Random Inspiration

Sometimes I set out without a clue what I’m going to shoot. I pick a destination, pack my camera bag with a selection of items I hope will cover most eventualities, and head off not knowing what I’m going to find. I’m also sure I’m not alone in this and those of you that keep your (hopefully smaller and lighter) camera in your bag at all times are probably very familiar with this.

Over the recent long weekend I was determined to get out for a wander somewhere. Most of my friends were busy or not interested so I headed to a familiar haunt - Thruscross Reservoir, near Harrogate in the UK. Its a large body of water and it takes a solid two to three hours to walk the full circuit. My favourite part is about half way around when you move into the woods. Many other reservoirs seem to have cleared much of the forests around them but Thruscross still has some nice woodland.

I had no idea of what to shoot when I arrived. As mentioned its somewhere I’ve been several times, in good weather and bad, and morning noon and night. Its also somewhere that has always surprised. One of the last times I was there, I narrowly managed to avoid a massive rainstorm, but it made for some great photos. As I walked around this time, and particularly when I started to enter the more heavily wooded areas, I noticed a great many mushrooms had sprouted. Unfortunately a large number had been kicked over or damaged but there were enough to decide that this would be my theme for the day.

Annoyingly I’d forgotten to bring a mat, and following recent rains the ground was wet and pretty muddy. Of course for the best shots of mushrooms you need to get down nice and low, which did provide a bit of a challenge. However despite not being able to lie out on the ground with my camera, I still managed to get some nice shots to build up my existing mushroom collection.

So ultimately, even if you have no specific objective in mind, I would still always recommend you take your camera with you. You never know when inspiration might strike and what you might find.

The Magic of Black & White (Part 3)

I know it was only a few posts back that I last mentioned a Craft & Vision book, but these guys are extremely productive and have produced yet another eBook. (You know I wouldn’t mention them if they weren’t any good!)

This time its the third in the Black and White series by Andrew S Gibson. I mention in my original post on Craft & Vision the first two in this series and regular readers (you know who you are) will know that I’m very fond of monochrome photography. In the first book Andrew talked about understanding what will and won’t work in monochrome, and in the second book covered techniques to help with post-processing your B&W shots. This time he brings it all together showing you some quick ideas on how to get creative with setting yourself photography briefs/challenges and then going into detail on how he processed nine of his photos, with step by step guides you can apply to your own images.

Those that are already comfortable with Photoshop may not find as much value from this third book as you might from books one or two. Its also debatable whether or not the techniques mentioned really apply to B&W or more generally to any photos (Andrew usually does most of the processing in colour before converting to B&W). However, if you often shoot with a final B&W image in mind, you may find some creative ideas in this book to help breath new life into your work and take it beyond basic monochrome conversion.

As always there’s an offer with this release! If you use the promotional code WHITE4 when you checkout you can get The Magic of Black & White (Part 3) for only $4 OR you can use the code WHITE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 22, 2010 (check your timezone here).

Preparing for your travels

In an earlier post I talked about how the definitions of Travel Photography have changed as access to cameras and other equipment becomes more ubiquitous. Now we all know what it is, its time to look at what you need to pack before you head off – whether that’s down the road for a long weekend, or half way round the globe for the experience of a lifetime.

Obviously its unlikely you’ll want to take everything with you. However pack too much and you’ll be carrying a heavy bag of equipment that provides no use other than improving your fitness and stamina levels! But pack too little and you risk leaving behind something essential that you find out you need when arriving at your destination. So here’s my handy packing lists broken down by (i) a weekend away, (ii) short haul/short break and (iii) long haul experiences.
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The Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield

Slightly off topic post today, but its still art related!

Yorkshire seems to becoming a mecca for lovers of sculpture. We already have the fabulous Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield, and the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds and from Spring 2011 we will have what promises to be another great venue – the (Barbara) Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

Designed by award-winning British architect, David Chipperfield, The Hepworth Wakefield will show for the first time a unique collection of sculptures by Barbara Hepworth – one of the most important sculptors of the 20th Century, who was born and raised in Wakefield. As you can see above the building itself, set on (or more correctly in) the River Calder has a stark and functional design. Now the shell and much of the inside are complete the gallery is beginning to open it doors for select events and pre-opening talks and tours.

The shot above was taken during a recent Wakefield Artwalk during which the gallery loaned Hepworth’s “Mother & Child” sculpture to Westgate Artists Studios for one night, and hosted various pieces that formed the artists responses to the work. I’m not able to publish any interior shots prior to the architect’s official unveiling, however take my word for it when I say the gallery space is huge and its rumoured none of the rooms contain 90° angles (I pity the poor builders!).

Look for the grand opening in Spring 2011 and if you’re in the area before then I would strongly recommend visiting their website to see if they have any special events planned so you can have a look around inside!

New Craft & Vision eBook – Chasing Reflections

A friend of mine travelled to Japan a few years ago. However upon their return they complained that while they were in Tokyo the weather was wet and dark and they couldn’t get any good photos. I was amazed as somewhere with all that neon and artificial light would be a great place to shoot reflections in the wet streets. So its interesting to see the subject of the latest Craft & Vision Print and Process eBook – Chasing Reflections.

Within Chasing Reflections, Eli Reinholdtsen shows us a unique and skilled approach to reflections. The clever juxtapositions between the real and the reflected force you to look deeper at the image that you might normally and create unforgettable photographs. In this latest Print and Process book Reinholdtsen shares a selection of her recent shots and ways to scout, setup, and shoot complex reflections yourself. As with the other two Print and Process books, the first half is pure portfolio. The second part of the book includes descriptions on the techniques required to capture movement, timing, and contrast while dealing with the challenging constraints necessary for reflections to occur in the first place.

If you like inspirational portfolios and fancy photographing reflections then this is well worth the $5 price tag. As usual, if you order Chasing Reflections before the end of this month you can use the promotional codes REFLECT4 to get it for just $4, or REFLECT20 to get 20% off when you order 5 or more Craft & Vision books (check out my previous article for suggestions!). These codes will expire at 11:59pm PST August 1, 2010 (check your timezone here).

Finally, the Craft & Vision site has recent had a facelift and if you have an iPad you can also now download the publications as iPhone/iPad apps.