Newsletter August 2009

The police and photographers, articles, reviews and courses…

Newsletter August 2009

Hi All and welcome to the Newsletter for August 2009.

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed the summer and that you had some good weather for getting out and about. We have had some superb weather down here in Weymouth and I have finally managed to spend some quality time with my wife and kids! As much as I love the little urchins, its back to school next week and not a moment too soon! If you work at home you will know what I am talking about.

Anyway, this month:

Home Office vs. Police vs. Photographers

The Home Office has finally published a new circular paper on 'Photography and Counter-Terrorism Legislation'. The paper makes it quite clear that anti-terror laws cannot be used to prevent anyone from taking photographs.

Published on 18 August 2009 and sent to all chief constables around the UK, the Home Office has confirmed that Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (and Section 76A of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008) were not designed to stop public photography.

So basically, as long as you are not in a restricted area, you are quite entitled to photograph anything without harassment from the authorities.

Article - What makes a good photo?

Many wedding photographers pitch themselves proudly as "reportage" photographers these days (myself included). This is the art of photographing things naturally and "as they happen". However, we then go and add or remove details later as well as adding various special effects. Is this still pure reportage?

Read our article and add your comments here…What makes a good photo?

Old vs. New

As I was writing a section of the private members website (coming soon), in order to illustrate something, I had to source an image of the first SLR I ever bought back in 1980, here it is next to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (yes, I bought one on eBay after sourcing the image).

Cameras do NOT come any more basic than this Chinon CM-4s. It has a shutter speed dial, an ISO dial and an aperture ring on the lens. It has 3 LED lights for an exposure meter (red-green-red) and that is it!

Manual everything from focus to exposure.

My 5D Mark II is at the doctors at the moment but when it gets home, I am going to, just for fun, take some comparison shots using both cameras in exactly the same set ups and scenarios. I am hoping that the 5D will blow away the Chinon and finally prove that it was the camera that took so many poor photos back in the early 1980’s and not me ; )

I have bought a basic cable release (£9), some Fujichrome Velvia (ISO 50 - £9.99) and some Ilford FP4 black and white film (ISO 125 - £6.50). Very nostalgic but very expensive! Watch this space for the super review of the year! (Edit: Now written here)

The Impossible Project

Bizarrely, after writing the above article, I was alerted to a story. Apparently there is a team of investors looking to bring back instant Polaroid film with a 10 x 8 format in 2010. An interesting project and quite a risky one at that. They promise to make the product slightly different to the traditional format and are testing both black and white and colour at the moment.

Is film coming back to life?

The Impossible Project

Stock Photography Course

I have finalised a date for our very first stock photography course and it will be on the weekend of 3rd/4th October (edit: Now finished obviously). During the course, I will cover everything from;

We will have practical sessions both in the studio environment as well as out and about. I will also cover earnings potential and equipment needed so if you have ever wanted to know how to break into this industry, come along to Dorset for the weekend (accommodation included) to learn more.

More info here: Stock Photography Course

Animoto Video!

I had dinner with the guys from Animoto earlier this year. They asked me how I thought their software could be improved. Whilst I already loved what Animoto did, I told them my thoughts about video. I explained how it is creeping into the world of photography with wedding photographers in particular. Could they add the facility to include video?

They loved the idea and I like to think that because of this "tete a tete", they have now introduced exactly that!

You can now add short video or animation clips to your slideshows using footage from either their own library (including iStock photo clips) or simply upload your own. Nice one Animoto and here is my first effort using this new facility.

Go to: Animoto Slideshow Maker

Lowepro Dryzone Rover

One thing that has been bothering me about my upcoming trip to Africa (apart from lions, hungry hippos, malaria etc) is how will I carry my camera gear whilst riding a motocross bike over some of Africa’s most rugged and challenging terrain?

The problem is not only protecting the gear when I fall off the bike but also waterproofing it for the 70 or so rivers we have to cross/swim/fall into as well as holding enough personal hydration. We need to carry 2-3 litres of drinking water on our backs!

I think I found and bought the answer: Lowepro Dryzone Rover

Well, that is just about it for this month so squeeze every last drop out of the summer (unless you are in the southern hemisphere) and look forward to those beautiful, colourful Autumnal days. I will spend a lot of September preparing myself for the Enduro Africa trip as well as finishing off the membership site. It looks as though there may also be a few new exciting DSLR’s hitting the market later this year so keep 'em peeled.

Thanks for reading and take care,

Nick
All Things Photography