Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

So it's been far too long. I feel like I'm seeing an old friend for the first time in years, where nothing has changed and yet somehow everything has! The reason I haven't visited this place for a while is really because I haven't had much to write about. It's odd. I like to write about things I find interesting but it seems as soon as one settles into the humdrum of a job, things one may have found interesting previously become the norm. I expect this is the same for almost everything in life. Whether that is being a business man and the enjoyment of putting your first suit on before you start work, akin to that of the first day at school, having the pride of the uniform. To being a fighter jet pilot. Without a doubt the coolest job there can be. Careening through the sky faster than sound sonerates (yes it's a word - it's the way sound moves).

Much has changed. The main thing was that I graduated university. Goodness knows how much I managed an  2:1 BSc degree in Forensic Science (yes I do think it's a ridiculous degree and so I shouldn't be taken seriously in life). The reason I find it astonishing is because I spent probably a considerably larger amount of time playing the amazing XBox360 game Borderlands than I did revising for my finals. Albeit Borderlands was spread over the course of the year whereas the finals revision was spread over four weeks. 

The other change is my career decision. Those of you who know me and frequent this blog regularly know that my other passion is photography and as of about January I decided that this was exactly what I want to do with my life. As I have followed the blogs, tweets, videos and any other internet communication of some of my heros Joe McNally, Scott Kelby, Joey L, David Hobby (Strobist), Drew Gardner and many many more, I have learnt outrageously large amounts, I have spent my student (when I was one) budget on books by these guys, instructions, software all sorts along with the obvious - equipment. Although I often remind myself that buying new gear does NOT make you a better photographer! Getting out there and taking photos does. Or as Ansel Adams said "You don't take a photograph, you make a photograph".

So that leads me on to where I went next. As of the 7th August I started a job with a wedding photographer. When I think about it this strikes me as something quite extraordinary. I was most fortunate and somehow managed, after a couple of trials, to get a job with a wedding photographer based in London. This has been quite a whirlwind tour of weddings. I've ended up photographing 7 weddings in 5 weeks (including a having a weeks holiday). These have been good, although it has definitely told me that weddings are not what I want to end up doing! That is a topic for another time. I thought I would share a brief collage of some of my weddings photos from these weddings should you care. If not why are you reading this?

(Click for a bigger version)

There are definitely perks to being a wedding photographer. One is the wonderful experience of showing a couple wonderful photos of their day. Others include: Canapés, free Champagne, often a very good meal, seeing some great location, picking up tips for great (and awful) speeches (I wish I had heard some of these before I did my best mans speech!) but really it's just the opportunity to take some photos, to make some people happy and to make a living while I'm doing it. 

As I mentioned earlier I don't intend on doing weddings for the rest of my life but I shall not go into too much detail now. I was recently doing some contract work (where I was the contractee rather than the contractor (I'm sure there's a more apt name for this that my trade-orientated friends would know)) this was a nice easy few hours work for earning a little bit of extra pocket money while helping out another photographer. More importantly than that though, I made a contact. Contacts are remarkably useful things to have as in this profession along with many others it is often (to start with) more who you know that what you know. He has offered me more work helping him with a number of tasks (some admin, some photography) but also said that if I'd like to use his studio I may! Now this is wonderful as my space or budget doesn't really allow for a studio at the moment (one day I think I'd like one!) so being able to use a fully functioning studio for my own personal projects would be amazing. I had big plans for this Summer. I had two or three photoshoots I really wanted to do before Autumn came. Sadly the people I wanted to be involved were never free at the same time as me so they haven't (yet) come about. But it doesn't mean they never will!


Talking of personal projects, I've recently been reading (again!) of the aforementioned Joe McNally as he did a project just after 9/11 called "Faces of Ground Zero" where he photographed some of the people involved in 9/11. Fire-fighters, families, volunteers, and Rudy Giuliani the mayor of New York at the time. This wasn't just a standard set of pictures though. He used the worlds largest polaroid camera. Imagine the (now vintage) polaroid cameras where you take a photo then watch it develop. Well this camera was exactly the same. Although the prints it creates are life size! The camera is as big as a garage and takes 3 people to operate it. (For those more techy minded at f45 it has a depth of field of half an inch!) 
I recently read a blog post of Joes where he spoke of how he speaks to one of the familys he photographed that year. It was heartfelt. I fully encourage a read and it can be found here. 




Well that's really it. I know where I am, I know where I want to go, and I know an awful lot of work needs to occur before I can get there. But when you're doing what you love it's not quite as challenging!


People often end blogs with a question vaguely related to the blog topic.But I have no intention of doing that. So I will end with a witty statement.




I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

First time is a charm...

I have a love-hate relationship with titles of blogs. Is it a titles prerogative to be odd and potentially pretentious, luring you in to a blog post, or should it be straight to the point? Who knows! More importantly, who cares!

This weekend was a first for me. I had my very first pre-wedding photoshoot. It was for some good friends of mine (and Beccas (well, actually they were very much Becca's friends first!)) who's wedding I am photographing in July.

Pre wedding shoots are a great idea for photographers. They allow the couple to get used to having a camera around and the personal/professional manner of the photographer. It also allows the photographer to get used to the couple(!) and learn a little about how they tick! It gives also gives the couple (hopefully) a great set of images away from the formalities of the wedding. Many if not most photographers offer this "service" as a complimentary part of the wedding package. If you're getting married soon (which I know some of you are!) and your photographer hasn't offered this, it may be worth asking him or her why!

I had been looking forward to and planning (as much planning as I do (which isn't much!)) this shoot for a while. Often the couple have a favourite place that means something to them or somewhere that's just nice nearby that would make a beautiful backdrop.

For this shoot we had two locations. The first was the couple's local church that had a recently put up/made a delightful wooden gazebo. The second was the magnificent Royal Holloway University. Unfortunately the weather was very much not on our side! It was raining fairly constantly all day so we were unable to use the outside of the elegant late 1800's red brick building. They stayed under the gazebo and I stayed under a tree at the church, then we tried to avoid the outside at the university.

We had really a really lovely day. It certainly made life easier that I knew them before so there was already that personal connection. It was also aided by the fact that Becca was there so she kept the mood light and came up with some wonderful suggestions and even held a flash when I got in a little bit of a sticky situation! We also discussed all the necessary things for the actual wedding day. Becca and I had been to Nandos the night before and written copious thoughts on a napkin so we managed to get through all of that before we all needed to go our own separate ways.

So that's that done and am pleased with the results. I look forward (with nervous trepidation) to doing a shoot with a couple I have never met before. It will obviously have a different dynamic but I think (/hope) I am a person who can get on with strangers!! We shall see. As I have this job interview I haven't been advertising as a wedding photographer to strangers as I'm assuming I won't be able to do weddings on my own if I'm working for a wedding photographer! So I don't have any of these types of shoots with strangers planned.

I apologise for the potentially poor use of apostrophes. It's one of the (many) grammatical issues I have.

Here is a nice little slide show of some of the photos from the shoot.... I hope you like!



I'm also seeing if I can get my website MacMac Photography to turn up on google by adding little links like this!

Outside that metaphorical box.

I write this evening in the middle of my scariest exam week, after a few glasses of wine and an evening to myself. So bare with me (especially the spelling and grammar!

It's been quite some time since I last blogged and I've been meaning to so why not do just before bed time!

Lots has happened recently! And I don't really know where to start!

Firstly exams. I am coming swiftly to the end of my exams. I have had two that have gone remarkably well, and I have two more that I fear won't go quite the same way. The first is the day after tomorrow (Wednesday) and the second is on Friday. 

It's quite bizarre knowing that everything I have worked at for the past four years is coming to an end! I've loved uni. It's been an awesome time and I shall be sad for it to end, but it has to at some stage and post grad work doesn't really interest me at the moment!

In terms of photography I have been given a wonderful opportunity. I had randomly been emailing wedding photographers in the local (Hertfordshire) area to see if any would give me any experience or would like a second shooter. I hadn't had many replies until one guy rang me.

He said that he used to live in Berkhamsted although has moved to Vauxhall (London) since. He said he was looking for a second assistant to help him in his wedding and fashion work.. Amusingly he was just about to send out an advertisement asking for a second assistant but my email got in just before he did, and I assume that he thought that it would save him sifting through lots of cv's and images so he invited me for an interview the day after he rang me! So I scooted up to London and went to the interview which was quite scary! We had a chat about various bits and pieces relating to photography and life. I also discovered that not only had he lived in Berkhamsted for 5 years (where I grew up) but he was born and grew up in Hebden Bridge (West Yorkshire) which happens to be 3 miles from where my parents moved to a year and a half ago (hasn't time flown!). So that was a happy coincidence! 

I then had to do a photoshoot with him as the subject. This was the bit I was most scared about. I had thought out lighting situations and gone through various scenarios in my head about how I would go about it. But all of these flew out when I got down to it. Fortunately he didn't really care about that! He knew I could take a good picture because I sent him a link to my portfolio. He said that you can learn lighting, you can learn camera techniques. What he cared about was personality! What he was looking for was how relaxed and fun I can be. The first half of the shoot was a bit rubbish and I thought it was not going well (and it wasn't!) but after he had given me some tips then the second half went much better!

He didn't offer me a job there and then. He asked for dates that I was free and unfortunately (job wise) I am busy for 4 out of 5 weekends of July I am busy (stag-do, wedding, photographing a wedding, best man at a wedding!) But he has offered me two trial dates. One in June which is a pre-wedding photoshoot with two separate couples, then in August to assist with one of their weddings. Should they go well, I may have a full time job! 

I was a little annoyed because he asked me if I was free the weekend of the wedding I'm best man for. Obviously I am busy, which he thought was a shame because he asked if I could help with a wedding that's taking place on centre court of Wimbledon! Talk about your once in a life time chances! It's the daughter of the chairman of the LTA! 

I've been thinking about ways I can expand my photography and apart from just getting out there and "doing it" one of the things I picked up from this guy was something as simple as cropping "outside of the box!". I almost always crop to 2"x3" just because that is the format of my camera. The standard photo you see when you print photos is usually 6"x4" (so a ratio of 3:2). He was talking about doing something a little crazy. "Unlock" the ratio and just try something different. So that's what I've been doing! 

I did a quick photography "gig" (I'm sure that's not the right term but I seem to be using it a lot recently so I shall continue!) for the Kent Music Matters blog (which should be going up in the next couple of days) of a workshop run by the conductor of the fantastic Ronnie Scotts Jazz Band. I tried to think out of the box, putting my photos into odd proportions rather than the standard 3x2/6x4. Here are a couple of the results:

The photos are a little average if I'm honest. I didn't want to get in their way, and the room was awful! It was in one of the bars. Bright sunshine outside thus blowing out the windows, a mixture of tungsten and fluorescent lights inside! Ah well. Joe McNally always says something along the lines of "As a location photographer you never get an ideal situation!".

But it was a good experience!

The other amusing and so far very fun experience I've had is doing a calendar shoot. The second year drama students here at uni have decided they want to raise money for breast and testicular cancer research by doing a "Calendar Girls" style calendar. It's been such fun so far. The shoots have been divided by two of us photographers. So far I have done two. We had a great guy open up the library 2 1/2 hours early just so we could get in and take (semi) naked photos without lots of people trying to survive! That was a 5am start! And then using the nightclub we have here! The people involved have been such good sports, they haven't complained, and they have all been such fun and the photos (in my flawed, self-indulgent opinion) look great! I can't put up the photos here. But the calendar will be a 2011 calendar so if you want a copy let me know (they should be cheap, between £3-£5) It's for a very good cause! I may well try and flog you some in November/September anyway! 

So that's me! That's where I am, that's what's been going on. 

To sum up. Exciting photography opportunity. Thinking outside the box, and cool calendar. (This is the only bit of this you really need to read! But if you're reading this you've probably read the rest! Sorry about that!

Awesome times. My degree finishes in 4 days. AMAZING!

Next Phase... Ideas come in twos (or more!)...

So the last post I posted had two aspects to it, a bit of sport and a bit of photoshop creativity.

This time I think I have three things.. (Although one is the same as last time...)

So after the large enjoyment of the rugby I photographed, I decided to get more involved in sport photography. I find it very satisfying to see that great action shot that kind of sums up the game. I posted all the best shots on my website (www.macmacphotography.com/sports/falcons). Interestingly the one photo I really liked of a touchdown didn't appear to be everyone elses favourite photo! Looking at it now (it's here if you would like to see it) you can't really tell it's a touch down, there are no posts, there's no line, so really it just looks like someone's making a catch.
What I am most proud of is that one of my photos from the game has been published on the back page of the uni newspaper. A small achievement but an achievement nonetheless. The original photo is here and the photo of it in the newspaper is here. So I am pleased about this. I've also been asked since then if I would photograph the Kent Ultimate Frisbee team which I plan to do next week :)

The next thing photography related I did was go to a wedding last weekend. It was a delightful wedding of my girlfriends cousin and fiance, and although I wasn't officially photographing the wedding they provide wonderful opportunities to take great photos.

It's all good practice and wonderful fun :) Weddings are (generally) such happy relaxed(ish) occasions!

The final thing I did was go for a drive.
Simple I know but something I rarely do! I love to drive in the countryside and wherever I have happened to live the countryside has never been far away. (Basically I've never lived in a city!) I got in my car this afternoon and after having checked google maps' satellite view for anything resembling a field I got in my car and drove. The sun was shining, the music was on and I was constantly on the look out for a good landscape to photograph! Albeit not the best technique when you're driving at 50 down country lanes. Turns out I didn't find any amazing fields, but I ended up in Whitstable a place I have been to a few times before and found very little photographic inspiration! It's kind of a bland sea side town, with stony beaches and plagued with groynes! (remember that GCSE geography?!)
Anyway I took some photos that aren't particularly earth shattering but really it was nice to get some fresh air! I wanted some time to think to myself but I think if I want to do that again I shan't take my camera, because all my mind thinks about is camera type things and not the more relevant topics of todays life, all of which sound really pretentious! (Like: What is my purpose? What impact can I make on the world? Etc etc!)

But it's been a good week or two (and now my dissertation is in, and I've defended my expert witness report in court (as part of my course (the scariest part I might add!)) life seems relatively fun and I can go out and do these things without thinking I should be stuck in the library!

I have also realised that ages ago when I started reading blogs, many of them had their "signature" sign off! I realised mine was "Done for now". This is rubbish. Why do they all need to end the same way. It's a little too much "Dear Diary" for my taste. So now I shall be ending in whatever manner I feel!

This one shall end:
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh (in a relaxed sigh sort of way!)

ps here are a few of photos from my whitstable adventure today click for a bigger version

Step 1. Give it a go!

After my last blog about not entirely knowing what kind of photography I wanted to go into I had a bit of a think.

This week is "Varsity" week. This basically entails a whole series of grudge matches between UKC (University of Kent in Canterbury - my university) and CCCU (Canterbury Christchurch University). Two universities in one town is bound to draw up some rivalries! I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try out some sport photography. I managed to get myself on the side lines for Varsity Mens Rugby match.  The problem however was that it was a 7:30pm. This means it was dark. The pitch was flood lit which was fine for the spectators (quite a good crowd turned up!) But in terms of photography it was dark. After having done some research I learnt that I'd need a shutter speed of about 1/1000 of a second to ensure that I froze the action. Looking back I think I could have brought this down to somewhere between 1/350 and 1/500. But never mind. However this meant that I had to use an ISO (film speed) of 12800. This is very high. High ISO means you get grainy photos. Grainy photos are horrible (unless they're "artistic"!). 

The match itself was ok. But I didn't get any "killer" photos, But experience is experience. Something I do have is called "noise ninja". This is a plug-in for photoshop that does wonderful things to remove the grain from "noisy" images. Below are two versions of the same photo. One using noise ninja and one without:

No Noise Ninja

                                                                                    




















Noise Ninja

You can see there is definitely a difference although the noise ninja-ed(?!) image does lose a bit of detail.
I would never consider using an image like this professionally but it's an interesting test and noise ninja could be very useful on images that don't have quite so much noise.
So the sport experience was good, and depending on how much time I have I may well try and go to other varsity events to photograph as well. Although I have serious amounts of work to do. (and yet I'm still writing this :S!)

The second completely different thing I did to procrastinate in the library yesterday was to create a "fantasy scene". This is not something from my own mind unfortunately but I followed a step by step photoshop tutorial  to try and create an image. Just like following a recipe and trying to get your food looking just like it does in the book! This is the first "complicated" tutorial I've followed and I loved it! I shall show you the image...

This image obviously isn't real but it's a long complicated mash up of different images to make a cool fantasy style image. This is the first time I've successfully followed a tutorial of this kind and I learnt quite a lot on the way! Now all I need is the creativity in my own mind to come up with this in my head and then try to get it out on the computer!

There you go. Two entirely separate events and experiences. Both I thoroughly enjoyed. And both I plan on doing again soon.

Done for now.

Which branch of that metaphorical tree next?

So. I have finally worked out what I want to do after university. Photography. Excellent. Most of my friends and family are getting used the idea now (although some are making sure I'm being realistic about the likelihood of it happening (it's good to dream (and conveniently I have one (I also like brackets)))).

Now the question seems to be coming along that says "Cool, what sort of photography are you into?"
Ummm,
Errr,
Good question.

The obvious answer, and the one I seem to give at the moment is "Well, wedding and portrait photography mainly".
It seems every man and his dog is doing wedding photography now (well maybe not his dog, opposable thumbs are quite important). It's easy to turn up to a wedding and take lots of photos. But there is definitely something that sets apart your average wedding photographer from your world class photographer. David Ziser is a one of (many) world class photographers and although his website is less than inspiring (weirdly!) His photos are astonishing. He probably doesn't need a website to advertise. I think he's that in demand!

Portraits? Well I've tried my hand at portraits and I like what I see but again there's a huge difference between normal portrait photography and world class photography. Check out Joe McNally or Blair Buntings website.

These seem like the obvious ones to get into because loads of people are getting married and want family portraits (even in the recession) and still pay the money for them.

But what about the other aspects? Wildlife, Sport, Travel, Photojournalism, Fashion, Commercial.

How does one go about getting into those catagories?

Again in my mind it spans that huge chasm between being a photographer and being a world class photographer and I think the guys who fill that gap have found the ultimate combination:
Skill, Luck (right place right time), People, Experience, Natural Talent

You can gain experience, you can (sometimes) meet the right people, you can gain skill. But you can't do anything about luck or natural talent.

If I'm honest I don't know what I would like to do. I think I would love to do any combination of Wildlife, Sport and Travel, Weddings and Portraits. Greedy I know.
But the first three? How do you convince someone to pay you to travel and take photos. Sport photography is a very expensive hobby and it seems like a vicious circle. You can't get the jobs without the kit and you can't get the kit without the jobs. Obviously you could get other jobs to get the kit but it's a steep investment if you don't know if you're going to make it or not! (£2,000 - >£10,000 for a lens).

So where do I go? Who do I speak to? What's the way forward? How does one go about taking the iconic images we all would recognise in a flash. Marilyn Munroe and the floaty skirt? The naked girl running from the Vietnam napalm attacks? The man blocking the tanks in Tiananmen Square?

I'll figure it out. I've decided not to be happy with mediocrity.

Done for now.

Obligatory Photo opp

With all photographers when they get a new piece of equipment they have to try it out. Immediately. If it's a flash you start flashing people, if it's a battery you charge it. If it's a bag you pack all your stuff in it and go for a hike!

I got a camera so I had to take photos. Obviously. I was in the lab all day yesterday so I didn't get the day to play but when I got home (after walking in the monsoonesque rain) I thought it was about time to get "creative". I am disappointingly uncreative. I wish I had more crazy thoughts and ideas that I could then try and photograph.

Anyway, I found a bottle of slightly bizarre wine and thought I'd photograph it! Here's the result

It didn't take long but I thought it was quite funky with fairly minimal post processing.

Done for now