Blog – Just for fun
If it’s not fun, then why do it in the first place? At least when it comes to a hobby, and photography is definitely a hobby for me. So here are a few posts about photoshopping, high speed triggers, imaginary dragons and splashing with water. All in the name of having fun!
Riots during car-free Sunday in Essex
After the court injunction preventing publication of pictures from the riot-causing car-free Sunday in Essex has finally been lifted, I hurry to bring you pictures of the the busiest road in the country, void of traffic. And of the armed forces ensuring that only emergency vehicles were allowed on the roads.
Over-saturated cartoonish rubbish!
An HDR virgin’s story of how the tall and handsome, lavishly illuminated, extravagant towers of Canary Wharf led me into temptation and turned me into a sinner. HDR is not to be used just for the sake of using it, but I thoroughly enjoyed my foray into the world of expanded dynamic range, and feel sure I’ll eventually come back for a second helping.
Bull’s Eye
Balloons. Water. Darts. These simple ingredients, and surprisingly little trial-and-error, resulted in some almost otherworldly pictures of water-balls suspended in mid-air, split seconds before they discovered gravity and disentegrated.
Strawberry-phobic water
Often used to adjust white balance, cheap, coloured strips of plastic (gels) can also be used to add oomph to a picture, by deliberately introducing bright, bold and beautiful colour casts. This post explains how to turn a glass of water, a strawberry, and a couple of gels into a piece of wall-art.
They’re a bit scary in large groups
A bit of photoshop turns 12 into 40, and just by virtue of the sheer number, a set of otherwise cute salt and pepper shakers take on a somewhat menacing appearance. It goes to prove that not everything is what it seems.
The Chilli tree
A high key shot of our homegrown chilli plant with its 54 ripe fruits (yes, I counted them!), and a version with Mr Blue, Ms Red and a black background. The setup for the latter required a gobo and several reflectors to get the light right, and even so, one of the lessons I take away from this shoot, is that more practise is required.
It must be love…
A simple recipe for how to make out-of-focus highlights have any shape you want, using nothing more high-tech than a piece of cardboard and a knife.
Make a wish
One dandelion and two colourful salt and pepper shakers. A story about grasping an idea – or accepting that sometimes you don’t have a game plan, and you have to make it up as you go along.
Dragons and aliens
There are dragons and aliens walking amongst us. We can even photograph them. It’s just a matter of finding some of that childhood imagination again. This post explains how to capture figures in smoke, and how to colourize them in Photoshop.
