GreatPhoto

Portrait voucher special price

2016-12-12T16:36:00.000+00:00

SPECIAL OFFER

Up until January 2017 we are offering a special price on our portrait session voucher.

The voucher normally costs £60 but is on special offer at £50

(This voucher includes the photography session and £50 to spend on prints from the session.)

The voucher is valid for a year and makes a great present for somebody that has everything.

To purchase call 01621 834 854 or purchase online from our vouchers page

Manfrotto Lumie Muse 8 Review

2016-02-10T17:32:00.000+00:00

Manfrotto Lumie Muse 8

(if you don't want to read all of this review. I am very pleased with it and would recommend it)

Manfrotto Lumie Muse 8
(The AA battery is only for size reference the unit has an internal rechargeable battery)

I have just received a new LED light and since I could find out very little on the web about the light before I bought it I thought I would write another equipment review for my photographer friends.

To give you some background I already own a MicroPro panel LED and a Doug Gordon TorchLED TL-50 but both of these are a few years old and LED technology has moved on a bit.

At the SWPP trade show in January there were a vast number of LED lights to choose from which makes it difficult deciding which is best to invest in.

Basically the all the lights can be split into three categories:

1. 1. Large lights trying to replace studio continuous light sources with the obvious advantage that they run cool and low wattage. These typically require mains and are not all that portable. I was not looking for these as I wanted a light I could use easily on location for my portraiture and wedding photography.

2. 2. Medium size battery lights. These are lights that I would probably need to carry in a separate bag. For a wedding this sort of light would have to be useful for a number of shots to make it worthwhile carrying. Generally for weddings I like to go light using a belt pack and carrying only a reflector and light stand. That way I can move around quickly and fairly unobtrusively.

3. 3. Small lights that would fit into my belt pack and be no problem to carry.

What did I consider:

Westcott Ice Light & Ice Light II - To be fair I have not handled these lights and so cannot comment on the build quality, but I have seen them demonstrated and they look impressive. I like the long length as this distributes the light source giving an even soft light. However the downsides are it would need to be carried in a separate case. Also the reviews on Amazon are not good on the build quality or the consistency in light output which is worrying. Whilst the Ice Light I is retailing just below £300 if I was spending this sort of money I would probably go for the Ice Light II as it seems silly spending quite a bit and going for the old technology. The Ice Light II is about £450 and so price is a real factor without knowing how useful this light would be. Perhaps I should rent one for a while.

Rotolight Neo – I did play with this a bit at the show. I like the soft lighting it produces, the build quality and button operation is good and feels solid. I do think that it is aimed at the video market and as I don’t shoot video I would be paying for built in video effects that I would never use. The ability to dial in the colour temperature looks like a useful feature however I don’t have a colour meter and thus I would be setting this by eye. I wonder if I would just end up using it on a couple of settings, daylight or tungsten, and thus using gels might be just as easy. After all the Ice Light only uses gels, is this again something I am paying for but not getting a big benefit from. The bi colour led lights also tend to put out less power on daylight setting for a similar sized daylight only panel. The Neo uses 6 AA batteries, which whilst readily available, do weigh quite a bit. It might fit in my waist pouch but it would certainly add to the weight. The Neo is currently retailing just below the £300 price point which is still a fair investment.

Manfrotto lights – I did briefly look at these at the show and it was obvious that they were all quality products. They have a wide range of lights to choose from and as a company they are obviously backing the LED technology in a big way.

After weeks of deliberating and shifting my position from the above lights and cheap Chinese clones on Amazon I decided to invest in the Manfrotto Lumie Muse 8. Initially I had overlooked the Lumie Muse as being too small and thus not powerful enough. However the Lumie Muse 8 is claimed to give 550 lux at 1 meter. I checked my existing lights and this was about twice as much light as my MicroPro. From a package that is tiny and very light it seemed to good to be true. Consider it this way, it is half as much light output as the Rotolight Neo (clamed at 1077 lux) however two of these Lumie Muse lights would give equivalent light output and be considerably lighter and smaller to carry than one Neo with batteries. This would also be more flexible as you would have two light sources if needed on a shoot. Three of these lights would give the same light intensity as an Ice Light II, again much smaller, lighter and more flexible. Perhaps Manfrotto should consider a clip to join them together (remember I thought of this and any royalties for this idea would be welcome). The run time on full charge is claimed to be 60 minutes at full power which is as good as the Ice Light and should be enough for the way I will be using the light.

The light is extremely portable, easily pocket size. It is well made in a robust aluminium case. Using it in the palm of your hand is very easy and the on/off button functions as a four step power setting which is ideal for operating one handed. In fact this power control is much better than the usual rotary knob in that it is easy to adjust one handed and gives repeatable settings. The power button is also well recessed and so will not easily be knocked on while carrying in my case, this is a good design. Charging through a micro USB is fantastic, particularly if I am travelling since I always have a USB charger with me and so there is nothing else to carry. The Lumie Muse 8 comes with a small ball head and gels for diffusion and tungsten correction and a USB charge lead. Along with the 550 lux at one meter output Manfrotto claim a CRI (Colour Rendering Index) index > 92 and a beam angle of 50 degrees which is the same beam angle as the Neo. >92 for the CRI is good, 100 is max, This indicates how accurately the light can light the full spectrum of colours. The Neo is better at >95 but I am not sure how visible this would be in the finished photos.

I am always skeptic about manufacturers’ claims as they always seem to be taken “under ideal conditions” and so as soon as it arrived I ran some tests. I set the light up in a dark room six feet away from a Lastolite 6'x4' white background. I set the camera to 5600 kelvin, that being the white balance of the LED’s stated by Manfrotto. Firstly I measured the power using my Sekonic light meter and I registered 500 lux at one meter distance. An acceptable difference and more powerful than my other lights. I then shot my Colour Checker Passport test target and compared the output on my calibrated monitor. It looks spot on on all of the colour squares. The angle of beam also looks good and I can believe the 50 degrees quoted. It is also fairly uniform without hot spots.

Lumimuse 8 shot at 5600 K seems very good

Lumie Muse 8 lighting Lastolite 6x4 background from 6 feet

I did similar tests for the MicroPro panel and the Doug Gordon TorchLED. Out of these two the MicroPro was the best in spread and colour balance but noticeably not as good as the Lumie Muse. The MicroPro is the largest unit and runs off 6 AA batteries, not pocket size. I generally do not carry this unless I am shooting on location and want battery continuous lighting.

I have heard people saying you are wasting money on LED lights. “Why not just purchase cheap LED work lights” after all they can be purchased readily in garages and builders merchants for as little as £10. Well I thought I would show you a cheap panel inspection light that I have and how it performs on the same test.

Work light lighting background from 6 feet (The power output was one and a half stops less and the shutter speed has been adjusted to compensate)

There are two very obvious problems with this other than the power. The colour is too blue and the beam is very narrow. I was surprised that the beam was this narrow as it was a multi LED panel, as large as the MicroPro and not a single LED torch with a lens. The colour may be corrected with white balance in camera however in a mixed lighting scenario it would necessitate adding a warm up gel to use it in daylight and an even stronger gel to mix with tungsten. This would reduce the power which was already much less than the Lumie Muse. The beam is also very narrow for most applications and if you move the light further away to get a wider spread even more power would be lost. Thus the simple answer is with the purpose made units "you are paying for consistency in light output, colour accuracy and an even light spread over a reasonable area".

Other people complain that LED lights simply do not have enough output power to be useful and it is true they do not have anything like the output of flash. I think these LED panels are best used to enhance the ambient light rather than to completely light the scene. Modern cameras are very good at high ISO's and I use these lights to improve the quality of the existing light. I attended a Doug Gordon course a few years ago (when I bought his TorchLED) and he uses his torch in this way to lift the ambient light and most importantly to add a catch light into the portrait. Used in this way they have plenty of power.

Conclusion

Time will tell how useful the Lumie Muse is on my professional work however it is small, light and meets the claims by Manfrotto all for less that £100. It offers more output and with greater consistency than my existing LED lights. I think I may well get another one or possibly the Art which is slightly smaller to give me a two light setup.

Its Christmas time

2015-11-24T13:10:00.000+00:00

SPECIAL PRICE FOR OUR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Family photos can be a great Christmas present for parents or grandparents, something a bit different. There is still time to have your photographs taken and printed.

Up until Christmas 2015 we are offering a special price on our portrait session.

Price £50 (normal price £60)

This price includes the photography session and £50 to spend on photography from the session.

To book either phone 01621 834 854 or email me John.

Alternatively our portrait photography voucher is at the same special price and can be purchased directly from our website from our vouchers page

Jinbei Energon EN350 Inverter Review

2015-11-02T14:14:00.000+00:00

I don’t usually write reviews but this is such a new piece of kit that there are few reviews out there and so I thought I would give it a go.
I pre purchased the inverter in the UK before it was released from UKPhotodistro at £169.99 inc VAT and delivery. It seemed like a very good price for an inverter with such an impressive specification. (This was a special offer price from UKPhotodistro)
My plan was to use the inverter with one of my studio flashes for event photography. I do not like using mains power flashes at events. In the past I have had problems with circuit breakers tripping and some venues can be wary of allowing equipment to be plugged in. Much better to be independent from the mains. I currently use a Lencarta Safari battery flash, this is fine however it only gives me two flash heads. I would also prefer each head to be independently powered. This would remove my other worry of having cables across the floor, always a potential trip hazard even when rubber cable mats are used. The EN350 looks perfect for this it can be clipped to the flash stand providing some extra weight to the stand which is always welcome. It is relatively cheap and so one per head would not be too much of a problem. It also looked compact and easy to transport.
First impressions
The first thing that I noticed when I collected the package from the postman was just how small and light the unit is. It claims to be less than 2Kg and whilst I have not weighed it I imagine it is. My only concern on seeing this was whether it really could supply the power, more on this later. The build quality is adequate. It comes with a very smart padded carry case with Velcro moveable internal dividers, a substantial bracket for mounting to the light stand, and a fairly small charging unit with a UK plug adaptor.
The battery is a separate unit that slots into the main body. Assuming extra batteries can be purchased this would extend the capacity. I could not see any markings to indicate that the battery is lithium ion, which is what is claimed, however it is very light and it came with a full charge. Since it had obviously been in transit from China for quite a while it suggests that it holds its charge well. This fact together with the low weight would be expected from lithium ion battery and so perhaps it is.
My first problem. The two output sockets on the top of the unit are not UK sockets they are Chinese. I contacted UKPhotodistro to ask how I could plug in, they in turn contacted Jinbei, who explained that the top was so small it could not take UK power outlets. They said that a cable was missing, this cable was a Chinese plug to IEC C13 connector. This would enable the connection to a standard flash head. UKPhotodistro checked all of their units and none of them had the necessary lead and so they were taking the matter up with Jinbei. I decided I could not wait and purchased the lead directly from RS Components.
Testing
Jinbei have some pretty impressive claims for the number of flashes that can be obtained from a single charge and I wanted to be sure it would meet my needs before I relied on it. Using the unit for event photography is a bit different to using it for a model shoot in that the flash head needs to be powered up for a fairly long period of time. Even when the flash is not being fired the fan is still powered up and my Lencarta Ultra Pro 300 head has a back lit LCD panel thus there is a constant power draw. For the unit to meet my needs for event photography it was going to need to power my Lencarta Ultra Pro 300 flash head for at least six hours. This being the time for an evening event 6pm to midnight.
For my test I left the unit running the flash head for nine hours. During this time I fired off 350 flashes on half power (I rarely need full power) in batches of 50 at various intervals. Each flash discharge was metered using my Sekonic L-478DR meter (perhaps another review of this meter would be good). The flash output remained constant for all flashes, this might be down to the flash head rather than the inverter. Flash recycling was fast less than one second, again this is probably a function of the flash head. At the end of my test the first of the three battery level indicator LED’s was just going out. Thus it was just entering “Mid” energy level according to the Jinbei instruction leaflet. (The instruction leaflet supplied is very brief)
I wanted to use the inverter with my Lencarta Ultra Pro 300 head but I decided to test it with my Interfit 300W head. This where I had my problem number two, the flash head continually tried to come up to a ready state and then seemed to start charging again. Thus the flash would not work. I have not investigated as to why this is occurring as I am happy to stick with my Lencarta head. To be honest I have had other incompatibility problems with radio triggers and the Interfit heads that I have. I would not recommend Interfit flash heads. I believe the Lencarta flash head is Chinese so perhaps it is happier with the Chinese inverter.
Conclusions
So far I am very happy with the purchase. The unit will meet my needs for most of the events that I cover. The performance is very impressive for its size and weight. Only time will tell if it will continue to deliver this performance and will stand up to rough and tumble of being transported about, but it looks promising.
Author: John Holliday - 24/07/2013
More information on my photography can be found on my website www.GreatPhoto.co.uk along with my contact details if you have any questions.

Belt Craft Studios Photoshoot

2015-11-02T14:06:00.001+00:00

I had a fun time photographing at the Belt Craft Studios in London with the SWPP and John Denton Wednesday 22nd January 2015. Belt Craft Studios is basically a disused factory with a number of interesting items which can be used as props, old bikes, tin bath etc. I can definitely recommend it as a venue if you want a different look to your photos, there is plenty of space and a lot of photographic possibilities. I photographed the beautiful model Charlotte in an art nude style.

If you would like to see more of the photographs I took they can be seen on my gallery
Please be aware this gallery has some art nude shots and is definitely not suitable for work

The Freight House Wedding Fayre

2012-02-20T14:10:00.000+00:00

We will be at The Freight House Wedding Fayre in Rochford on Sunday 21st October.

Album price REDUCTION

2012-02-14T14:26:00.000+00:00

Good news! Due to a recent court ruling involving HM Revenue and Customs a number of the albums and photo books that we supply are now rated at zero VAT. This has enabled us to reduce our wedding package prices.

Please check out our new wedding prices on our website

Or call me for details on 01621 834 854

Canvas prints

2012-02-12T13:35:00.000+00:00

We have just added a new supplier for canvas prints to our price list. The canvases are available in three finishes gloss, satin or matt.

These canvas prints are particularly good value if you are looking for large wall art. Contact me on 01621 834 854 or email me for more details

SWPP Convention

2012-01-15T13:10:00.000+00:00

Had a good day out yesterday at The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers convention at Novotel Hammersmith. Met up with a reportage wedding photographer Jan Nevill. There were a number of new wall products on show, some of these will be appearing on our price list soon.

Looking for a valentine's day present

2012-01-03T11:09:00.000+00:00

Why not give your partner something a little different this year. Book for a photographic boudoir session and give your partner an intimate album of you that they will treasure forever.

Email us now for more details

Stuck for a last minute Christmas present ?

2011-12-20T13:29:00.000+00:00

Why not give one of our portrait session gift vouchers.
Special offer price £50, usual price £60 offer valid until Christmas 2011.

This gift voucher entitles the bearer to a portrait session either at our studio in Tillingham or at another convenient location nearby. The gift voucher is valid for the whole of 2012. Not only do you get the photography session you also get £50 to spend on photography from the session. This can be any product from any of our range of prints, desk frames, wall prints or albums.

Get your voucher on our website here

Essex University Student Christmas Party

2011-12-10T13:38:00.001+00:00

We had great fun photographing Essex University student Christmas party in Southend-on-sea yesterday evening.

All the photos can be viewed here

Check out our event photography on our website.

Busy weekend

2011-12-06T10:04:00.000+00:00

Christmas is coming. Looking forward to a busy weekend with event photography in Southend-on-sea and in Chelmsford.

Christmas special offer

2011-11-04T11:50:00.001+00:00

Purchase a portrait session gift voucher for £50
(usual price £60 offer valid until Christmas 2011)

This gift voucher entitles the bearer to a portrait session either at our studio in Tillingham or at another convenient location nearby. The gift voucher is valid for the whole of 2012. Not only do you get the photography session you also get £50 to spend on photography from the session. This can be any product from any of our range of prints, desk frames, wall prints or albums.

These gift vouchers make a great gift for a friend or loved one and offer you something slightly different to the typical Christmas present.

For more information and to purchase click here

Wedding promotional video

2011-10-20T18:24:00.000+01:00

We have updated our wedding photographer video.

Our wedding photography prices are very competitive. To deliver your photographs we have a wide range of album styles including digital frames. My assistant also photographs and so you get the benefit of two professional photographers giving you maximum coverage.
For information about our Essex wedding photography check our website

Family pictures as Christmas presents

2011-10-19T18:11:00.000+01:00

Photographs of you or your children taken by a professional photographer can make great Christmas presents for your relatives that will be cherished forever. Why not call and arrange a photo session. This can either be in our studio in Tillingham or at another convenient location, at a time to suit you.

More information about our portrait photography can be found on our website

Potential model

2011-10-14T13:03:00.002+01:00

Fancy being a model. We are always looking for models to try out new ideas and refresh our portfolio. It can be fun and you could get some exciting photographs as well. We are particularly interested in pregnancy shots or models with a bridal wear to pose for bridal shots. Why not contact us.

Contact information can be found here

Prices

2011-10-07T19:09:00.001+01:00

We will be reviewing our wedding package prices at the end of the year. So book your wedding now to beat any price increase.

Christmas portrait presents

2011-10-04T16:39:00.000+01:00

Why not have a portrait taken. The finished pictures can make great Christmas presents for the family.

We will give you a 20% discount on our wall print prices, for any prints ordered from portrait sessions that we do from now until Christmas 2011. Simply quote Christmas Wall Print Offer when ordering.

Garreth & Carroline

2011-09-12T09:25:00.000+01:00

We had fun photographing Garreth & Caroline's wedding last Thursday. Ye Olde Plough House at Bulphan has some great locations in the garden for photography.

You can check out more of the photos here

Stuart & Sarah

2011-09-07T12:43:00.000+01:00

We had great fun photographing Stuart and Sarah's wedding in Tillingham last Saturday, on a gloriously sunny day.

Why not check out the video here

Ye Olde Plough House

2011-08-23T21:18:00.001+01:00

Visited Ye Olde Plough House at Bulphan today in preparation for a wedding we are photographing in September. The gardens are lovely and will make a great backdrop for our photographs. Lets hope we get some good weather so that we can photograph outside.

Tillingham flower show

2011-07-27T14:00:00.000+01:00

Why not visit us at Tillingham flower show this coming Saturday afternoon. We have a special offer on a portrait session voucher £48 instead of £60. We are also displaying some of our fine art limited edition prints.

Hope to see you there.

New portrait prices

2011-07-05T12:09:00.000+01:00

We have updated our portrait price list to include the new portrait album. We have also added a new range of traditionally framed prints. These are are pigment ink giclee prints that are framed with a simple classical mount and a black frame. They are very competitively priced and make a nice addition to our other framed prints.

New portrait album

2011-07-04T12:35:00.000+01:00

We are now able to offer a new style of portrait album. It can be supplied in three different sizes 7x5, 8x8 and 14x10 with numerous cover options. It makes a great way of cherishing your photographs from portrait and boudoir sessions.