Rob Alexander Photography

Studio One, Ailsworth.

2011-01-28T10:45:00.000Z

Was commissioned for my first shoot at Studio One, near Peterborough a few days ago, I was very excited at the prospect of shooting somewhere new for a change.

The model for the day was Marie K Williams, who came all the way from Cardiff for the shoot.

The MAU was Sarina Conrad, and hair stylist Sarah Smith, of Nottingham, who did a great job with Marie.

I arrived later than i had hoped, we were booked for 2 pm, but i wanted to arrive early, which i did, but not as early as i had hoped, and everyone was there waiting fr me, which was nice, the girls were in the dressing room so I had chance to be shown round the building by Adi, resident tog and all round good chap. The building is impressive, and i say that confidently, it has all the props, chairs, lights, space, backdrops, everything a photographer needs for a variety of shoots.

Marie, i have to say, was an absolute star, she looked gorgeous, despite not sleeping for 2 days before the shoot, bless her.

The shoot went smoothly, and we got a variety of different images, all in all a great days work.

Joy

2011-01-14T15:33:00.000Z

Its been a long time coming, but i now have my own studio lighting =o)

The Interfit 2 head EX150 flash kit, which means i can now do home shoots, at models homes, sounds seedy but its not, im not going to start doing cheesy sleavy images of girls in their undies, no way, they will be tasteful and decent, but sensual and sexy too.

The kit itself is 2 heads, a 60x60 softbox, shoot through white brolly, 2 stands, but im planning on getting a third light, EXD200, slightly more powerful, as well as a large octobox, beauty dish, and barndoors with gels.

I have yet to use my new lights on a model, i have only had them for a few days, but i have done some images of myself, and here are 2.

Looking forward to 2011

2010-12-29T03:30:00.000Z

I have a feeling its going to be a great year, one full of surprises and challenges.

I will certainly have a challenge ahead of me, as i am now properly self employed.

I had to take the plunge, I am tired of not finding work so i have decided to make my photography earn me a little bit of money, and i have more than a few ideas on how to make it.

I have recently bought a portable studio kit, 500w strobes with soft boxes, barn doors and shoot through brollys, with transmitters and receivers, everything i need to venture out into the home boudoir shoot market.

At the moment i am offerning photoshoots for £15, yes, fifthteen pounds only, for 45 minutes, with 6 images which the models shall receive before the i leave.

Its an ideal present for any female who wants to give her lover an extra special valentines treat, sexy boudoir style images with low light and satin sheets.

I am available to travel throughout the east of England, although some journeys will require fuel expenses to be met.

Should you wish to learn more about these shoots then please vists my website at

http://www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com/index.htm

I also have a few other ideas up my sleeve, but i shall reveal these when the time is right, its far too early to even mention or hint at them yet so for now i will stay shtum =o)

I think now is a good time to see some of my best images from 2010.

Kayleigh Christina, bless her, she arrived all flustered and full of flu, but she did well considering and i was pretty impressed with her.

The gorgeous Susie Hutson, always a fun shoot with Sue involved, really enjoyed working with her, her enthusiasm shows in every image, and she has a stunning smile, fantastic model, these images are from 2 separate shoots, cannot wait to work with her again soon.

Some fetish images from Clare and Dina, these images required a lot of planning and concentration but were worth the effort i think.

And finally, Viktoria, who has been my rock in 2010, this was our tenth shoot for 2010, and the only shoot we did at the works studio. We have worked together numerous times this year and i have no doubt that we will do some more shoots in 2011, i certainly hope so, she is the perfect model and a joy to work with.

That about wraps it up for me for this year, its been emotional =o)

Its been a while since my last entry

2010-10-02T17:26:00.000+01:00

Been a bit busy =o)

I will be making more entries in future though, more often than of late.

Since my last entry things have really stepped up a gear, and i am in the studio quite a bit now, and im getting somewhere with it, totally confident in the studio now, not fazed by anything.

I have quite a few shoots coming up between now and Christmas, so expect quite a few new entries here, as well as updates in my gallery on my official website www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com

Viktoria Shoot #3

2010-06-30T03:04:00.000+01:00

Well we have now worked together four times, once as my MUA and 3 times as a model, and Viktoria never lets me down.

We had a warehouse to shoot in, but sadly its gone now, not literally, just we cannot shoot there anymore because the keys have been handed back. Gutted because it was an ace location with some great light.

A weekend of glamour

2010-06-14T02:32:00.000+01:00

Its a hard life being a photographer, specially working with beautiful females wearing gorgeous lingerie and generally looking stunning.

This weekend i again had the pleasure of working with Viktoria, and also with Kat, my first shoot with Kat.

The weekend began with Vik, we did a shoot in a warehouse nearby, and here are a few images from our shoot.

Viktoria is simply gorgeous, such a nice person, i could work with her all day long and not get tired.

Next up was Kat, and a long drive to Chesterfield, for a location shoot at Sutton Scarsdale Hall in Derbyshire.

Kat is a seasoned glamour model, and very sexy, it was an easy shoot until we got kicked out due to complaints about our work, and looking at the images, its a wonder we didnt get arrested.

Although we hadn't planned an adult shoot, it kinda went that way, Kat has no shyness so was well into this shoot.

Sadly i did not get to shoot Kez, we were gonna do it at the Hall but seeing as i had already been kicked out i did not want to risk going back and getting into even deeper trouble, but the journey was worth it in the end, Kat and i got some cracking images, would love to work with her again.

Latest news (all good)

2010-06-07T04:47:00.000+01:00

There have been some developments in my circumstances lately, good developments.

I could be part of the team that makes up The Works photographic studio. Seeing as i have only worked with models since november, to be considered was an honour, so i am really going to push the boat out to make this happen.

To turn pro has always been a dream, but i never thought it would happen this fast in my so far short loved fashion and glamour career, even saying fashion and glamour career seems a bit odd to me, as before november i had no idea i would even entertain the thought.

My how things change.

I will not lie, it is a tremendous opportunity for me, one which i intend to grab with both hands and run with. It will help me develop my style and gain valuable studio experience, and of course make new contacts along the way.

Im looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

Selection of images from my latest shoots

2010-06-01T05:29:00.001+01:00

It has been a while since i posted any images here, so do you notice anything different with my work? Yes, its improved =o)

I have learned a lot in these past few months, worked with some lovely models whom i thank from the bottom of my heart. And i have worked damned hard to get where i am now.

I am totally different now to how i was on my first shoot, i am very directional, very sure of my abilities also, and very relaxed on shoots. I enjoy my work 100%

I now have a steady and loyal fanbase, models who comment on my work constantly, sending me messages of support, expressing an interest to work with me, which is truely flattering, and i appreciate all the support i get.

Now i have my own style, my work is distinctively my work, from approach to colours, i now have a look that i love, and my work is getting darker, sometimes surreal, always strangely beautiful.

For more images visit

www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com

www.wix.com/robalexander/home

Urbex

2010-03-28T02:18:00.000+01:00

When i was knee high to a grasshopper, quite young, myself and some friends gained entry to an old motorcycle repair premises nearby. It had lain empty for some time, but we were nervous about going in, i was only about 11 at the time, but i remember that i really wanted to look inside and investigate a now empty place that once had the hustle and bustle of human activity.

Some years later, and im still exploring these kind of places, abandoned and empty buildings, most recently the carehome in Holbeach, and an industrial unit at Wyton, now sadly demolished, but i got 2 shoots in before it got pulled down, as recently as 2 weeks ago. Gutted.

So i had to find another abandoned and forgotten location, one as beautiful as the Wyton one.

And i have found it, oh hell yeah =oD

Impressive huh?

Its a former RAF base near me, mostly vandalized by wankers with too much time on their hands, but there are plenty of rooms intact and untouched by fire.

I have a handful of shoots booked there already, one in about 11 hours time, so i better get some sleep really.

Recent photoshoot images coming soon, been so busy lately so i apologise for lack of updates, a summary will appear soon =oD

A tough call

2010-03-09T20:37:00.000Z

Planned before next tuesday was a phooshoot in York at Fountains Abbey, as well as locations around the York area, 5 shoots in total in 2 days.

Sadly i have had to cancel due to bad weather. Its still as cold as january when we tried last time. It was a hard choice to make, but for the best in the long run, it would only have been another wasted journey.

Thankfully the models have been great about it, and understand that i had to cancel.

The best image from my last shoot.

2010-03-08T03:29:00.000Z

There is always one, and this is my favourite from the shoot Dannielle and i did on friday.

Yep, its a stunner!

Shoot with Dannielle

2010-03-07T04:01:00.000Z

Had my second studio shoot on friday, with Dannielle this time

Yes, thats Dannielle.

Isn't she stunning?

The shoot was due to take place at 14:00 hours, meeting at 13:15, was at least ten to two by the time Dannielle arrived at the meeting point, not her fault, the road works in Wisbech are a bastard at the moment, there are diversions everywhere. Lynn Road is blocked off, meaning tailbacks for miles, and South Brink is blocked too, all very close and all very annoying to motorists. It took me half hour the other day to move 30ft, so i know how bad the conditions were for Dannielle, luckily i didnt get stuck in the traffick because i came from a different direction.

Anyway, we got there and i unloaded the car and we made our way up to the Studio. I was planning on being a bit more creative than last time, and i was. We did a cute lil lingerie shoot using bubbles and a lilac satin sheet, a very big sheet. Sadly the chap blowing the bubbles was terrible and i only got 2 decent images with bubbles, a let down but hey.

Dannielle bought a lovely sparkly silver dress to the shoot, so i thought it would be fun to shoot her against the silver reflector, It was a while before i got the exposure right, but i got there in the end and got some cracking images from it. But later on i thought the images looked too cold, so i warmed them up in photoshop to produce an almost gold look to the images, this worked well in my opinion, really lifted the images, and it looked natural as well.

An enjoyable shoot, stressed due to the traffic and every dickhead on the road doing 50mph, but we got there in the end and we got some great images from it.

For more images visit my website www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com

This fridays glamour shoot

2010-03-01T23:02:00.002Z

This time with a different model. Myself and the model know what we are doing for the shoot, but i have a surprise in store for her.

We are doing a glamour shoot mainly, but there will also be some high key fashion images as well, but the glamour aspect is what im there for. And the surprise? Well i have acquired about 6 meters of lilac satin fabric, perfect for the glamour shoot. Obviously it will be used as something for the model to lay on, but i also plan on wrapping it around her and trailing the rest around the studio floor for a really eye catching look.

I will be mixing daylight with studio flash more in this shoot, instead of using the reflector to bounce the window light ill use a translucent brolly attached to the flash head, possibly use 2 for an even light.

The high key fashion images should be easy enough, silver brollys on the flash i think.

Should be a fun shoot, one i am looking forward to.

My first glamour shoot

2010-02-28T03:57:00.004Z

Hi, its been a while since I last made an entry in here, my apologies but life has been a little hectic in recent months, so I thought I would make a little entry to let you all know about what's going on in my world.

So far i have had eight photo-shoots now, and one of those was in a studio. Yes its these images below. Not only was it my first studio shoot, but it was also my first real glamour shoot with an established model, the delightful Viktoria.

As you can see by my images, they are an improvement in my previous work, by a long straw. Although these are not perfect, they are way above my usual standards.

The images were shot at RBG Studios in Stamford, Lincolnshire, on a really lovely sunny febuary afternoon, hence much use of reflected natural light in the images. I did use the lights eventually, see the other images below.

You can view more of these images at www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com

Click the banner below to enter my website.

Drive and Ambition

2009-12-04T11:20:00.003Z

Been into photography for over 20 years now, and i have flirted with most genre's. But i think i have now found the one thing that really drives me.

Fashion photography.

So far i have done straightforward location shoots, but im getting ambitious, very much so.

I am now moving in the right places, networking with the right people. This has allowed me to share my thoughts on some photoshoots i have in mind, and in doing so has generated a lot of interest in my forthcoming shoots.

I want to do more artistic stuff, Lady Gaga style shoots, weird and wonderful. I am now getting so many offers from models who want to take part that its getting silly. But i have more than a few shoots tucked away in a folder close by.

It never struck me until earlier on this morning, but i have suddenly become very ambitious, very driven, to the point where my mind is constantly on the job. And i love it.

And when those shoots i have in mind have taken place, i think there will be a sudden rush with willing models offering their time to work with me.

Far fetched? Consider this, yesterday one of the UK's top glamour models got in touch with me, requesting we work together. Already we have a shoot planned, although no date yet, i have other shoots before that one.

Im not gonna stop til i get the results i want.

Shooting Holly

2009-11-16T04:22:00.001Z

No, its not another bloodsport dreampt up by the countryside alliance, this is about todays shoot with Holly.

I arrived at the stated location, the railway station, at 9:15 this morning to find the best spots, was'nt difficult as it is only a small station, and Holly arrived with her mum just a few minutes later.

I had my head screwed on today, and as soon as we all met i broke the ice by hugging her and her mum which they both found hilarious. And that was it. We instantly hit it off, and was chatting constantly throughout the shoot.

We began at the station, with Holly dressed casually in ugg boots, jeans, a long white blouse with thick black belt and a grey cardigan.

After that we took the small drive into town for the riverside shots.Even though it was just 10am, there were a hell of a lot of people around, Rememberance Sunday (note to Obama/Brown, enough is enough, bring our boys back home, shame on you). But the crowds didnt faze Holly in the slightest.

Even though she is very young, just 17, she has bags of confidence, as well as personality.

And aside from her obvious good looks, she is very pretty in my opinion, she also has a cheeky sense of humour, as do i. I didnt have to ask her to smile, they came freely. A photographers ideal subject.

For the riverside images i wanted Holly to wear something a little more sexy, so we rummaged through her bag and finally decided on her black tailored trouser suit, keeping the blouse on but tucked in. She bought out some very pretty red heels which really complimented her outfit.

Now, one image i wanted was of her on a narrowboat, so i worked my magical, irresistable charm on an old gent who was about to sail off, but i politely asked him if i could borrow the boat for a few images, and explained briefly what we were doing.Bless him, he agreed.

Kerrrching.I was a chatterbox, every three or four exposures i paused to carry on with the banter.

I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and so was Holly.I must point out that her mum was also chatting away with us. Both very friendly,sweet people.We then had a wonder over the bridge to the park that ran beside the river to continue the shoot.

By now we were like 3 old friends, laughing and joking along the footpath chatting about homelife and shoes.

More images. I held her hand to steady her on the slippery steps, with damp leaves waiting like lethal weapons on the wooden steps, and i saw how cold her poor little hands were so i wrapped up the shoot there and then, i really dont like to cause discomfort to others specially when i am bossing them around.

Got some really great images, well i got really great images throughout the shoot, well i like them.I was much more assertive this time round, but she didnt need very much direction.

Sometimes i did the pose for her but most of the time she struck perfect poses, all i had to do was ask her to turn in another direction, to look this way and that, lower her head, or look up slightly and occasionally where to put her hands. But on the whole she was very good, she has a natural poise anyway which helps, and a great slim body which carries off any pose.On the way back to our vehicles i asked questions.

Apparently this was her second shoot too, which shocked me because she was so damn good at it. She said that she had not had any offers from togs for work, another shocker because as i have already mentioned, she is an incredibly pretty teenager, with the most captivating blue eyes and cheeky smile.

Holly told me that she would love to take up modelling professionally in the near future, and that she likes to pose for the camera.

What more can one wish for?We got to our vehicles and i gave her my vistaprint business card, discussed prints and CD's, had another hug, yes all thr3e of us, and we said our goodbyes.

I came away buzzing like a bumblebee on a promise.

I knew i had all the shots i wanted, and more besides. Driving those 9 miles back home i was so tempted to have a flick through the images but i decided against it, i dont like distractions when driving, its probably illegal and i knew the images would be alright. But i was definately on a high, no doubt about that.

I have not looked through them all yet, not individually, and there are juust over 300 images in the folder, but i looked at a few, resized them and sent her a few to look at.

The reply was good, better than good. She adores them. Another shoot done and dusted. Would i work with Holly again? Certainly, no questions.

Like i said, she is a natural. Ok i am no expert, but i can see a pose when its staring me in the face, and i know when someone is genuinely enjoying themselves, which makes the job a whole lot easier. She is a smashing kid, and a very well bought up young woman.The light was yet again, perfect. Been blessed, very lucky, i choose my shoot dates wisely it seems.

Yesterday i thought there may be a little rain but there was not a single drop, just moisture from the night before lingering in the shadows and foliage.

Personally, i cant think of a better way to spend a nippy novembers morning. Yeah ok, but that does'nt count

Holly

2009-11-10T03:44:00.001Z

Will add text tomorrow.

Tomorrows shoot (sunday)

2009-11-07T15:39:00.004Z

I have a photoshoot tomorrow very early in the morning, well at 9am, thats early for me.

Very pretty model, she is only seventeen, with long blonde hair and such expressive grey eyes.

The shoot itself is compromised of two parts, the happy shots and the moody shots.

The happy images will consist of the model acting playful for the camera, like a game of hide and seek. ~This will be done in the models hometown, around the canal area andthe town center.

The moody shoot takes place in the railway station, a very photogenic railway station at that. The image i am after is of the model looking pensive and thoughtful whilst sat on a bench, with a suitcase by her side. A simple image, and maybe a bit of a cliche, but thats alright by me.

Any other images from the shoot will be a bonus.

I was hoping to get permission to use one of the narrow boats by the canal but whe n i went down there yesterday there was nobody to be found, maybe because it is nearing winter. But no loss, there may be someone around tomorrow who will give me permission to use their boat.

Looking forward to the shoot, like i always do, and last night my head was buzzing with different ideas and images that i could create. I wont even bother trying to sleep tonight, just stay up and play with more idea's then head to the shoot tomorrow and get everything i want done, done.

So expect another entry very soon, with images from the shoot.

Todays Photoshoot with Melody

2009-10-29T21:18:00.003Z

Today i had the pleasure of working with the lovely Melody, a local model who contacted me after seeing one of my portraits on my Net.Model profile.

We arranged to meet today at 2pm in the park in Wisbech.

The shoot went very well. Melody is so easy to work with, she moves subtly between poses and needed little direction from me, she knew what she was doing and what i was after. Her husband also came along but half the time i was not even aware of him, he just stood back quietly while we got to work.

We began in the town park, very colourful place right now, leaves of all colours scattered upon the park floor. As you can probably figure out, there was more than a few sets of eyes being cast in our direction. But shooting models in public places on a weekday always draws attention, i do hope this didnt put her off.

After the park we went down by the river, North Brink, where there are lovely old georgian buildings. The light here was great, it was great in the park as well, but by the time we reached the river the sun was lower in the sky therefore more golden, which suited her skin tones perfectly.

All in all it went better than i had anticipated. As i have stated already, Melody was great in front of the camera, very natural. Both her and her husband Chris are very easy going and chatty, very sweet, lovely people.

If you would like to offer Melody some work, im sure she wont mind me pointing to her profile, you can find the link on my website at www.robalexanderphotography.110mb.com

Word Gets Around.

2009-10-27T03:18:00.002Z

Today i received an e-mail from a very local model who lives just a few moments away, who got in touch after seeing my images somewhere, requesting my time to photograph her in return for prints. For those who don't know, in the photography world this is known as TFP, time for prints.

Now i am not entirely sure how common this practice is. I know it goes on a lot, but when does one decide to charge?

It is mutual back scratching, i know that. It benefits both parties. I get some more great image's in my portfolio for free, as does the model. Everyone is happy.

Maybe i should not dwell on it too much and just concentrate on the shoot instead.

The images i have seen so far of this model have her doing glamour work. But after seeing my style of photography she says that she would like something a little more interesting in her portfolio, with clothes on.

That will not be difficult. She has an amazing body and really stunning looks, great eyes. Maybe i should focus on her eyes, do more close up facial shots from above etc etc.

I do prefer sensuality in images as opposed to blatant all out sexuality. Not having body parts on display, concealed beneath some sexy clothing, can be far more sexy than seeing everything there is.

Hopefully meeting this week to discuss the shoot and if all goes well then we can do the shoot very soon indeed.

Another New Camera?

2009-10-25T21:35:00.002Z

Yep, been looking for a Voigtlander Vito camera for a couple of weeks now, on ebay obviously, well where else can i find vintage camera's nowadays? All the indie shops have all but closed now, so i have to seearch online.

I know i can visit camera fairs, and flea/car boot markets, but ebay is just convenient, and if one camera goes above the price i am willing to pay, well, there will be another along soon.

So, this Voigtlander, its a Vito C, from the delux range circa 1961. Looks a very tidy camera, been assured that it works ok. I have no image of my own to upload as yet obviously, but as soon as i coloect it i will put a picture of it online here.

Of course, i am not one of those collectors who buys something only not to use it, thats a waste of a good camera in my opinion, so i will definately use it possibly within days of purchase.

Just testing out a slideshow script

2009-10-23T05:41:00.002+01:00

For some reason it wont show up on my main website, thoroughly baffling.

Canon EOS 1D Mk IV

2009-10-22T02:48:00.001+01:00

Seems Canon have introduced a new toy to their professional line up http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09102001canon1d4.asp

Begs the question, who really needs ISO 102,400.

Wet Sunset.....

2009-10-22T00:15:00.004+01:00

There has been rain all day, big grey rainclouds clogging up the sky, lingering like a bad smell. But at 18:00 hours the sun briefly broke through the clouds to light up the town.

Sadly i got there too late to capture the sunset at its best, but this small collection still has some charm to them i guess.

More Images from the Halina Super 35x

2009-10-21T02:30:00.005+01:00

This little batch is from sunday evening, just before sunset, and taken on my vintage halina.

The images have not been edited, every fault is on view, totally original.

I am still getting to grips with this camera, and it is only the third time that i have used it, but i am slowly getting used to taking my time with setting the camera up.

Sadly the viewfinder does not show what the lens sees, so framing and composition is very much hit and miss at the moment.

Vintage Camera Reviews

2009-10-20T03:54:00.002+01:00

As i own quite a few vintage camera's, i have decided to use this place as somewhere to publish my comprehensive user reports, including images taken by specific camera's that i have in my collection.

So by next week i will publish a complete user review for the vintage Halina Super 35x camera, including many close up images of the camera itself, and images from the camera.

After that i will be reviewing the Lubitel 166B medium format TLR camera, while not quite a vintage camera just yet, there are still a lot around, just not being used much.

Photoshop: A Step Too Far?

2009-10-19T02:35:00.000+01:00

We all know and love photoshop for what it is capable of. To the general public, photoshop makes plump celebrities skinnier.

But us tog's know its true potential. But where does one draw the line at photoshopping? When does it become unacceptable?

Landscapes have always been something that most togs have dabbled in at some point, and those togs who exclusively do landscapes generally do not mess about too much with CS2 or whatever Adobe image editing software they happen to be using at that time.

Most landscapers want a natural looking image, one free from too much editing. Im sure that the clone tool is possibly a favourite, and rightly so.

But what about actually rearranging different elements of an image?

Lets look at the image below,

It was taken with a kit lens, notoriously terrible, but budgets prevent splashing out on new optics tight now. The image above looks ok to a point, but overall its a bit untidy. The sky is plain, and the tower is leaning, and the trees to the right look awkward, would look much better with a little editing.

So, i cut out the tower and straightened it up, and then neatly blended it to the main church building.

Next i moved onto the sky and those untidy tree's. All i could do was replace the sky and tree's with a more prettier one. So i went out and found a suitable tree with appropriate sky, then added it to my original image after i had made a few adjustments with the levels and saturation tools.

But look at the direction of light in the sky/tree image below, the wrong direction, so all i did was spin the tree round and blended using clone tool and layers to create a neater join. In my humble opinion the fixed sky looks far better than both the sky below and above.

I then proceeded to saturate the brighter colours for added impact, being careful not to over do it.

Final job was to tidy up the edges of the church and tower where they met the sky. And here is the final image.

Most purist landscape photographers would frown down at thefinal edited version, saying that its not a true representation of the landscape which was in front of me. But i'd argue this point.

Although i do consider myself a photographer, i also consider myself an artist of sorts.

The final edited image does represent what i saw in front of me, but i have used my artistic abilities to interpret the scene in the way that it looks in my head, a perfectly composed image.

Some would argue that had i not composed the scene right before i took the image then i would need not make any adjustments.

But that group of trees in the original image let it down, and it was impossible to seperate the tree in the image from the tree thats only just seen in the original. And that sky was far too boring.

My Date With An Old Model

2009-10-17T20:59:00.005+01:00

Recently whilst browsing the vintage camera section of ebay, i happened to come across a Halina Super 35x, and instantly fell in love with it. I just had to be the winning bidder.

Never bought anything from ebay before, but i have done my homework, i have watched ebay for some time and knew the best way to win an item. Just wait for an hour before an action ends, and see how it goes.

I had a target of paying no more than £10. I ended up paying just £4.

The camera arrived within three days, so well done to the seller, very prompt service, and the goods were in better conditioned than i had imagined.

The camera weighs a ton, well not literally, but it is very heavy. Can feel the extra weight in my camera bag.

Asthetically, i think its a pretty little camera. And it draws attention to itself without heing seen as a threat. It it quite comfortable to hold on to, but the focus ring, which is located on the lens barrel, is a little stiff, but this is common in these camera's. Also on the lens barrel is the shutter speed and aperture speed rings.

Today i went out with some Fuji Superia 200 speed film, around my hometown. I decided to use a colour film, and gave myself 20 minutes to use the roll up and take it in the towns local lab to be processed, and here are the results.

One must remember that this is a manual camera, does not have a built in light meter as all modern day camera's do. And it has been many many long years since i last use a manual camera, and i am actually quite impressed with the results i have produced.

The sky was grey, very little detail, but the film has rendered the sky exactly as it was in that moment in time.

Overall i am more than pleased with the camera. Yes, vigenetting is apparent but i think it adds character to images.

I have a few more rolls that were given to me by my father, so i will probably use them up next week or sooner.

A little bit about me!

2009-10-16T03:35:00.009+01:00

So, been into photography for well over 20 years.

Thus far i have been commissioned to do a few weddings, began shooting weddings around 16 years or so ago, i was in my very early twenties, im 35 now.

I did have a nightmare wedding once. The brides dress had apparently got dirty, so her family thought it a good idea to shorten the dress to get rid of the stain. Yeah good idea if the bride wants to look silly on her big day. The length had gone from being floor length to just above the ankles.

The bestman was punch drunk at the pub before the ceremony, and arrived pissed off and all mouthy because he had been replaced due to his inebriated state. So, step forward the brides Dad, who wore an old grey shirt with a maroon tank top, complete with the odd hole. He had'nt a clue what to do, and i was paniking.

The ceremony went by like a blur, cant remember much, but i remember arriving at the reception hall down the road and finding all the food that was covered in cling film in the kitchen was over ridden with ants, and i had too photograph this?

I didnt do another wedding for years until this year, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I have a passion for animals, specially birds.

I find that autumn and winter is great for photographing birds as there is less foliage so they are easy to find, and they are easily tempted to come closer by bribing them with their favourite food. And the colours in the background can really make or break an image. Green leaves in summer look pretty but they can often reflect harsh light which can confuse the camera's exposure meter.

Shooting wildlife is determined by seasons by and large. Butterflies are plentiful in summer and late atutmn, but by winter they are few and far between, and even those that have survived will look very much the worse for wear.

Butterflies are relatively easy to capture on a digital SLR, you dont even need a true macro lens for some varieties such as this stunning Peacock butterfly.

Butterflies are easy to find. The one above was captured at the Lavender fields at Heacham, Norfolk, this summer. There were hundreds there from these Peacocks to Painted Lady's and Cabbage White's.

I am quite a fan of butterflies and find it hard to resist taking their photograph.

I do occasionally do landscape's, but not often.

And as you can tell, i like to keep a minimalist feel to them.

I have an admission to make. I have a favourite flower!

The Gerbera. I just adore these pretty litttle things, and their bright bold colours scream out to be photographed.

They are a simple looking flower, but i like their simplicity. The smaller petals closer to the center are great for creating texture in an image. I think I'll post another gerbera image just because i can.

Although flowers do not just provide colour for images. With the right flowers, you can capture them in monochrome, like this one here below.

With black and white flower images, you need to look for a certain flow within the flower, and light it to emphasize shape and form, while keeping the texture of the flower by choosing certain channels that highlight the intricate details on the petals.

But my big thing in photography is the sky above.

The sky to me is like one big evolving work of art, continuously changing shape and colour, and none more so than at sunrise and sunset. And all I do is capture those fleeting moments, without distractions like silhouettes and foregrounds. Just the sky itself.

Judge for yourself.

Todays Chance Encounter

2009-10-15T18:46:00.009+01:00

I’m very excited.

I have an image, of an abandoned church, roofless and over run by Ivy. The sky in this image is blank, so I needed to find a sky, but it had to have a certain tree in the image too, to match the tree in the original church image.

Went out briefly today to look for a suitable tree with grey skies behind it.
Didn’t find the right tree, but instead found something much better.

As I rounded a corner I noticed a stocky bird with a flat head to my right. The unmistakable shape of a Little Owl.

The light was fading, the time was 18:15, so I knew it was a waste of time trying to get an award winning image, but I did pull over, change to a long lens, whipped out a large flash gun and managed to fire two shots off very quickly.

Sadly with all this weight and no tripod handy, those images came out predictably terrible, camera shake galore.

But im glad I stumbled upon him, where there is one Little Owl there is generally another one close by.

So, a future subject to capture, and its only 10 mins or less from my house.
Captured Little Owls before, near Swaffham, Norfolk, but they are such skittish little birds, but very beautiful.

At least now I have the opportunity to film them closer to home. I will certainly be going back there very soon to capture these magnificent creatures.

My first ever real blog, welcome my friends.

2009-10-15T06:12:00.000+01:00

So what does one write in his first blog?

How about a little background information on yours truely.

Born in Cambridgeshire in 1974, a very long time ago. A man, if your wondering.

I was always noticing things, maybe thats why i got into photography. I noticed that camera's make pictures at an early age, and whenever the family camera came out id always want to take some images with it.

Eventually i got my own camera by 11. Crappy 110 roll film number. By 15 i got a Praktica MTL-5b.

Now 20 years later im still mad on images and photography in general. I have made a little money in the past and i hope to make more in the future.

I like to create art with my images, and my subjects are organic.

Currently i own a Canon 350D with a variety of lenses, and have started to use a vintage Halina Super 35x, as seen here...

I enjoy many aspects of photography and look forward to writing a lot more when i am more awake, so my apologies for such a small first entry.

Rob