Thursday, 30 June 2011
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Monday, 27 June 2011
Monday, 20 June 2011
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Photo shoot for Martha
We were delighted to have the chance to meet up with Julie and Stewart at Lightwood for the day, with a chance to catch up with each other and also for me to take some family portraits of the three of them.
It's about 10 weeks since we last saw Jules and Martha, and even in such a short space of time little Martha has grown several inches. She's already proved herself to be an incredibly brave little girl, having had surgery a couple of months ago to remove a cataract from her eye. Now mum and dad have had to learn how to fit her with special contact lenses to help her eye recover and develop, a lot to deal with at such a tender age.
When we arrived Martha was quite happy and content in her baby gym, but instead of taking the photos then, we'd plenty catching up to do first. Unfortunately by the time we were ready to shoot, Martha wasn't, despite mum's best efforts.
Nevertheless we persevered with a few shots in the bedroom and again out in the garden, and before long I was switching memory cards. Back home and with a little Photoshop magic the results have thankfully worked out well, to mum & dad's (and mine!) delight.
It's about 10 weeks since we last saw Jules and Martha, and even in such a short space of time little Martha has grown several inches. She's already proved herself to be an incredibly brave little girl, having had surgery a couple of months ago to remove a cataract from her eye. Now mum and dad have had to learn how to fit her with special contact lenses to help her eye recover and develop, a lot to deal with at such a tender age.
When we arrived Martha was quite happy and content in her baby gym, but instead of taking the photos then, we'd plenty catching up to do first. Unfortunately by the time we were ready to shoot, Martha wasn't, despite mum's best efforts.
Nevertheless we persevered with a few shots in the bedroom and again out in the garden, and before long I was switching memory cards. Back home and with a little Photoshop magic the results have thankfully worked out well, to mum & dad's (and mine!) delight.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Finding architecture shots at the Reebok
I had my camera at work again on Friday to take some more photos of the team for our website. After work the sun was shining and the clouds were nowhere to be seen, so I took the opportunity to take a wander across to the impressive Reebok stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers FC.The roundabout on the main road outside the stadium now has a huge public art structure at its centre shaped like an enormous trophy. The Spirit of Sport is made up of 700 steel plates engraved with the photos of local sportsmen and women, coaches and volunteers.
Apparently the artwork is updated regularly with new faces added, and it even has its own website, thespiritofsport.org.uk.
Beyond the roundabout lies Bolton Arena, built for the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002, and now home to the best indoor tennis facilities in the area as well as a well-stocked gym (where I've recently re-joined). The Arena is linked via a modern-looking footbridge to the Reebok Stadium itself, just across the road.
The stadium was built in 1997 at a cost of £25m, and financial considerations led to it being named after sponsors Reebok despite much opposition. The club relocated to Horwich from their old ground Burnden Park, another issue which was unpopular at the time. These days though the stadium's name and location are much more accepted by the club's fans, hardly surprising after 14 years!The stadium itself is a striking design of graceful steel curves, topped in the corners by distinctive diamond-shaped floodlight clusters. One of the stands houses the four-star De Vere Hotel, which has rooms available than overlook the pitch.
The challenge for manager Owen Coyle next season will be to develop the team to play in a manner that matches the stylish design of this distinctive modern stadium.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Speedlites in the studio
Earlier tonight I went along to Jeff's studio again to learn some more about lighting for portrait photography. I've just discovered that my 7D camera is clever enough to trigger Canon remote flashes (speedlites) remotely without wires, but I don't really know what I'm doing yet!
With Jeff's help, his well used model and his collection speedlites we quickly had several set up and working with the camera in different groups, to the left, right and even behind to highlight the background, then experimented using the camera's controls to change the relative strength from one side or the other.
The photo above shows Jeff's model, who's face is normally proportioned but her body is stick thin, at first with fairly even lighting from either side, then again with a much stronger emphasis from the photographer's left.
I can't say I'm an expert yet but having a go is certainly the best way to learn.
With Jeff's help, his well used model and his collection speedlites we quickly had several set up and working with the camera in different groups, to the left, right and even behind to highlight the background, then experimented using the camera's controls to change the relative strength from one side or the other.The photo above shows Jeff's model, who's face is normally proportioned but her body is stick thin, at first with fairly even lighting from either side, then again with a much stronger emphasis from the photographer's left.
I can't say I'm an expert yet but having a go is certainly the best way to learn.
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