Breathtaking Urban Decay Photographs

As a subject area dereliction is often appealing, there is something about grime and decay that draws many photographers’ eyes. This display offers some really interesting images that make you think, wish I had seen that, but at the same time might encourage you to go and seek such locations for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breathtaking Urban Decay Photographs | CreativeFan.

Photography Courses for 2014

We have our new schedule for the coming year, we are currently writing a couple of new courses, one on art photography, but these will not be ready for the new term. We have all the usual favourites from Understanding Your Digital SLR Camera, Composition In Photography, Portraiture, Flash, Lightroom, Photoshop,

you can see the full list here

Understanding Your DSLR Camera Evening Class £85 Start Dates: 21.01.2014; 05.03.2014

Understanding Your DSLR Camera Saturday Morning Class £85 Start Date: 9.11.2013; 08.03.2014

1 Day Understanding Your DSLR Camera £95 Dates, 27.10.2013; 26.01.2014; 23.02.2014; 30.03.2014; 27.04.2014

Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera £85 Start Date: 5.03.2014

Intermediate Photography £97 Start Date: 24.02.2014

Flash Photography £85 Start date 29.01.2014

Understanding Lightroom £85 Start Date: 27.02.2014

Introduction to Photoshop and PS Elements £97 Start Date: 18.02.2014

Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures £85 Start Date: 4.03.2014

Portrait Photography £85 Start Date: 27.01.2014

 

Buying a digital SLR

This excellent article on DP Review explains why a dslr, and what to consider, essential for anyone about to buy a dslr

So you’ve decided to invest in a new digital camera and have made your mind up that you want to step up to a digital SLR, but the huge range of models on offer and endless flow of technical jargon have left you more confused than when you started? Fear not, this page will take the pain out of choosing the perfect digital SLR for you, whether you’re a seasoned shooter or a total novice.

Before we get down to business it’s worth stopping for a moment to ask the question: why would anyone want a digital SLR when compact digital cameras are so much smaller, lighter and more affordable? The answer can be summed up in two words: versatility and image-quality.

The versatility isn’t just the fact you can change lenses and add a wide range of accessories – from basics such as flashguns and remote controls to the more specialized equipment that allow SLRs to capture anything from the tiniest bug to the most distant stars. It’s also about the creative versatility offered by the more advanced controls and higher quality components.

And this leads on to the second factor; image quality. In broad daylight the quality difference between a good compact and a digital SLR is minimal; both will produce sharp, colorful results with little effort. But when you start to push the boundaries a bit more; shooting in low light, attempting to capture fast moving sports action or wildlife, or when you want to experiment with shallow depth of field (to add a soft background to a portrait for example), the advantage of a digital SLR’s larger sensor and higher sensitivity start to make a big difference. A digital SLR can’t beat a compact camera for ‘pop it in the purse or pocket’ convenience but for serious photography the SLR wins hands down. With prices lower than ever it’s not that surprising to discover that many people own one of each.

What is an SLR?

The basic physical design of the SLR has remained essentially unchanged for over half a century. The name itself, ‘Single Lens Reflex’, refers to the hinged mirror that bounces the light passing through the lens up to the viewfinder for framing then flips out of the way when you press the shutter to allow the light to hit the sensor (or film).

As the (simplified) diagram above shows, the mirror inside an SLR reflects the image formed by the lens up to the optical viewfinder (via a focusing screen and prism). When the picture is taken the mirror flips out of the way to allow the light to fall directly onto the sensor (or film), which sits behind a mechanical shutter. The mirror is also flipped up for live view operation (where the sensor is used to provide a live video feed directly to the screen on the back). 

 Read the full article here

Digital Photography Glossary

The DP Review site has an excellent glossary section where all those words you use on a daily basis as a keen photographer  which slide from your tongue as if their understanding were universal reside. Sections include: Digital Imaging; Camera Systems; Exposure etc

Here is just one of the numerous sections covered

AD Converter AF Assist Lamp AF Servo Autofocus Batteries Buffer Burst (Continuous) Color Filter Array Connectivity

Effective Pixels EXIF Fill Factor Firmware Lag Time LCD Manual Focus Microlenses Pixels

Pixel Density Pixel Quality Sensors Sensor Linearity Sensor Sizes Storage Card Thumbnail Index Viewfinder

Here is the entry on autofocus

All digital cameras come with autofocus (AF). In autofocus mode the camera automatically focuses on the subject in the focus area in the center of the LCD/viewfinder. Many prosumer and all professional digital cameras allow you to select additional autofocus areas which are indicated on the LCD/viewfinder.

Example of a camera with a multi selector button (extreme right) to select the AF area spot. The selected area spot is indicated on the main LCD by a red bracket.

In “single AF” mode, the camera will focus when the shutter release button is pressed halfway. Some cameras offer “continuous AF” mode whereby the camera focuses continuously until you press the shutter release button halfway. This shortens the lag time, but reduces battery life. Normally a focus confirmation light will stop blinking once the subject in focus. Autofocus is usually based on detecting contrast and therefore works best on contrasty subjects and less well in low light conditions, in which case the use of an AF assist lamp is very useful. Some cameras also feature manual focus.

This article is written by Vincent Bockaert, author of The 123 of digital imaging Interactive Learning Suite Click here to visit 123di.com

Go here to visit the glossary pages of DP Review

Just Weird

I know I spend too much time looking for interesting articles to bring to this blog but I might need to go into some sort of internet rehab for a while.

Cooper is a 6 year old American Shorthair cat living in Seattle. Once a week he wears a lightweight digital camera fastened to his collar, which snaps a new photo every 2 minutes.

Here is one of Cooper’s shots

If you want more go here

Best DSLR Cameras 2012

If you want to understand why you would buy one camera rather than another you would not do worse than consulting Ken Rockwell to start, however if you know little about why a camera is better you might just want to be told the best in a top five or ten and then be guided by other factors, here we give you a selection of sites that will help you to decide which camera is best for you.

From Tech Radar we get this summation of the current cameras offered.

Choosing the best DSLR for your needs can be a decision fraught with difficulties, not least because there are so many capable models on the market that it’s hard to know which camera is the top digital camera for your needs.

At one end of the scale manufacturers compete fiercely to provide the easiest entry point into DSLR photography, with intelligent exposure modes and in-camera guides to make the journey as painless as possible, while at the other they battle to deliver the most environmentally-sealed, fastest-shooting models complete with high-resolution sensors, detailed LCD screens and, of course, video recording.

Buying guide

Such variety means that you as the consumer are more likely to end up with a camera tailored to your requirements, but finding the best camera for your needs is a question of weighing the many pros and cons attached to each.

The following guide has been designed to make your decision easier. See here for the cameras recommended

CNET has a list of Best entry-level digital SLR cameras here and Top 10 Reviews lists about every camera you are likely to consider as entry level here

Squidoo lists the best cameras based on numbers sold here

What Camera has information on The Best Semi Pro DSLR Cameras 2012

The ever informative and intelligent Ken Rockwell has a lot of information and advice, here is some of what he has to say

Forget Resolution and ISO

Resolution and ISO are silly numbers used to try to sell you more expensive cameras.

Resolution, expressed in megapixels, hasn’t been relevant since the 1990s. I’ve made great 12 x 18″ (30 x 45cm) prints from a 3MP camera, and 40×60″ (100 x 150cm) prints from a 6MP camera. 6 Megapixels is all anyone needs for anything, and every camera here has two or three times that today.

Resolution is nothing more than a sales pitch to get you to pay more.

Now that every camera has double-digit megapixels, camera makers invented another meaningless number they use to extract more money from the innocent, called ISO (pronounced eye-ess-oh).

ISO is a rough measure of low-light sensitivity. It only matters if you shoot in the dark, and then shoot without flash. As soon as your flash pops up, the higher ISOs aren’t used anyway. Even if you learn how to use the higher ISO settings (few people do), there isn’t much difference between cameras of the same type and era, regardless of cost! All the higher ISO settings do is make the picture look grainier, and the cameras that sport the highest ISO settings look horrible at those settings!  READ MORE FROM KEN HERE

When  you have chosen and bought that new camera you may wish to take a course, our new schedule for the autumn is just out and you can have a look at what we currently have on offer here

Send us an email and receive the new course dates as soon as they are available Understanding Your Digital SLR Evening Classes:start dates 17.9.12; 7.11.12 Understanding Your Digital SLR Saturday Morning Classes start date 3.11.12 Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – starts: 26.9.12 Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements starts 25.10.12 Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – starts 15.10.12 Portrait Photography: starts: 25.9.12 Intermediate Photography – starts: 23.10.12 Black and White Digital Photography – starts 27.9.12 Travel Photography next start March 2013 One Day Understanding Your DSLR – 23.9.12; 21.10.12; 18.11.12; Most courses are 4 sessions one per week, (Photoshop and Intermediate Photography are 6 sessions) all run on consecutive weeks from start dates. 1 Day DSLR is a one day course, there are 4 dates this term To book a place please send us an email with the course title and start date you wish to attend.

Leica Announces World’s First Digital Camera Dedicated To Black-And-White

Another story about Leicas,

“Leica has officially announced its new monochrome digital rangefinder—the world’s first digital camera dedicated to black-and-white photography.

Called ‘Leica M Monochrom’, the company said that the camera a full-frame, 35-mm format digital camera, “designed exclusively and without any compromises for black-and-white photography”. ” Full details here

Ikea cardboard camera…..it’s not a joke

Well I say it is not a joke but I found this on a Spanish website and had to rely upon google translation……. my Spanish goes little further than asking for a beer and then thanking the very nice person for providing the same.

There has been an interest in improbably simple cameras for so many years, I started out 40 years ago with something that it only had one button, it got me hooked. You are right, that was the dark ages, fun for a small boy then usually involved mud and or worms or perhaps puppet cartoons such as the excellent Thuderbirds. Think of the post from earlier this week about the World Pin Hole photography day, I asked if that was a joke but no one stood up to be counted in either direction so I assume it was real.

Canon, Sony and company can start to shake. Ikea has decided to create its first digital camera, but yes, cardboard. Now I would like to bring you more but when you copy and paste a google translated page it seems it to revert to the original language here is the link I have for the translation, go see for yourself

Alternatively here is the Spanish, perhaps you can tell us what it means, here is a link to the original page

“Canon, Sony and company can start to shake. Ikea has decided to create its first digital camera, but yes, cardboard. . The chassis or Kämeroschiflen Ikeacam is not like we’re used to, but fortunately this time it’s a product that already assembled, do not pull manual for assembling pieces go.

Includes a small target, a memory and an image sensor. Operates on two AA batteries and is controlled by a button board. No LCD screen, or exposure controls, and filters. You can not ask for more.

 Can store a total of 40 images.  These are then passed to the computer via USB.  Then you have to do is reset the internal memory to capture 40 images.

So far this camera is not so curious for sale.  Has been presented on the occasion of the celebration of the International Furniture Fair of Milan.”

 

5 Tips On How To Shoot Killer Portrait Photography by Jim Jordan

This really excellent article on Photoshelter is full of advice and help in how to get great portrait images, even if some of the examples are outside most of our opportunities. Photoshelter is a great blog and one worth bookmarking and following

“Jim Jordan is a widely sought-after fashion, celebrity, lifestyle, and kids photographer based out of Los Angeles and New York City. Some of his notable clients include Vogue, Elle, J.Crew, and Mercedes Benz. He’s also taken portraits for major celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Berrymore, and Charlize Theron.

We wanted to learn more about Jim’s creative process from start to finish – so I picked Jim’s brain and walked away with his top 5 tips on how to shoot killer portrait photography.”

Buying a tripod

This useful article from Digital Picture Zone gives good advice about what to think about when buying a tripod.

“A tripod seems to be one of the most basic types of photography accessories since it’s basically a stand that’s used to keep your camera steady. However, there are a few details you should be looking at before buying one as they are all different.”…..MORE

If you are local to Oxford my recommendation is get over to Morris Photographic, now in Chipping Norton and see their extensive range