Photo Rebel

Newtown Carnival

June 18, 2010 by gwyncole

Last weekend was the annual Newtown Carnival. This was an unexpected surprise for me given I haven’t attended the event for years. However, this year equipped with my camera made the day a wonderful experience… My buddy Graham Law took some really nice close ups and hopefully will be writing a blog post soon on his very own blog!

A quick frame of a small group waiting for the event to pass over the bridge.The center of Newtown.

A few minutes later...

All frames captured with the camera set to Aperture Priority mode.

One of the people participating in the event.

All sorts of costumes...

I love this frame! And it really works well in Black & White.

I'm still on the bridge taking these shots.

My last frame with my 70-200mm lens on the camera.

I just love the wide angle perspective that the 5D mk II now gives me.

I went for an older looking desaturated look in this frame.

I then moved to a different location in time for the 2nd lap pass through town.

This is one of my favourite frames of the day.

I'm just having so much fun at this point. You really feel great when you know instantly how this type of image is going to look afterwards during post-production!

Everybody seemed to be having a great time...

Can't remember how many open trailer trucks passed through...

Carnival almost at an end...

If only all pirates looked this good! 😉

I love the sun glasses!

The perfect moment to use flash in very bright sunlight.

Later during the ceremony I captured this wonderful frame.

Posted in General Ramblings, Outdoors | Leave a Comment »

The Hoedown

June 10, 2010 by gwyncole

Over the bank holiday weekend I attended a fantastic party all themed in a country and western style event. Of course me and my camera went along and here are a few frames from the day.

The lighting provided by a Lastolite EzyBox Hotshoe softbox.

Using the hay as a prop.

Simple natural light frame.

This was taken around 3am in the morning. I had a friend of mine hold the softbox while I took a few pics.

There's something I like about this frame...

Posted in Flash, General Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Passion in Amsterdam – Colour

May 22, 2010 by gwyncole

Earlier I posted the Black & White frames from this shoot (link). These are the colour versions from this exciting day!

This was the very first location of the day. not even 10 meters away from the meeting point at a coffee shop.

This was taken straight across the street. The green jacket and the green car work well.

We were aiming to make the scene as if it was in Cuba. I desaturated this frame though.

There you go... Cuba!

A splash of flash, a bicycle and the wonderful Sam.

Yes... this door was huge!

A natural light image at the same door as in the previous image.

A little more close-up and a slightly different angle.

Next it was the canal and the bridge out of focus.

2-point lighting was used in this frame and a wonderfully simple background.

I love the embrace of Sam and Bas and how the lines on the wall help the composition.

Up-close and personal at the same wall.

I really like the fake door. Perhaps I should build one!

Natural light image of the same location.

I just love this low angle frame. Thankfully I had my Canon 5D mk II camera to be able to take an image like this. I continually got frustrated with the 40D and the 1.6x crop factor of the sensor.

A desaturated colour version of the Black & White images.

Damien showed a lot of repeatable techniques and stairs is something I've not really taken advantage of in my photography. That will change!

Same location but with a flash providing a bit of kick light. Bas's expression is great!

I really love this frame! I love Sam's expression!!

A simple wall and a straight forward pose.

Same wall made to look like a gritty street scene!

Another frame I like as the window adds a little something...

I stole this framing idea from Damien... Where the framing is so bad that's its almost good again.

We made this normal scene look like it might have been taken in the Mediterranean.

We used Damien's Orbis Ring Flash to create this frame. The last frame of the day.

This was one of those random moments when a resident across the street took this frame with his camera. He printed it out and came over to surprise us with it! You can see me near the mini and Damien talking to Graham Law while he's taking a frame.

The group at the end of the day...

Posted in Flash, Outdoors | 5 Comments »

Passion in Amsterdam – Black & White

May 22, 2010 by gwyncole

Last weekend I went to Amsterdam to attend a Damien Lovegrove Passion on the Streets workshop. I always enjoy meeting up with fellow photographers and especially on these kinds of workshops. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Ian Freelance (link) again and my buddy Graham Law joined in too! This was Graham’s first workshop with Damien Lovegrove and Graham (like myself) was on a real high after the day had ended. Mind you we were both very tired! The models Sam and Bas were great and very easy to get along with.

This was taken a few meters from the coffee shop we met in.

Not far away was a canal, a perfect opportunity for a portrait!

Time to get personal...

Can you feel the passion?

Still at the same location near the canal.

Then it was time to move on... This was a simple wall with a splash of flash!

Increased the exposure for this frame.

Okay, another wall... but the fake door adds a little mystery.

I really like the framing of this image, even though it probably breaks all the rules!

I like the contrast the wall provides in the framing of this image. Although it probably separates the couple as opposed to showing togetherness.

I took a few moments to explore other angles and I just like this image. I like that the bicycles are in the frame also.

Something a bit alternative. Same location as the previous image.

Another angle of the previous image.

Moving on to another location. Sam and Bas were sitting on some stairs which you can just see in shot.

I like Bas's expression in this frame.

A close-up of the previous image. The kick light you see on Sam's hair was provided by a flash.

I love Sam's expression. Especially in the colour version in the next post.

Almost the end of the day. I really like the way Bas is holding Sam.

I like the low view point of this frame.

Posted in Flash, Outdoors | 7 Comments »

Hannah & Colin Portrait Shoot

May 4, 2010 by gwyncole

During the Bank Holiday weekend I photographed a lovely couple Hannah & Colin. I got to try out some new locations around Newtown (in Wales) and a slightly different style of photography. Feeling inspired about my up and coming workshop with Damien Lovegrove, I tried to get that passion aspect into some of my couple shots. Also gave my new Canon 5D mk II camera a good test and it’s awesome to work with!

My first setup with flashes on stands.

Same location using a different camera angle.

Still in the same location but turned off the flashes for a natural light image.

Still in the same location. Natural light image. ISO 1600, 1/125 sec, F4.

I love this image! Shooting at F4 is quite addictive!

Always on the look out for different camera angles. Love this frame.

Earlier in the day we spotted this great blue door! Tried a few flash setups as well as some natural light frames. Natural light worked best.

A nice simple frame.

Then it was time to wonder over to the centre of town. This was a single flash setup and I was finally able to work the wide angle aspect that the 5D mk II allows. This frame has a bit of a fashion feel to it I think...

Same location but with the flashes turned off and from a different angle.

Then it was Colin's turn and went for a more contrasty look by lowering the ambient exposure.

The same flash setup as the previous frame. ISO 400, 1/80 sec, F8.

Onto another location and took this frame with a 200mm lens on a monopod.

Then it was onto my favourite wall and setup the flashes on stands.

Natural light frame. You don't always need flashes... 🙂

I absolutely love this frame! Just how long does the wall go on for.... Flashes turned back on...

Hannah and Colin enjoying the shoot...

The last location was the main bridge in Newtown over the River Severn.

The last frame of the day before heading for a nice mug of hot chocolate.

Posted in Flash, Outdoors | 4 Comments »

Blyth and St Mary’s Lighthouse

April 18, 2010 by gwyncole

So typical! I go out for a day’s shooting and it starts to rain! I had quite a few landscape locations lined up today… Oh well… I did manage to kick off a few frames which I’ve posted below:

My first frame of the day. Shot on a tripod at ISO 200, 1/40 sec, F22.

St. Mary's lighthouse in the distance. ISO 200, 1/125 sec, F22.

St. Mary's Lighthouse up close on St. Mary's Island. ISO 200, 1/500 sec, F10.

I saw this yacht and decided to photograph the view. Taken yesterday from the apartment I'm staying in. ISO 200, 1/500 sec, F8, 200mm.

Posted in General Ramblings, Outdoors | 2 Comments »

Warkworth

April 11, 2010 by gwyncole

Today I passed through Warkworth in Northumberland… it was such a nice day that I thought it would be nice to go for a drive.

The view of the bridge on the River Coquet.

I like doors! 🙂

On the bridge with the camera at a low angle. I used a blended exposure to balance the exposure of the sky and the small building ahead.

The bridge from a different angle.

Warkworth Castle.

Posted in General Ramblings, Outdoors | 6 Comments »

Mothers Day Portraits

March 15, 2010 by gwyncole

Saturday afternoon my shooting buddy Graham and I went with my mother for a portrait shoot at a location near the River Severn in Powys. It was quite cold which focused us on what we wanted to cover. We had some objectives which included specific types of shots in natural light. Once that task was out of the way, our next task was to tastefully add flash to natural light. Most of the shooting we’re doing at the moment has very specific goals of what we want to achieve and this last weekend was a great start! As my mother is elderly we had to adopt an image strategy that would suite her. Before we went out, I got my mother to choose the correct clothes, scarf and a selection of hats to take with us. Also, we hoping to use a reflector more… but it was just too cloudy and around 4pm.

Location near the River Severn. ISO 800, 1/60 sec, F8, Aperture Priority, +0.7 EV.

Different camera angle. ISO 500, 1/160 sec, F4, Aperture Priority, +0.7 EV.

ISO 500, 1/125 sec, F4, Aperture Priority, +0 EV.

Then is was time to use a single flash bounced into a Kood 24" umbrella which was placed about 10 feet away. My goal here was to get better at mixing ambient light with flash. Using bare flash is too punchy and wanted a much softer look for this image. ISO 400, 1/200 sec, F4, Manual.

Same setup as the previous image, but a close up...

I now always check what other options they are and with the same location and same setup, I took this from a different angle.

Then back to natural light and this shot was around 3 stops over compared to what the camera would have chosen. ISO 800, 1/40 sec, F4, Manual.

Now that we were back to natural light, Graham noticed that we could add a little kick light without disrupting the natural light feel. So we setup a flash on very low power to add a bit of kick light on the right side of my mother's face. ISO 800, 1/30 sec, F4, Manual.

This is the setup from the previous shot. Graham shooting...

Same location but just round the corner. A single flash on a stand. ISO 400, 1/100 sec, F5, Manual.

Posted in Flash, Outdoors | 6 Comments »

Landscapes by Graham Law

March 3, 2010 by gwyncole

It’s amazing how photography can inspire people! Every now and again, my friend Graham and I would go out for a few beers and I’d eventually end up updating him on what I was doing as far as photography was concerned. I’m just so buzzed with the whole industry! Last year Graham decided to jump into the fire and he purchased a Canon 40D with a 17-85 IS kit lens in the July 2009 timeframe. We went on a few photo shoots and continued to chat about all things related to photography! It’s so cool to go out with a shooting buddy…

I was really impressed at how quickly Graham became familiar with the camera and when he started taking nice images, he knew why he needed some ‘L’ glass. Since then he’s purchased the EF 24-70mm L F2.8 USM and the EF 700-200mm L F2.8 IS USM lenses (not mention flashes, stands etc). These lenses are real money and he’s taking some really nice images with them. We’ve been on portrait shoots, photographing bands in pubs, location scouting, etc… Last weekend, Graham has gone further by photographing a show at the local theatre company and he often goes to festival events to shoot there also.

It’s simply amazing to see someone so inspired about photography and he’s really getting involved with the whole process. Graham is also going to his first Damain Lovegrove workshop which we are both doing in Amsterdam later this year. Really looking forward to it! I just happen to have a few landscape images that Graham has taken over the recent winter period.