Lensbaby
Lensbaby - creative lenses
I got a lensbaby composer sometime around 2009. I did love experimenting with this lens on my canon 5D II. The original composer lens came with a 50mm multi-coated optical glass doublet with drop in aperture.
In recent years I had not used it or kept up with the new developments from lensbaby. Wow – they have really expanded and produced a range of lenses to really spark the imagination.
So I have just re-discovered my lensbaby composer and bought some new optics (interchangable optics that fit into the original composer). I have also bought the separate Lensbaby velvet 56 lens – and this is my new love….
Analog
Analog - working with film
I really enjoy using vintage cameras and film. I started with a brownie camera when I was 9 and now have a collection of old cameras including a treasured Hassleblad 550C, an Olympus XA, a russian lomo, plastic Holgas and Diana’s, a graflex twin lens reflex, some polaroids and a Rollei 35.
I like trying out difference films but my favourite is to put a roll of medium format film through a plastic camera like the Holga. A marriage made in heaven. Using film hones your photography skills and makes you much more selective about what you shoot. There is a joy in the waiting to see if things come out as expected. I also love the unexpected things that happen with light leaks…
TTV
Through the viewfinder - a different outlook
TTV stands for ‘through the viewfinder’.
This is where you take a digital photograph through the lens of another camera. It creates a wonderful frame and some divine blurryness.
I use an old Canon 350d which is small and light enough to hold with one hand. I then point the lens into a long thin whiskey bottle box. At the bottom of the box is a vintage twin lens reflex camera. I shoot through the top and out comes some fantastic images. Wonderful experiments…
Urban photography
Street photography and architecture from around the world
Urban landscapes tell so many stories about the people who have lived there in the past and the present. I find them fascinating and they are one of my favourite types of photography. My work includes large scale landscapes, architecture old and new and street photography which aims to capture the people within their urban context.
It includes people, cities and towns from around the world and even some from the future; )
Nature
Nature - from small things to grand landscapes
The natural world provided endless possibilities for the photographer – from the tiniest insects to sweeping land and sea scapes. I particularly enjoy photographing fungi, plants and trees. As I always travel with my cameras I take every opportunity to capture whatever landscapes I find myself in. I used to travel extensively and have been lucky enough to take photographs in China, India, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and England.
I use a range of different cameras so my nature photographs come in all shapes and sizes. Holga and lomo cameras produce great landscape shots.
People
Photographing people - formal portraits and playfulness
Taking photographs of people is one of the most rewarding types of photography for me – capturing the essence of a person in any particular moment. It helps to have a good rapport with the person and a good understanding of the balance between letting them be themselves, keeping them relaxed and directing them if you want to achieve a particular impact with a portrait.
This website contains a mixture of formal portraits and more relaxed images. I also do wedding photography where the rapport can make a massive difference to the kinds of shots you get. I like taking photos of people when they are unaware, just being themselves. The minute you point a camera at someone they change…
