FlixelPix

Rams’ Pocket Radio

David — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:28:38 +0000

I had the very fortunate opportunity to capture a video interview and photograph Rams’ Pocket Radio’s Peter McCauley just before the performed to a packed Odyssey Arena. Rams’ Pocket Radio appeared as the support act to Northern Ireland’s own Snow Patrol. Even in the difficult opening slot Rams’ gripped the attention of the waiting audience.

Peter McCauley is a drummer, pianist and songwriter who has a simple philosophy, “Unfettered personal expression is the impetus of the project and with the works of the 1950′s product designer, Dieter Rams, in mind – purity, simplicity and longevity are the first concerns”. Talent abounds with Rams’ who also performs with the equally stunning Shauna Tohill / Silhouette.

Peter has all the qualities disserving of recognition. He has talent in abundance yet with it comes equal amounts of humility and a genuine passion for music.

If you haven’t heard Rams’ Pocket Radion then your first stop has to be the Rams’ Pocket Radio MySpace page check out the homage to designer Dieter Rams (track2). The video interview recorded before the show was a little focus piece to celebrate Peter’s success as a former student and thanks to a rather phenomenal management team we quickly sorted the necessary paperwork and passes.

This was the first time I have shot video on the Canon 5DMKII. Acutely aware of the fragility of the arrangement and the tightness of time I travelled light leaving behind tripods and separate audio recorders.

It was at this point I realised the 5D MKII not only shoots in high definition but is able to find faces in a frame and hold focus throughout the recording.

Using the 24-70mm set at 2.8 and the face finding the final outcome was remarkably steady, the video is sharp but even more surprisingly the audio was also crystal clear.

The same set up was used for the still images to go along side the video article. I decided not to use the same card for stills as video so switched to a slightly slower CF card. As I had access to the stage the 24-70 was ideal but I still fell into the trap of focusing my eye on the artist and completely missing the microphones and instruments in the foreground. All learning.

Snow Patrol gigs are well known for being special but I think Rams’ Pocket Radio made it extra special. Check out a small number of additional photos here.

Rams’ Pocket Radio

Rams’ Pocket Radio MySpace
Rams’ Pocket Radio Official

Music Links

Music Photography
Music Flickr Set

Rams’ Pocket Radio is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Winter Waterfall

David — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:13:39 +0000

Despite attempts to reduce the number of long exposure photos I capture the opportunities keep coming up that cry out for the 17-40 lens and the ND7 (not 10) filter.

When it comes to taking long exposure photographs it isn’t just about the location but also the weather conditions of the preceding few days that impacts on the quality of the waterfalls (especially in County Antrim). You can click on any of the photographs below to view it larger on flickr.

I had visited this location in early February 2011 (you can see the photos here) and the deluge of water made long exposures impractical and over powering. Bizarrely one of the February set ended up on flickr explore and has managed to remain there for a full year.

This year it was possible to journey beyond the main waterfall to a second set of cascades that fed into a secluded pond area. I had always considered the 17-40mm the best lens for long exposures and landscape photography but it was crying out for the 24-70mm to offer some level of reach across the pond.

In post production I used a ‘RAW defogger’ preset to reduce the glow created by a 30 second capture. It is remarkable the difference this preset makes to the clarity and colour density of long exposure photographs. I then desaturated the photos and increased the black level.

On the way out I spotted a this old iron gate. I have spent so much time on long exposures I have completely forgotten how to handle the 50mm at f1.4.

I only had a few seconds to capture this image but I just couldn’t manage to get the lens to focus on the curl of the handle. I think I need to revisit the 50mm for a few weeks. A few additional photos from this set can be found on flickr here.

Winter Waterfall is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Mind’s Eye Review

David — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:09:22 +0000

I managed to get my hands on a copy of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Mind’s Eye book back in September and I finally had the chance to finish it a few weeks ago. It is a remarkable read that retrospectively challenges the nature of the gear obsessed photographer. “Photography hasn’t changed since its invention.” How many times have you thought your photography would improve if you had that bigger better camera or that faster lens?

If the art of photography hasn’t changed since the day it was discovered then to improve our craft we need to move away from climbing the equipment ladder and focus on improving and developing our photography eye.

1. Focus on Capturing the Decisive Moment

The great photographs don’t capture a view they capture the emotion of a single second. Take a look at the photographs you have taken over the last year how many of the images do you engage with emotionally?

Our passion shouldn’t be for photography but the desire to capture that decisive moment. Defining what we mean by the decisive moment is virtually impossible but I do think we know when we miss it.

How many times have you missed that shot you know would have been the perfect capture. You get the second before and the second after but you know there was one photo that you missed?

2. Engage in Photographic Reportage

I love the phrase ‘photographic reportage’, a single photographic capture should tell a story. The photograph shouldn’t be contrived or meticulously set up but be a natural moment that contains enough information for the audience to read the preceding moments and decide themselves what happens next.

3. Engage with your Subject

The concept of subject is all around us, we can’t escape it. The challenge is learning to select those ‘essential’ subjects that we need to communicate our story. Contrived photographs cannot capture the true reflection of a person’s world, something I will most certainly have at the forefront of my mind the next time I lift my camera to capture a portrait.

4. Be Pre-occupied with Composition

Composition is the recognition of a rhythm; it is the true art of photography. Moving the camera a few millimeters towards a subject can completely transform the resultant capture. Cartier-Bresson was a true master of composition.

Composition should be our focus and preoccupation. In many ways it is where the photograph is made and a badly composed image can seldom be rescued by reconstruction or cropping in postproduction. It is said Henri Cartier-Bresson shot solely with a 50mm lens. Perhaps the best way to master composition is to know a lens so well that is almost becomes an extension of the photographer’s eye?

5. Be less concerned with Technique

Henri Cartier-Bresson admitted that new chemical developments and processes brought with it new techniques but it was up to the photographer to decide what they did with them. In fact the book almost ignores technique altogether.

“I am constantly amused by the notion that some people have about photographic technique”……… “but there is a whole group of fetishes which have developed into the subject of technique”..

Having read how important Cartier-Bresson valued the concept of the “subject” the idea of the technique becoming the subject should be a wake up call to us all.

Over the last few months I have become obsessed with trying to master long exposure photography. My engagement with photography had become the desire to discover new locations where I could capture my long exposure images rather than actually engage with the location as a subject.

In Conclusion : The Hope

My photographic priorities for the incoming year have been considerably simplified having read Cartier-Bresson’s ‘Mind’s Eye’.

1. Subject
2. Reportage
3. Composition

Better still focusing on Subject, Reportage and Composition doesn’t require a new camera body, more megapixels or a new lens. What they require is a change of attitude and a desire to capture that decisive moment. You can check the availability of ‘Mind’s Eye’ here.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Mind’s Eye Review is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

The Long Exposure Finale

David — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:04:47 +0000

There is no easier location to take photos than the Antrim Coast or the County Down mountains. Grabbing a break between the rain it was time to venture out for the final set of long exposure photographs. I’ve exhausted the long exposure and it is time for a break from ND filters and calculating exposure times. Note : you can click on each of the images to view it larger on flickr.

The forest was stark and the river was strewn with debris created by the storm the night before. The broken branches were a distraction in most of the river captures. I used the Canon 17-40mm throughout, ISO 100 for the long exposures and ISO 400 for the regular captures.

I became more interested in how the ultra wide lens distorted the high vertical lines of the trees. It was interesting to see how angling the camera to 45 degrees to the ground yet at the same time keeping the path in the frames creates a completely distorted geometry.

The final long exposure was at a point in the river that I had already visited in February. ( The Water between the Rocks). To be honest I prefer the colour in these early shots. The winter moss created an overly green back drop to the images that detracts from the water.

Still, a good day with the ultra wide. I have visited this location a few times in the past, if you are interested in the history of the Tollymore area then check out Foley Bridge and The Hermitage.

If you are interesting in seeing more of the long exposure images then Autumnal Long Exposure are from this location County Down. Other long exposures include : The Carnival, Helen’s Bay and Castlewellan although my favourite set has to be Kinnegar Pier.

The Long Exposure Finale is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

10 Tips for Improving your Lightroom Workflow

David — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:16:57 +0000

I have been using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for over three years, the more I use it the more great features and tools I discover. Lightroom not only manages my photo library it powers my photography processing and publishes and prints my work to a range of platforms.

Recently I decided to review my use of Adobe Lightroom over the previous twelve months to investigate both the learning points and more importantly the areas for improvement.

1. Actively Manage your Photos Assets

This year I had the tragic misfortune of importing images to my Lightroom catalogue that “suddenly” disappeared. This wasn’t a software glitch or crash but in a moment of madness I left the images on the media on which they were stored and this disk subsequently reformatted.

From that point onwards I decided to strictly check each import session to ensure the photos were being placed in the correct folder and that folder is not only kept tidy but also remains part of the backup routine.

Fortunately if you do find a stray folder Lightroom makes it easy to reorganise your assets, if you find images are not where they should be you can drag the folder to the correct location and Lightroom does the rest.

You can see in the screenshot I have had another sloppy import session and 20 images reside in a folder in my main Mac HD that isn’t part of my photographic backup routine and worse, the ‘?’ tells me that folder is now missing, thankfully I had followed the advice in Tip 5 for the most important captures.

2. Backup your Presets

The more you use Lightroom for processing photographs the more developer Presets you will create or collect from other photographers (see our Free Lightroom Presets Post). Although you can store presets with your catalogue this isn’t a great help if you run multiple libraries. Remember to backup your presets regularly.

On a Mac developer presets are stored in the Library/application_support /Adobe/Lightroom/ folder. Remember you need to back up every folder with the word ‘preset’ I initially backed up the ‘developer presets’ and lost a number of brush presets that I had come to rely on.

3. Add Meta when you Import

When I started out using Lightroom I tended rushed the import process, I added general keywords such as location or camera used but I wasn’t specific, I never added titles, copyright or definitive keywords.

As my catalogue grew finding photographs became particularly difficult and when I started publishing to flickr and 500px directly from LR I had to manually start adding the meta detail. Adding the specific keywords as I import means I can find locations, people and events with greater speed and accuracy.

4. Create a Backup Routine

If you were to lose your computer tomorrow how much of the data can you replace? if you are like me probably most of apps can be reinstalled and most of the documents at very worst can be recreated, photos can’t be replaced. For this reason I’ve created a strict backup procedure.

I store my LR catalogue and photographs on a GDrive external drive. This drive is then backed up via Time Machine to an 2GB GDrive drive.

This means if I am away I can take the main photo drive with me as off site backup. Every few months I also copy the contents of the photography drive over to a second external that is stored off site.

5. Publish your Processed Images to a Harddrive

If you do a bit of post production in the Developer module and share your work on Flickr or Facebook you are most likely not going to publish the full resolution version. I publish my photos at 1200px (long side) at 72dpi. As a precaution I now publish a full quality processed version of each image to a folder on my hard drive to protect against missing masters or missing presets at a later date.

6. Reject bad or duplicate Photos at Import

The Editing process is an art in its own right. Deciding what photos to keep or delete is often a difficult challenge. If a photo doesn’t instantly grab you when it is imported it most likely won’t interest you in a years time. I find when I look back at my 2009, 2010 photos I have half a dozen versions of the same subject that really shouldn’t have been retained.

Selecting the 1-2 best images and deleting the rest will not only help save valuable disk space but also create a refined quality catalogue.

7. Review your Library Regularly

It is definitely worth taking a fresh look at your photo library. Sometimes the B-side photos that didn’t make their way to being published can actually show some merit. One such photo is this image taken with the Fuji X100, it was a quick snap and was published for 4 months after it was captured.

In two days it was on flickr explore and in my top 5 favourited images of all times with in a week. You can view it large on flickr by clicking it.

8. Rate your images

Finding the best images from a library of 4000 images six months after they were taken can be daunting challenge. By taping the numbers 1-5 on your keyboard as you preview your images offers a great way to filter the great from the good. Add the X key to reject an image altogether.

Use the Photo menu to delete rejected images from your library and the filter option to view just your 4-5 star photos.

9. Optimise your Catalogue Regularly

If you find that Lightroom doesn’t seem as responsive as it once was or it taking 20-30 seconds to load rather than 5-10 it is time to optimise you catalogue (via the File menu). Optimisation can taken 2-3 minutes but close Lightroom and re-open your catalogue to witness a noticeable difference in speed.

10. Learn the Shortcuts

I am really only scraping the surface of Adobe Lightroom. I have worked out my little workflows, processes and actions but it is amazing how you can speed up your workflows by using the keyboard shortcuts. Adobe have produced a full list that I have printed and store beside my computer for easy reference. Download the PDF here.

And Finally……

I currently run two catalogues. One to cater for the current calendar year’s photographs and one master archive library. At the end of each calendar year I import the annual catalogue into the master moving the images to be with the archive library.

The process is 3 clicks in Lightroom but can take two to three hours to move the images as I shoot 100% RAW. I haven’t included this as a tip as I am not sure this is the best photo management practice, I would be interested to hear how others manage their catalogues.

10 Tips for Improving your Lightroom Workflow is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

My Favourite Photography eBooks

David — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:57:36 +0000

It isn’t always possible to be out taking photos so I tend to read around the subject. Although I still read print photography magazines I find the majority of my learning comes from eBooks and photography blogs.

Over the last few years have collected a range of low cost eBooks that have been a massive help in learning the craft of photography. The eBooks come as PDF files that work perfectly on the Apple iPad.

The Craft and Vision range is a superb source of learning with each book being packed with approximately 60 pages of tip, tutorials and inspiration and only cost $5 (less that most print magazines).

Reading on the iPad

The books read really well on the iPad. I tend to read the books in portrait view. I haven’t worked out if there is a way of viewing two pages on the screen at any one time which would be useful for double spread images.

What I’m Currently Reading

Andes
An inspiring journey and the photographs made along the way. Experience an exciting adventure in the mist-shrouded Andes mountains captured both on film and through DSLR.

Your Creative Mix
Gain new insights and ideas on how to generate demand for your photographs, your creative services, and attract new fans, followers, and clients by leveraging your creative vision.

Microstock (From Passion to Paycheck)
A jam-packed guide to producing, managing, and marketing your photographs for digital distribution.

The Power of Black and White
Learn the workflow and post-production skills you need to create exceptional black and white images through post-production editing.

Iceland a Monograph
Iceland, A Monograph is a showcase of exceptional photographs which holds nothing back with respect to how the images came to look the way they do. I am not sure if this one still comes with the two Lightroom Presets though.

The Magic of Black and White (3 book series).
Part Two looks at the tools needed to turn a colour digital negative into a spectacular-looking black and white image using the software of the digital darkroom, specifically Adobe Photoshop.

The Evocative Image
Inspired insights and creative exercises on how to inject mood and atmosphere into your photographs.[Download]

Chasing Reflections
Learn the techniques to capture movement, timing, and contrast to get the sophisticated and artistic reflection photographs you’ve always dreamed of.

The Inspired Eye (I and II).
Understanding and nurturing our creativity is the first step in breaking out of our ruts.

Below the Horizon
Equally inspiring as it is instructional, Below The Horizon will change the way you look at, and photograph, light.

Light and Land
Take your post-processing to the next level and clarify your own unique vision of the natural world.

Ten Ways to Improve your Craft (and Ten More Ways to improve your Craft).
Improve your craft with the ebook that started it all. The title says it all but the link below will give you more info. [Download]

Conclusion

At $5 per eBook it is an inexpensive series that definitely worth the investment. I find myself returning to each book to discover new challenges and learning experiences. I think the Learning to Light series of eBooks will be a permanent fixture on my iPhone and iPad, I don’t think I will ever master my flash.

DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK SERIES NOW

My Favourite Photography eBooks is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Merry Christmas

David — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:18:01 +0000

There is no doubt 2011 has been a very busy year, lots of new technologies, cameras and social networks to tend with and learn but I think it has been a successful twelve months all round. Regardless of developments and changes in the photography industry the one thing we all have in common is the love of the photographic process.

I would like to thank all of you who followed on Google+, Twitter or offered a like on Facebook when you saw a photo on FlixelPix you liked. I appreciate the positive support and feedback you have offered as I journey along this steep learning curve.

A massive Merry Christmas and Peaceful New Year. Let’s hope 2012 is equally as creative and progressive as 2011.

Merry Christmas is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

FlixelPix Autumn Lightroom Presets

David — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:41:57 +0000

I have tried to expand my array of custom presets, moving away from a few dozen presets I had downloaded over the years to creating custom tones. A few months ago I created three custom presets that act as starting points for Autumnal and Winter photographs.

If you are getting started with photography post production and want to learn how to install developer presets then check out this Lightroom Presets post.

Default Image

This is the image straight from the camera shot in RAW. The only process applied was to crop the image to make it web ready.

FlixelPix Mono

I tend to use Silver Efex Pro 2 for black and white processing but if I want to apply a quick mono look I use this preset and tweak the final settings. I tend to adjust the level of black and contrast when using this preset. For street photography if the image appears to pure I would adjust the grain to give a greater film look.

FlixelPix Autumn Brown

This preset maintains the dense green tones but brings out the browns to create a late autumn look.

FlixelPix Autumn Green

This preset strengthens and adds depth to the greens. This preset also increases the level of noise reduction to create a slight soft focus look.

These developer presets have been tested with Lightroom 3. If you want to offer the presets to others please link to this page. Do not distribute the .zip file or presets directly.

DOWNLOAD NOW

You can also download the previous “Sweets Preset” here. or learn how to create your very own lightroom presets in this easy to follow tutorial.

FlixelPix Autumn Lightroom Presets is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Top Photos using the Fuji X100

David — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:44:29 +0000

Having previous shared my most popular 50 flickr photos of 2011 I thought I would look at the FlixelPix posts that have made the top 10 list. Without doubt my love for the Fuji X100 has dominated since July. Ultra portable, ultra-powerful the camera reignited the photography challenge. If anything it now feels less comfortable carrying a DSLR around when the X100 is capable of so much, and did I also mention the camera itself is a thing of beauty?

You can see just how much the X100 dominates with four of the ten articles containing X100 in the title.

Top 10 X100 Photos of 2011

In addition I thought it would be good to post my Top 10 photos taken with the X100 in 2011. It will be interesting to see how things fair in 2012, I suspect the Ferris Wheel will continue to feature on flickr, although I do have to confess I am getting tired looking at it. The goal for 2012 is to remove it from the top 5 with better captures. You can click on any of the photos to view it large on flickr.

1. Spin

2. Leaves : Ends Badly

3. Belfast Cafe

4. Ferris Wheel Revisited

5. Collection

6. St George’s Market

7. Balloon

8. Too Late

9. Some Fun Guys

10. Paris

You can view the full sets of X100 or 2011 Photos see below :

FlixelPix X100 Photos

Best Photos from 2011

Top Photos using the Fuji X100 is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

My Favourite Flickr App : Flickery

David — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:08:46 +0000

Back when Apple announced that iPhoto 09 was going to offer the ability to “export to flickr” I have to admit I was more than excited. iPhoto 09 arrived and suddenly I realised that every upload session was going to appear on my left hand menu bar, for me a bit of a negative.

Shortly after I moving my photographs over to Lightroom 3 and haven’t looked back. Initially I stared with Lightroom’s own export to flickr module. Yes it is easy to drag a photo to your stream and Lightroom does the rest. The problems come when I go back and edit the image for another purpose. Lightroom insists in updating the version on flickr.

Welcome Flickery

A simple export from Lightroom to my desktop and them flickery to flickery. It sounds like a wieldy process but when you see what Flickery offers in terms of set and group management it is difficult to consider any other solution.

Flickery is a flickr desktop client for Mac OS X, that offers you the combined power of the flickr photo-community and the ease-of-use of Mac OS X right through to Lion.

Uploading photos is really easy as the application works in harmony with the Operating system.. Not only can you upload an image file via Finder you can also upload from your iPhoto or Aperture Libraries directly from the flickery interface.

Flickery makes adding and managing photos on flickr amazingly easy and adds the ability to add a default description to photos that are uploaded. I have it set to add a link to my twitter and blog at the base of each photo.

Once uploaded you can edit the description, title and tags directly from the Flickery application even for photos you uploaded months previously. Actually if Flickery could handle stats (for pro accounts) you would never need to visit the Flickr site again.

Flickery allows you to organise photos in photosets or groups, and view them in full screen, flickery lets you do everything possible on the flickr website and that even includes working with your ‘favourited’ photos. Adding photos to photosets or groups really is a matter of dragging and dropping the image on the appropriate group name on the sidebar.

One interesting feature is the ability to download a photo or add it to your iPhoto library (if the photo has been permitted for download on flickr that is). The screen shot below shows just some of my latest favourite photos from other users :

You can manage your contacts directly from the application and better still you can blog and spread the word of your latest photo upload via blog, email and even twitter once you have entered your twitter username and password.

I would love to be able to view stats from the application or see a view count / comment count on the main interface (above). That said these are small negatives for a massively useful application.

A demo of flickery is available from the developer’s website but if you have a Flickr account I very much think you will be compelled to buy. I love it.

Links:
Flixelpix on Flicker
Flickery

My Favourite Flickr App : Flickery is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

FlixelPix

Rams’ Pocket Radio

Rams’ Pocket Radio

Music Links

Related Posts

Winter Waterfall

Related Posts

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Mind’s Eye Review

1. Focus on Capturing the Decisive Moment

2. Engage in Photographic Reportage

3. Engage with your Subject

4. Be Pre-occupied with Composition

5. Be less concerned with Technique

In Conclusion : The Hope

Related Posts

The Long Exposure Finale

Related Posts

10 Tips for Improving your Lightroom Workflow

1. Actively Manage your Photos Assets

2. Backup your Presets

3. Add Meta when you Import

4. Create a Backup Routine

5. Publish your Processed Images to a Harddrive

6. Reject bad or duplicate Photos at Import

7. Review your Library Regularly

8. Rate your images

9. Optimise your Catalogue Regularly

10. Learn the Shortcuts

And Finally……

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My Favourite Photography eBooks

Reading on the iPad

What I’m Currently Reading

Conclusion

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Merry Christmas

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FlixelPix Autumn Lightroom Presets

Default Image

FlixelPix Mono

FlixelPix Autumn Brown

FlixelPix Autumn Green

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Top Photos using the Fuji X100

Top 10 Posts of 2011

Top 10 X100 Photos of 2011

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My Favourite Flickr App : Flickery

Welcome Flickery

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