In recent times…

So I promised a bit of an update last post, so I figure it’s about time i did something about it. There’s been a long gap, and ltos and lots of pictures have had time to build up. Fortunately most of my courses here at university have come to an end, so I have little else to concentrate on but for television series and more photography.
Over the next few days I’m going to add a print price page to the blog, as soon as I get round to it. I might even do it today.
So, since last I wrote a real blog, University has come and mostly gone. I have started gliding, which affords some pretty epic photographic opportunities that I sometimes am able to take advantage of and make me regret not having a nice wide angle and a D3x.
As a bit of forewarning, this is going to be a LONG post, so go make yourself a cup of tea quickly, and settle down for a good read. I was originally going to make it all in chronological order, but it became a little hectic and confused, so I rearranged it for you. Isn’t that nice of me. And did I mention it’s picture loaded?
Right, so I mentioned the gliding thing. Now from a photographic standpoint, gliders are evil to photograph. For some reason, someone thought it was a good idea to paint all gliders white. How this makes any sense at all is beyond me, but that’s how it is and I have to deal wtih it. Therefore, compensation is always given into the camera to try to blow the gliders out less. There’s also something about them that cannot be expressed without a true wide angle lens, and as I don’t really own one, I was lent one by members of the gliding club to take these. A Sigma 10-20mm to be precise. It is not sharp, it is not distortion-free, but it does the job, and not badly either. Attached was also a circular polariser – a filter I have never used before. Interesting results were to be had:

D300 + 10-20mm @ 11.5mm 1/400s f/4.2

D300 + 10-20mm @ 11.5mm 1/640s f/4.2

D300 + 10-20mm @ 10mm 1/640s f/4

Later in the year, I had a brief trip up to 18500 feet above Portmoak, where the gliding centre is based. On a good wave day, you get to go excitingly high. This was an awesome wave day. Too bad I got cold feet (literally – freezing) before we could go anywhere exciting:

D300 + 18-200mm VR @ 1/2500s f/3.5

D300 + 18-200mm VR @ 1/3200s f/3.5

D300 + 18-200mm VR @ 1/1600s f/3.5

D300 + 18-200mm VR @ 1/3200s f/3.5 18300ft

Yes that is yours truly shooting himself at 18300 feet.

Finally, for the gliding pictures, a non-gliding picture – a heavily colour-controlled shot of an ultralight coming in to land:

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/800s f/7.1

Following the exciting jaunt above breathable atmosphere, there came the pagan festival of Samhuinn – an event which drew large crowds of excited people and a number of determined and obtrustive photographers, myself included, despite my dislike for photographing people on the whole.

D300 + 105mm VR + SB-900 @ 1/6s f/4.5 Flash @ +2.7EV and Slow Sync

D300 + 105mm VR + SB-900 @ 1/1.3s f/8 Flash @ +2.7EV Rear Curtain Slow

D300 + 105mm VR + SB-900 @ 1s f/4.5 Flash @ +2.0EV Rear Curtain Slow

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/1000s f/3.5

Sometimes the weather goes really nice around Edinburgh, and the florals become irresistable.

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/800s f/4.5

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/100s f/7.1

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/400s f/3.2

This also afforded me an opportunity to try out my new toy, and to great effect:

D300 + 105mm VR + SB-900 @ 1/125s f/8 Flash -3.0EV

Photosoc later held a little macro workshop. This was an excellent chance to test not only the new flash unit, but also black and white, as the objects on which we were experimenting were pretty mundane.

D300 + 105mm VR + SB-900 @ 1/60s f/8 Flash @ Cmd Front Curtain

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/60s f/7.1

To get these last two images from the shoot, I set the in-camera flash to repeat, so that it would fire multiple times during the exposure, leading to distinct images of the hazel nut.

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/60s f/20

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/3s f/20

The following macros weren’t taken at the macro workshop.

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/60s f/8

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/400s f/8

This is a Pseudoscorpion, Larry, discovered during a lab at uni. They are also known as book scorpions because some members of the family inhabit dusty bookshelves.

D300 + 105mm VR + R1 Flash Unit @ 60s f/16

D300 + 105mm VR + R1 Flash Unit @ 1/60s f/16

D300 + 105mm VR + R1 Flash unit @ 1/60s f/16

How’s about a few birds to bring things back to my usual stuff, eh?

D300 + 300mm VR @ 1/400s f/2.8

D300 + 300mm VR @ 1/80s f/2.8

D300 + 300mm VR + SB-900 @ 1/60s f/2.8 Flash @ -1.0EV Front Curtain

D300 + 300mm VR @ 1/2000s f/2.8

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/160s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/200s f/6.3

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/400s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/500s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/640s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/250s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/640s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/500s f/4

D300 + 300mm VR + TC-17E @ 1/100s f/6.3

D300 + 300mm VR +TC-17E @ 1/1000s f/4

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/320s f/3.5

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/320s f/3.5

D300 + 300mm VR @ 1/50s f/7.1

D300 + 300mm VR @ 1/320s f/3.5

Over christmas I was in the states with my grandparents and aunt and uncle and Buddy, their dog. Stupid, but gorgeous.

D300 + 105mm VR @ 1/1600s f/3

SO, that’s pretty much a snapshot of everything i’ve been shooting since August last year up till a few days ago. The stuff from more recently will go into the next blog post. Some really exciting stuff in there, so keep your eyes peeled. I hope you enjoyed this ridiculously long post, and I hope it wasn’t too technical and all that.

Enjoy