These Boots are Made for Walking

These Boots are Made for Walking

Shot with a Canon EOS 50D (w/ 17-55 F2.8 IS USM lens)

  • Shot on Aperture Priority.
  • Focal Length: 55mm
  • Aperture: f2.8
  • Exposure: 1/1600s
  • ISO 100

But they don’t really do that much walking any more. Used shoes have so much character that it is a real pity we always try to show off new ones.

Continue reading These Boots are Made for Walking

Love is a Prickly Affair

Love is a prickly affair

Love is a Prickly Affair

Shot with a Canon EOS 50D (w/ 17-55 F2.8 IS USM lens)

  • Shot on Aperture Priority.
  • Focal Length: 55mm
  • Aperture: f2.8
  • Exposure: 1/800s
  • ISO 100

One of the peculiarities you can come across when rambling in the Maltese countryside. Someone evidently went to great lengths to show their love by carving a note of affection into one of the “leaves” of a prickly pear plant, and believe me, those things are terrible.

The only angle at which this photo could work meant I had to shoot into the sun. The result was a high contrast photo which seemed flawed in colour. I like high contrast in B&W pictures though, and with a bit of vignetting added for effect I think I managed to salvage it.

(#20 of 366 X 2012 project)

P.S. I’ll be giving free lessons in the technical aspects of photography soon. You might want to subscribe here. Just sayin’.

First foray into street photography

I have tried my hand at various types of photography, however before I started following some brilliant street photographers on Google+ I never tried it myself.

On a recent trip to Ireland I decided to try it out. I was travelling light and only had my Canon G12 with me. Even though It is a relatively compact camera I have been pretty impressed with the results it offers.

What I have not been impressed with, however, is my street photography. I know it is my first attempt and it is cruel to compare myself to people who have been doing it for years, however at this stage I really feel that my photos lack the necessary punch. I also felt I was getting stuck in a rut, using people’s motion to create interest in photos that would otherwise be quite mediocre.

Anyway, here is a selection of photos I took – B&W helps quite a bit, but I’m still not too sure. I need to go out into the streets with my DSLR to really reach a verdict though.

See the full set here.

My first cover shot – for Vida (Sept 2011 issue)

The cover shot

The story behind the shoot…
Sometimes you think that Murphy’s Law is indeed true, however when I see the result of this shoot I think that despite all the trials and tribulations, if there is a will there is a way.

This shoot started off badly – the owner of the bird park had forgotten about us. Thankfully his wife was at hand and was incredibly helpful. We were racing against time because we wanted to shoot around sunset, but that did not stop Sarah (the stylist) wanting to include six outfits.

Half way through the shoot my flash started working intermittently – triggering once every four or five shots.

And even though I am all up for new experiences, I usually do not like them happening when I’m racing against time. I never knew a lens could die on you, but mine (an 18-55mm kit lens) did. An hour into the shoot it just stopped focusing, thank the high heavens I had my trusty 85mm on me, however most of the areas we had earmarked required shorter focal lengths – back to the drawing board to choose new bits of the park.

All this while we’re trying to rush to get in all the outfits in the right kind of light. I pumped up the ISO, ditched the flash and here are the results.

(A couple of shots included in this set were taken with flash, those were the one offs where everything coincided perfectly – lens was still working, flash triggered, pose was fine :) )

P.S. These shots are completely unedited, so they might vary slightly from the ones seen on Vida.

 

Sadly this picture wasn't published

Random musings – Vol 1 (alcohol/ photos)

Random image from Flickr, by michaeln3
Random image from Flickr, ©michaeln3

Thinking about “City of God” – the oh-so-amazing Brazilian crime film released about a decade ago – set me thinking about the power of photos but more importantly about people’s base reactions when placed in front of a camera.

Have you ever been in a night club where someone was going around taking photos of the crowd? With the exception of some shady individual who is probably there without the knowledge of their better half, the minute someone sees a camera they start grouping up friends to pose for a photo. Everyone joins willingly. In certain cases they might even stop the photographer to make them take photos of the group, even if they don’t know them and have no idea of how they will get the photos from them.

Try this out in a place where everyone is sober and the scenario changes completely. Most people freak out when you point a camera at them without context (some freak out even if you know them and ask politely!).

I’m not really sure where this is going, however could it be that deep down everyone wants to be seen, however without alcohol (or peer pressure) to lubricate the situation most people feel too shy to be seen in a photo. Is it simply a question of self confidence (along the lines of approaching someone from the opposite sex more easily if facilitated by alcohol)?