Shoot 4

Forth Shoot: - 13th November 2020

After getting some feedback on one particular photo I re-edited it. I cropped the top and bottom of the photo and changed it from black & white to colour. I posted it up on my 500PX site and it got a lot more views, likes and comments which I wasn’t expecting.

Later on in the week (as above title suggests) I went to my next location which was the South Downs above Woodingdean just outside Brighton.

My tripod was “in the shop” so to speak so I had to resort to using a monopod instead combined with a different lens (stabilised), my hope was that this combination would be good enough to get the same kind of sharpness as in my previous shoot (which was on a tripod). In some of the shots I experimented with dropping the aperture down from f.11 to f.8 to see if I could get a faster shutter speed and thus sharper images.

I also decided I would do both black & white and colour versions of the same images to see which works best. The intention being so I can then nail down weather I will stick to black & white or colour for the project to keep a consistent aesthetic.

Conclusions: -

I found it hard to find the right kind of compositions that had come so easily in the previous shoots. There were less people and the terrain posed a challenge. I found myself taking telephoto shots of the coastline with tiny specs of people in the landscape so no leading lines as in the other shoots.

I found that the monopod even with a stabilised lens wasn’t as good as a tripod and the different lens posed it’s own problems. The main problem was that the lens wasn’t anywhere near as sharp as the lens I had used on the two previous shoots.

I still have to decided on how many “finished” images I want in total and from each location, I’m thinking somewhere in the range of 10 to 25 final images. The final number will depend on how many locations I can shoot at and the whole COVID situation, if possible I’d like to present them in a book. There are still a few locations I’d like to try but the COVID situation may prevent me from going too far from home base.

I have three more experiments to try before I make my decision on the final setup & aesthetic for this project: -

  1. Set a single shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze movement in the image as well as a high aperture value for sharpness and let the camera decided the ISO – this would mean there would be variations on the ISO value but shutter & aperture would be the same so images would be consistent

  2. Try some manual lenses I have to see if they are sharper and a feasible option. They are almost all prime lenses so I could in theory end up producing all the work using one single focal length thus adding another consistent element to the images produced

  3. I have another digital camera with a higher pixel count and colour bit depth. Though it is a cropped sensor camera unlike what I have used for shoots 2 to 4 (first shoot was shot on a similarly cropped camera though not THE camera I am referring to in this instance)

Shoot 3

Third Shoot: - 8th November 2020

 The third shoot was at Cissbury Ring on the South Downs outside Findon. This location is one I have been to before and has been on my list of locations for this project. The first problem I encountered with this location is its popularity. In fact there were so many people there on the day I first went (the 7th of November) that it was impossible to find a safe place to park so I abandoned that attempt opting to return the next day at an earlier time (the 8th of November). This was a pity as the weather was very nice, sunny, and bright.

 I returned the next day (the 8th of November) with very different conditions. There was a layer of cloud producing soft but diminished lighting conditions as well as some light drizzle though the drizzle did dissipate not long after I arrived.

 There were plenty of hikers, runners, and dog walkers so as before I had no trouble finding subjects to photograph, to be fair there was actually at times to many people around. This was also the first shoot where I shot everything on a tripod using a shutter release at the lowest ISO value my camera would go down to (100), I still stuck to the aperture setting of f11.

Conclusions: -

Having the tripod did make a difference, it slowed me down which made me think much more about what I was shooting. A lot more thought went into framing and composition, rather than shooting off shot after shot. It was heavy though which I noticed more the next day when moving my arms around.

I think I may have to make a compromise and use a stabilised lens with a slightly longer focal length of 28mm using a monopod or the same lens at a higher ISO setting (400) again on a monopod. This would reduce the weight I would be carrying around and allow me to cover more ground. This is something I will try on my next shoot.

Shoot 2

Second Shoot: - 2nd November 2020

 My second location was the Adur valley running along the river Adur from Upper Beeding & Bramber to the footbridge short of the old Shoreham Cement Works. I chose this area as I had noticed during the lockdown in the spring that many people flocked to the area for their “exercise”. Most rode or walked the South Downs Way, which runs down from the direction of Devil’s Dyke crossing the river Adur at the footbridge before going off towards the old church and on the Steyning. It is also a popular route for local dog walkers, hikers, and cyclists.

 I made three changes from the first shoot: -

1.       Camera – I used a full-frame Canon 5D Mark II (I used a Nikon D5600 for the first shoot)

2.       A non-stabilised wide-angle lens – 20-35mm

3.       I stuck to a single aperture setting (f11) for all images

Conditions were not as bright as the previous shoot; the cloud cover was variable which made things challenging. When the sun was uncovered there was considerable glare on the river which even with a CPL filter on the lens.

 

Just as I did in the first shoot there plenty of shooting opportunities with the steady flow of hikers and dog walkers. I used the river and footpaths as my leading lines.

Conclusions: -

 The wide-angle lens worked well expanding the field of view though it did require more careful consideration of foreground elements such as vegetation and barriers.

Introduction

Solitary Landscape

During the national lockdown in the spring of 2020 many people were effectively trapped in their own homes. This confinement caused levels of stress and other related mental issues to rise. Later the government revised the rules so that people could leave their homes for exercise, consequently many flocked to the countryside. Cycling and walking/hiking replaced other activities that were closed (the gym, sporting activities, socialising, etc). Even so strict rules requiring people not to mix and to stay away from each other were in force to contain the virus. In effect people were still trapped, starved of social interactions but could to a degree move more freely around their local area.

Now we come to my initial project concept. I want to portray the solitude, the loneliness, the feeling of separation, the emptiness that many people felt during the lockdown and still felt/feel even though when the subsequent restrictions were lifted. The duality of using the landscape to convey these concepts as a reference to actual events as well as in a conceptual way to express the emotions people have felt and still do feel is no accident. The landscape is the canvas from which the emotions I have mentioned before will be expressed on.

Initial concept

Stage One: – Empty landscape

Stage Two: – Distant figure in the landscape

Stage Three: – Figure facing the camera closer in the landscape

Stage Four: – Studio portraits

2020 Update

So 2020 has so far not quite gone to plan, I have gotten into Brighton University to study for my Masters degree but apart from that things have been rather stale.

I switched to the Panasonic G9 only to switch back to the Fujifilm X-T3 a few months later, I am now waiting for the X-T4 to be shipped before I upgrade to that though I will wait a few months so I can get one cheaper on the second hand market.

The two week trip I had been planning to Wales in the last two weeks of May has had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 health emergency, I was planning to make several hikes up Snowdonia as well as the Brecon Beacons. I will hopefully be able to make some kind of trip there either at the end of September this year or sometime in 2021. The whole of spring as well as most likely the summer has been wiped out, I can only hope that I will be able to get out there sometime in the autumn before winter comes.

With regards to my Masters degree I am hopeful that the start won’t be delayed, I am due to begin the course at the end of September this year. After graduating I plan to go onto a PhD hopefully at the same university but you never know there might be somewhere better I’ll just have to wait and see.

News And Future Plans For 2020

Ok so 2019 hasn’t really gone to plan, by now I was hoping I’d be a full-time professional portrait photographer but that hasn’t happened. I could probably come up with all sorts of reasons for why it hasn’t happened but I won’t, instead I’m going to look forward at what I plan to do now & in 2020.

 

So back in February I had my over 40’s MOT (over 40’s health check-up), although I wasn’t heavy enough to be classed as obese, I was overweight and my diet wasn’t as good as it could be. I was told to lose weight, eat more fruit, exercise more & eat less crap. Fast forward to now – I eat better, I exercise more & I’m now 10kg lighter. So, what does this have to do with my 2020 plans I hear you ask, I’ll come back to that in a little while.

 

As part of my planning for 2020 I looked over my equipment asking myself if it fitted my needs going forward. Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that it didn’t meet my needs so I have reluctantly moved from the Fujifilm X system to Canon’s full-frame mirrorless RF system, the EOS R. Don’t get me wrong Fuji’s X system is great but it has shortcomings that I just can’t overlook. These are the two factors that made me switch.

 

1.      Lenses – Lens choices are very limited on the Fuji X system, there are virtually no third-party lens options, the two biggest third-party lens manufactures (Tamron & Sigma) don’t make lenses for the X system. Of the lenses you can buy you have a choice of weather sealed or stabilized, there are very few that have both. Cost – To get the best results you need the best lenses & they cost almost as much as their full-frame equivalents. Even buying lenses on the used market is expensive compared to other camera mounts.

2.      Software – I like to use Adobe Lightroom to edit my images as well as plugins. Unfortunately for whatever reasons Lightroom didn’t seem to register my Fuji lenses & didn’t have their respective lens profiles which was irritating. What was worse was that Lightroom would apply sharpening automatically (40%) even when it was turned off in camera, I set up a pre-set to cancel this when importing but Lightroom ignored it. And then there’s the weird worming effects as well.

 

So why did I choose Canon’s EOS R? Well even though it may not be the best camera out there with the EF to RF lens adapter you can mount pretty much ANY EF lens on the RF mount. There are a huge number of used EF lenses out there on the market which makes buying a good quality used lens for far less money a really attractive option, also third-party EF lenses are abundant & cost less. The EOS R is just a far more flexible platform, the 30 mega pixel sensor is about the right size for my needs, not too small & not too big. Even though the native RF lenses are expensive they are top of the line quality which shows Canon’s commitment to their full-frame mirrorless line-up. I fully expect Canon to release at least another two RF camera bodies in 2020 which will be better than the EOS R & EOS RP. I have the 24-104mm RF kit lens which even though it’s a kit lens it’s still a really good lens. I’m looking at adding two or three Tamron EF lenses to my bag so I cover all the focal lengths I need, I will of course need to get the Tamron lens station so I can update their firmware.

 

So, what are my plans for 2020? Well I have applied to do a Masters degree in Photography at the University of Brighton, if successful I would start the course in late 2020 (September). This is part of me refocusing my photography back to what I enjoy doing rather than what I think I should be doing. I really enjoyed my degree so the Masters feels like a natural progression for me.

 

Another part of my refocusing is landscape, nature & abstract photography, a lot of this will come from day trips around Sussex (where I live) as well as planned holidays, this is an area I’ve neglected in recent years which is a pity as I do like a good walk. At the moment I’m planning a trip to Snowdonia in the first half of 2020, mostly likely in late April early May before all the tourists invade. I plan on doing a lot of hiking so dropping that weight & getting fitter really fits into this. I am also looking into other parts of the UK, some I’ve never visited & others I’ve not been to since childhood.

 

The final part of my refocusing is my social media, blog & YouTube channel. I intend to make a video for each trip I make next year including the day trips, I’m hoping to go on day trips at least twice a month though ideally every week would be great. The reason for this is to push my online awareness forward with the ultimate aim of transferring it into a full-time living by the end of 2021.

 

So that’s me done for now, if you got this far then thanks, have a good Christmas.