Posts Tagged ‘photographer’
Photoshoot with Irina Sotnikova
I recently had the pleasure of working with the very beautiful and friendly Irina Sotnikova. A former Russian model who recently rediscovered modeling in Sydney. Now a competition winning plus size model here in Australia, it’s plain to see she’s the perfect muse for any portrait photographer.
Ready for my closeup – Matt Preston
Curves and Waves – Matt Preston
High Key Beauty – Matt Preston
Natural Beauty – Matt Preston
Utilizing some of the nearby “natural beauty” locations. The bright (and hot!) sunshine causes all sorts of shadow defeating challenges but don’t let that put you off grabbing your camera and shooting at mid-day. It’s a challenge you can overcome and even use to your advantage.
Hot Rocks – Matt Preston
Me And My Jacket – Matt Preston
Sandy Sensation – Matt Preston
Pick Your Direction – Matt Preston
At Street Level – Matt Preston
It was a great day and I’m very pleased with the results. Irina is a natural who knows how to not only work the camera but work with the photographer. It makes direction so much easier when your model instantly grasps what you want to achieve and even adds her own creative ideas.
A big thank you to Irina Sotnikova and also to my wife for assisting!
Check out the rest of the photoshoot on flickr
As always your comments, critiques and feedback are very welcome.
Travel photography packing
So the time has finally come. The house is packed up and my wife and I are almost ready to leave on our big adventure. If you don’t already know about it where have you been!?! If you do then you’ll no doubt know how excited we are and how we’ve spent the last 8 months preparing for this life changing moment.
One of those preparations has of course been my photography business and gearing up (quite literally) for our travels. Documentary photography, unless undertaken on your doorstep or nearby town, is something that you need to prepare well for. There are many methods, 2 cents worth of advice and all sorts of ideals you can work to. There’s loads of blogs already on this subject, some mentioned in my “Ultimate Online Guide to Photography“. I’m not here to give you advice this time, merely share my preparations.
So firstly the bag. Who would take a camera without a good quality camera bag? The emphasis here really is on quality. I made sure I got the best quality bag that i could trust. It needs to be relatively weather proof and very well padded for all that delicate equipment. I chose the Tamrac Adventure 9. It’s a full ruck-sack style bag with lots of compartments, very well organised and well thought out zips and fastenings to keep the weather out and the gear in. It’s very comfortable and I love it. It’s not cheap but well worth looking in to. I’d definitely recommend it to others.
As much as i trust my bag I have tested it’s weather-proofing abilities. I was stuck out in a torrential downpour with it once and while it did protect my gear the inside was noticeably damp when i got home. The gear was dry and would have survived longer I’m sure but I decided to investigate further weather proofing. I found a great solution in the Exped Dry Bags. These little fellas are fantastic. You just fold the top over 3 times and click the strap in. The 100% 
waterproof material does the job. I tested this by filling one with toilet paper and running it under the tap for over 4 minutes. Most likely the worst conditions they’ll ever face. The paper came out completely dry. I have a couple of extra small and one small Exped Dry Bag. I keep them inside my camera bag so i know my gear will always be dry and safe.
I’m not the kind of guy to travel light. Some photographers say just take the one lens, one camera. If you can’t create great work with just that then you’re no decent photographer. I don’t believe this at all. I say take what you feel comfortable carrying. Take what YOU want and what will make you happy. I have 3 lenses, one SLR, one High def video camera and my Manfrotto tripod. No doubt I wont take it all out every day but I’ve been working out at the gym especially for carrying this camera bag so I’m prepared to take my gear where-ever it needs carrying.
Gear wise, I bought my Canon 5D Mark II specifically for this trip. It’s weather proof house, very robust design and staggering beautiful quality is worth every penny. I’ll also be taking my new love, my Canon 24-105 F4 L IS, an amazingly good lens, also my wonderful little 50mm 1.8F and the rock solid all weather 70-200 F4 L. It’s not light to carry but I know it’ll be worth it.
Insurance is of course vitally important. I’ve gone with the very helpful Photoguard. They give the most coverage and understand the needs of travel photographers. Their price was very reasonable and I feel more secure now that I have that insurance. As a friend said, go with the premise that at some point your gear will be stolen. Be prepared for it. So when it does you can start sorting out what needs to be done instantly. Of course hopefully it wont happen but that will be a bonus!
Of course my trusty laptop will be coming with me. There’s space in my rucksack for that too. What would we do without our digital dark rooms these days eh?
If you’ve got any advice or techniques you’d like to share with me and others reading this blog then be sure to post now. It’s always good to share!
Brighton Wedding Photography
Wedding photography is relatively new to me. Like many who start out in the photography business the first port of call is helping out at friend’s weddings. Sooner or later though, it’s time to take charge and be the main photographer. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic couple to work with for my first foray into wedding photography. A fantastic day had by all (naturally) and some very pleasing photographs. Here are a few choice photos.
Kiss me quick – Matt Preston
Dependable You – Matt Preston
Under the pier, On top of the world!
Lounge Around – Matt Preston
Brighton is such a photogenic city with a gorgeous seafront. It’s almost cliché to have your wedding photos taken along the sea front but time and time again you can see why people want it. Brighton is a city it’s residents all adore.
Weddings are a wonderful thing to photograph. Such a positive day. I always get a little emotional and seeing a couple so in love, hearing about their own love story is always great. Glad to know my wife and I aren’t the only ones with great love stories to tell.
Here are a few more from a great day with a wonderful couple.
As ever your comments, thoughts, and critiques are more than welcome.
You can also follow me on twitter.
A very unique opportunity
Life is full of surprises. Meeting my soulmate and getting married was definitely a big surprise.
I love the internet, it too throws all manner of surprises your way and my latest comes thanks to a new found friend, Morgan aka “Modern Married Momma“. Before getting married she was better known as “Modern Single Momma” and is a prolific blogger and fantastic photographer. She’s also twitter mad like me and her open and honest blogs about the highs and lows of her life are an inspiration to read.
A chance conversation on twitter lead to this latest surprise, the opportunity to share my love story with others as a guest blog on her website. I jumped at the chance and it was an absolute joy to write. I’ve always wondered how our love story would look in words.
So here it is.. Our True Love Story of Love, Faith and Scandal.
I have to say a massive MASSIVE thank you to Morgan. It is such an honour to be asked to share such a personal story and having the platform to share it with the world is all the more special.
The internet and the people I meet on social networking sites never cease to amaze and surprise me. Including my wife!
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed living it!
The 5D Mark II firmware update
My Canon 5D Mark II is one impressive camera! The ability to record full 1080p HD video through SLR spec lenses really opens up the uses too but it’s automatic aperture controls meant it’s full potential wasn’t being realised.
Thankfully today it was announced that the 5D Mark II will be getting a firmware upgrade from June 2nd 2009. With full manual controls of aperture, shutter speed and ISO in video mode. This means you can now set the depth of field to your choice, not the camera’s, allowing much greater creative use.
There were a few dodgy workarounds before. Twisting the lens so it’s not locked to the camera was one rather dangerous idea that i did try on occasion. Another was using Nikon lenses with an adapter.
Many people have thanked Canon for “Listening to the people” on this one. I think that’s a bit short sighted personally. Canon have no doubt been working on the software for the 5D Mark II for some time. Adding new features to a pro camera is what keeps it fresh and stops the need for expensive development of new products. No doubt Canon were always going to add this feature once the software had been fully tested.
I’m looking forward to seeing a whole lot more video from the 5D Mark II now. I for one will be shooting a lot more thats for sure!
Tamrac Camera Bag Review
With travel in mind (and lots of it) my choice of camera bag was very important to me. This isn’t just a bag to keep my camera safe, it needed to be something I could happily carry for hours every day in 30C heat. Something that could accommodate everything I’d want to take with me on my travels whilst being comfortable.
After a fair bit of review reading and scouting around I decided upon the Tamrac Adventure 9 camera bag.
Ruck Sack Style
I chose a ruck sack rather than a shoulder bag because i want to evenly distribute the weight across my shoulders. Having the weight of a camera plus lenses, etc on one shoulder for hours a day is not a good idea. It can seriously effect your general posture, cause back and shoulder pains. It would also mean a smaller bag so I would be limited to what I could fit in.
Compartment Size
One very important thing for me was being able to fit all my gear in. There’s a wide range of ruck sack style camera bags out there and the size of each compartment varies massively. The Tamrac Adventure 9 has ample space for my Canon 5D Mark II, my 70-200mm F4 and my 24-105 F4. It also has a slot against the back for a 15″ laptop and another compartment for cables, snacks, whatever else you need for the day.
It also has a large number of pouches, zip up areas, and slots to put all manner of accessories in. Memory cards, filters, spare batteries, etc. All of which can fit in the main camera compartment which flips open easily to allow access to everything quickly.
Weather Proof
While I’ve not tested it in Monsoon like conditions, I’m pretty confident it’ll keep all my gear dry even in big downpours. All the zips are waterproofed including the more exposed laptop slot zip. Other zips have fold over flaps and the camera compartment has 3 extra straps for tightly fastening down the flap to stop wind lifting it or rain getting in. To be on the safe side I plan to purchase some resealable plastic bags to put my gear in. I’ll no doubt report more on it’s performance once I’m in Vietnam!
Attaching Extra Gear
The Tamrac Adventure 9 has a whole bunch of straps and fasteners on the outside so if you want to quickly attach something to it for easy access, you can. It also has two net style pouches on either side, perfect for a drinks bottle or a flash if you need easy access. I’ve even put a monopod in there and it’s held it in place no problem.
The bag also has 2 slots underneath it. I purchased some attachment straps and now strap my lightweight tripod to the bottom of my bag easily. Having it horizontally underneath helps spread the weight evenly which is best when carrying.
Very Happy
All in all I’m very happy with my bag. It wasn’t cheap but it’s very comprehensive in it’s features and abilities. It’s always comfortable to wear. It Does a great job of evenly distributing weight. Has easy access compartments and the extra straps give it more flexibility. I feel confident it will serve me well as i trek through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia.
UPDATE
It DID serve me well! In fact even better than I expected! Treking up and down mountains, through dense rainforest and on many a train, bus and dodgy taxi. It was comfortable, protected my gear perfectly and gave me confidence to bring my gear to places I wouldn’t trust any other bag! Well worth it.
Worth reading
Check out this great blog on how to pack your camera bag! very important!
Your experience
As ever your thoughts and comments are welcome. What bag do you own and why?
Canon 5D Mk II – first impressions
I’ve had my 5D mkII about 3 weeks now. It’s been a pretty manic 3 weeks too, getting to grips with my new best friend! I though I’d give a quick first impressions round-up before a full review in a month or so.
The Canon 5D MkII has been getting a lot of press lately. It’s definitely a pro camera of choice and a massive step up from my 300D rebel that kept me going for a good few years. From the lower end of the amateur market to the top end of the pro market you really do notice the difference!
It’s one solid brick of a camera. Nothing bends, creaks or feels like it could ever fall off. The grippy rubber finish on it feels industrial but I know it’ll last a lot longer than the thin metallic plastic finish on a lot of DSLR cameras.
The ISO quality really is as good as they say. You can happily shoot away at 1600 or even 3200 and while there is some noise as you’d expect there is much MUCH less noise than most cameras. It makes shooting at those ISOs an option rather than a compromise.
Being a full frame camera you make full use of your EOS lenses. No crop factor and a larger sensor really adds to your image. I was surprised how much more natural it feels shooting at full frame and I would highly recommend it to anybody. While the crop factor helps some cheaper DSLRs get the best from cheap kit lenses you really do see the difference with full frame. Although of course you feel the hole burning through your wallet too!
The biggest first impression for me is the quality of images especially viewing them on the 3 inch screen. Live view on a DSLR is a very handy feature and allows you to get pinpoint accuracy on your focusing too by pressing the magnifying glass button.
I’ll review the camera in full with all it’s features in a couple of months time but for now I’m very happy with my Canon 5D MkII. Most definitely impressed!
More photography more often!
To become a good photographer you should BE a photographer as much as possible. It’s a pretty simple premise. The more photos you compose, process and analyse the greater you will understand photography and improve upon your skills.
So.. it’s simple.. TAKE YOUR CAMERA EVERYWHERE! You never know when a good photo opportunity might appear or a good excuse to just experience photographing a new subject matter.
So, living up to my own good advice I took my camera with me to a recent night out with friends, playing Pool (or Billiards depending on where you are in the world).
Pot Luck – Matt Preston
This kind of environment is a great challenge. Not only for you but for your camera! The relatively low light conditions means you’ll be shooting at high ISO ranges, with the aperture wide open to get in as much light as possible. This of course has the side effect of drastically reducing the depth of field.
Good Advice? – Matt Preston
Personally i love the low light conditions and narrow depth of field. It really adds to the nostalgic, smokey (until they banned smoking) night time feel.
Wide open
Most of the photos were shot at around 5000 ISO with the aperture between f1.8 and f3.5. You’ll often find a lot of your images are focussing on the wrong area. Mainly due to it being dark when you’re looking through the view-finder. Autofocus either doesn’t work at all or will focus on the wrong area of your composition, drawing your eye away from the area you wanted your shot to be about! If the focus is in the wrong place you lose that emphasis and the photo (usually) doesn’t work. So keep it on manual focus, you can always take a few shots at different focus settings to ensure one of them works out ok.
Deep in Concentration – Matt Preston
Motion Blur
Pool is a great game for capturing some action with motion blur. You’re not likely to have a tripod with you (and you might upset the landlord!) so expect to also capture some of your own motion in the process! Sometimes that doesn’t seem to matter. I personally love this shot as the motion of the players hand and cue along with the movement of the pool balls and myself seem to make the photo work quite well.
On the Move – Matt Preston
Helpful friends
One of the great things about taking your camera with you on a night out is that your friends know you. They feel relaxed around you and are more likely to smile when you point a camera at them rather than feel awkward and shy away. This really helps, without my friends it may have been a lot tougher to get such natural looking shots and some of them worked out really well like this one.
The Best Medicine – Matt Preston
Your photos don’t always have to be in colour either. Sometimes they work so much better in black and white, or in this case black and white with a slight purple tint. If you’re shooting in low light conditions with high ISOs you’re likely to end up with noise in your image, something that may annoy you in a colour photo but can really add to a black and white shot. Give it a try. You may just fall in love with a shot you would have otherwise deleted.
More is more!
Shoot lots and shoot often. Take your camera everywhere, try and capture “photos” rather than “snapshots”. Oh and be sure to give a copy to your friends! After all they just gave you another reason to shoot!
There are more photos from my pool night here.
As ever your thoughts and comments are welcome. Share your experiences, your advice, or let me know if you think there are ways to improve upon some of the shots I’ve taken.
I look forward to seeing some of your photos.
Follow me on twitter
When I’m not blogging about photography on here you’ll most likely find me micro-blogging about it on Twitter.com!
Feel free to follow me and be sure to say Hi. I love meeting like minded people and discussing all aspects of photography. It’s also an easy way for you to find out when I’ve blogged!
My twitter is www.twitter.com/mycameraandi
I’ll be blogging about photographers and photography related twitterers in the near future so if you know of any that are worth following be sure to leave a comment.