The App itself is available in the iTunes Store for around £7 ($9.99) but you do require a dongle and cable specific to your camera make/model in order for the app to work, both which retail at $9.99 each and $9 for delivery to the UK. I ordered the cables on the 7th and it took just over a week to arrive from Hong Kong.

Triggertrap cables for the Canon 5DMk2

I connected everything up and started tinkering with the app, which is well designed and is very clear/easy to use. You can be as specific in your control of the triggering as you wish, although for someone new to the concept, it may be a bit overwhelming with all the options. For me the level of customisation possible is great and one of the biggest selling points. At first, the app would not trigger the shutter on my Canon 5DMk2 and I disconnected the dongle and plugged it all in again before realising I had to slide the shutter option (so you can see the red indicator) along the bottom of the app before it started working. After that I tried triggering the shutter through the sound options and it triggered every time as I expected. To be honest, I was not expecting it to work so well but it did.

Triggertrap Mobile in action on my Canon 5DMk2

There is a Flickr pool for work created using the app which does not have much in it at present, presumably because the dongles/cables have only just started shipping, so hopefully once more people start receiving them we will see more examples of how the app is being used.

It would be great if the dongle/cable could be made smaller or you get the choice of lengths are there are times when I would have the trigger tied to the tripod or sometimes put away in the camera bag but that is me being picky. A total cost of £25 ($39) for the app and necessary cables, for me is very reasonable especially for the functionality I am getting in return. It is a very practical solution considering I always carry my phone with me so using it as the trigger is an added bonus.

The Shard, London

My image was taken in December, from Tower Bridge, not long after sunset and the whole ‘More London‘ area sparkled. Since sunset at that time of year was around 5pm, it was a great time to get the buildings/offices all lit up and often this is one of the best times for Architecture photography.

I have cropped out part of the image showing HMS Belfast, which was in the bottom right as it did not add anything to the image. It also happened to be the time when the walkway/gangway to the ship collapsed, which luckily resulted in no major injuries and I did not want the ‘news’ part to detract from the rest of the image.

Plenty more images from London to come, so I may post one showing the collapse walkway another time.

I treat these outings with the club the same way as my own workshops, I get an idea of the abilities of those who are there and what they are looking to get out of it. Although some are glad to get out with other photographers, others are looking to actually get a certain type of shot or learn a specific technique, such as how to shoot images at night.

Once everyone got settled and it got darker, the lights started to rotate through a spectrum of colours for and everyone managed to get several images they were happy and pleased with so all in all it was a good evening. The following is one of the handful of images I captured on the night:

Falkirk Wheel

Many thanks to all the staff at the Falkirk Wheel, especially to Marian Moncrieff, who were so accommodating for us to come along and get a chance to take some images out of hours. I’m sure it’s not the last time most of us will be there.

The entire coastline has some hidden gems such as Dunbar/Belhaven Bay, Seacliff, Gullane, North Berwick and so on and is one I definitely do not visit often enough. It is one of the many locations I take those attending my long exposure workshops to as there is always a lot you can cover depending on the conditions and whether the tide is in or out. The location of the sunsets is also a bonus.

This particular image was taken on my 3rd or 4th visit to the area and although I had visualised this image then, the conditions were not quite right. On this visit though, the tide and sunset came together as I had hoped and I used a long exposure of 250 seconds to capture the blur in the clouds as well as the milky effect in the water immediately as the sun dipped below the horizon. This is of course another of the images produced using the 10-stop filter that I use quite a bit.

Longniddry Dusk

If you are interested in learning more about how to shoot these types of images, then next week I am running an online webinar on the subject and there are still a few places left. Alternatively, if you prefer the on-location workshops, then I offer those too.

The City of Perth at Night

Congratulations to Scotland’s newest and seventh City!

The building is very beautiful and you cannot help but appreciate the quality of this stunning architecture. Those lucky enough to experience the effect in the Central Hall when the rays of sunlight lighten up the entire foyer cannot help but stop and admire the surroundings. The hall is difficult as it is to photograph, especially considering tripods are not allowed, but a challenge well relished by those who have been before and whom will undoubtably visit in years to come.

Central Hall, Natural History Museum, London

I arrived at the museum early in the morning hoping it would be quiet but it was fairly busy and after wandering around for a bit, heading to the top of the staircase to capture this fairly common view of the main hall. To say to I have mastered the art of balancing my camera on a ledge would be an understatement but it is the only way to get the shot without resorting to a high ISO and potentially more noise. I spent some time in the area taking a variety of different angles and compositions before working my way around the building to photograph the other parts.

This is the first of many images from my visit to London for the Take A View Awards night.

Lastly, you may have noticed that I am running a giveaway where you can get your hands on some free stuff. There is no cost involved and all you need to do is like my Facebook page – it’s that simple. Please do take a moment to enter, it is very quick and painless process!

Here is what you can get your hands on:

• 2 x Kata 123-GO-20 Black Sling Backpack – Worth £79
• 2 x A3 Mounted Print of your choice – Worth £30
• 1 x Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection: 5 Book – Worth £25
• 5 x Lexar 8Gb CompactFlash Memory Cards – Worth £15
• 4 x 2012 A3 Calendar – Worth £15
• 3 x £10 Gift Vouchers
• 1 x Mousemat of Dundee – Worth £10
• 4 x 5 sets of LPOTY Postcards of my winning image – Priceless!

All you have to do is be a fan/Like my Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/framefocuscapture) and the signup using the box below so that I can contact you if you win. Your details will not not used for anything other than contacting you if you win, as I know how much I hate spam so wouldn’t send anyone else some!

The giveaway closes at the end of the month so enter now and let your friends know about it – maybe if they win, they will share the prize with you…

Don’t forget, after liking the page, make sure you have signed up below!

Like Frame Focus Capture Photography on Facebook Now →

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aena

It was difficult getting her to look directly at the camera so it took a few attempts but I got the shot eventually. As you can imagine I absolutely love this image and it has a very personal meaning for us and it is quite a powerful image at the same time.

Back in November, I decided to enter this image into the National Geographic International Photography Contest 2011 into the People category as well as another image into the Places category. I forgot all about it until I received an e-mail from Rebecca informing me that I had shortlisted as a prize winner for the competition for this photo, which I had appropriately title “My World in my Hands“. To say I was very pleased would be an understatement especially so soon after my success in the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

Anyway, I was asked to sign the release forms to allow the sponsors the right to use the image in their advertising etc as is common with such competitions. As the image was of my daughter, I started to have second thoughts at this stage and decided to think it over. In the end decided I wasn’t 100% comfortable and asked to withdraw from the competition and apologised. Thankfully, Rebecca completely understood my decision and I was glad they weren’t mad at me! She was even kind enough to e-mail me the judge’s comment on my image:

This is a great shot of a newborn. I have seen a lot of baby photos, but this one has some unique qualities. I love the composition and shallow depth of feel, the dark background is really nice. With the newborn looking directly into the camera, is what makes this image so strong. It really depicts the beauty of new life.

The comments were very welcome and I am delighted how my image was received by the competition judge.

To top it all off, I even received a copy of the Visions of Earth book published by National Geographic for making the finalist list – very kind and generous of them.

The results are now out and my image is featured as an “honourable mention” on the website (and also features on the homepage) alongside the winning/top images. Congratulations to Perly Freeman and the runners-up on their success.

Unfortunately, although I will never know if the final outcome would have been different had I not withdrawn, but I am very happy with how far I got. It isn’t everyday you get to be a finalist in a National Geographic photo competition and with a photo of your beautiful daughter no less.

I am in no doubt what her reaction will be when I tell this story in years to come…

Schiehallion/Kinloch Rannoch Reflections

This dead tree is located close to the road in fairly shallow water which if you blinked, would miss, and it has definitely been photographed more than once. As you can see on this particular (early March) day, there was not a cloud in sight and still plenty of snow everywhere. If I could zoom out a little bit then you would see I am actually surrounded and standing feet deep in snow but you wouldn’t think it judging from the image.

The water/wind was light but not enough to give the reflections like this so I used a 10-stop filter to extend the exposure to 30 seconds to get a more defined reflection.

Looking back, I would have preferred some clouds as opposed to none, so that I could fill the empty space in the sky, perhaps with the movement of the clouds in the long exposure. Although the contrast between the blue and white also works very well, my eye is always drawn to that space and then there are some days where I just like the simplicity of the image.

There is just never pleasing some people is there?

I will also be announcing the details of webinars that I am launching very soon (fingers crossed for next month) where you will get the chance to join me in remote online sessions on a variety of topics to enhance your photography – more on this soon.

When I visit photographic clubs, I am inundated with questions and advice with requests to provide feedback/comments on a photographer’s own work. Whilst I always make time out to do this when I visit, it is not always possible to speak to everyone so I always invite anyone and everyone to email me at a later date and I always reply to each email that I get. It really is fantastic to hear what people got from my advice or how it helped them and reading all those kind emails thanking me for my time and assistance really is a great feeling.

Aside from that, I will begin to start posting reviews of equipment that I use so people can get an idea of why I use the tools that I do. Hints and tips on image processing/workflow will also be added. I get messages almost daily, requesting advice or more information on the equipment I use or how one can improve in something so I might as well post it on the blog for the benefit of everyone.

I should point out at this time, that I am not doing this because I will be getting a commission from the companies or products that I will be discussing (I wish that were the case!) but it is purely based on the fact that I believe in them and use them personally. If I am ever supplied equipment or a product as a sample or to review, full disclosure to that effect will be made. I will not be saying good things about a product, just because others are. I will be basing my views on my own experience of them and after I have tried them first hand and considering weather or not it is something I will make use of because it will benefit my work. As those who know me, I am open and honest and always give a fair and honest point of view.

As with previous years, I am due to appear at more clubs this year to either give a presentation on my work or a post-production/Q&A evening outlining my workflow and processing tips. The ones in the coming months are:

• Brechin Camera Club – 31st January 2012
• Bon Accord Camera Club – 8th March 2012
• Kirkcaldy Camera Club – 2nd April 2012

I look forward to meeting all the new people at the these locations and seeing those familiar faces again.

Dundee from Newport

On the theme of updated views, this image is from Newport looking back at Dundee across the River Tay, a view I have photographed many times. The tree looks like it has been washed up in the recent storms as it has not been there in the past. The sunset was amazing but I chose to shoot in the opposite direction to catch the last light on the bridge and these ‘remains’, which look like jaws or hands reaching up and just gives an unusual angle to a classic view of the city.