No Where to Go

No Where to Go: Bath players Ryan Davis (21) and Michael Claassens try to stop Newcastle's Geoff Parling (L) as Newcastle's Jamie Noon looks on, Guinness Premiership 2009. Parling has since joined Leicester Tigers and gone on to represent England. Professional sporting events frequently have tight restrictions on where you can photograph from. At Kingston Park for example we cannot run the touchline.

I have pictures of Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Michael Phelps, Jonny Wilkinson and co. in action. Yet, my best golf picture is not of Tiger Woods, my best tennis picture is not of Messrs. Federer or Nadal, my best swimming picture is not of Michael Phelps, and my best rugby picture is not of Jonny Wilkinson – despite having been the photographer for the Newcastle Falcons for ten years.

You don’t need to photograph big sporting events to learn and develop a good sports photography portfolio. What you lose if you haven’t got access to the big events, is name checking. The opportunity to say to someone, “look at me, I’m good (because) I have have pictures of X, Y or Z.“

Anyone who says shooting bigger events will boost their portfolio is hoping that the person viewing that portfolio will be bowled over by the names in their book, rather than the standard of their photography.

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Seabird Sanctuary Part I

July 1, 2010 by jedwee

Located a few miles off the Northumberland coast, a handful of small and rocky islands make up the collective group that is the Farne Islands. Visually unremarkable, the highest point, on Inner Farne, is a mere 19 miles above sea level, while some of the smaller “islands” dip below the sea on all but the lowest tides.

Yet these islands have a major ecological interest; in the summer months they are taken over by approximately 100, 000 pairs of nesting seabirds, with species ranging from guillemots to terns, and more famously, Atlantic puffins. These cute little seabirds spend most of the year out at sea, but come inland during the warm months to breed.

The Farne Islands themselves are cared for by the National Trust, which permit landings during the busy months. This presents a rare opportunity for close contact with the natural world, and every year thousands of visitors find themselves greeted by the sights, sounds (and smells!) of one of the wonders of the natural world.

The islands also represent a unique photographic opportunity, offering easy access to wild animals without the need for very expensive photographic equipment. In many instances the photographer can get closer to these birds than possible even at a wildlife reserve or zoo.

I discovered the islands about eight years ago, and have tried to make a trip there at least once every breeding season. The experience continues to amaze me today as much as it did that first visit. The skies swarming with seabirds in flight in different directions, not unlike fighter planes from some World War 2 scene. The sight of sea birds crammed into the little space available. The sight of babies being young and fluffy hatchlings.

I’ve appended a selection of photos from my trip there last Monday, and hope that you will enjoy them as a brief introduction to the wonderful Atlantic puffin.

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My Lens is Longer than Your Lens!

June 15, 2010 by jedwee

Gannet Pair

My rock is bigger than your rock: Gannet pair, Bass Rock.

I think we’ve all been there at some point. Eyeing a new bit of kit to help you get “better” pictures. Wishing that you had a longer lens to help you get better wildlife photographs for example.

I’m slightly privileged in that regard; my work as a sports photographer means that I have had access to a variety of long lenses and own my own super telephoto. I’m not privileged enough that I didn’t have to pay for that though!

So you’d think when it came to wildlife photography I’d have a bit of an advantage. And I like to think that I do, with a nice camera and a nice lens and a familiarity from using both that comes with a decade of shooting sport at the highest level. There are certain skills that dovetail nicely between both genres; the ability to track quick movement through a long lens for example.

Puffin in Flight

And the eels have it: A puffin returning with a beak full of sand eels with which to feed its young, Farne Islands.

I shoot plenty of my wildlife photographs with my 400mm. On a D300 rather than a D3 generally, because of the greater reach it affords me. You can bin any notion about using the “better” camera just because you own one; the extra reach offered by the DX crop sensor offsets any other advantage the D3 offers, unless light levels are very poor. Occasionally I’ll throw on a 1.4x converter, and very very occasionally only, a 2x converter. More down to quality issues than not needing the reach!

I have plenty of wildlife images shot with this setup, and a fair number that I am happy with. The reach is obviously an advantage, and the subject separation is excellent even on DX (remember that depth of field is determined by camera to subject distance, and shooting FX and DX at the same camera to subject distance levels the playing field significantly).

Furry Fella

Shortlisted: Up close with a grey seal pup, Donna Nook seal colony.

So, when I entered a few images into the British Wildlife Photography Awards, I was hoping to get some past the first stage of judging. I’m not sure you can ever really guarantee these things, and the final results are really down to individual taste, and luck, but suffice to say that the standard is very high so anything would have been a bonus. Nor am I a professional wildlife photographer; it is a hobby for me at the end of the day.

I received notification today that I had two images shortlisted, which as a pleasant surprise! What was also surprising is that out of all my wildlife images taken with expensive equipment, the two that were shortlisted were shots that could have been taken with any DSLR and a kit lens.

Inquisitive

Shortlisted: A quite literal illustration of how all that expensive kit isn't needed! Donna Nook seal colony.

Sometimes having longer lenses can make the photographer lazy; sometimes purposely doing things differently, like getting up close and personal with a wildlife subject, can generate impact. Just remember to take care when approaching wildlife, so as not to startle them or cause damage to their habitats or lives. For example animals can abandon their young if they smell human scent on them, consigning them to almost certain death.

The picture might be more important than the equipment, but there are more important things than the picture.

It's a Cruel World

Scavenger and Scavengee: A seagull stands over the corpse of a grey seal pup, possibly abandoned by its mother and starved of the vital milk it needed. Note the hollow eye sockets. Donna Nook seal colony.

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The Right Tools for the Job

June 2, 2010 by jedwee

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral: In its magnificent setting on the banks of the river Wear. 5 image stitched panorama.

Durham Cathedral is one of the architectural masterpieces in Europe. Blessed not just with painstaking Norman workmanship but a setting that rivals any in the country for sheer magnificence, the Cathedral lies on a plateau in a loop in the River Wear.

It has stood in that spectacular setting since building work began in 1093, when it took about 40 years for the majority of the original construction work to be completed. A colourful history through the centuries includes serving as a political and military base for the Prince Bishops in Anglo-Saxon times, through to more contemporary fame when it was cast as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films.

Durham Cathedral in Infrared

A little bit magical: Durham Cathedral, through the trees. Infrared image.

Together with the neighbouring Castle, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The Cathedral receives in excess of 600 000 visitors a year and is open daily as a place of worship. And like many other cathedrals in the country, photography is strictly prohibited.

So it was a surprise to discover that the Cathedral was hosting a Photography Evening on 1 June 2010, during which members of the public were invited to bring their camera and tripod along for an evening in the Cathedral. The fee was a very reasonable £10, pre-booking was advised, and I had the opportunity to go along as a helper from Durham Photographic Society.

Crossing, Looking up Durham Cathedral Tower

Crossing: Looking up Durham Cathedral Tower. Fisheye lens, four frame HDR.

Photographers were there in good number, rendering the evening an exercise in patience as photographers waited with cable releases at the ready for a clear shot. There were photographers young and old, and of both genders. Big tripods, little tripods. Point and shoot compact cameras, through to full sized DSLR cameras. Samsung, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Canon, Nikon… every major brand.

And in the middle of it all, I spotted someone with Nikon’s top of the range DSLR. The Nikon D3x… 24 million pixels of amazing quality that would have been just the ticket for lovely detailed interior shots of the Cathedral. Along with the very highly regarded and highly priced Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 zoom lens, it was a setup that would set you back over £6 000.

That’s enough to buy a small car in this country. And not a bad set of tools for this unique photographic opportunity, then.

Chapel of the Nine Altars

Chapel of the Nine Altars: Spectacular stained glass, converging verticals and all. Three frame HDR.

Yet not the right tool for the job. Not in this case anyway, as £6 000 of top of the line photography equipment was paired with nothing more than a monopod. Which, as it turned out, was swiftly discarded as being of little use as the photographer resorted to lying the camera flat against any surface that he could find in an effort to get vaguely sharp results.

The irony of course is that someone with an entry level DSLR and kit lens and a basic tripod would have got better results. Freedom to shoot at base ISO, freedom from handshake, freedom to choose a smaller aperture for greater depth of field, and freedom to compose freely and accurately using a tripod as opposed to laying the camera on a ledge and hoping. And freedom to spend the extra £5 500 sitting in their bank account.

I’d take 12 million sharp pixels over 24 million pixels afflicted by a bad case of noise, limited depth of field, and handshake, any day of the week.

View from the Choir

View from the Quire: Better balanced light later in the evening allowed this shot as a single exposure with a Perspective Control lens.

So, the moral of the story is to bring the right tools for the job. That’s not necessarily the highest resolution camera or sharpest lens or most expensive bit of kit you can get your hands on. Sometimes it’s as simple as a humble tripod.

Another way of looking at it is, if a spectacular Cathedral opens its doors to the general public for photography for only the second time in its long and illustrious history, don’t bring a D3x. ;)

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It’s All About the Photographer!

May 27, 2010 by jedwee

“But, I thought you said…”

You’re right. I did.

I’m talking about something else now, however.

Good photography is very often confused by many to be one part photographer and one part camera. It’s not, and if anything it’s really all about the photographer.

In the same way that no one told Pavarotti that he had a magnificent microphone and acoustical auditoria, good photography is about the photographer and not the camera he or she uses to create pictures.

The camera is an enabler. It’s a tool by which photographers express their creative vision. And it’s that creative vision that leads to good images, and not about whether you have the latest and greatest camera, or a continuation of playground my-lens-is-bigger-than-your-lens antics.

This also means that the camera can be a disabler. There will be times when a photographer will be hamstrung by their equipment. I’m not pretending that it doesn’t happen, because it does. There will come a point in time when a photographer visualises something, but just doesn’t have the lens for it. But the key element of the equation is the visualisation; if the photographer doesn’t visualise it then the image will never be created, regardless of the size of the kit bag.

Yet the very technical nature of photography frequently leads to the misconception about the importance of the technology. People frequently exclaim, “that’s a great picture,” and then spoil it with, “what camera did you use?”

Computers are a brilliant piece of technology, but they only help you write a blog, not a interesting blog.

What makes a professional better than John Smith with his little point and shoot is not the fact that the professional’s camera is better than Mr Smith’s. It’s because the professional knows how to compose, how to use the light, how to put a subject at ease.

Since moving into weddings, I’ve found that a lot of couples choose photographers primarily on price. Some will have a (low) minimum standard they require, but primarily it’s about finding the cheapest. Far be it from me to quibble with the demands of a finite bank balance, but this methodology is upside down. Have a maximum budget that you can spend (low if necessary), but then find the best possible photographer you can for that money.

At the end of the day, no one would pay to hear me sing at the Royal Albert Hall. Pavarotti down the local karaoke would have been quite something.

Rest in peace, Luciano.

Posted in Opinion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

It’s Not About the Photographer!

May 27, 2010 by jedwee

So… hello.

I’m 31, very nearly 32, and feeling very old. After lots of excuses and random reasons not to, I’ve finally dragged myself into the world of online blogging.

I’ll admit to not knowing what a widget is and have no idea how tags work, but give me a keyboard and an empty space and I can type for England.

Still, as the title might have indicated, this blog is not about the photographer. Or more specifically, it’s not about this photographer anyway.

It’s about a photographic voyage, with the (occasional) rants and raves about photographers and their foibles. I hope you join me on that voyage, and preferably have some fun along the way.

And if I can provide some inspiration to you as a photographer, then that will be a nice bonus :)

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