Competitions aren't for everyone and if you choose to enter, you also choose to accept the rules. ‘You pays your money and you takes your choice.’
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Rationale for changing to Kase Filters
Inertia and familiarity are powerful forces that act against all change. When one adds in the substantial investment we make in photographic equipment, changing brands is not something I undertake lightly. I’ve used the same brand of camera, Nikon, for the last 40 years. The same brand of tripod and the same square filter system for the last 10.
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Mystical by Neil Burnell
Mystical - Neill Burnell
I’ve had this book for a few weeks, dipping in on a regular basis for some photographic joy. I think it's a book to savour slowly rather than rushing through. I, like so many others, have visited Wistman’s Wood. It is a truly wonderful place. I went on a sunny clear day (with a 100% forecast of dense fog…). I took a few photos and resolved to return at some point in better conditions to try to create the images I had in my head.
I’m not going to go back and make photographs there now. I may well visit as it is such a beautiful place but any attempt I might make to create images, even in perfect conditions would only be a poor pastiche of what Neil has produced here.
This is the most perfect, breathtakingly beautiful set of images. I don’t think there is a better collection of pictures from a single wood anywhere by anyone.
The collection is filled with magic, mystery and beauty underpinned by the joy of seeing a master craftsman at work.
I defy anyone not to be enchanted by this book. I’d head straight over and buy a copy.
Light on the Landscape by WS Neill - Review
This delightful book arrived a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the inestimable @blackwellbooks. I've been waiting for the release since I first heard about the possibility. It is a brand new book but not brand new content. Rather it is a carefully curated collection of Neill's essays for Outdoor Photographer, the American magazine.
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Acronymns for Photographers #3
The third in this lexicon of photographers' paranoia is FOAD. This is not the FOAD of the urban slang dictionary but rather an acronym for a particular form of paranoia:
Fear Of A Dud
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Cry FOWL
Normally we would say ‘Cry Foul’ but here we invoke another acronym that describes the paranoia experienced by Landscape Photographers.
Here the acronym stands for
Fear Of Wrong Location
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Aspira Smock
Some thoughts on waterproof clothing
If considering an item of waterproof ( or indeed any) clothing for use in wild country, a number of factors need to be balanced. First and foremost the purpose of your endeavours. In my case there is a need for complete compatibility between foul weather protection, landscape photography and comfort. Comfort? That's clearly very individual but while I'm prepared to endure ( and even relish) the extremes of UK weather, if they compromise what I'm doing I feel that I have failed.
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Cow parsley - Motorola G7 + Snapseed
Examples of photographers’ paranoia #1 - FOLK
This is not as you may have thought, a terror induced by Morris Dancers nor being locked in a room with The Spinners. In this lexicon of photography paranoia, FOLK is an acronym for ‘Fear Of Lesser Kit’
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Shimoda Action X30 Review
Some photographers are exceptionally fussy about camera bags, others don’t see it as a big deal. I’m fussy. I always have been and probably always will be.
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Nikon Z50 +16-50mm +50-250mm
Nikon Z50 Review
Before attempting to provide a perspective on this (or indeed) any camera it is helpful to be clear about what one hopes the camera will achieve. In my previous post, I sought to examine the reasoning behind buying this camera and the desired outcomes. This review in greater depth, seeks to evaluate how well those outcomes are met.
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Which is better - a Nikon Z50 or a D810?
Easy answer, 20 vs 36 MP, full frame vs APS, ease of use, output, robustness, control, configuration, flexibility - almost everything that can be judged makes the D810 the better camera. Only size and weight make the Z50 a winner and potentially access to a more future-proofed development stream.
So why did I sell my D810 to buy a Z50? Read on..
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Printed, linen cover
SAAL Professional Line Photo Book Review
SAAL Professional Line Photo Book Review
Some time ago the terribly nice people at SAAL offered me a voucher towards the cost of one of their Professional Line books. The voucher was for £100 and this was enough to completely cover the production of a book.
Read MoreLee 100 Hood Review
I’ve been using the newest Lee Lens Hood for the past few months and since I’m unlikely to be taking it out over the next few, this seemed like a good point to review the progress so far.
Lee Filters have offered a lens hood ( two in fact including the WA variant) for many years. I'd often considered owning one but felt the flaws did not balance the potential advantages. Advances in design, materials and the launch last year of the new 100 holder enabled a very welcome update in the form of this new 100 Hood.
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Beware Internet Fiction
Whenever we use some form of process for measurement, we need to be assured that it is calibrated in some way. It seems to be that there is a very considerable amount of uncalibrated advice circulating via the internet and television. The written form has needed calibration since the advent of web.2.0 and as YouTube has bloomed, the need has become ever more immediate.
Read MoreSnugpak Torrent Review
The Layering Principle for outdoor clothing seems to have been with us for a very long time even though the exact date for the identification of the concept is hard to establish. In essence the principle is to separate out the fundamental functions of clothing into differentiated garments and combine them according to need. The most common interpretation is of a wicking base layer, followed by insulation and finished with some form of waterproof shell. This allows the wearer to customise clothing on the move according to precise conditions at the time. The Snugpak Torrent is slightly at odds with this principle in some ways
Read MoreNew Website with Squarespace
After many, many years with a self built and administered Wordpress based website, I’ve taken the step of moving to a hosted version courtesy of the most excellent Squarespace. For years I’ve been recommending Squarespace to others on the basis of the end product website created but until now I’ve not tried from the user end. Maintaining and updating the security of my site has always been time consuming and recently a couple of major issues requiring restoration from backup have provided the final nudge to jump ship. I signed up for the two week trial, ignored the comprehensive instruction manual and waded straight in.
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In search of Style
I've read a couple of interesting pieces this week that concerned themselves with considerations of style and audience. Guy Tal wrote a fine piece on The Pitfalls of Style and David DuChemin’s piece on who to please with one's photography. Both of these landed on a draft for this post which had been sitting and stewing for some time.
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On being Ruthless
Traditionally we understand the term ‘ruthless’ as being without pity or compassion; a lack of care for the feelings of others. Many years ago I was introduced to another , less loaded, connotation. That being to do what needed doing quickly and effectively without any prevarication, self doubt or any self indulgent angst. It presupposed of course that the act was indeed necessary.
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Z7 with 14-30mm
Nikon Z 14-30mm F4 S Review
The brand new Nikon Z 14-30mm F4 S lens is finally arriving into circulation. I received mine this week and here are my initial findings. This is a lens with specifications that would have been unthinkable only a decade ago. Nikon have managed to combine an extreme wide angle zoom with compact size and the ability to mount conventional filters. The new Z mount together with ever improving optical designs and exotic elements and coatings have brought a product that sounds like the perfect wide angle zoom for many photographs. Read on to see how successful Nikon have been.
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Nature First Alliance
The Dutch have a word for it…. Landschapspijn — literally “landscape-pain”, “place-pain” (Dutch); the distress that comes from seeing familiar habitats or ecosystems degraded and depleted. This popped up on Twitter as Rob Macfarlane’s Word of the Day last week. (If you don’t follow, Rob, you should.) There is a painful symmetry here as it was also the Dutch who gave landscape photographers and painters the word ‘Landscape’. They named the beginning and foresaw the end of what we do.
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