Click here to view the embedded video.

This is pretty much my first Lowepro bag. Well that’s not true It’s my first lowepro bag big enough to put a DSLR in. I have a small pouch designed for a compact which I sometimes just use to carry a film camera or a flash. I’d also like to make it clear I am in no way affiliated to loweproUK who I won the bag from. This review is my honest opinion.

First impressions were very good. The build quality is top notch, rugged fabric on the outside and soft finishes with plenty of padding on the inside to protect your gear. Each buckle and strap is well made and stitched and the zips have nice leather pull tags on them.

Sizing the bag up for the first time I really didn’t think it was much bigger than my current crumpler rucksack but I was wrong. It really is quite the tardis. On the outside it looks reasonably small and it holds quite a slim profile which is nice as I don’t find it’s bashing on walls and people when I’m walking through the sometimes busy streets of Weymouth. On the inside though it holds an almost ridiculous amount of kit! The main compartment happily holds my D80 and 3 lenses (1 attached to body) and my sb600. That doesn’t sound like much but I still have room for approx another 2-3 lenses! which is fairly impressive for a small bag which is the right size for carry-on luggage.

Above the main compartment is a long pocket which runs the length of the lid. This quite happily stores a bunch of gels, two sets of AA batteries and a spare camera battery. It also has several specific slots for memory cards which are really handy and so easily accessible. There is also another pocket at the top of the bag which happily fits a mobile phone, wallet, notepad, pens, business cards etc. The front of the bag has a netbook pocket. It’s certainly big enough for that but I currently don’t have one to fill it. Instead I use it for a compact film camera, six rolls of film, a magazine, 500gb hard drive, leads, ipod, keys, filters, snoots and anything else I happen to find lying about. Yes it really is quite a big pocket!! and YES I really am impressed by this bag….but whats more impressive than both the size and build of this bag though is the design.

The design of this bag just rocks. I think someone has really thought about this bag for some time, if they haven’t they’ve certainly given that impression. It’s a sling bag so they’ve made entry to the main compartment through the side of the rucksack. This means you can access the bag without removing it just by swinging it around off your shoulder. They’ve kept the shape simple – It’s pretty much a rectangular box but this means when you want to use the bag you can place it on on the floor or a table and easily work out of the bag,. It doesn’t fall over and access to the contents is easy and not hindered. The pocket on top is genius and because its actually formed by one of the central compartment dividers it can be re-sized if required. the front netbook pocket is really spacious and again each to access. The adjustable straps have sleeves to hold the trailing strap pieces out of the way. It’s these little details that make the bag work. On one side of the bag you have a tripod holder and a pull out tripod foot. This very handily tucks away into a compartment on the side of the bag if not in use. It also has a weather cover that is also attached to the bag but hidden away. Zips are well placed and easy to use, and each pocket has two zips (even the smallest pocket) which is great for access and also means you could padlock them for security. Yes I really love this bag!

I guess though one reason for loving this bag is I didn’t have to pay for it…..that helps right? yeah I guess but it seems you can pick one of these up on amazon for about £80 and I reckon its worth every penny. It’s a well thought out design. Its big enough for most amateurs (and even pro’s who don’t pack the kitchen sink) and it’s great build quality will protect your stuff and as a bonus it hold a tripod well (something I’ve been needing in a bag for ages). Sure they do bigger bags but I would advise people who don’t need to carry lots of long zoom lenses or a full laptop check this bag out first. I give it 9 out of 10 and that’s only because of one very slight annoyance which the extra stability strap causes me but that’s being nit picky.

You can find out more of the technical stuff  about the bag here

Click here to view the embedded video.

Deep Freeze (Photo by Paul Broome)

Very interesting  article on the BJP website today, exciting news from the Netherlands!!

The Impossible Project and their UK-based partners Harman Technology (owners of the Ilford film brand) have announced that they’ve produced and tested the first run of a new black and white integral film – and while it doesn’t quite work as they’ve planned (has sepia tones apparently – which actually sounds quite cool!) it’s still a major step forward on their quest.

And as if all of that weren’t enough they’re also now planning to ressurect the 8×10 Polaroid format as well!!

And in related news, Impossible has also partnered up with clothes retailer Urban Outfitters – who are going to start stocking Polaroid Type 779 film and ONE600 Classic instant cameras in their UK and US stores.  I think that counts as somewhat of a result!

It really seems as though their mission has captured the imagination of a new generation

Soften Skin in action with overlay

Soften Skin is one of the presets on the Adjustment Brush – and it’s quite well hidden, which is a shame as it’s a great feature!

Open a shot to work on, and go to the Develop pane, then click on the Adjustment Brush tool (the far right one of the five icons under the histogram – looks kind of like a thermometer on its side).

Once selected, a new set of menu options appear below – click on the arrows next to the current Effect to get a drop down list of effects and presets. Select Soften Skin from the list.

Now you could just go ahead and paint over the areas of skin you want to soften – but it can be difficult to see which areas you’ve selected. So instead I recommend that you press O before you start painting, as this will turn on the Overlay option, which makes everything MUCH easier! Now go ahead and paint the areas you want to soften – obviously just select skin, not hair, eyes or lips – if you go over the edge and want to delete a small area of selection, just press and hold the Alt key and paint over the area you want to delete.

Once you’ve finished your selection press O again to turn off the overlay and see the effect applied. The default full Amount of 100 can be a little obvious at times, so try lowering it until you get the desired combination of softened and natural (I find a figure of around 60 to 80 looks natural, but flattering).

Figaro by the Sea

“Less Is More”:  It’s not a new concept or suggestion, but when it comes to the visual arts it’s one that should never be far from your mind.  A cluttered frame is not a frame that’s pretty to look at – in fact, it’s pretty much an instant turn-off.  Most of the photographs of my own making that I’m happiest with tend to be the most simple and unfussy.

Take this ‘environmental’ shot that I took at a recent wedding.  In essence it’s just a car in a field by the sea – but I think it’s actually quite an evocative shot (feel free to disagree!).  Even if you don’t know that it’s a Nissan Figaro (a car built by Nissan in the early 90s, styled very much on a 50s design – which has since acquired a huge cult status, mostly due to the limited run of 20,000), and that it’s the bride’s car parked up at the reception venue.  Despite it’s simplicity there’s a lot here to stimulate visually, and plenty of space to allow the eye to circulate around the frame – with the early evening sunlight helping the whole ambience.

Which leads me to another pointer:  if you’re shooting a wedding, don’t just get caught up photographing the people, make sure you get plenty of shots of the surroundings (landscapes, details, signs, etc) as when everything is put together in an album, book or slideshow at the end of the day it all serves to evoke quality memories of the occasion.

What's on Your Walls?

Seeing your own work writ large on the wall really is so much more satisfying than seeing it on a computer screen, and I would advise anyone to try it.

But a very talented photographer, who goes by the name of Ryan Hyde,  raised an interesting point over on my Flickr stream.  Apparently he was told by his art teacher that “to surround yourself with your own photography motivates you to only be as good as you have been”, and it’s actually better to surround yourself “with work that is greater than, or at least different from, yours” to generate new inspiration.

I kind of agree, and at the same time don’t.  We don’t just only have our own photos (and paintings) on the walls in our house (right now I’m looking at a print of The Scream, and on the opposite wall is an extract from Bosch’s ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’) – so yes, I do agree you need to surround yourself with other images to keep the creative mind striving.  However, I’m never 100% happy with my own work – and having that around me just makes me think “yep, that’s a good shot – but I could’ve done this… or that… and that would’ve been so much better!”

What do you think?  Do you have your own prints on the wall?  Or would you rather have the work of others?  Maybe we should swap?!

View Point by Disco~Stu

So you want to maximise your shooting opportunities and get some shots once the sun has finished setting? Well here are five tips to help you get some good results.

1. To take a photo when there is little or no light about you need to keep the shutter open for a long time to let what light is available into the camera to create an exposure. This means you’ll need to keep the camera rock solid for the length of time the shutter is open or you’ll end up with blurry results. So the you need a sturdy tripod/gorillapod or a stable surface to rest your camera on (such as the floor or a wall).

2. You’d be surprised how much movement you create by pressing the shutter! use the timer mode, a cable release or wireless remote trigger for your camera so that you won’t introduce blur into the final result.

3. Pack a torch! Getting good results at night is difficult enough without trying to set-up and use your camera in the dark the last thing you want to do is break or lose equipment so be prepared. A powerful torch is also really useful for creating highlights over a long exposure by almost painting in lighter areas of the frame.

Forbidden Planet by Myles Smith on Flickr

4. Choose the right subject! unless your going to introduce lots of lighting then it’s probably going to be easier to photograph a static landscape over a long exposure than it would be a small child who can’t sit still for a fraction of a second let alone 15 seconds. Urban landscapes are always interesting as they tend to have lots of lights and traffic trails created over the length of the exposure. Scenes including water are also of interest as the length of the exposure will ‘flatten’ the water and reflections will become very apparent. Special events such as fireworks and bonfires will also look interesting over a long exposure. Try and not forget the basics of a good landscape photograph just because you are concentrating on a night shoot, things like good framing & composition, foreground interest, leading lines etc are all still very important in getting that winning shot!

Bonfire by Paul Broome

5. Pack a spare battery! long exposures will drain your battery fast so make sure your fully charged and ready to roll with spare batteries.

bonus tip…..Wrap up warm and have fun!

Downtown LA at night by Adan Garcia

Weymouth across the mists by Disco~Stu (Stuart Mackenzie)

'Passing By' by Sean McGrath