Dear diary...

Is it me, or are people getting just a little bit tired of technology, the further it travels along the road to apparent progress?

This may sound like a very blasé question to pose, but it seems that a great deal of individuals I speak with all-too-often find themselves the victim of newfangled ways of carrying out tasks, where their traditional methods never caused such problems. As you might guess, it was my own experiences that brought me to write this post, and one in particular which has to do with organisation and data loss.

In previous years, I have always used a typical, long-established form of diary - a paper-based affair - as I am quite traditional at heart and like the combination of reliability and the strangely-comforting tactility of its pages. But 2009 saw a switch to a more hi-tech solution. Or so I thought.

The rationale was simple enough: As I am often out and about, it made sense to have my diary sync'd up to my BlackBerry device so that, in combination with my online diary, I would be able to view/update my schedule in real-time. Simply put: short of losing a connection, everything would be to hand and I would be able to easily stay on top of my commitments day-in, day-out.

But what is it they say about the best-laid plans? I forget now. What I do remember, however, is that by week 2 of November, my online diary only had entries for the last week of October; by the end of the month, October's records had disappeared completely. And on 16th November, it was already beginning to remove that month's earliest entries. Strangely, January-September and December onwards remained intact throughout.

Now, I'm sure the boffins out there would be able to offer many suggestions about how to recover the missing data and so forth but, frankly, I am no longer interested. At the end of the day, I need my workflow systems to be reliable and dependable (in this respect, a diary is no different to, say, my cameras) and so it is time to seek alternatives for the new year.

With this in mind, then, 2010 will see a return to what I know works best for me - a traditional pocket diary. As I type, there are already scribblings in a nice new, highly portable, soft-cover Moleskine - which allows for much pimpage (probably not an actual word) and considerable peace of mind. By way of backup, I will also resurrect my whiteboard planner in the office, so that activities are always noted in multiple locations.

Granted, a return to 'old technology' would not be everybody's answer to the above dilemma, but it certainly suits me. In talking over this issue with a number of people, a variety of alternative options have been suggested - each not without its own merits.

Even though I have now found my solution, I'd still be keen to hear what you have considered useful in terms for boosting your workflow and/or productivity - so please, as ever, drop me your thoughts in the comments section or via the usual channels.

What's your go-to?

This post is a non-technical 'one-year-on' review of sorts, and is essentially a follow-up to this post.

Our colleagues over in America have a phrase they use to describe any technique or item of kit which is the mainstay of their work; something which is used time and time again - dependable, reliable, guaranteed to get the results they require. The phrase? 'Go-to'.

For all the high-tech 'bells-and-whistles' kit we use on a regular basis here at GBP, I would have to say that my go-to item has come to be the trusty Canon Powershot G9 point-and-shoot camera.

Having used it regularly for just over a year now, I can honestly say it truly is an indispensable tool on a great many assignments. Whether to capture behind-the-scenes snaps and reference shots at a recce, or to film events in real time, this little machine has come up trumps more times than I can remember. Quiet, subtle, unobtrusive - it is small enough to slip easily into a jacket pocket, yet powerful enough to deliver. Clearly a rugged shell of a body, it has done remarkably well in all conditions from rain-soaked moorland to sun-baked car forecourts; even when it suffered a 4-foot drop onto the pavement recently, all that was required was a simple lens realignment - surely testament to its build quality.

The 12.1 megapixels offered is more than enough for our requirements (you already know my thoughts about the issue of resolution). The resulting images have frequently matched the quality produced by the Nikon SLR cameras - to the point where the G9 always accompanies me as a back-up camera, just in case all the SLRs should pack up mid-shoot. With so much manual override available, including two user-defined Custom settings, this camera has proven itself to be just as versatile as the big boys.

When it comes to video, the 640x480 'standard' video quality setting is more than adequate for use here on the GBP Blog; and the time-lapse function (user-defined between capturing one frame every one or two seconds) produces highly effective results. Time-lapse is a great way to capture the events of a shoot from set-up to completion and thanks to silent operation, clients are more comfortable with the G9 in the corner of the room than a regular video camera; they even comment that they'd forgotten it was even there.

My only real gripe concerns ISO/noise levels - specifically, that when you set the G9 to ISO 400 or above, the 'grain' within images is often clearly visible, whereas it is not at the lower sensitivities. This, of course, is not such an issue most of the time, as I very rarely go above 200. And what's more, for web use (for example behind-the-scenes stuff), one can often get away with a slightly lower quality image if the output is, say 400x300 pixels.

Of course, as is so often the case with manufacturers these days, Canon has superceded this model with the Powershot G10 which, as you can imagine has 'a better this, a faster that' and so on. Before you ask - no, I'm not going to rush out and buy one; it's predecessor is still more than capable of doing everything I could ask from it, and I therefore have no need to change it.

Would I recommend this camera? Definitely. And with it now being 'the old model', you just might find yourself a bargain online.

Thoughts, comments, questions gladly welcomed as ever.

Wired Magazine comes to UK

A quick public-service notification: Wired Magazine has finally been released in the UK.

I have been reading the US edition (launched in 1993) for some time now and it is without doubt one of my favourite regular reads. In American parlance, you could say it is my 'go-to' publication when I want to find out what's going on in the world of popular culture, technology and the people/developments who are shaping the future - and it has proven itself as a source of inspiration time and time again.

This post is not going to spread out into a review so I will keep it short and sweet simply saying that the superb-quality launch edition shapes the magazine up to be every bit as informative and pleasing to the eye as it's US counterpart. Not exactly a bargain at £3.99, but it is very much worth a read. And besides, when was the last time you found such a publication for under £3 on the news stands?

If web versions of magazines are more your thing, you should definitely check out the Wired UK website.

Mine is a WiFi world

Funny how we come to rely on things without realising, isn't it? Case in point - internet access.

Regular readers and subscribers will have noticed that the GBP Blog has been somewhat quiet in recent weeks; there is a very good reason for this. Well, several really. But most importantly is the fact that, due to an impressively disruptive combined-effort cock-up on the part of our phone line and broadband suppliers (let's not mention names, eh?), we have been without internet access for the best part of a month. I won't go into the messy details here, but if you see me around and really want to know, you might want to buy us a coffee because the story is a long one!

Getting back to the point, then... Without this service in the office, we have been lost and our productivity has dropped noticeably. Don't get me wrong - we've not been sat twiddling our thumbs, but not having internet (by default creating the need to venture forth from the office) has meant that our days have certainly been longer and more tiring. Clearly, we multi-task more than we know, conducting web-based activities whilst waiting for imaging processes to run their course - simply put, saving time and energy.

In this tech world, it is no stretch of the imagination to say that we cannot make do without the internet in our business - certainly, 95% of GBP's marketing endeavours are web based, for example the website, YouTube , Twitter and LinkedIn.

So when we get no connection, this spells potential disaster... or, rather it would do, were it not for the WiFi service available in many hotels, restaurants and cafés. If you have received any communications from us in recent weeks, including our newsletter, then these will have reached you thanks to this technology. The above picture shows my all-too-familiar coffee house 'workstation' set-up - an Asus Eee PC, BlackBerry and a nice cup of tea (well, you have to make the most of what's on offer!).

But this inconvenient need to use other people's facilities rather than our own is not all bad. There is an expression, something along the lines of 'out of necessity comes... something-or-other...' (answers on a post card please), which alludes to the fact that a change of circumstances generates fresh ideas, insights and positive developments. I have certainly found this to be true and as a result of my 'location office', I am now seriously considering making regular use of my net book (the Asus), a mobile broadband dongle and online cloud facilities to control such things as email, calendar and general marketing activities.

It's all food for thought.

Simply effective product photography

Another little product shoot from earlier this month, a further example of how I like to keep things nice and simple. The products in question were a range of samples produced by a local firm of screenprinters, engravers and precision engineers. We have created images for this company in the past, and the purpose of this assignment was to show off the new line aimed at the medical profession.

One empty meeting room, one camera, two lights and a plain card background - that's all we needed in order to produce a set of simple yet effective pictures which can be dropped into the company's website, brochures and all manner of marketing material.

Here is a time-lapse video showing the process, from start to finish. Be sure to check out the selection of images at the end of the film:

Why the D2H still holds its ground

First up, a warning - this post is a little bit technical. But only insofar as it allows me to contextualise myself for the sake of my ramblings. Please don't let this put you off; instead, read on to find out why I still whole-heartedly believe older equipment is still capable of standing up to more recent (and blatantly snazzy) technology.

So... A bit of back-history: The D2H was introduced in 2003 and was something of an odd-ball, due to a relatively low resolution of 4.1 megapixels.

'Resolution', for those that don't know, basically refers to a camera's ability to record detail; we are told that the higher the megapixel count (resolution), the more detail can be captured in a picture.

Favoured by sports photographers and photojournalists on account of its ability to capture images at a rate of 8 frames per second, this camera was replaced in 2005 by the D2Hs. At the time that I purchased mine, around the beginning of 2004, feedback for the model had been generally very positive and so I decided it was a worthy addition to my kit bag.

But let me get to the point...

In spite of the marketing men screaming at us that we should buy the latest models, with the highest resolutions and all the bells and whistles, my day-to-day working experience remains somewhat defiant. In practice, for the type of work that I am involved in, 6-8 megapixels is plenty. But wait - I just said the D2H has 4.1 megapixels. Yes, I know that. However, I still maintain that it can hold its own in the ever-lengthening quest for pixel power.

The pictures on the left here show a couple of images I shot some years ago, reproduced on the side of a Renault Traffic van (roughly the same size as a Ford Transit). The actual printed size was somewhere in the region of 6ft by 7ft. From a 4.1 megapixel camera.

Now, many people are shocked when I reveal this to them, saying "But it can't be - that level of resolution would never hold at such a size". In fact, at one point, even I wasn't convinced and I went back through the archives to double-check I had my facts right. Sure enough, they were shot on the D2H. Furthermore, the first image is a crop, showing the central portion of the original picture.

So, how and why am I able to produce this scale on imagery on this camera? Well, of course, it helps that the photograph is correctly focused and exposed in the first place, and that any post production is applied carefully. The next consideration is that of correctly upscaling the image to spec - in this instance, I used a programme called Genuine Fractals, which allowed me to enter the output size and create a larger version of the picture without any loss of quality. All clever stuff.

I was also reminded of this camera's performance capabilities at another recent shoot. I have often maintained that photography is nothing without light - apply either too much or too little, and you will produce inferior-quality images which do not make the most of the technology at your disposal. This picture is also a crop, representing about 1/9th the total area of the full image. Focus is shallow, concentrating somewhere near the middle. Lighting came courtesy of a Nikon SB-800 bounced off the ceiling directly above. And the subject was no more than 8 inches across. You may not be able to see at this size of reproduction, but trust me when I tell you that on closer inspection, the clarity of the sugar dusting and texture of the 'egg' sweets is quite simply breathtaking... And yes, only 4 megapixels. In fact, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between images shot on this and my other higher-resolution cameras.

As I said, I am not easily swayed by the manufacturer's marketing departments, and it is true to say that there is a lot of hot air blown around when it comes to technology and 'advancements'. But here is a cold hard fact - good, crisp, clean lighting will work wonders when it comes to bringing out the detail in all manner of subjects, regardless of the camera used. And experience has taught me that the much-vaunted argument of camera resolution only carries so far.

I have found flash to be particularly complimentary to the D2H - which is why, in the past, it has served very well as the camera to use in studio arrangements. OK, so this machine is getting on for 5 years old now, but it works - works well, works for me, works as far as my clients' imagery is concerned.

What is that old saying, now...? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Quite right.

In spite of the rain...

Whilst up in Manchester, Manda and I decided to take a trip out into the countryside of Bowland - a lovely area of rivers, sheep and rolling hills crossing rural Lancashire and North Yorkshire in the North West of England. I'm sure there's probably more to the place than that, but these were just my initial observations!

Having been treated in Blackpool, the day before, to a relatively mild afternoon with dry weather and a fantastic sunset, we were all fired up to have another day out walking around and taking pictures 'just because we can'. As I said in a previous post, creating more personal work is very much on my 'to do regularly' list this year.

In theory then, the idea of another day out was a good one... Seeing that the light was pretty good and conditions were almost rain-free, we packed the car with everything we'd need to create simple lighting on location - 2 flash guns (Nikon SB-800s), 2 lightweight stands and a set of Pocket Wizard remotes (for reliable wireless flash triggering). Between us, we were using both Nikon and Canon camera/lens kit. Oh, and just for a bit of comfort, a flask of coffee came along too (pity we forgot the milk!).

I say the idea was a good one 'in theory', because nature had other plans for us.

With every mile we drove, the wet stuff got worse. Specks of rain turned into a fine drizzle, before passing through a state of what can at best be described as 'lazy droplets', before threatening to become a downpour. Add to this the increasing cold and we were getting further and further away from what would be considered 'favorable' conditions.

But of course, in true British spirit (that is to say a stubborn and determined fashion), we refused to be beaten by this. I always carry a bunch of clear freezer and zip-lock bags with me, to keep all the electronic stuff dry in such scenarios - and thankfully, as ever, this simple, cost-effective solution proved perfect for the job.

Modern pro kit is pretty resilient these days - it has to be - but even so, it makes sense to give it a helping hand from time to time.

We managed to get a good few pictures in the can between us before the decision was made to head off to a different location further up the road. In the event, the weather really set in and so 'Plan B' came into force - head for the nearest pub on the way back and have a late lunch before settling down to a warm evening and review our day's efforts.

All in all, we had a great time in Bowland. And despite the weather, the experience only served to fuel what drives us as photographers, and what it's all about - a passion for photography, and a desire to make images. Pure and simple. And with the thought of long summer evenings on the not-so-distant horizon, we can't wait to get out and about and do more of the same!

Pork, Apple and BlackBerry

I am writing this on the train back from a great week spent with Manda in and around Manchester. As I type, a man sat in the seat ahead of me is checking web-based details on his iPhone; just behind and to my left, a Dell laptop is working hard for its owner. On my fold-down table I have my trusty ASUS Eee PC and BlackBerry. If proof were needed that we are working to ever-increasing time constraints in the workplace and that mobile technology is the key to our productivity, then look no further than Coach A of the 14:15 Virgin train to London Euston!

Last weekend, Manda and I took a relatively short trip to Chester, where a Mac seminar was being held at MCC Computer Store. As regular readers (and those following my Mac journey) will know, I've decided that this is my 'Mac Year', the year when I finally bite the bullet and jump ship from PC to Apple. Don't get me started, but if you want some back-history, check out this post.

Here's a (very) quick video update, from outside the shop:



Anyway, the seminar was all about Apple's 'Aperture' software – which I was well aware of, but hadn't bothered to investigate further up until now, given that it is obviously not available for PCs. I have to say, on first impressions at least, it looks like a great workflow tool, and a definite consideration as an alternative to Lightroom (which I have never really got on with – it seems far too slow, and older software appears to handle my files in at least a third of the time).

So, the plot thickens as they say. I suppose my next question is just which Mac I should be looking at; the current favourite is the iMac... but it's still early days just yet, and I'm still very impressionable at this stage. Answers and suggestions from those in the know, please.


(Oh, and as for the pork reference in the title of this post... Food on the go can be quite tasty really, judging by the pork-stuffing-apple sauce baguette I had on the train upcountry. And I do like my food!)

My big Mac dilemma

It's been a strange week, and something just don't feel right. This could have something to do with the bout of food poinoning I received a few days ago, or the tail-end of a bug picked up somewhere along the way. Possibly, who knows.

What I can be sure of is that, for the first time, I have been having real (yes, genuine 'oooh...!') thoughts about the 'M' word. Quite, quite unusual. I'm not sure I can even bring myself to admit this, but here goes...

Deep breath...

I think I want a Mac.

There, I've said it. Are ya happy now?! For all those of you who have been saying "Just you wait... you'll soon come around...", well, don't go demanding your winnings from the sweepstake just yet; it's just at the 'on the cards' stage at the moment. But believe me when I tell you that this revelation has come as just as much of a shock to me as it has to you!

So what's going on? Why the change of heart? Well, you know, there comes a time when you just get fed up of shouting at your desktop for the umpteenth time because - in spite of doing 101 'optimisation' processes such as defrags, scan disks, antivirus and spyware checks - the only way the damn thing could process your work any slower would be if it was physically switched off at the mains!

Do you sense some bitterness on my part?! Hmm... Lord knows, I don't have so much hair on my head these days, thanks to a cruel trick of genetics - and quite honestly, I can't afford to pull any more out!

Here's what I do know (or, at least, here are 6 things that I'm led to believe by every Mac owner and his dog):

1. Macs never (or very rarely) go wrong; they're stable and they just work
2. Because Macs don't go wrong, they work out cheaper in the long run
   
3. Macs are the photographer's friend
4. Macs would make my life so much more pain free, thanks to their batch process facilities
   
5. Macs are very simple to use, even more so than PCs
6. Macs are so intuitive that I would not have to run a PC alongside in the beginning

Coincidentally, I've been talking more and more in depth about my dilema with a friend this week, too. (you know who you are!). She makes a good case for the pro-Mac camp and quite honestly I can't seem to find any sort of argument to put up in defense. My only 'safety net' with PCs is that because I've been using them for years, I'm pretty good at muddling through the typical hiccups that happen from time to time. But, frankly, that doesn't seem to count for much when you've tried everything and still the problem in question doesn't get resolved.

So here's where I'd like your input by following the Comments link below, please. If you're a recent convert from PC to Mac, let me know why you jumped and what your workflow/state-of-mind experience has been like since. If you switched some years ago, tell me why. And if you are one of the many Mac users who feels a bit giddy just at the sight or mention of a PC, please clean yourself up and then explain why I should stop arsing about, stop kidding myself and just get on with it.

Thanks.

Please watch this video!

I had never heard of Randy Pausch until I stumbled upon this video of his last lecture, presented earlier this year to Carnegie Mellon University in the US.

But I am so glad I found it.

Straight up, you should know that it has nothing to do with photography; but I really recommend you take a look when you have a bit of spare time.

And please, tell me what you think.

Happy accidents - are they such a bad thing?

This last weekend saw me undertake one of my favourite kinds of assignments - event photography.

The brief itself was very straight forward and called for general coverage capturing the location, the guests, the atmosphere. My initial set-up is nearly always the same for this type of work - 2 camera bodies, each with flash, and lenses covering ultra-wideangle to telephoto. I will be writing about this shoot at a later date, but for now I want to take a more artsy-philosophical route...

There comes a point within any shoot of a certain duration, involving battery-powered equipment, when your batteries are going to fail. Of course I always keep plenty of spares in my case, but the fact remains that it does happen. And not always at the most opportune time. Nine times out of ten, I will have noticed a drop in technical performance or, specifically with lighting equipment, longer recycling times between flashes, and so I can preempt the situation to avoid missing a picture. Sometimes, however, this shortfall in the technology creaps up on you out of the darkness of the music-driven night...

The pictures in this post come as the result of this apparent 'failure'. They are accidents, they were not supposed to exist, and they most certainly do not fit in with 99% of all the images created that night. In theory (ahh, theories...), they are not technically proficient - insofar as the flash failed to fire, meaning they are darker and show more movement than intended. Of course I could easily have produced these results deliberately, but such images were not on my 'to do' list. For a start, anyone who was present at the party most likely would not have recognised the place!

But you know what? I like them. I like them for their atmosphere, for their richness of colour, for their ambiguity even. I like them for what they are. Plain and simple. And what's more, I make no apologies for this - or for admitting to having taken them. This sort of thing happens all the time in our industry - it's just that the majority of photographers keep these 'happy accidents' to themselves. I seem to recall there was one particular news picture, a few years back, which won a major competition (could it have been the World Press Photo Awards?). It was 'taken' when the fleeing photographer tripped and accidentally fired his camera which was hanging at waist height.

But does that make it any less of a picture, any less worthy of the prize? After all, the guy was there, in the thick of the action, covering the events as they played out in front of him. The resulting image may not have been what he would think to produce (either technically or aesthetically), but it was competent nonetheless.

There is, of course, an age-old deabte - centred around the question "What makes a good photograph?" Is it technique? Timing? Or could the simple act of being in the right place at the right time have something to do with it? You see, that's the great thing about photography - and about the creative arts in general. There is plenty of room not just for experimentation, personal interpretation, and technical variation - but for happy accidents, too. I say we embrace the latter and just remind ourselves what the purpose of a photograph ultimately is.

Please let me know your thoughts - by following the 'comments' link below.

The glamour of 20-hour work days

Sometimes, my week just runs away from from me, taking each 24 hours – and, by default, my plans – with it. I've alluded to this before, and it is something which, with hands held aloft in surrender, is simply the way my work pattern can go over the course of seven days. Anyway, I had just such a week recently...

The Monday in question was spent editing wedding pictures shot at the end of the previous week, along with taking care of emails and phone messages left over the weekend. Then in the evening, it was off to a long-standing local corporate client to photograph their board members' meeting.

The following morning, having had 3 hours' sleep, I attended one of my regular early-morning networking meetings, before heading to the office to crack on with editing those informal portraits from the night before. For all you budding photographers out there, here's a top tip: Never underestimate the powers of a good cup of hot tea to get you though a bout of sleep deprivation!

It was at this point that I received the phone call that would dictate the remainder of the week. Of course, I already had plans, but thankfully on this occasion there was nothing that couldn't be switched to another day or taken care of during the evenings. And the call?... A very last-minute request to carry out assignments in Glasgow on the Wednesday, Northern Ireland on the Thursday and Wales the following Monday! Duly, I obliged. Which in itself caused an initial 'challenge'.

The Glasgow shoot required me to be at the airport for a 7am check-in. Given my weary state, I just couldn't face a 2-3 hour drive in the early hours, so the sensible option was to take the train. Problem was, in order to be at the airport on time, the only possible train I could take set off at 11:30pm on the Tuesday night – meaning a 3-change, 7-hour journey and... yes, you've guessed it, no sleep.

So, with thoughts of... er... 'forget that' in my mind, I arranged to travel up to London that night and stay at a hotel, so as to make an early start on Wednesday morning. This would also mean another early start (4am)... but at least is was a shorter onward journey consisting of taxi ride and connecting train.

Without naming and shaming, I have to say that hotel was possibly the worst one it has ever been my misfortune to stay in. Which didn't help matters. Waking up several times during the night and sneaking out through an empty reception because – I conclude – the duty staff had forgotten to set his alarm, I really wasn't set up all that well for the day ahead. But the flight to Glasgow passed without drama, too.

The Glasgow shoot itself went well, photographing the interior of a retail store. Rather than simply recording the overall department views, we also picked out unusual angles and details, making use of a range of lenses including two of my favourites – the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM ultrawide and the slightly aged Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AFS telephoto. The brief was typically tight, but with a pleasing degree of flexibility to enable my creativity to show through (remember, we photographers are not paid simply to 'press the button' – it's also that lateral thinking around ideas and the ability to visualise the end results and, ultimately, the output).

Speaking of which - the subsequent images from that day will initially be used in-house and at a conference in the coming weeks. As another shoot for the same client was scheduled in for Friday, a selection of those images were emailed to the Creative Director's office the following morning, to make sure we were all on track for the second shoot on Friday...

... which was an altogether more reasonable affair. The train to Cardiff meant that I could get a decent amount of sleep the night before and the shoot was set for 11am-3pm, and I was back in the office by around 7pm, to back up all the images, follow up phone message and prepare for the following day.

The Northern Ireland shoot was postponed for a few weeks; time, to allow completion of the next shop's refit ahead of the photography.

Last but not least, that Saturday saw me photographing another wedding - thankfully very local and, all said and done, I was finished by around 2:30pm, which enabled me to edit the pictures before uploading them to the GBP website that evening. As such, the couple in question will find an email waiting for them just as soon as they can get to a computer – meaning that, potentially they can view their pictures whilst still on honeymoon. You know, sometimes I just love this modern technology!

So there you have it – a typical week in the glamorous world of professional photography. I wonder what the next 7 days holds in store for me...?!

Last-minute call-out

In an ideal world, everything would run like clockwork. Trains would not be delayed, clients would be completely organised ahead of their shoot, and our workflow would be seamless – to the point where the weeks pan out exactly as we would like them to. But, of course, this is not an ideal world, and this is very rarely the case.

Take today for example. Having shot a wedding on Saturday and taken the unusual step of having a completely work-free Sunday, I was looking forward to starting this week off with a day in the office, editing through those most recent pictures. That was a great plan up until about 9am this morning, when I received a call from another photographer, asking if I could cover an assignment due to his sudden ill health.

Luckily, my editing duties were not so heavy that I was forced to decline – and besides, I have no issue with helping out my colleagues; in fact it is something of a compliment to be asked to step up and represent. So here I sit on my return train journey, having spent half the day at an architecture practice shooting candid portraits alongside a design team for the client's soon-to-be-launched new website. Because this shoot was relatively quick and straight forward, I will still be able to get some editing done before it gets too late. So, it's win-win all round.

Just to go off on something of a tangent for a moment... The issue of photographer-photographer working relationships is actually quite interesting, and is a topic I will write about shortly. I will not labour the point here, but suffice it to say for the time being that I see nothing wrong with collaborations – in fact, I believe it should be actively encouraged, for many reasons. [Edit: This follow-on post can now be found here]

Back to the shoot - For those who are interested in the techical details and workflow... Today's images were all lit using one 800-watt tungsten lamp bounced off ceilings/walls. Lens/camera combination was Nikon 80-200mm f.2.8 AFS attached to a Nikon D200, and all images were shot as JPEGs then downloaded directly to our designer's Mac. Simple, quick, effective – and as I head back to the office, the client will already be discussing and visualising their portraits in the new web layout.

101 Photoshop Tips In 5 Minutes

As many of you will know, Photoshop is pretty well the standard piece of image processing software for us these days. Yes, there are other applications which we sometimes employ as bolt-on tools - but PS still remains the pro's favourite.

The trouble is, to the untrained eye (actually, to the experienced user at times, too!), it can be a hugely complex and bewildering programme. Just where do you start? Which tools should you use, and which should you ignore? There is a myriad books and instructional DVDs around, but they often fall short of the mark.

Now, I'm no expert - far from it. Thankfully, though, there are guys out there who are more than willing to share their years of experience and knowledge with anyone looking for some answers.

One such person is the acclaimed PS guru Deke McClelland - who has recently released another light-hearted video entitled "101 Photoshop Tips In 5 Minutes". And as you can imagine, it's packed full of useful information.

So, all you Photoshop users - what are you waiting for? Get yourself a pen and paper and prepare to learn and relearn those magic shortcuts that will speed up your workflow:

Still want more? We also like these two other reference points - Photoshop User TV and You Suck At Photoshop. Enjoy!

A weekend of speed

Well, it's been a hectic few weeks, travelling hundreds of miles and shooting thousands of images (hence the recent lack of activity on the GBP Blog). Just as soon as I get a chance, I'll be writing about a number of my recent assignments - so watch this space. But for now...

Ah, technology; how we love it. Thanks to digital capture and instant internet connection on location, I am able to publish this post direct from the Press Office at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed. This is an event that I cover every year, and it just gets bigger, busier and better - attracting car enthusiasts from around the world, who decend on the Goodwood estate to witness some of the world's fastest and finest vehicles on two and four wheels.

My primary job this weekend has been to shoot images for immediate use on Goodwood's website - specifically the Events News 'Live' pages - so that people can keep up-to-date with all the action as it happens. Working in conjunction with a motorsport journalist, I have covered the whole event - from action on the track to concept car displays, kids' activities to celebrities. The resulting pictures will also remain on the site after the event has finally finished, as well as being placed online for access by certain areas of the media.

Long days, challenges and frustrations along the way, certainly - but ultimately great fun. And I love the fact that the imagery I shoot is in the camera one minute then live for the world to see the next.

Looking ahead... Bring on September for the Goodwood Revival!

Goodbye Tradition?

I had a very interesting conversation with a design colleague recently, about the current state of the creative industries as a whole. Don't get me wrong, we weren't sat there cursing and lamenting about 'the good old days' or the fact that our industries have progressed to such a level that - thanks in no small part to the raft of technological developments – things are often inclined to be more complicated now than they need be.

No, we were talking about tradition – or, rather, the traditional ways in which we have gone about our business, both now and in the past. This all came about during a meeting in which I showed him my 'traditional' portfolio (translation – 'printed') and vice versa. It was in many ways a breath of fresh air to see 'actual' pages in an 'actual' portfolio, given that we all seem to default to our websites for showing off our work these days.

I have thought about this for some time now, and spoken to many colleagues across varying industries. And it would appear that there is a shared consensus out there...

Like many others, I have a genuine concern that within the next generation or two, the kids coming out of colleges and universities will have no regard for – or at the very least very little knowledge of – the background to this wonderful art we all photography.

You see, I believe it is so important to have a knowledge of what came before the latest 'technology revolution' because without this we are simply all about the ones and zeros. Learning to understand how light works, f-stops, shutter speeds, how to time your pictures, how to stand back and observe, to get the most out of your subjects - are such things even taught anymore?

I still get great pleasure from diving into a coffee-table book of works by such masters as Weegee, Cartier-Bresson, and McCullin. Whether it be the simple act of looking at other people's work 'for what it is' or as research for inspiration in our own projects – I really do think that taking the time to do this is greatly undervalued. And the concern is that graduates simply do not appreciate this. Or, perhaps, they think that looking at contemporary photographers is enough. This begs the simple but blunt question: just who inspired these contemporaries? Answer: the great photographers from years gone by. As with many walks of life, without inspiration we fulfill merely a small proportion of our potential.

Time and again, I have clients say to me “Well, of course, it's just so easy and convenient these days, what with digital cameras”. True, technology is an important factor in modern professional photography (actually, it can sometimes be a double-edged sword), but it is not the be-all-and-end-all. Far from it.

Cameras and their associated equipment can only take you so far; there is much truth in the old adage that 'it is not the camera but the photographer that makes a picture'. And so, if this is the case, I have to wonder: where does that leave those photographers who have little or no knowledge of photography's glorious past?

Fathers Day, Memories, What The Duck

OK, in my last post, I told you about an online cartoon strip called What The Duck. Well, given that today is Fathers Day, I thought I'd share the strip above (hmm... tedious link, I know, but the word 'Dad' is mentioned!). Anyway, take it for what it is, or feel free to read a little deeper...

Show of hands please, anyone who backs up their photographs. And I don't mean simply copying them from your camera to the computer - we're talking proper 'paranoia-driven, second-guess the future' multiple back-ups here.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people still genuinely believe that their computers will last forever. Never corrupting, never slowing to a grinding halt, these machines are clearly invincible. Apparently. Well, drop us an email and tell me where to sign!

As far as photographs are concerned, never forget - these are visual documents, often showing events which are one-off, unrepeatable times in our lives. They allow us to savour moments and preserve them for future generations. Remember photographic prints? You know, actual 'hard copy', 6"x4" bits of paper you could actually hold in your actual hands and look at without straining your eyes at a computer screen! Increasingly, people are not bothering to get prints made, instead entrusting these memories to a birds-nest of wires and circuitry all neatly packaged in an overheated metal box plugged into the wall.

Fact is, and though it pains me to have to tell you like this, computers can and do go wrong. Badly. And when they do... that's when those same people are suddenly consumed with a rush of blind panic, tears, cursing and, once things have calmed down a bit, regret at having not bothered to back up their pictures sooner. The same scenario holds true for business owners who, frankly, should know better.

Now I'm no computer whizz - far from it - but I do know what it feels like to lose important information from a computer. Which is why we perform multiple backups like our lives depend upon it (actually, in a professional sense, they do!). At the very least, you should be making copies onto CDs or DVDs - seriously, these things cost pennies nowadays (far, far, faaar less than the information they can contain) - and you'd be a fool not to go out to your local computer supply shop today and stock up.

By all means, wait for the 'Big Bang' in the corner of your office or spare room before you decide to take action, but just remember to take a deep breath when the repair guy tells you that he 'might' be able to save your data - and at great cost - but that you should probably prepare for the worst. "Well, of course, you have saved a copy of the important stuff, haven't you...?"

So, take heed of what I have to say. Or don't. At the very least have a look at the cartoon at the top of this post. But one thing I can tell you for sure, from bitter experience, is this: if your computer suddenly takes on the appearance of a pile of scrap metal and your precious pictures are only lodged somewhere in the unrecoverable rubble on the carpet, you'll be kicking yourself for not parting with those pennies.

Marketing Portraits - Set-up and break down

Right then... This is the first video we have produced for the GBP Blog, so please be gentle! As always we're looking to add more and more interesting content here, so do give feedback about what you see... and, of course, tell us what you'd like to see in the future, too.

This video is, quite simply, an illustration of how a shoot can be arranged in any loction, fitting in with the client's working day. The resulting images were to be used in a marketing campaign, both on large vehicles and printed matter.

People often ask us what is involved when setting up a shoot - for example should they come to a studio?/what should they wear?/how long will it take?/how many people will be present? In this instance, our 'studio' was an on-site cafeteria - which we took over for a few hours. Our subjects (7 in total, although only 2 appear in this time-lapse video) were actively on call, so we just grabbed them when the opportunity arose - this actually worked very well, as it often does, and we were only kept waiting for a few short minutes between sitters.

As for the technical stuff - we shot on the usual Nikon cameras, directly hooked up to a Mac. Okay, I admit it, I'm not a Mac user... and that's why you'll see Matt pressing all the buttons on this occasion whilst I take care of the light and, well, simply point at the computer :-)

It's always nice to preview images on a larger screen, as they appear, but in this case it was especially important as the lighting arrangement was very specific and had to be tweaked until it was just right. Speaking of which, 3 Nikon SB-800 speedlights were used, triggered remotely using Pocket Wizards. Naturally, the video was shot on the trusty G9. Be sure to watch out for the photographs at the end!

Enough talking... on with the show:

Oh, and one last thing - a big 'thank you' to Paul for the backing music. Seriously, you really brought this first video together for us!

For more behind-the-scenes GBP videos, check out us out on YouTube.

Canon G9 - First thoughts

For some time now, I have been on the look-out for a take-anywhere point-and-shoot camera; something that can be easily slipped into a pocket or rucksack instead of having to lug around a heavier SLR camera just for the sake of a few grab shots.

This is by no means a technical review - just a few initial thoughts and reasonings.

I never did find a camera to fit the bill. Looking at the market, some models offered a nice compact size, but not the spec. Others went the other way, providing more functionality, but at the cost of being physically larger. Trouble is, I wanted something in between - a camera which would allow me to take complete control, at the same time not making me feel as though I may as well have just grabbed an SLR and be done with it.

Thankfully (and finally), it appears that the gap has now been filled. Having heard many good things about Canon's Powershot G9, and having seen some very impressive images produced by it, I took the plunge and am pleased to say that it is now safely lodged as the latest piece of kit to find its way into the GBP arsenal. And from our own initial tests, the results are quite simply incredible.

OK, so we've established the first requirements - quality, funtionality and compactness. The G9 ticks all boxes - it has a 12.1MP sensor, the ability to capture in RAW, complete manual override and connectivity for remote flash operation. It even has a manual focus option - quite unusual for compact cameras, but always well worth having!

The autofocusing itself is fast and exposure metering is incredibly accurate - both working well throughout the full range of the 7.4 - 44.4 mm lens (that's about 35-210mm in 35mm terms). Even shooting right into the sun, the focus doesn't hunt around, instead locking quickly onto the subject, and in low light situations, Canon's Image Stabilisation is a great asset (especially when employing the Macro setting).

Using the G9 almost feels like working with a rangfinder camera (think Leica) in terms of how quickly everything comes to hand and the fact that an optical viewfinder is incorporated (something of a rarity for compacts these days). In truth, I expect this o.v. will receive less attention due to the wonderfully crisp and bright 3" screen on the back. Much as I love the traditional, why would you squint when you don't have to?

Now, I've never been a fan of all the audio add-ons you get with cameras and technology. You know the sort of thing - "Beep! You've turned on the camera. Beep! Welcome to the start-up screen. Beep! Focusing. Beep! Ka-chink! Picture taken. Beep! Image review..." Therefore, my first thought is always to turn off all of these sounds whenever possible. Doing this on the G9 is easy enough and means that operation is virtually silent - ideal for candid photography or when you want to keep a low profile.

The second requirements of a camera were aimed specifically at our web-based activities - i.e. the GBP Blog and website. We will be incorporating extended video content from now on, so if you have any questions about the way we work, what kit we use, how a shoot is co-ordinated etc, just enter your thoughts/comments/questions below and we will address them in future posts.

But getting back to the G9...

As well as capturing high-quality still pictures, the G9 also has the ability to record movies in 640x480 resolution at 30 frames per second - ideal for blogs and podcasts. It was initially a toss-up as to whether we went for a dedicated video camera or sought out a hybrid stills/video unit. Afer all, for our purposes, we weren't looking for High Definition, broadcast-quality footage - just good quality images and clear audio recording.

We've already done a few tests, including time-lapse recording - and again, the results are very promising. Contrast is handled supremely well and focus stays constantly on the ball, even with considerable variation in lighting such as turning lights on/off in quick succession. And in darkened environments, footage remains clear.

So, am I going to be trading in my SLR cameras now that I have the new Canon? Clearly not. But such is the power of the G9 that I will be taking it along as a back-up on shoots, just in case my SLRs fail. Having said that, the quality, user-control and connectivity is all there, and so it would not be an exaggeration to consider doing quick location shoots solely using this little camera and a couple of Speedlights.

Happy Birthday, Grandad!

Yesterday was a very special day for our family - my Grandad turned 97 (though you wouldn't have thought it to look at him!). So, naturally, out came the camera and lights to mark the occasion.

The backdrop for the pictures was the rear garden of his house - with a bit of privacy and so many happy memories there, it was the ideal setting.

Past experience has shown that taking a 'posed' picture of my Grandad is akin to photographing a young puppy - I find myself with a maximum of just a few short minutes before he decides it's time to move off to get on with other more 'exciting' activities (thankfully, I have also learnt not to take this reaction personally!). So, with this in mind, I set up the lights in advance, making full use once again of the wireless capabilities of the Nikon Speedlight system. For more examples of this system in use, see the content label list on the right; if you have any questions, please post them via the comments link below.

The diagram here shows the basic arrangement, viewed from above. As you can can see, the main light was fired through a translucent umbrella; I often use this approach as it provides a clean and flattering diffused illumination which softens the skin nicely.

Behind the subjects were placed 2 other (undiffused, SB-800) flash units - one either side, each at approximately 30 degrees, creating a nice rim light and giving clear separation from the background. This would have been accentuated even further had the subjects' clothing been darker.

For any keen photographers who are reading - yes, you're quite right, the the main light is in fact a Metz, not a Nikon. Simply put, the Nikons were set to fire off the Metz, thanks to the SU-4 hack. Want to know more? You should definitely check out this page over at Strobist, where David Hobby gives a great run-down of this excellent slave function.

But getting back to the point... and the whole reason we create pictures in the first place. Regardless of subject matter, every image is designed to be memorable, meaningful, impactful in some way. Of course this process is subjective to varying degrees - the photographer's beliefs, his/her stylistic preferences, even one's state of mind at the time of capturing the image - all can influence how the picture turns out. And every picture has a purpose, it's own story to tell.

On this occasion, I simply wanted to document the fact that my Grandad has reached such a great age. The caption would read nothing more than "Grandad in the garden on his 97th Birthday". In years to come, I will be able to look back on these photographs and remember the happy memories of that day and of the years that led up to it; the times we spent together in that place, the fun we had.

And therein lies photography's greatest strength - the ability to capture moments in time, no matter what content fills the frame. It is there to preserve those moments for the benefit of future generations. Technology is wonderful - but it is merely a tool which allows us to realise our visions.