AR-Graphics

The Falling Value Of Photographs? Are todays photographs taken for granted? It's been a while since I added to this blog. Other things have required my time and attention and the most recent of these has been the distressing failing of health and eventual passing of my mother. The mental and practical fallout resulting from such an event can be quite overwhelming, but as the practicalities are overcome, interesting insights can sometimes start to become apparent. For me, one such revelation directly related to photography. A collection of memories Among my mothers effects were the photographs she had accumulated through her life, a mixture of family, friends, places, and special times that meant something not only to her but in many cases the others involved. Looking through the collection several things struck me. Overall it was interesting to see the way personal photographs seem to have lost something of their perceived value over the years. There appears, in my

Is Facebook messing with your mind? As many people probably know, I'm not a huge fan of Facebook, and whilst this blog is related to that service, it's points can probably be applied to many other social media groups. I spent ages resisting, but finally I decided to join so as to explore the possible benefits it could afford my photography. There is no doubt that there are many and varied rewards to be gained, however there are also some major downsides, that unless understood can have a serious negative effect. After several years of use, I started to recognise some aspects of my using Facebook we're having a disagreeable effect on me. This realisation forced me to re evaluate and change my perception and use of social media. It is a well researched and documented fact that Facebook and other such portals can have a negative effect on people's mental well being. Gaining some objectivity has allowed me to identify how it affects not only me, but some of the o

The Art of Flight. People who know me know that as well as photography I have a passion for aircraft. It therefore goes without saying that whenever possible I love to combine the two. The golden age Over the years I've been lucky enough to capture performances of some beautiful examples of aeronautical engineering, from the wooden Mosquito, through the EE Lightening, to the spectacular SR71. I can fondly remember the air shows at places like Mildonhall, Alconbury, and even Weathersfield, where the smell of jet fuel mixed with the smell of the burgers specially flown in from America. Sadly with shrinking budgets and growing security concerns, many air shows have become distant memories. Along with less displays, I now have less opportunities to travel to them. Continuing Love However my love of flight has not diminished, and as well as enjoying aircraft in their natural environment, I have always had a fascination with the technical side. So some time ag

Staying Safe Lots is written and posted regarding model safety, and rightly so. Although the percentage of "dangerous" photographers is small, models need to be aware. There is however another aspect of model safety the rarely seems to get mentioned, and that is the question of a models physical safety whilst being photographed. An accident can happen almost anywhere and at any time, a slip in the bath, tripping over something, hitting your elbow, it happens to all of us. However a model can sometimes find themselves in a situation where there is an increased chance of a mishap and/or the consequences are more dire. A resulting injury can run the extremes of a minor cut or bruise to being fatal. It's hard to track down any sort of statistics on this, however my research did turn up the fact that in 2015 in the US at least 50 people where killed whilst engaged in photography or video, on or near a railway track! For the vast majority of shoots a model will b

I Have The Power! Anyone who uses a speedlight knows their voracious appetite for batteries. No sooner do you put in a fresh set and start shooting than the recycle time seems to start climbing! It's one of the main reasons I tend to avoid using this lighting if I can. I like to maintain something of a rhythm during a shoot and having the ability to take a coffee break whilst the flash recharges, tends to break the flow. A lot of the time I'm using studio flash, however there are times when that is just not feasible and so I need something that has the portability, without the problems associated with AA batteries. An external battery pack seems an ideal solution and there are commercial versions available. The cheapest just add extra AA batteries, and better versions tend to start getting expensive. So I decided to look into a DIY solution. The Answer My research lead me to the Sealed Lead Acid battery (SLA). These batteries are used in a selection of items such as

Dungeness  Although I regularly shoot my own personal projects, it's not often that I get the chance to just go out with the camera and shoot whatever I come across. So when I had a free day, and my good friend and photographer Kevin Clow suggested we have a day out photographing, I decided a change would do me good. But where to go? Various destinations were considered before Kevin suggested Dungeness. Now I have seen many photographs of Dungeness, (in fact if you follow English photography, you probably can't not have seen pictures of the place!) but I had never been. So it was settled and off we went. For those wondering, Dungeness is on the South-East coast about mid way between Hastings and Dover. Getting there is quite easy as you just go through Beyond to the Back, and it's about 5 miles further on! It is apparently one of the largest areas of shingle in Europe and is quite impressive in it's... er... nothingness! Standing on the beach facing the s