What an idiot...AGAIN

There are times when I really wonder what I am doing. This morning was one of them. I got up early to take some dawn shots - I wasn't really that motivated but I got up anyway. I took the shots and then got home only to find that most of the shot was ruined! The shots were long exposures using a lens with an image stabilizer fitted and guess what I did - I forgot to switch the stabilizer off. Needless to say most of the images were blurred. ARRGGHHGGHH! Luckily there was just enough images that could be salvaged to make the whole trip worth while. Note to brain - don't do this again! However, this is not the first time I have done this so perhaps I need something a bit more forceful than a note.

Hill - Stonton Wyville,

Musings....

Sheep on Peak District Hill

Donna Nook is starting to look less likely to happen. It is nearly a week since I went there and I must say I am still disturbed by the thought of working in a crowd on the beach - just doesn't seem right - after all this should be about the seals rather than some mad scramble to get a photograph. I just don't feel it is the right thing to do. However, I have not made a final decision - yet.

I was going to write about the difficulty of capturing a really interesting nude photograph - but I think I need to give this some more thought before I commit my thoughts to the either. What I have been given a lot of thought to is what to do next year - what sort of projects I should take on and how should I approach them?

This has been prompted by starting to reflect on the last twelve months. I was planning something for the 1 year anniversary of this blog but never got around to it. However, I have been musing on the whole year and what I have achieved and what I want to do next year. So what am I going to do? Well I have a plan - which I will no doubt not stick to - but as I write this it is the latest plan. I intend to work on only three projects over the next 12 months. The first is my ARPS portfolio - I hope to have this ready by the late summer for submission in the autumn. I could submit it now but I want get as many photographs as possible of the same style, lighting etc.

The second project is the Landscape Photographer of the year. This has to be submitted in the July. The final project is the Garden photographer of the year. This is in November. All three give me some time to work on them and they also allow me opportunity submit work to other competitions as they come along. Well that is the plan - goodness knows how long it will last. I will no doubt put something together in the next few days about the Nude - I just have to marshal my thoughts - more musings....

One final thing. I have just crossed the 10000 hits mark on my Flickr account.

People, People People.....

Some of the Crowds at Donna Nook

Well I finally made it out to Donna Nook yesterday and the weather was wonderful - nothing like the weather predicted on the radio on the way up. You had to pinch yourself to remember that this was the North Sea coast in late October. I had taken my full gear with me - layers of fleeces, coats, hats and gloves. After dawn none of these were required. It was glorious. However, this was also a real problem as it brought out the crowds. I got there at dawn and so I had the place very much to myself. By the time I left, around 1 o'clock the place was heaving, the car park was jammed and there were squabbles about parking spaces - it reminded me of the seals when the pupping is in full swing - more about this in later.

What I had neglected to remember that it was half term and it seemed that most of northern England had decided to descend on Donna Nook (this is a total exaggeration but it felt this way as the place is actually quite small!) I suspect I am a little bias ( well actually a lot) but people never cease to amaze me at how so ill prepared they appear to be for what can be a really cold place. Why people bring their dogs to a nature reserve is also a mystery but they did. I really am starting to sound like an old fart but this is an encounter with truly wild animals who do not take like dogs even if '...he won't hurt a fly...' - at least the bacon butty van was doing a roaring trade.

Well now I have got that off of my chest what of the seals? Well in truth there is not a great deal to report. To date only one pup has been born and the seals themselves are spread out on the sand under the RAF bombing range. This will change over the next few days and weeks when the place will really come alive - in every sense of the word. From a photographic prospective it was not really very good however from talking to the locals it would seem that the week end, when the range is closed and people have access to the beach, sees an influx of photographers chasing the seals. I really am having second thoughts about attending the RPS Nature group meet in November when we will go out onto the beach.

One of the early Grey Seals

On a much more positive note I decided to explore the northern part of the nature reserve. This was the best part of the day. Whereas everyone makes their way to see the seals the rest of the reserve is empty apart from a fine range of birds. You can walk for a couple of miles without seeing anyone. Even the RAF weren't bombing so there was no noise at all to suggest you are only a few miles away from some large conurbations - it really is a different world when compared to the scramble of the car park.

Brent Geese - just some of the birds found in the northern part of the reserve.

So what did I learn? Well I was able to have a good look around and I have changed my shooting plans accordingly. However, the problem of people is really concerning me - I suspect that Donna Nook is now too popular for its own good - it no longer is an encounter with wild animals but more like London Zoo on an August bank holiday. I will go again but I am seriously concerned about the Saturday beach visit.

Donna Nook...

Grey Seal - Halichoerus grypus - pup - Donna Nook

I have started my prep for the next photographic challenge - Donna Nook. Over the next few weeks I hope to visit the site several times to try and capture all the action as the pupping and breading develops. I am also going to try and record as much as I can in the blog and afterwards try and pull this all together in some form of easy to use guide - I know this is not original but I hope that it will produce some really first class photography and perhaps some other people who have never visited the site before. Anyway here goes...

Preparation

This is the first phase of the project. Just what photographs do you want to make? What have you made in the past? What have other photographers made and how? The questions are almost endless but the first step I always find useful is blank sheet of paper. I spend some time board blasting ideas about what I want to do. It usually ends up with a few headings that I can start to work on.

The next stage step is to review what I have already taken and ask how could these improved? If they can't then why do I think they are good already? This usually involves some soul searching and realisation that what I thought was pretty good last year now just looks ordinary.

Now is the time to get really depressed because it is time for a google image search. Here you come up with a whole lot of, well, dross. However, in amongst these are some real gems. These are used to help me further define what I want to do. Of course now that I am using Flickr I can use this as a resource.

After this it is trying to find useful websites. To date the following site are some use:

http://www.wild-wonders.com/blog/?p=1921

http://www.wildsight.co.uk/articles/donna-nook.html

http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/nr/reserve.php?mapref=15

http://www.ophrysphotography.co.uk/pages/donnanook.htm

Then it is time to descend into the world of the blogosphere. Now most of the blogs are uninspiring, hopefully not this one but there are always one or two little bits to pick up along the way.

By now I should hopefully start to have a feel for what I want to do. Well that is the plan but as I write this I am still very much in the dark - which is exactly what it will be when I set off tomorrow - weather permitting - to check out the lay of the land, what has changed, what is the same, how does the sun effect the photographs etc. Anyway lets see if all the work pays off!

Portfolio Two and tree sparrows...

Tree Sparrow - Calke

Busy few days - again! yesterday was such a lovely morning that I had to get and visit one of the best sites I know to see tree sparrows - Staunton Harold reservoir car park. This is a popular place as it is next to Calke Abbey so the birds are used to people - so you can get some really great views of the birds which means - great photographs. The extra bonus is that orientation of the car park means that in the morning the sun is in just the right place.

I have also just submitted my Portfolio Two submission to the Royal Photographic Society. Who knows what will happen but you have live in hope - I think???

Cotswolds in the Mist at Dawn - Illmington

A bit of a change....

Tree lined road to Calke Abbey

Busy old day. Didn't get out to Snettisham - the weather forecast was really bad so couldn't see the point. Anyway I have so many potentially great photographs from the Monday shoot to keep me busy for the next few days. On top of this I also got some really great shots, even if I say so myself, from Welney. I just love Whooper Swans. They are so much larger than life compared to our Mute Swan. They are almost geese in their approach to life - large gregarious and full of life.

Whooper Swans Landing - Welney

Snettisham...

Roosting Knot - Snettisham

So I made two days. Well to be fair to myself I couldn't make today as I have the builders in and so couldn't go. Anyway what to write? Well the first day was pretty grim. The light was appalling, dark overcast with very little in the way of interesting hues and saturation to really produce anything worthwhile. However, it was not wasted as I got a good chance to scout good vantage points and watch the professional BBC cameramen at work. This week's Autumn Watch is featuring Snettisham and two cameramen were there on Sunday, one in a hide near the roosting birds next to the lagoon and one on the beach with the rest of us. Along with this cameraman there was a sound recordist. Nothing too over the top apart from the fact that they had permission to drive onto the reserve whereas we poor saps had to trudge the mile or so from the reserve with all our heavy equipment. But overall a bit disappointing photographically but vital prep work for Monday. So frustrated but satisfying day.

How many production staff does it take to get Chris Packham onto the small screen?

Monday arrived, spirits were high and the weather look a whole lot better. When I arrived at the car park it was already 3/4 full, this was at 6:30 am in the morning! people were rushing off into the murk to get a good spot. I took my time reasoning that the scouting I had done the day before and the later tide would mean that nothing would happen at least an hour later than Sunday. So I took a leisurely walk to reserve, again lugging my heavy kit the mile to the spot I had ID the day before. As I suspected this was missed by all the other photographers who headed further up the beach but I had my perfect spot with a really good and close view of the seething mass of Knot on a small island just below me. As I set up I got the usual strange looks but paid no attention as I had bagged the best spot.

So the morning progressed. The light got better and people started to realise that I was standing at the best spot on the whole beach. As nothing was happening I started to study the BBC production team that had turned up along with Chris Packham. This time instead of just the camera man and sound recordist, who would appear to have been the director/producer a second camera crew was on the beach as well as two young women who, for the life of me, didn't appear to be doing anything. Make up? Continuity? Provider of hot drinks? Who knows? What I do know they did not come in the cavalcade of BBC vehicles that were there today. They had to walk like the rest of us.

So the morning went on. Some activity but nothing special. I suddenly became aware that the BBC crew, their RSPB minder/guide and Chris Packham were showing interest in my position. Clearly where they were wasn't quite right. I had vision of them trying to dislodge me from where I had set up. Anyway this didn't happen but eventually they did come down to where I was standing. I must admit I did feel just a little smug, for all their undoubted experience and expertise I still had the best position! Small victory for the small guy.

So the day was wonderful, I captured some wonderful images and was able to wonder at the cost of the BBC production for that morning. I still cannot work out what the two women were there four. So as I was trudging back to the car the BBC cavalcade drove by, it was almost presidential some people even waved. I must say it was a bizarre end to a wonderful day.

Snettisham...

Brent Geese against the moon - Snettisham,

Well it is going to be a long next few days and I am not sure whether I will make it through to the end - but nothing ventured nothing gained. I have set myself the task of spending 4 days to capture the wonderful autumn bird feast at Snettisham RSPB reserve. This will mean getting up at 4am to get there in time. I have no idea if I will make it all the 4 days but I am setting off with good intentions - lets just see if I feel that motivated after tomorrow!

More FlickR

Fallow Deer Stags fighting - Bradgate Park

This is getting like a stuck record I know but anyway - Flickr. It is getting a bit of an obsession at the moment. As I write this I am just about to go over the 7000 hits barrier - nothing at all unusual about this apart from it took me 2 years to get to 6000 hits and just over a week to add another 1000 hits. So why the improvement? Well there is no special recipe other than spending a lot more time working with FlickR. I had done some research on how to improve the hits and they all came back with much the same answer - get your photographs out onto as many groups as possible and keep posting comments on other people's photographs. On the whole this has worked but it does have a down side. You do become more and more obsessed with pushing the numbers up that if you are not careful you can forget the whole purpose is make photographs for yourself not Flickr.

So where to go from here? Well one of the things I have found out is that there is a significant difference in the photography in the colder northern hemisphere compared to the sunny and warm tropical area. Well der you may think and you would be true but Flickr does allow you access to photographs that would never see the light of day, if you pardon the pun, in any other way. I have been particularly struck by the work of Rubbia, not just for the work as such but the quality of light. According to her Flickr profile she works in and around Rio de Janeiro and her photographs are full of a wonderful light that we just do get. It has a depth and warmth that is just not available here even on the hottest days. This is a real joy to experience and something I would not have done under normal circumstances.

Now I hope to get off the topic of Flickr. I am working on a guide to the rut at Bradgate park which hopefully I will publish on the blog in the next few days

Conkers...

Conkers

I know that this is a reflection of my age but I love conkers. In my mind they will always be associated to this time of year. As a child we would go out the the horse chestnut trees and spend hours trying to get down the seeds. We would then enjoy the delight of opening the newly fallen conker, revealing the nut inside its green covering. And what a colour - deep chestnut with a sheen that any shampoo manufacturer would have died for - just wonderful.

So why the wonder down memory lane? Well I was walking down a country lane yesterday when I came across two wonderful horse chestnut trees surrounded by newly fallen conkers. They lay on the ground just calling out to be picked up and of course I obliged stuffing my pockets - just as I had done all those years ago. It really is strange how the smallest thing can transport you back, however briefly, to your childhood - indeed it is usual a small thing, a smell or location that sets this of. It was a wonderful day for walking yesterday and the conkers just made it that little bit more special. The only problem I have now is what to do with all these conkers? Are well back to reality!

Flickr oh Flickr...

Stag and Old John - Bradgate Park.

Well what an interesting day I have had working on my photographs and trying to increase the number of hits I have been getting for my photographs on Flickr. To an extent I have achieve this. As I write this I have had over 119 hits - an all time record. So who have I managed to increase the number of hits? Well the only way to do this would appear to be to spend a lot of time in the Flickr domain, publishing your photographs to numerous groups, commenting on other photographs by other people and slowly but surely you get responses. Of course it also helps to have a strong photograph or two but really that is not the best way. There would appear to be no substitute for networking. Get your work noticed and then people will respond - just as in real life.

So what do I think about Flickr now? Well I am not too sure as to its long term viability for myself. Yes it does get your work out there and yes probably a lot more people will see it but there is a snag. You don't develop as a photographer. All you do is get your work buried in a huge pile of photographs which, if I had taken them, would never have seen the light of day let alone published for all the world to see. Don't get me wrong there are some unbelievable photographs on Flickr - photographs I can only wish to be able to take. But these are the exception and so are very difficult to find unless you know where to look - which is a skill I am slowly acquiring.

I suppose, in the end, it is what do you want to get out of Flickr - if it is an education in photography then you will be disappointed. If you want to have a brief glimpse at some amazing photographs then Flickr does deliver - but you have to work at it. If, however, you want to get some gratification for your work from total strangers from all over the world and you enjoy social networking then Flickr really delivers. I'm just not sure if this is what I want.

Red Deer Stag....

Red Deer Stag - Bradgate Park

You know it is very strange but watching the rut this morning I just can empathise with the red deer stag. All he wants to do is have sex with as many women as possible. His whole life is tired up with that. he will drive away any challenger, unless he is too strong and even then he may fight. He has a simple need and he will do anything ac hieve it. He even puts on scent to try and impress the females; he shows off and tries to demonstrate just how sexy he is. Well this sounds like an average Friday or Saturday night in many town centre throughout the country. It is also something that deep down any man, who is interested in females, has done sometime in their life - I certainly know I have. And like many forays into the mating game it usually ends with frustration and disappointment as the bigger and better looking male comes along and takes your girl away. Many is the long lonely walk home we have all taken.

And as for the females - what do they do? Well they control the whole process. They select the males and then lead them a merry dance, always on the look out for the next best thing to come along. So while the stag is trying to ward off some interloper his prizes just move off leaving him look stupid. Well stupidity would seem to be part of the mating game.

This stage might look a might beast but in truth he was all noise and no trousers as he soon ran once the real alpha male showed up. He quickly made his escape with as much pride as he could muster. This make have something to do with the bad cut he has just below the eye caused by an antler - perhaps from the alpha male who chased him off.

So what does this say? Well first of all we mammals go in for some of the same mating rituals and that sex is a real power in our lives. Secondly, to really understand the rut you have to watch the females. They hold all the cards and are very selective who they are impressed by. Strange what you think about when watching the rut - you need to if you are going to get some interesting photographs - however having watched the antics of the other photographers around Bradgate Park I am not sure. Perhaps I am going about this the wrong way - perhaps I should stand on the road and not try to understand the animal I am trying to photograph. Maybe not!

Busy day at the office...

It was almost like a film première. The photographers were out in their droves, long lenses straining for the next photo opportunity. Only it wasn't that it was Bradgate Park on a bright, fresh October morning. There must have been at least 20 photographers in the park all straining to get that one illusive photograph - only they weren't. It would seem that not only do deer herd but so do photographers. I asked one of the number whether they were from a camera club but apparently not. However, this didn't stop them congregating together. At one stage I thought it would spoil the morning but it didn't. I later spoke to one of the park wardens and he said that last Sunday a number of photographers entered the out of bounds area - a really silly thing to do and not obaying the code of practice for nature photographers.

I could continue picking faults with the morning but with my local knowledge and some understanding of deer behaviour I was able to find good sites and get some good shots. I just wonder what most of the other photographs were like? A ho.

Try again...

Well I was sort of right and sort of wrong about today. It was nice when I got up and then I realised that Snettersham is 70 miles east of me - where the weather wasn't as good. Whether this would have made the trip a wash out we will never know. Anyway, I'm going to try again tomorrow - this time deer hunting in Bradgate Park. At least the weather looks more promising.

Best laid plans...

Snow Bunting - Titchwell

Well I was going to get up early tomorrow and get over to Snettersham for dawn and the wader spectacular. However, the weather forecast is for heavy rain first thing in the morning and so this would spoil the whole experience - so I have decided not to go. Now I can guarantee that when I wake up tomorrow it will be brilliant sunshine and the weather forecast was not as accurate as promised. For once I hope it is raining when I wake up - we'll see!

6000 hits...

Queen Anne Statue - St Pauls Cathedral - London

Well I have hit the magic 6000 mark. Well actually there is nothing magic about this at all other than it is a bit of a milestone for me. I am fully aware that there are many people who may get this number of hits in a much shorter time than I have but it still feels a bit of an achievement. What does that say about me?

So I guess the next question is how long will it take me to get the next 6000 hits? And what does that say about my photography? Or is it just the case that it doesn't mean anything at all and these are just random events. I suspect the last thing is probably closer to the truth than anything else. It does give me something to think about.

Another early rise....

Red Deer Stag at Dawn - Bradgate Park

It was dark when I got into Bradgate Park this morning. You could just make out murky figures moving in the gloom - these were mainly fallow deer although there was a rather large red deer stag nearby who you could smell but hardly see. However, you could hear him when he started to bellow - this always brings a chill to me when I hear it. Autumn has really arrived.

I had spent the previous day looking after my wife who had broken her arm. However, as I was getting up early she would still be in bed for most of the time so I didn't feel too bad leaving her at home. This makes Mandy sound like an invalid, which she is not, but she does need my help from time to time

After this promising start the whole session became a real disappointment. The light was nice but there really wasn't anything interesting to photograph. Still it is still early and there is only one thing you can do in these circumstances - persevere - so I will be getting up early for the next month or so. Now what we need are some nice frosts to help matters.

My most popular photograph to date...

Red Deer - Cervus elaphus - Stag calling, originally uploaded by Guthlac.

To date this is the most popular photograph I have posted on Flickr There are many reasons for this - not least of which it is one of the first I ever posted!

Phones and Broken Bones...

Well I had great plans for today. I was going to get up early and have an enjoyable time with the deer. However that went by the wayside when I had far more important things to think about - my wife broke her arm!

She took a tumble in the garden and after a the pain got greater and greater we decided to go the the local A&E. Now first things first. I have only ever used the A&E once in anger for myself and they were very good and very efficient. The same goes for Mandy. We arrived just after 5pm and slowly worked our way through the process. The waits were not too long and there were sign explaining what was happening and why people might jump the queue - clinical need i.e. you are not as badly injured as they are. However, this didn't seem to be too much in evidence. Just as an aside this is the one part of the NHS that everyone uses and has been improved out of all recognition over the years and so which ever party wins the next election will tamper with this at their peril. The staff work hard and deliver a good services sometimes under very trying circumstances. So find cuts elsewhere but don't touch the A&E.

There endth the the sermon. Anyone who has visited hospital will be well aware of the waiting involved if you have a minor injury. This does give you time for people watching. You sit there wondering how they got injured, what is the story. If you were a author you could do worse than spend time waiting in the A&E you would get scores of books from just watching the people. So as we waited for the x-rays to be taken we had a steady stream of young kids with injuries, mainly injured arms or ankles. At first this might seem strange until you start to connect the dots. Most of them had sports kit on and as this was a Wednesday I assumed that most schools play each other and I was watching the fall out from these contests. Most of the injuries no doubt would heel in good time and the kids would have tales and scares to show their friends.

The other thing I noticed was the mobile phone. Now there was a time when these were banned from hospital premises not any more. They seemed to help people get through the experience by either texting each other or playing games - this included myself as I got some serious tetris in whilst I waited. Here is a tip for the managers at Leicester Royal Infirmary - install a free Wi Fi and you will cut your complaints by half.

So we left the hospital three hours later, my wife's arm in a sling but no need for plaster. She is sore but already pottering around the house checking up on what I am doing to her house. Could have been worse and I would just like to say thank you to the staff of the Leicester Royal Infirmary for ensuring that the experience was not as frustrating as it could have been

Gateway between Leicestershire and Rutland - Launde

Gateway between Leicestershire and Rutland - Launde, originally uploaded by Guthlac.

Yesterday was the start of a very occasional series of walks based on the Leicestershire Round. For those of you who are not aware the Leicestershire Round is a 100 mile long distance walk around the county of Leicestershire. Only it does stray into Rutland for just a mile of so and this gateway leads into England's smallest county. This photograph also appeals to my technical side.

I love boundaries and their influence on people. I have spent many a happy hour trying to retrace ancient boundaries in the land mark. Also it does have just a hint of Narnia. Just what is through this mysterious gate?

One final thing on this part of country. It is so very silent. There are the noises of the countryside, the wind in tress, the rustle of autumn leaves but no human noise at all. However this was shattered by the military. Harrier jets from the nearby airfield on from time to time shattered the peaceful idol. It was so unexpected and at times disconcerting - you find your hearing or to be more precise your brain straining for noises that modern urban life creates. They just weren't there.

What an Idiot...

Brancaster Golf Course from Titchwell - Titchwell, originally uploaded by Guthlac.

Well that is me. I used to be so good with time and dates - always on time - never miss an appointment. However not any more. I seem to be getting worse. this time I missed my good friend David Manley's coffee morning - I thought it was today - instead it was last Friday. What a complete clot I am. If you read this David I am very sorry.

Churchill and Parliament - London

Churchill and Parliament - London, originally uploaded by Guthlac.

I no this getting a bit boring but you have to go through the process to see if they work and what changes you will have to make. Anyway I have changed the template to see if this improves the way the photo and post look. One thing I have noticed is that should I wish to add any hyper links I have to add them afterwards within blogger rather than in Flickr.

Southbank - London

Southbank - London
Originally uploaded by Guthlac

As you may have seen I have set up a direct link between my Flickr account and my blog. This is a test of the whole process. One interesting thing is that the spell check is provided by Google Chrome, my favoured browser which doesn't seem to recognise the word Google. Now that is strange!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Peter Liepke

I have spent the last week or so salivating over a portfolio of Peter Liepke's work in the latest edition of SilverShotz. Leipke is a successful commercial photographer but the work shown is more of his personal images of his adopted New York city. Well worth checking out. To see the work click here

FlickR....

Titchwell beach

FlickR is a strangely intoxicating service. Every time I decide to reduce my input it keeps coming back with something interesting - interesting enough to keep me uploading photographs. The latest thing is the viewing numbers. Now I am a VERY small fish as far as hits are concerned but I am now up to nearly 6000 hits. Nothing special there but it does give you some feedback as to what is viewed and not from your work. I am fully aware that this is not a scientific survey but it is the widest viewing I am likely to get and this is not to be sniffed at. So perhaps there is some value in flickR afterall. Perhaps...?

One final thing. I have now changed my flickR account name to http://www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac/. It looks a little more professional

Another early start...

Young Swallows being feed - Welney

Another early start but worth it. We spent the day walking along the beach at Titchwell and birdwatching at Welney. I am knackered but the early results are encouraging. I did learn one thing today. When I am in an area where wildlife predominates then I should really concentrate on this - today I tried to make some landscape photographs at Titchwell and only ended up getting myself in a bit of a mess as there was just too much bird photographic opportunities and I just couldn't work on the landscapes. You would have thought I would have worked that one out by now! D'oh!!

High Dynamic Range...Some Thoughts...

Langton Caudle - Stonton Wyville

I keep coming back to this subject and having played around with it for a while I thought it might be useful to try and marshall my thoughts and see if they make sense - to me at least! So High Dynamic Range (HDR) what is there to say? I think the first thing to say is that it can result in some very bizarre and, to my eye at least, unsatisfactory images. (See Google Search) I am not sure why this is. I suspect that many people have been intoxicated by the power of Photomatix. It is all too easy to produce some strange outcomes with Photomatix and many people seem to to do this.

Fosse Way - Sharnford

But what should a HDR photograph look like? This is a ridiculous question but what I mean is why use HDR at all? Well the main reason HDR was developed was to capture a much higher dynamic range than a normal sensor could. There are a whole series of problems with this, not least the problem of producing a true HDR output, either as a print of or on screen.

So the technique is fraught with complications and problems. Over the past few years many software developers have produced software that automates the mixing of images to produce a HDR image. Here we start to enter a problem area. Each of these software packages produces their own outcomes, probably slightly different from the next, and so we have to ask the question exactly who produced the image? Now this an angel on the head of pin argument with no real conclusion apart from leaving a bad taste in your mouth. But it is important when considering HDR images as they are amalgams of two or more images captured at the scene.

In part as a result of concerns over control and, if I am truthful, never really feeling comfortable with the Photomatix software I now blend my own images together to produce a HDR. I also feel this helps me produce the result that I want rather than what the software insists on producing. One example that I feel I have been able to overcome is the problem of movement between images of such things as leaves, people etc. I can now address this problem with much greater certainty by controlling the whole process myself. This is also the case with the control of details within the image as well.

So what is the result of all this? Well, I feel I have moved away from the metallic look and feel of many HDR images. I am now able to produce images that have significant increase in details and tonal range and whilst retaining their original look and feel. The photographs from my current Leicestershire Round series demonstrates what I mean - the later would have been very difficult to produce with Photomatix as the sheep moved quite a bit between the three images.

I am coming to any conclusions or am I just confusing matters even more? Both and neither. I feel that HDR is an important technique that I currently use extensively but it can be a dead end if you let the software control what you are doing - however this is true of all photography - it is the photographer that makes the photograph - the equipment facilitates nothing more.

iPhone - long term reflections...

Well it has been just over 6 months since I bought my first iPhone and I thought it would be useful, if for no one else but myself, to set down some thoughts on the beast. Well the first thing to say is that I am inseparable from the little beastie - well most of the time. In day to day life I cannot now really understand life without the iPhone. It answer so many questions on a daily basis. I find myself surfing the net for answers all the time because the phone is just there - so much easier than logging on to my computer - convenience trumps power anytime.

So much so good. And it does get better. I now have a number of apps on the machine which are so very useful. AroundMe is so useful. When you are out and about and would like a coffee then one click on this app and there you have a whole list of surrounding coffee vendors. Now I know it is far from perfect but it provides you with a easy guide.

The maps app is another useful piece of software that can be very useful. Last week I used this app to navigate around central London. Very Very useful but does have the draw back of only working well in an area with really good 3G coverage - hence it worked so well in London. It is not so hot in country but then that is what the OS maps are for.

I find myself waking up in the morning and using the machine to scroll through my emails before I have taken a shower. Now this is probably a damming indictment of me but I find it so easy to use - again this is made easy by WiFi coverage.

So these are the good point what of the negative ones? Well I am struggling to come up with any. Perhaps the biggest problem I have noticed is that the battery does tend to heat up if you don't keep the thing switched on for a long time. Now to be fair to Apple I had the machine inside a fleece pocket next to my body which no doubt contributed to the battery getting hot but it is a problem that you need to monitor.

There is also a question of reliability. This is the second iPhone, the first lasting only a few months. However, Apple replaced the phone straight away so this didn't cause a huge problem but it is there.

Having looked at these two problems I am now wondering why I find the machine such a wonder but I guess it is just perfect in what it does or perhaps to be more precise it meets my needs. I am not a huge phone user, nor do I text that much so I don't know whether it is any better than many of the other phones on the market. However, I would note that all the major phone manufacturers are making iPhone wannabes but none have the completeness of the iPhone. In the end they tend to be pale copies of the iPhone (I don't include in this Blackberry because it seems to be a robust machine with a clear idea as to what it is trying to achieve. I just love there tactile keyboard - much better than the iPhone touch screen version.)

So 6 months on I now find myself an Apple convert - well as far as phone are concerned. I can no longer envision living my life without the iPhone - even given the problems I have noticed. The iPhone, not perfect but once you own one indispensable.

Nick Brandt's A Shadow Falls

My copy arrived to day and I must say the book is breath taking. I mentioned last week that I found the large scale of the prints in the exhibition off putting and now have received my copy of '...A Shadow Falls...' I feel this even more. The reproduction is first rate and I find the intimacy of the book adds to the power of the work. I guess the very large prints were just too big. I cannot imagine where you would put such prints unless you had a large space to fill - and then you would loose the intimacy of the work. Any way a wonderful book well worth the asking price.

A bit of printing....

Well I have been doing some printing. I keep promising to print more but never seem to find the time to get around to it. I currently use Epson's own paper, I have an epson photo printer, but have been wanting to try different papers. I have just ordered some Hahnemuhle Monet Canvas as a tester set just to see what it is like. In the past I have splashed out on very expensive paper and, well not to put too fine a point on it, got my fingers burnt. this time I am taking things slowly and just trying things out to see what I like. We will see how this develops.

People watching...

One of the great things I love about central London is the freedom you get to take street photographs. These are fascinating subjects and I could spend hours just wondering around capturing the small moments of people. This was even more so as I had spent quite a while just looking at the massive canvases in the National. They were also populated with all sorts of people just milling around. I found a certain connection whilst in the throngs outside - the ordinariness of the people just going about their business is what really attracts me. It is not the individual but rather the collective that makes the photograph. Well that is what I think. Whether others have the same feeling is another matter entirely.

Not quite as planned...

Well I am tired. I walked around 7 1/2 miles around central London and my feet are telling me that they need a rest. Over the next day or so I can reflect on the day and then come up with a more honest assessment. As I predicted yesterday things didn't quite go to plan - isn't always the case??

London baby yeah...

So I am off to London tomorrow for a mooch around the galleries, make a few images and generally have a good time. Originally it was planned to be a training day with the RPS at Kew Gardens. However, this was cancelled and as the train tickets were non refundable I could either take a hit on the train fare or have a day in London. Needless to say I choose the latter.

So what is the plan of action? Well two exhibitions I am definitely going to see are:

The MA Photojournalist show at the University of Westminster;

The second is going to be a real pleasure. Nick Brandt's new exhibition of east African wildlife at the Atlas Gallery. I have been a huge fan of Brandt's work for a while now. He produces sublime wildlife photographs that are master pieces. If ever get the chance to see his work you will know what I mean (click on the link to the Atlas gallery and you will get a wonderful taste of Brandt's work).

After this I intend to go over the National Gallery and spend some time working on my research project about wildlife photography. Now it might seem strange to go to a gallery full of paintings when I am interested in researching a photographic topic. I am interested in seeing how fauna was depicted before the advent of photography. I spent some time doing this at Wolverhampton art gallery last week and the results were fascinating.

After this? Well I hope to get down to Tate Modern. I have never been there and it is somewhere I have really wanted to visit.

Well that seems like a plan. I can guarantee I won't stick to it.

Time Team and the Leicestershire Round...

Langton Caudle - Stonton Wyville

It's a funny thing this Internet. You just don't know where it might lead you. This morning I was doing some photography in the Thorpe Langton area. I decided to walk along the Leicestershire Round to the top of Langton Caudle. It was a wonderful morning - the type that I love, a fresh breeze and the autumn sun warming the air just enough - not hot or warm but just right. As I stood on top of the hill I had a wonderful view of the Welland valley and I just took my time to soak up the view. The way that the hills had been moulded by the glaciers - the ancient landscape stretched out infront of me - I was standing on a suspected bronze age track, next to a mound - also possibly bronze age. Quite intoxicating.

So I finished my photography and walked back to the car. A good day all round. I got back home and started to process the images. As I did I decided to undertake some light historical research into the meaning of the hill name 'Langton Caudle'. To my surprise I discovered the Wessex Archaeological report on the Time Team dig that had taken nearby. Now I am great Time Team fan and I had always wondered what happened after the dig was over. What happened to all the information? How stupid. Of course there would be formal report I just didn't expect this to be on line. Again I suspect I was naive - of course it would be on line. It was fascinating to read the report's sombre recording of the details and then compare this to the Time Team's programme. Talk about spin - the great strength of Time Team is that it makes a really dry subject so accessible.

So the morale of the story? Well I suppose you just don't know what the Internet is going to throw up - the connections that you will make. As for the history of the name Langton Caudle - well I am still working on that!

A bit of a set back...

Bradgate Park

Well I will have to make do with being short listed for the British Wildlife Awards. This in itself is good but it always leaves you with the nagging question - why was I not selected for the exhibition? This is where competitions are really really bad. You have no idea why you were not chosen apart from the usual banal '...very high standard...hard choice...' and so on. Now I know it would be impossible to provide feedback of any value. An example of worthless feedback is the card that Practical Photography sends out with rejected photographs. This card has a number of boxes outlining the reason for rejection -none of which really provides any real feedback and you just get the feeling that some office junior has been given the task of ticking the box.

This is not a complaint about the whole process as I know it would be impossible for the organiser to provide such a service - indeed this is not the purpose of the competition. I am also very aware that the whole process beyond a certain level is pot luck and whether you are selected or not is very much a marginal call. In the end the only feedback that you can get is to compare your photographs to the winning photographs. This again is next to pointless as you end being like the definition of a bad general - always fighting the last war not the next one. Are well back to the drawing board.

Strange Itch....

A strange itch indeed. It is something that has been irritating me for months. You know what it is like - you know you mustn't scratch it but you just have to. Well I have resisted it for months but just recently it has got too itchy. I have just had the scratch it. So I have scratched it and you know what I just have to scratch again.

So what is this nonsense about? At the moment I am not at all sure. Anyway I have had this idea for sometime - to research the history of wildlife photography only I don't know if this is what I am interested in. You see I haven't yet really sorted out what I am interested in. My previous foray into historical research was a lot easier - a history of where I grew up but this is different.

So the story so far. Over the past year or so I seem to be making more photographs of wildlife than anything else. More recently I have started to think more deeply about wildlife or natural history photography, how it developed and its intimate relationship with technology. A relationship that is more profound than probably any other branch of photography. I now have the freedom to research a subject that there is a lot of books on but very few, if any, discussing the history. But is this what I want to do - write a book? No not really but I do want to try and place wildlife photography somewhere other than dismissed as not really art or serious photography.

So how to how to approach the subject? At the moment I am still not sure what the title is going to be. History of wildlife photography? History of Natural History Photography? History of Fauna Photography? I really am not sure. This, though, is not a problem at the moment. In the past I always had a clear idea what I am looking at going in but I am trying to be a little less restrictive this time. Will I finish it? I don't have a good track record over the past few years but I am in the fortunate position where that doesn't matter. This is for me not for anyone else so I can take my time and slowly unravel the story. So I'll just scratch things just a little from time to time.

Wolverhampton...so very sad...

What are we doing wrong in this country? Why are our cities decaying and dying? Two days two cities and both showing significant decay. yesterday it was Leicester and today it is Wolverhampton. Both have real history and yet both appear to be dying very slowly. I spent today at the Wolverhampton city art gallery. A magnificent Victorian pile with a significant amount of lottery money spent on it. The result was a very lively vibrant environment to enjoy art. The exhibitions were interesting and the coffee was almost drinkable. All in all a positive experience. Yet right next to it is a Victorian bank building that had fallen on hard times. It had been turned into one of those huge drinking houses that were all the rage a few years ago. However, like so many of these great ideas it is no longer profitable so has now closed and the dereliction just adds to the air of gloom.

All around the art gallery there are magnificent proud examples of building that spoke volumes of local civic pride. All empty or not really functioning as they should. Too expensive to renovate, unable to be knocked down because they are listed buildings so they just genitally crumble. At least Wolverhampton still has some worth while buildings - which is more than could be said of Leicester. There was an old joke that the city planners in Leicester destroyed more buildings than the combined might of the German air force.

But why are we in such a mess? You just know that if this were continental Europe the city centres would not be allowed to root. Perhaps the main reason behind this lack of local pride is that there is no real control of the local government. We all elect local politicians who then spend most of there time trying to get money out of different central government funds. I know I have been part of this futile exercise. Why should a politician or civil servant in London be interested in the well being of Wolverhampton or Leicester or any other city outside the M25? This is a stark caricature of the reality and there are all soughts of other factors to play. None the less it is only local people with a vested interest who can restore our decaying towns and cities - central government can't.

It is just so very sad and I can't see things changing any time soon.

Poor old Leicester...

I took a walk around the city centre of Leicester today and I have to say I found the whole experience depressing. There has been a lot of government money spent trying to make the place look better but it hasn't worked. I know the city council are trying their hardest but it just has the feel of some place slowly dying.

Take for example the new flag ship of the 'cultural quarter' the Curve. A magnificent building shoe horned into the city centre. From whichever angle you approach the building you get a favourable impression. It sits on Orton Square, which was named after Joe Orton, a nicely proportioned space. However directly opposite the building on the other side of the square is a club called 'G Spot' . The website leaves you with little doubt what this club is. This does nothing for the up market atmosphere that is trying to be engendered.

The rest of the cutural quarter is a mixture of empty premisies waiting to be redeveloped and expensivly renovated shops and offices, many appear to be vacant. I really, really hope that this impression is wrong but I just felt that for something that is supposed to be a vibrant creative place there was no life at all. This is so sad.