Category Archives: Photos

Pensive

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Cambridge

Cambridge

Black and White

Black and white

Over there

So close and yet so far…

Degrees of separation

I had fun taking some street photos in Cambridge earlier this evening. It was mainly an excuse to play with a new lens.

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I’ll post some more of them here later, or you can check them out on Flickr.

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Flash of inspiration

Over the last few weeks and months I’ve been trying to improve my understanding of flash photography. We’re all so used to seeing the bad photos from little on-camera pop-up flashes — you know, the ones that make otherwise pretty party-goers look like a zombie reunion — that it’s tempting to forego flash altogether and rely only on natural light. Doesn’t the sensitivity of today’s cameras mean that flash is almost redundant?

And yet, I was also aware that many professionals make extensive use of flash, in studio settings, of course, but also for weddings, portraiture and other types of photography where you can take the time not just to capture what’s in front of your lens, but to sculpt the light to your needs. Unless you’re after a particular effect, the trick is to use a flash without it being too obvious you’re using a flash! This was one of my early experiments, and one of the rare occasions I managed to get Rose to pose for a photo! (You can click the images for larger versions).

Rose and Tilly

The flash was wedged into the fence on the right-hand side and triggered by radio from the camera.

Now, why use flash outside on a reasonably sunny morning? Well, I can put the subjects in the shade under a tree, which makes them stand out from the surroundings a bit more. I can have a nice sunlit background without them having to squint into the sun. And I can add a little more in the way of contours in an otherwise rather flat light. There are many ways this shot could be improved, but it’s a start, and the key realisation for me was that I couldn’t have got it with unmodified natural light alone.

However, I needed to experiment more with some of my other equipment, so I had to find a subject who didn’t mind spending some time in front of the camera. Fortunately, I was able to draw on the services of Richard‘s daughter Iris, who obligingly lay on the floor with some brightly-coloured toys and occasionally waved her legs in the air, while I pointed bright flashy things at her. Richard captured a nice image of our improvised studio.

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Iris was a delightful subject, and we got some nice shots.

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I need to start pestering some of my other nearby friends to see if anyone else fancies a portrait session!

If you’re also interested in playing with this kind of thing and have Canon equipment, I strongly recommend that you throw away the manuals that came with your flashgun and get Syl Arena’s Speedlighter’s Handbook, which definitely deserves its Amazon ratings.

Knot

Knot

Elliptical Staircase

Elliptical staircase

Natural Boundaries

Natural Boundaries

Tall trees and cheerfully-coloured buildings at Peter Symonds college in Winchester.

Manx cloud banx

Evening clouds above the Isle of Man

Dramatic clouds above the Isle of Man tonight. And very windy outside. If I wake up in Oz I’ll let you know…

I don’t think we’re in Douglas any more, Toto…

Auditorium

Auditorium

We were amongst the visitors to the splendid new McGrath Centre at St Catharine’s College today.

Sports hound

Had fun with some high-speed shots of Tilly chasing her ball on the college hockey pitch this morning.

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You can click here to see a few more.

Tilly still had energy left afterwards to do her meerkat impression, though…

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The Mill on the Cam

Hauxton Mill, just south of Cambridge, was the last commercially-operating water mill in the area. It ceased operation just over 40 years ago.

I walk past it regularly with my dog, and it’s always been a mysterious, intriguing, and very closed, building.

Hauxton Mill

Until today. As we approached, I noticed that the door stood ajar, and it turned out to be because a man was inside checking the electricity meter. (I was struck by the irony.) He was just about to leave, but kindly let me stick my head inside. It was one of those moments when I was very glad I happened to be carrying my camera, even though I only had time to fire off a couple of quick shots.

Hauxton Mill

If only, as they say, these walls could speak…

Mill trolley, Hauxton Mill

(Click for larger versions)

Update – I later tweaked one of the photos and posted an improved version here.

© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser