New Lenses

Forgotten Defences
Canon 24-105mm F/4.0 L IS USM

I have been lucky enough to be able to buy a couple of new lenses, these lenses where for different reasons. This shot was taken with the Canon 24-105mm F/4.0 L IS USM which was purchased to replace my Tamron 17 - 50mm F/2.8 non VC.

I was worried about how this lens would be on a crop sensor camera but i have to say it performs as you would expect a L series glass to do. The wide angle end was covered by another lens i purchased which was the Canon EF-S 10-22mm which has very good reviews. I purchased this for two reasons primarily i didn't have a wide angle i could attach filters to and it covered the focal range missed by the 24-105.

The Warren Folkestone Kent
Canon EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-F/4.5 USM

The Canon 10-22 is a excellent lens and as many reviews state is very close to what you would expect of a L lens very sharp even wide open.

Very pleased with both lenses so look out for new images taken with them. I am not a lens reviewer at all so if you need more info do what i did and google them and read reviews, but i have to say i am not at all disappointed with my choice.


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Sunset Ramsgate Harbour




Ramsgate Harbour Last Light

 

 

 

 

Had my new lens arrive and decided i wanted to take it out, so i went down to Ramsgate Harbour and took a few shots. While i was there i met a fellow photographer, Dicky Dyer.

 

This shot was taken from the harbour wall looking back in towards the harbour. Wasn't the best sunset but gave me a chance to try out my lens. I purchased the Canon 24-105mm F/4.0 IS L USM which really is a great lens. I was fully aware that the focal range would change due to my Canon 7D crop sensor, but i have the wide angle covered with the highly regarded Canon EF-S 10-22mm. I was a little concerned at how good the lens would be on a crop sensor but i need not have. Providing you accept this is not a wide angle lens on a crop sensor camera and have that covered with another lens then this is a perfectly good walk around lens, the equivalent focal range is 38-168mm.

 

I haven't had my 10-22 for very long but this lens combination on a crop body i think is a great set up. Look forward to getting out with them both and hope to get some great images in the future.

 

 

 



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Reculver Towers Long Exposure Lee Big Stopper

Reculver Towers

Well i recently decided to invest in a few descent filters and after much deliberation i went down the Lee Filters route. I purchased the foundation kit along with a couple of wide angle adaptor rings and a 0.6 soft ND Grad filter.

I have to say i am a great believer in you get what you pay for and Lee Filters are fairly expensive but very well made and great results, they come in nice protective cases not a cheap case.

Very quickly i wanted to get the Big Stopper but that is not as easy as it sounds as they are still in short supply. I did find somewhere that had them in stock although they were over priced i decided i would invest, and i am glad i did, this is the first real attempt with the filter which i combined with the 0.6 soft nd grad.

This was a spur of the moment decision to go down to Reculver, glad i did as i also met up with some of the members of East Kent Cameras uk run by Kevin Harwin. Was nice to finally meet some of you and put some faces to the names and the great work they produce.

I have used a B&W screw on 10 stop nd filter before and must say personally i like the Lee system better as they filters are easy to remove and attach and will fit all your lenses with the correct adaptor ring. The adaptor rings are cheaper than having to purchase multiple filters or the fiddly step up/down rings. I found the Lee big stopper did produce a slight cool blue colour cast which is very easily corrected as apposed to the B&W which gave a stronger magenta cast which was not as easy to correct. And the blue cast of the Lee can add to a image in my opinion.

Still waiting for my Canon EF-S 10-22mm to arrive which i ordered from Simply Electronics, they are cheaper but delivery times are long at times , upto several weeks, not sure i will use them again but thats another story.


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Sunrise Viking Bay Broadstairs

Viking Bay Broadstairs Kent

Well holiday is well and truly over and really feels like time for another already, this week was early turn at work for me and luckily for me a long weekend ! With that in mind i decided to do a sunrise shot, which is something i have never done! Normally on a day off i like a lie in after getting up early or getting in late all week, but i thought i must do it so today was the day. Even my wife was up bright and early at four this morning to come with me, and she brought doughnuts!

 

 

After looking at possible locations earlier in the week and checking out The Photographers Ephemeris desktop app i decided on Viking Bay, this is the main beach in Broadstairs. Off we set at about half four this morning to scout the area out for the best location to shoot from, wasn't sure if i wanted a high cliff top shot or one that was lower down. My wife and i walked along the cliff top and made our way down onto the boardwalk which runs along the beach area. I tried a couple of test shots but there were a couple of powerful spot lights along the small harbour wall which was causing a lot of flare and loss of detail in the image. Also we wasn't positive of where the sun would actually appear from.

 

We then decided it would be better back up top looking across the bay from the top of the cliff. I tried a couple of spots and decided on this spot which had some foreground interest with the wild flowers growing along the top of the cliff. It was then just a matter of waiting, and waiting, in hindsight we got there a little earlier than needed but a lesson learnt.

 

Daylight began to break across the bay with only one other person around at the time, he was on the beach with a metal detector looking for buried treasure no doubt! The sky had a great look about it with some nice blue tones and some clouds. I was thinking this was going to be a great sunrise first time out, how wrong i was.

 

There was that much cloud that we never actually saw the sun break the horizon, it just kind of appeared two thirds of the way up but banded behind a bank of cloud, then dissapeared never to be seen again!

 

Really should make more of a effort to get out earlier in the day as the light is just beautiful, just not tomorrow!



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Santa Ponsa Mallorca Holiday

Board Walk Santa Ponsa, Mallorca

Been back from my holiday for over two weeks already, and now feels like i never had one. We went to Santa Ponsa which is on the South West coast of Mallorca. There is not a lot of information on this resort on the web but if you ever get the chance go!

It is a great location as transport is so easy from here. Five minute walk from our hotel was the main bus stop where you could get a bus to pretty much anywhere on the island or even a Taxi.We used the bus for a day out to Palma which was very easy.

Anyway this is the reason i have not managed to post many images but hope normal service will resume soon.



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Olympic Torch Arrived in Ramsgate Thursday 19th July 2012

Olympic Torch Ramsgate 2012

Today was our day and shine we did. I made my way to the harbour area of Ramsgate at around 09:40 to find that there was already large crowds so trying to find a vantage point without a Photographers Pass, not bitter Andy!, was going to be a challenge.

I could have tried to get to the front of the crowds which were four or five deep along the harbour route but thought i would stand a better chance if i was up a little higher. So i managed to find a spot along the top which i think is Westcliffe Arcade, looking down onto Royal Parade.

This meant i had to use my 70-200mm to get a good shot in as it came around the top as by the time it reached me i would be shooting downwards anyway. The downside meant i couldn't get the harbour in the same shot, which had been my intention for a few days, but you have to make adjustments sometimes as the conditions dictate!

This is our torchbearer for this leg, Chloe Gambrill

Chloe Gambrill Olympic Torchbearer Ramsgate

Chloe's nomination story

Chloe is a truly inspirational young lady who has pushed herself through very difficult times. In June 2005, aged 6, Chloe was diagnosed with leukaemia and began 27 months of chemotherapy treatment. It was an extremely distressing and frightening time, following on from the death of her nannie to breast cancer, but Chloe demonstrated from the very beginning of her treatment that she would not let this illness stop her living her ' normal' life. Only five weeks after being diagnosed, Chloe took part in Cancer Research UK 's Race for Life in memory of her Nannie. This was despite having an operation and chemotherapy treatment only days before. Only 1km into the 5km course she collapsed. She was absolutely unable to stand or walk but refused to get into an ambulance. Having begged me( her mum) to let her carry on we continued to the finish line taking it in turns to carry her. She was so worried that she would let her sponsors down that she would not give up. Following this event she later took part in a sponsored swim at her local swimming club to raise funds for the children's ward where she was being treated. She helped Cancer Research UK promote Race for Life and continued to try and go to school as often as possible, attend ballet and swim, despite being extremely ill. Since finishing treatment she has continued to fund raise and now swims competitively, winning a county medal for the 200m butterfly event. She is a bright, funny, determined 12 year old who never gives up.


(Story as provided by the Torchbearer’s nominator)

You did us proud Chloe your a true inspiration to us all

As the tourchbearer past below us i turned to shoot this shot, and it just struck me that's how it should be done, but i could really have used that spare seat!

That's how it should be done

I have to say i was very impressed with the organisation of the whole event, Kent Police did a great job with their motorcycle riders high fiveing the kids in the crowd as they went passed, a simple touch but a real winner, well done lads.

Thanet council did a great job with the route and crowd control and a swift clean up operation after and re opening the roads with minimal disruption.

It passed by us fairly quickly but i think it was a success and one people will remember for years to come no matter what their opinion on the Olympics is.

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Tower Bridge Olympic Rings



Tower Bridge Olympic Rings

The Olympic games is fast approaching and London is full of Olympic fever, even the iconic Tower Bridge has developed the rings.

I have wanted to get this shot for a while but due to work commitments i have been unable to get there. Well this week i find myself free and decided to go get the shot, before the games come to a close. I knew it would be a late finish due to the fact it doesn't get dark till well after nine, but wasn't prepared for just how late i would return home.



Tower Bridge and City Hall

I arrived in London early as i wanted to scout out a few locations for future reference but i think i gave myself to much time so spent a few hours walking around waiting for the right time to head down to Tower Hill.

Trying to find the best vantage point along the riverbank is not as easy as it sounds, due to the amount of people and other togs trying to get the same shot. The retaining wall along the embankment is very wide and with the angle you are looking towards the bridge its almost impossible to get this out of your shot with a wide angle lens.

Tried a few locations from along the embankment and set up. This time of year it does take a while before it gets dark enough for good night shots, even the use of polarising and nd filters didn't help a great deal. Best wait for nature! Then when is is dark the light that illuminate the rings seem to be switched off fairly soon after, or at least on this evening they were.

Then as conditions were all coming together the weather to close in and a totally un forecast shower hit, meaning shooting stopped for some twenty minuets, as i was preparing to go home and said goodbye to some other togs i had met here, the rain stopped so managed to squeeze another few shots in before i left.

The time was getting on and i was all tied up in what i was doing i had not even thought of the return journey home and very quickly worked out i had missed the last high speed train from St Pancras and the services from nearby London Bridge so had to get to Victoria and i just made the 23.22 service which yes tonight terminated at Faversham with a replacement bus the remaining way home, bloody trains!!

Finally got back home at 02:00 hrs shattered!

Also gave me a chance to try out my new bag the Lowepro Classified 200 AW which is a great walk around messenger style bag which is great for easy access to all your gear. Highly recommend this bag as a walk around bag.

Thanks for looking, comments on the images welcome here or my Flickr page




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How to Photograph Smoke

It is fair to say that at some point most photographers be it pros or hobbyist's, will at some point try to photograph smoke!

This is where i found myself this morning before work.

Smoke Photography

This is how i set about it.....

London Trip

The Dark Knight Rises

Good day in London today still working my way through the images but think i got a few to work on. This building is situated near Tower Bridge and City Hall. Not sure the architect new what he was creating at the time but still very impressive building

To see more of my London images keep an eye on my flickr stream 

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Homemade Photography Background

Lee  & Tash

I have been looking at various options for a photography background from the well known brands to just different designs on sheets, the large branded ones are expensive and the bed sheets and things are limited to their size and proportions. So i looked at material and decided to buy some extra wide dye sheeting. This is about 2.5 X 5 meters or 8.5 X 16.5 feet. The size is perfect for any type of portrait work from a single portrait, couples or small family groups. The length is ideal for full length shots as the background simply fills the frame into the foreground , as shown below.

Port Lympne

Tiger at Port Lympne

Todays weather was the best day by far this week so took the family to Port Lympne, after making our way through the ticket office the first place we visited was the Tiger enclosure. These animals are so majestic, i was totally smitten them.

We watched for a while and then left made our way around the complex and before we left revisited the Tigers, they are by far my favourite , so photographic

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Botany Bay Sunset

Sunset Botany Bay Broadstairs

Been meaning to visit this bay for a while and have not been out with the camera for a while , mainly due to work, so decided to finally pay it a visit.

Botany Bay is a beautiful sandy bay near the Captain Digby pub in Kingsgate. The bay is a quiet bay with some great cliff formations which have been carved out by mother nature over thousands of years. The tide goes out a fair distance exposing a large sandy beach with areas of rock, creating interesting rock pools the kids will love to explore.

This is a great bay for the family or as a photographer, its a ideal location for sunsets and on the right day it will not disappoint.

When taking sunset shots i find it better to under expose by about 1 stop, this will bring out the rich vibrant colours and i think it also helps to have the white balance set to cloudy as this will tend to slightly warm the whole image, providing you are shooting in RAW this can be done in post.
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Suprise Winner

Didn't even realise they were entered into a draw when i added it to the Aputure Flickr group but this entry has won this months competition and i win a set of new triggers, very nice :-)

http://www.aputure.com/blog/2012/06/01/lee-pelling-speedlite-gel/

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Golf Society Shoot

The eventual winner with a winning shot

Well this week i attended a golf society day at a local course. I used to play in this society a few years ago but my interest in photography was out growing my interest and talent in golf so i decided to give up the golf to pursue the photography.

The day started out with the usual bacon rolls and a coffee before the first Tee. I took my position just in front and to the side of the tee area, i was using my Canon 7D with a 70 - 200 mm F/4.0 L usm. This gave me a reasonable focal length to not be in the golfers eye line while teeing off.

The thing to remember when photographing this type of event is to keep a high shutter speed, one to reduce the risk of camera shake and two, to freeze the golfer mid flow, this does mean you may have to increase the ISO to get a working shutter speed and for most of the day i was working at around the 800 iso range.

After getting everyone on the first tee i had to try and negotiate the golf course and catch up with the first group out to get more images. Once i found them i remained on that whole and got the who group coming through then repeated this till the final whole.

Did a few presentation shots and a group shot which as it had just started to rain they were not very keen on moving out of the shelter into the open so the composition is not what i would have hoped for.

This was a good event for me to do got a few good images from and produced over 400 images for the society chairman to use as he sees fit.

The post processing was all done in lightroom 4 and was printed by photobox. I have to say the images photobox produced were very very quick in arriving just over 24 hours later however the images were a bit on the dark side so after some advise from another photographer i am trying a different lab DSCL so i will let you know if the images are any better from them.

A few pictures are being shown on my Flickr page and all photos from the day are on my Lee Pelling Photography Facebook Page. Feel free to have a look and any feedback and comments are always welcome





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Deb - Speedlite 52 - Week 15

Deb - Speedlite 52 - Week 15

This image was originally planned to be a colour image, i talked my wife into putting on some really over the top make up as i had a idea i wanted to try out,strictly photographic you understand!

As she was getting ready i was setting up in the garden. I had recently purchased a lastolite softbox and really hadn't had the chance to use it.

I set up the softbox on a lightstand with my 580 exii speedlite attached and was fired with Aperture Trigmaster Plus radio transmitters i had a second speedlite, my 430 ex ii , in a tree, which was camera right and slightly behind model.

Trying to find a nice pose that looks good and that the model is happy with is a real art and something which i think i need to learn more about.

We both decided on this image which was in colour but after a mono conversion using Niksoft Silver Efex Pro 2, we both really liked how this looked. If you want to see the original it has been posted on my Flickr Photostream.

The Lastolite softbox is a 24x24 or 60x60 box which is extremely well made and i anticipate this lasting a long time. The quality of light i think is fantastic, it uses two diffusion panels and a silver reflective interior, you can also remove one of the panels for a more contrasty image and masks are also available for creative effects. These can also be made with a few D I Y skills. So far i have to say i much prefer this to an umbrella for portraits and something i will be using more in the future i am sure.

The radio triggers are working very well, they are fully manual so no TTL metering with them but i like to set up manually anyway. These are very reasonably priced if you look around on fleabay you can get them for as little as £20 each, from amazon they are around £90 mark

The lens i was using was my Canon 70-200 F/4.0 L USM which is a fantastic lens. Very sharp great lens for portraits ,weddings or sports and would highly recommend it.
Right, must get off as i am doing a golf society shoot tomorrow at a local golf course so got to prepare for that, images will be posted on my website under RTCGS link for anyone interested.

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