Shutter Scouts Blog

A Mile of Coastline

2009-06-16T09:51:00.001+01:00

Well, the month is up and I've finally finished my SoFoBoMo project so now I can concentrate on Shutter Scouts development again!

Open publication

When Weather Forecasts go bad

2009-05-29T12:32:00.000+01:00

Apparently 25,000 people didn't visit Bournemouth because the weather forecast was for thundery showers when in fact the weather was lovely. The tourism chief would prefer more accurate, and apparently more optimistic, forecasts!

The accuracy of weather forecasting is something that I've constantly struggled with for Shutter Scouts. Will the forecasts be accurate enough to be useful? I've certainly found them to be good enough to make broad decisions about where to go, what to photograph, and what equipment I might need. For example, a prediction of an overcast evening has meant that went out knowing that I wasn't going to shoot anything with the sky in it. Instead, I was going to concentrate on flowers and macro shots with the flat light. These forecasts have allowed me to make lens and filter choices before I've left home, which as cut down on the "what should I be shooting... hmmm... need to change lenses" process on-location.

The weather data that Shutter Scouts currently uses is certainly more accurate than what you find in the daily newspapers. Sure, it has been wrong on occasions but then blindly following a weather forecast would be like following the directions of your GPS off the edge of a cliff. It's pretty stupid, isn't is? No photographer is going believe a weather forecast when the prevailing conditions outside their window say otherwise.

I'm confident that more accurate forecasts can be aggregated and overlaid to improve Shutter Scouts considerably. Also, there are constantly evolving weather models which will improve the accuracy and scale of weather forecasts and again I'm confident that these will come online over the next few years. I could sit around waiting to build Shutter Scouts on the perfect weather forecasts but then it would never get built! By building it now I can provide a decent amount of value to other photographers, which will only increase in the future.

SoFoBoMo — one month's motivation

2009-05-16T22:13:00.000+01:00

SoFoBoMo is short for the Solo Photo Book Month, a worldwide group event where photographers work individually on producing a photobook. The idea is to spend 31 days (and not a day more!) on putting together a photobook of at least 35 images. There's a 2 month window in which to start & finish your 31 days (to make it flexible around holidays etc) and I startted mine today.

Why would you take part in SoFoBoMo?

a book is a big commitment and a lot of work. That to me is the beauty of the SoFoBoMo challenge. It isn't a huge commitment. It'll all be over in a month, one way or another. You'll either have a book, or you won't. It can't stretch out into a multi-year or multi-decade albatross around your neck.

In fact, I do have a 2-year photobook in mind and making any sort of consistent progress on it is very hard. Because your SoFoBoMo project will only last 31 days it is much easier to make the commitment and put all your effort into it.

My project is to shoot a wide variety of scenes and conditions on a short stretch of coastline in Ireland.

But, seriously, why do this?
Well, I find that any type of photo project can give you great focus and motivation to your work. I've learnt so much, taken so many photos and been out far more since I start my one-photo-every-day photoblog, "Hot off the Memory Card" - and that's just in the first few months!

Preventing Underexposure from Stray Light

2009-05-12T22:55:00.002+01:00

As photographers we are obsessed with light — but it's a rare that we encounter too much light which cause our shots to be underexposed. It's not supposed to work that way, is it?

Here's a botched shot from last Sunday:

It's obviously massively underexposed... but what caused the automatic metering to fail so drastically? The clue is in the top corners. I was using a polariser and ND8 filter stacked with the polariser closest to the lens. In the top corners you can make out the shadow of the polariser's notched edge being reflected in the ND8 filter. Therefore the light was from coming directly behind the camera, bouncing off the nearside of the ND8 filter. Because I didn't want my own shadow in the shot, I was standing some distance away and triggering remotely. But if a strong light source (like the sun) is coming from directly behind the camera, it can fool the camera's light meter into underexposing the shot.

Here's what it should have looked like (by covering the viewfinder as described below):

The solution is incredibly simple. Most cameras will come with this little viewfinder cover that is usually attached to the camera strap:

By removing the viewfinder eyepiece

You can slide the cover down over the eyepiece and prevent any stray light from entering the camera during an exposure

Weather Data!

2009-02-05T22:32:00.023Z

One of the major factors holding up development of Shutter Scouts has been negotiating with weather data providers. Even in these apparently bleak times there's a lot of companies out there who don't even respond to business enquiries. Unlike the average person, I can't simply scrape weather from Google or use freely available data (because it's not actually free of usage restrictions). Also, I'm committed to obtaining the most comprehensive and accurate data I can — my users will depend on it and that data doesn't come free.

Thankfully I managed to find three good providers and after a lot of back-and-forth, I've signed up with one. This means that the next stage of development can progress and it should accelerate the release of a preview version. I'll also be evaluating this data and may in the future augment it with further weather forecasts.

New Site for Shutter Scouts

2009-02-01T00:59:00.017Z

I've finally updated the Shutter Scouts site with much more information about the features of the site and why I'm building it.
There's also a signup form for the preview version, which I encourage you to complete if you're at all interested in Shutter Scouts. The more information I can gather from potential users, the more I can tailor it to your needs!

Photo Radar

2008-11-07T23:56:00.000Z

Photo Radar looks like an interesting app for the iPhone-carrying photographer. Unfortunately, I don't have one so I can't check it out.

Slow / No Progress

2008-09-03T23:21:00.001+01:00

I'd hoped to have a basic version of Shutterscouts online by August but, as usual, I've underestimated the work and overestimated my available time. The biggest problem is possibly that when I do get time to work on the site, I've forgotten what I was doing or what state I'd left a particular feature in. Therefore I'm going to take a more principled approach by writing more testcases so I can return to the code with the confidence that existing code works. It'll take longer but there's more chance of the site getting finished and in a stable state.

Chasing the Light (DVD)

2008-08-20T00:06:00.010+01:00

David Noton is one of my favourite landscape photographers. It's not just because of the wonderful, serene photographs but because he opens up the world of a professional landscape photographer in his column for Practical Photography. That's why I was eager to watch his DVD, Chasing the Light, which shows his approach to landscape photography.

Now, the first thing you need to know about the DVD is that David is not a natural TV personality. The presentation style is fairly natural, honest and down-to-earth — pretty much like the man himself — but don't expect the flawless scripted style of a TV presenter. There are occasional hesitations etc but it doesn't detract at all from the content.

The DVD is split into a number of different sections but it's filmed entirely on-location so you can see how he finds a so-so location, envisages what it might look like in different conditions, and then wait it out with him until he captures a stunning shot. This is David's philosophy: find somewhere interesting, imagine (pre-visualise) what it will look like is different conditions, plan, return, shoot. He firmly believes that most of the work of the photographer is done before he touches the camera. There's a little talk about apertures, shutter speeds and white balance but technique is not what he's really teaching. It's really a motivational video for going beyond the point-and-shoot style of photography. Instead of simply settling for whatever scene we come across, we should be planning a particular shot, in particular light, and then waiting it out.

After taking on-board what I learnt from this DVD I went out and shot an amazing panoramic photo just by following his philosophy. I thought of an image I wanted to capture (a mountain ridge with the turf cut out of the bog, highlighted by the setting sun). I thought of a location which I knew but hadn't shot before. I studied the map, checked the time and position of sunset, and set off on a recce as the grey clouds rolled in. This was the location:

As I was scouting out the place, I noticed that the sun was just appearing underneath the clouds. And within a few minutes lovely golden light flooded across my scene. I hastily setup the tripod and snapped away for 5 minutes before the sun sank beneath the mountains.

I'll be returning in September when I expect the sun to set in a better position and I'll have found a more interesting location.

Although it's a touch expensive, I'd recommend this DVD to any budding photographer as it shows just what shots are out there for the taking with a little forethought and patience. Sample clips are available from David's site.

Oh, and my latest photographic kit is my cheapest: a small tripod stool — I reckon I'll be waiting for the light a lot more often now :-)

Progress Update

2008-07-25T23:11:00.001+01:00

Development on the Shutter Scouts site is progressing slowly but steadingly. For the technically inclined, I've just got a good handle on the domain model and database structure. One of the key components will be the excellent geographic APIs provided by GeoNames and it was important to be able to store this information efficiently.

I've also come up with tons of marketing/promotional activities and some great features that will encourage photographers to engage with the site. More details will emerge over time.

Amateurs don't obey the Rules

2008-07-19T00:50:00.001+01:00

An article in the July 2008 issue of Outdoor Photography had me fuming at the mouth recently. The article in question was an opinion piece by Chris Gomersall, a professional wildlife photographer, entitled "Open your Eyes".

He was berating that fact that another photographer had found his favoured photography location (a midden heap on a nearby farm) and that photographers these days had no field skills. blockquote>"Witness the boom in the publication of site guides, the trading of grid references on web forums, the use of site coordinates in sat-navs. A triumph of technology over initiative? [...] So, has this phenomenon come about because too few people have the field skills to find their own wildlife subjects or the patience to learn them? Or are they simply too busy to do their own research?"I think the biggest reason is due to the "mass-amateurisation" of photography. A professional photographer can easily devote every day for 6 weeks to finding and enticing a fox close enough for a stunning photograph in just the right light. An amateur photographer has a full-time job and can't afford to spend this time. So I'd agree with Chris' that we just don't have the time.

However, he then goes off in a weird and contradictory direction. In a section titled "Not a NIMBY" he tries to explain that he is not against sharing locations and it's a free country etc but then... (emphasis mine)

"I can't help feeling depressed at the prospect of discovering fleets of cars down my lane with telephoto lenses poking out of the window, invading my space and stealing my ideas. Must I now reconcile myself to a situation where my midden heap is listed as an Official Site on the National Register of Wildlife Photography Locations?"

Sounds like a NIMBY to me. His lane? But he doesn't own it. His space? But he doesn't live there. His ideas? A picture of a yellow wagtail at a non-descript location? That's hardly a unique idea now is it? What exactly would some be copying?

Then he starts comparing it to landscape photography — and in the process cheapens his chosen profession (to the point of questioning whether it's a professional activity at all):

"How many times do you see the same stock viewpoints re-photographed, with the most recent photographer keen to reproduce as faithfully as possible a scene first photographed by Colin Prior or Joe Cornish?"

So simply turning up at the same location means we can achieve the same results? Wahoo! I guess I'll be getting all my photos into magazines now and perhaps an exhibition or two. But if anyone can achieve this success, then there really isn't any difference between the professional and the amateur is there? Frankly, I find this absurd and ridiculous. Only this week I discovered that David Noton (an amazing professional landscape photographer) had visited a location that I know extremely well (I've got >20years of experience photographing it!) and yet he captured an image that I didn't. How? Luck, weather and tidal conditions, equipment, pre-visualisation and orchestration of the subject all played a part. I can't simply wander down to the same place and get the same photo. There's certainly nothing wrong with us amateurs aspiring to create photographs of the same quality as a professional we admire but it's daft to suggest that we'll slavishly attempt to reproduce a shot with the same composition, lighting and technical details. But some inspiration is welcome.

Sharing Locations (amongst other things) is something that amateurs are more than willing to do (see Flickr or any semi-decent photo forum). We need hints. We need tips. We can't afford to spend weeks searching for, and tracking, an animal. When travelling, we'd like to know where the best locations, or the hidden locations, are. What's more, we're willing to help each other out. In the days when magazine-quality photos was restricted to the professionals, there was a huge competitive advantage to keep 'your' locations secret. Amateurs have no such restrictions and are willing to share ideas and locations because we're all in it for the fun. That's not to say that we get do are own fieldwork, but our time is limited.

Professionals need to distinguish themselves from amateurs through their time, patience, equipment and (most importantly) their skills. Basing your career on a few 'secret' locations is not a wise move and I'd expect more from anyone who wishes to call themselves a professional photographer.

Shutter Scouts is designed as a place for amateurs (and enlightened/secure professionals) to share their favourite locations to help inspire each other. When the site is live, Chris Gomersall is more than welcome to share the location of 'his' midden heap :-)

100 Best UK Landscape Locations

2008-07-10T14:35:00.000+01:00

The August 2008 issue (out now) of Photography Monthly has an article: The UK's 100 Best Landscape Locations. It covers South, East & South-East, South-West, Midlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each location has a short 50 word description, an OS map refererence and a photo (and they're great shots too) with the occasional piece of advice thrown in (i.e., shoot the Giant's Causeway in Jan/Feb mornings).

In general though, I'm always disappointed by these reviews. I'd love to have more information about the location: when to shoot it; what else is in the area; how best do I get there; does it change with the seasons? That's the real limitation with the location sections in magazines: they just can't devote the space to do the locations justice.

Using Flickr to find inspiring locations

2008-07-05T15:00:00.006+01:00

Sometime ago Flickr added Places to their site. Places collects together photos about a particular place, popular tags, groups and photographers. It's a great starting for finding interesting locations to photograph.

You can search for locations using the search box in the top-right. Currently, only larger cities and towns have Place pages so this method is probably best for scouting out urban locations. It's probably most useful for those business trips to new cities. Planning a trip business trip to Sydney, Australia? Pop over to the Flickr Place page and check out some of the photos or groups. If you click on the map image you'll be taken to a map view with the photos plotted where they were taken:

You can use the map to check out the best viewpoints of the Harbour Bridge or Sydney Opera House, or look further afield for other interesting places.

Taking a holiday in Ireland? Here's the Place page for Kinsale, Ireland:

and the map page:

So what's wrong with Flickr Places?
The maps are limited by the number of photos that have been geotagged and the pages themselves are restricted to just major towns and cities. It also seems as if searching is the primary means of navigating the site: You can't browse a list of countries, then drill-down the list into counties, cities etc, which feels quite limiting.

Some Places have basic weather data and the local time but there's not enough information to help you plan your photoshoot. There's no weather data for the coming week or anything like that.

But the real restriction is that the Places are pulled together automatically with no ability for users to write descriptions or tips. Although you might be able to find an interesting photo there's no information on the nearest car park or access roads or any other information that photographers might share.

If you want to find stunning landscape locations then Flickr might not be the best tool for the job.

How will Shutter Scouts differ?
Ultimately, Shutter Scouts is about about sharing photographic locations instead of just sharing geotagged photos. The emphasis is on the location not the individual photos.

We can pull in geotagged photos from Flickr but augment that with proper weather data, sunset/sunrise data and descriptions by photographers about the appropriate time-of-the-day to visit or access restrictions. Hopefully that will create a far more useful resource for photographers. And even if no one contributes descriptions, it won't be any less useful then Flickr.

Briefly, what is Shutter Scouts?

2008-07-02T01:36:00.004+01:00

What is Shutter Scouts?

I’m always looking for photographic inspiration but there isn’t one site that collects together information on the subject. Shutterscouts aims to be that site. Here are some questions I’d like shutterscouts to answer:

What wildlife / plants is this a good time of the year for?
What’s near here to take photos of?
Where can I take good pictures of rabbits (or whatever)?
Where’s a good place to take sunset pictures (and when?)

So it’s basically something like a Google Maps mashup, with geographical data (sunset/sunrise times and directions, tidal data, weather, etc) and some user-generated articles about locations and subjects. Rather than replicating Flickr and Panoramio, it will pull in appropriate photos from these sites and supplement them with the user-contributed articles and data. Anyway, that’s the plan. More details to come.

Currently I just have a placeholder page up but I'm actively developing the site and hope to quietly open the doors in August. You can leave feedback/suggestions here.