blame guns? mental health? why not just blame the killer!

Following the recent tragic shooting at a school in Connecticut I've noticed a lot of posts on facebook from people with strong opinions on revoking the right to carry arms in the USA.

This tragedy has hit us all hard, none more so than the relatives of those innocent children and heroic teachers who gave their lives protecting the students they taught.

My thoughts are with them all at this difficult time and I am disgusted by some of the comments I have seen written on facebook regarding the events, one person even wrote a very nasty reply to someone's post blaming the shooters Autism as the reason for him committing this atrocious crime stating " These monsters need to be locked up.......all of them"

  
Yes it was a factor that the young man in question was mentally challenged, however I know many people who have been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, yes some of them may be violent or aggressive but so can any "normal" person having a mental illness does not make a person a threat to society and neither does owning a gun.

It is also a factor that the Shooters mother owned weapons, it could be argued that if she hadn't owned the weapons this would never have happened, if gun laws weren't so lapse in the USA this wouldn't have happened, if all guns were destroyed and gun shops closed down this wouldn't have happened.

We can look far and wide and dig deep looking for answers and reasoning but when all is said and done it is the gun owners responsibility to keep their arms in a secure locked rifle cabinet or box and out of access to others in the household, prevention doesn't come from banning firearms, they will always be available on the black market, prevention comes from teaching our children the difference between right and wrong, respect for a firearm and perhaps stricter licensing in the USA.

Now as a Brit I know that any change in gun laws in the USA isn't of a concern to us as gun crime over here is minimal, this isn't because guns are not available, after all if you wanted to buy a firearm without a license it is simply a matter of finding the right people.

There are many LEGAL firearms owners in the UK and I know personally quite a few and have even spent some time at a shooting range with a small group of friends who have section 1 firearms certificates, and I thoroughly enjoyed the days activity shooting a couple of different calibre rifles at targets, my friend even brought along his 13 year old daughter to have a go for the first time and she too enjoyed herself.

I enjoyed it so much that I am even considering getting a license myself and a couple of rifles, one big difference between the UK and the USA is Automatic weapons are not allowed, to those who are not quite sure of the difference an Automatic weapon will shoot constant bursts (basically a machine gun in laymans terms) and hand guns have to be a certain barrel length (24 inches minimum I think is the correct length) so that the handgun can not be concealed.

many of these massacres and shootings that take place in America were done using Automatic weapons or Handguns (there will be exceptions) so perhaps the answer lies in limiting guns, Automatic rifles have no place in protection of the home, they have no place on a range or in hunting they are made for one purpose, Military.

Unfortunately as I mentioned before guns will always be available and the only prevention is knowledge and teaching the correct use of a gun for sport or hunting, if the person applying for a firearm has mental health medical problems obviously putting a gun in their hands would not be a great idea as they don't think like you or me in a logical sense, and as such are not able to understand the consequences of using a weapon, if you have someone with a mental health issue living on your premises, by all means don't keep any guns in the premises, keep them at a gun club or a secure lock up away from vulnerable people.

I am in no way defending the shooter for his actions but to put the blame on a gun or mental health is wrong no one knew this lad would do this, there are as many people murdered using household instruments (hammers, screwdrivers, kitchen knives) throughout the world should we ban and blame these when such a thing happens? tragedies happen there is no one to blame other than the thoughts and actions of one man (boy) no one will ever know his reasoning behind it all we can do is grieve for those who's lives he took and hope people learn from it so it doesn't happen again.

Working with Bands & Musician's

It has been quite a while since I updated here and also quite a while since I did any photography, times are hard in the financial climate we live in and business is slow unless you are willing to work for free, which of course none of us really want to do.

This brings me to the reason for this Blog entry, I saw a post on Facebook by a very talented photographer stating that a band were using his images without giving credit, now this is something I too have personally been a victim  of, and yes Victim is the correct terminology for this situation.

The said tog had agreed to supply the images he took of the band for free under the condition that his logo was displayed on the images used, and/or credit be given to him in the form of a note posted with the image on whatever site it was being used on.

This is a simple request by the tog and one I also use to protect my copyright ownership of the images I take,  yes that is right, if I take a photograph of a band I own the copyright to the images unless previously stated in a written or verbal contract.

Is it too much to ask for bands to respect the photographers work and leave the copyright watermark on the image or at the least state who took the photograph, especially if the tog did so for free, which brings me to my second point.

For the first year I was taking band photo's I did a lot of shoots for free under the impression this would get my name and my work known on the local music scene, although this was true and I am quite respected among the local music community it was also my biggest mistake when starting stageside photography.

Because I had done so many shoots for free this was now expected as the "norm" from promoters and bands alike, once you start charging work begins to dwindle, over the last two years I have had only a handful of shoots with bands who were willing to pay for my services and to these I say thank you and I thoroughly enjoyed working with you.

Now however it seems the end for Stageside is nigh, I see many posts from musicians and bands complaining about "pay to play" venues or stating what they provide and that they should be paid for providing their music and performance, and while I agree whole heartedly it makes me wonder if there is some double standards going on here, musicians rightly expect to be paid, yet they seem to want photographers to work for free? what makes their service any different to ours? or less valuable?.

After all, who's images do the bands use for press packs and promotion, t-shirts, posters and even album and EP covers? without promotion bands don't get anywhere and so your music is left being played to a handful of people, take a moment to think what a photographer is giving you when they do a photo shoot..

Firstly their time, like yours, is precious the hour or two they spend photographing you could be spent on promoting their own work or on a paid job.

The equipment a photographer uses is rarely cheap, we have to pay for this ourselves this often includes, the camera's (one as a back up), lenses, flash units, tripods, secure bag for carrying the equipment, among many other gadgets and filters etc none of which is paid for by the client.

Insurance is another out going for the photographer, we have to have insurance to cover theft, damage to equipment as well as public liability insurance to cover any accidents which may occur during a shoot (rare but things do happen) this is more money out of our pockets.

Transport, fuel costs to and from gigs or locations again comes out of our pockets long before we are paid for a shoot.

And of course there are other outgoings such as food and drink (we are human and need this) while on shoots, props, models all cost money (the latter can be used for free but for a professional look a paid model is preferable) .

We also have household bills and living expenses to cover, after all for most of us photography is our job, our lifeline to surviving.

So now you have an idea of what outgoings we as photographers have before we even get to a photo shoot, perhaps you will stop complaining about not getting paid for a gig and start putting your hands in your own pockets and paying photographers for their work if you have a right to be paid so do we.

New photo shoot concept.

it's been ages since I did anything photography wise, I've got some horror shoot concepts I'd like to have a go at but need some other creative minds to give their input and maybe provide help with make up and costumes. anyone fancy a little project? if you think you can help make these concepts a reality email me at stageside@live.co.uk

Creating an Artist.

I was just sat reading through my blog and as I read through the article I wrote about Artistic Imagination a realisation dawned on me.

We all have that one teacher from school that we remember, they were either the one that encouraged and nurtured your talent or they were the one who ridiculed you, who you really didn't like that much.

Myself and one of my best friends both went to the same high school, a few years apart, however we both have one teacher we remember in common, Mrs Sowerby the art teacher, now both myself and my friend are very creative and artistic people these days but the one thing Mrs Sowerby said to us both was that we would never be artists, I'm unsure if those were the exact words she used (it's a long time ago) but that was the general meaning of what she said to us, she ridiculed the work we had created, in my case a painting.

I think back now and yes perhaps the painting I had done wasn't conventional, the paint applied too heavy and thick, the wrong colours used ( I am colour blind) but surely isn't the point of art to create and use your own imagination?.

The realisation I came to today was that perhaps Mrs Sowerby did see our potential yet instead of praising it as you would in someone you know is good and you know has the motivation to pursue it, perhaps she saw that we weren't ready at that time and by ridiculing us what she actually did was give us an implanted thought process which never left, the thought that we can do it and we will prove her wrong.

In the years that have passed I have created many pieces of art in many formats, I have sold a good quantity of my work and it is admired by a fair amount of people, I am not a famous artist, nor do I make a substantial living from it, I still strive to create that one piece that will get me noticed by the right people, however I am an Artist in every sense of the word as is my friend.

I maybe wrong and the teacher did honestly think we were rubbish, but with me the mere memory of her saying I would never be an artist is what drives me forward to create along with the fact it is who I am no matter how I try to avoid or refuse it I need to create and that is how every true artist feels.

The Travellers Lament.

Download my new album of original instrumentals, pay nothing or donate what you like, it's your choice.

Living with Fibromyalgia.

                                                       

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fibromyalgia
Classification and external resources
The location of the nine paired tender points that comprise the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia.
ICD-10	M79.7
ICD-9	729.1
MedlinePlus	000427
eMedicine	med/790  med/2934 ped/777  pmr/47
MeSH	D005356

Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespreadpain and allodynia, a heightened and painful response to pressure.^[1] Fibromyalgia symptoms are not restricted to pain, leading to the use of the alternative termfibromyalgia syndrome for the condition. Other symptoms include debilitating fatigue,sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Some patients^[2] may also report difficulty with swallowing,^[3] bowel and bladder abnormalities,^[4] numbness and tingling,^[5] and cognitive dysfunction.^[6] Fibromyalgia is frequently comorbid with psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety and stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder.^[7][8] Not all people with fibromyalgia experience all associated symptoms.^[9]Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–4% of the population,^[7] with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1.^[10] The term "fibromyalgia" derives from new Latin,fibro-, meaning "fibrous tissues", Greek myo-, "muscle", and Greek algos-, "pain"; thus the term literally means "muscle and connective tissue pain".

The brains of fibromyalgia patients show functional and structural differences from those of healthy individuals, but it is unclear whether the brain anomalies cause fibromyalgia symptoms or are the product of an unknown underlying common cause. Some research suggests that these brain anomalies may be the result of childhood stress, or prolonged or severe stress.^[8]

Historically, fibromyalgia has been considered either a musculoskeletal disease orneuropsychiatric condition. Although there is as yet no cure for fibromyalgia, some treatments have been shown by controlled clinical trials to effectively reduce symptoms, including medications, behavioral interventions, patient education, and exercise.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16]} The most recent approach of a diagnosis of fibromyalgia involves pain index and a measure of key symptoms and severity.^[17]

Fibromyalgia has been recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the US National Institutes of Health and the American College of Rheumatology.^[18][19] Fibromyalgia, a central nervous system disorder, is described as a 'central sensitization syndrome' caused by neurobiological abnormalities which act to produce physiological pain and cognitive impairments as well as neuro-psychological symptomatology.^[20] Despite this, some health care providers remain skeptical about fibromyalgia as a disease because of a lack of abnormalities on physical examination and the absence of objective diagnostic tests.^[21][22]

The above is the wikipedia entry for Fibromyalgia giving an overview of the symptoms what I would like to do with this post is highlight what it is like living day to day with Fibromyalgia.

After many years complaining to various doctors and medical professionals who failed to discover what it was that ailed me I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia last year, I was told there is no cure for this and all that can be done is to try and manage the pain with pain killers.

Many people including friends and relatives find it difficult to understand what it is like living with Fibromyalgia, they see what on the outside looks like a normal, healthy person yet fail to see what is going on inside.

From waking up in the morning the battle with pain begins, for each person the symptoms will vary and differ, for myself I get sharp pains in my thighs, hips, lower back, knees, neck, shoulders and hands.
Cramps are a regular occurrence as is lethargy and chest pain.

Never knowing which area of the body the pain will strike I take pain killers which don't seem to work for me yet work for others, again this is to be expected according to my doctor and it may take many combinations of drugs to find the correct ones which do work and help me.

Walking is mostly an issue as most days I am in too much pain to walk farther than my kitchen however I do get rare good days where I am able to do more than expected but on these days it comes with a price as I can never move far for several days afterwards.

One of the most difficult things to come to terms with is other peoples view of you, they consider you to be lazy and a layabout who doesn't want to work. this is as far from the truth as you can get, I personally would relish being able to be as active as I once was and able to hold down a job, even running a part time photography business has proved too much for me and I have had to turn down offers of work because I can not do the hours required (these have been wedding photography which is often very long hours) as standing or sitting in one place doesn't ease the pain.

Depression is brought about not only by the pain but also the knowing that you are unable to do the things you once were, simple things people take for granted such as riding a bicycle, taking a walk in the sun, tidying up, even washing up causes pain and unease especially in my lower back.

And all the time you hope for a cure or at least some release from the pain and frustration you endure, unseen by friends and relatives, not believed by those in power and treated as a second class citizen by those who are nothing more than slaves to the grind, so before you judge a person with Fibromyalgia understand what he/she goes through day in, day out, constant pain and aching, depression and an understanding that it will only get worse through the years, and that we are not lazy we are suffering.

sad exploitation

This was posted on famed photographer Ian Tilton's Facebook page.

This is the STONE ROSES CONTRACT TO PHOTOGRAPHERS:
(For) the payment by us to you of the sum of £1 
The group (to keep) all Rights in perpetuity throughout the world so as to enable us to exploit the Photographs and the Rights as we (and/or they) deem fit without further reference or payment to you.
You agree to provide us with digital copies of any or all of the Photographs upon request.

Are the Stone Roses taking the mickey? Firstly Ian Tilton's photographs alone helped them along in their music career. 

There isn't a lot I can say about this other than at least Ian got all his earlier shots before this insult of a contract was drawn up the stone roses are wilting, in my opinion age is catching up with them and the earlier shots of bands who are still around from that era tend to be the more sought after images.

English Heritage

Yesterday (sunday 17th) my cousin and I went to a classic car show at Bodsworth Hall which is an English heritage site, the grounds and car show proved to hold a lot of great shots for us both but when we came to have a look around the hall itself we were told "no photography" when we asked why we were told firstly by one member of staff that it was Heritage policy to prevent thefts (yet they sell photographs of the antiquities in their gift shop?) upon wandering around my cousin decided to check how many shots he had left on his memory card as he has only brought a small one with him, as he was doing so an elderly gentleman came up behind us and abruptly told us photography isn't allowed, again we asked why as the house itself is only 150 yrs old and in vast need of repair, we were told again it was to prevent theft and copyright.

Now this is where I jumped in, I am quite savvy when it comes to the subject of copyright in many areas and I explained that the items they were referring to did not come under copyright or that the copyright no longer exists after 75 yrs on items of artwork, this baffled said member of staff who just mumbled about it being policy.

In my eyes the prevention of photographs in Heritage properties is just their way of trying to force people to spend more money on postcards, after purchasing the English Heritage membership as well as fuel costs to get there not to mention refreshments needed during a day out the average person visiting one of their sites has probably already spent around £30 just on that one day out, if like myself and my cousin you enjoy taking photographs of historical places and items purely for our own pleasure and portfolio's why should we have to pay out more to gain a keepsake of the place? especially when we are both more than capable of capturing the angles and shots we want instead of the forced pre-printed postcards in the gift shop.

Apparently if you contact them and book a slot you are allowed to take photographs? what difference does it make if you just arrive with a camera, do they use the time in between to check up on you ? and just what do they think we were going to do with the photographs too? I'm certain that no one would pay for prints of the items and I am also sure that planning a robbery would take a lot more than just a few photographs of an old vase or painting.

I can understand the no flash rule but to deny the public the opportunity to capture their own memories of our own heritage without prior arrangement is to me just pathetic.

One Camera, One lens.

I thought it was about time I tackled the matter of photographic equipment, some photographers insist that to get the shots required a multitude of lenses, flashes, filters and other gadgets are essential buys, and while this may be true for some shots in the whole I am going to show you that you can achieve many styles of photograph with minimal equipment.

The equipment I usually use on my shoots is a low end DSLR,  Nikon D60, the standard 18-55 kit lens which came with the camera, a sturdy tripod, a set of ND filters, a remote and one flash unit also a good photo editing program.

Very basic and also very light to carry for when I can't find someone to act as my assistant for the day, with this equipment I can get the majority of the shots I want and I will explain how I achieved some of my favorite photographs taken over the last few years.

The shot above was taken today using the automatic settings and enhanced in a photo editing program, this is something of a controversy between photographers, some see the use of an editing program as "cheating" where as others such as myself see it as doing exactly what was achieved in the dark room in the days of processing 35mm (and other format) film.

There are the exceptions of course, there are manipulation processes which couldn't be achieved in the dark room that you can do using one of these programs, such as creating more depth of field to the photograph by using a out of focus tool, brightening and deepening the picture, sharpness and contrast enhancements.

You can also clone and layer photographs in these programs creating copies of objects or HDR style pictures.

Utilizing the cameras preset settings you can often achieve great results, the shot above is unedited and  was taken using the Macro setting (depicted by a flower on your dial) this effectively enables you to take clear close up shots of objects, plants or insects showing texture and detail not usually found in standard photographs.

It is possible to get even closer shots using a lens with a larger focal length and/or macro extension tubes
( I have ordered some macro tubes which I am waiting on delivery) but if you do not have these the standard lens gets in quite close and can give some very nice results, and you can always crop in closer like I did with the shot below.

Even low light and long exposure shots which can often be difficult to achieve can be done using this equipment and some patience and practice, the next shot was taken using the Shutter priority mode, ISO.100, 30 second exposure, using tripod and the remote.

Long exposures in daylight is something I haven't quite achieved properly yet, but I have managed to get a few shots I quite like myself using the shutter priority mode again and 3 ND filters (neutral density filters) ND2, ND4 and ND8 at the same time, I set the ISO to 100 and the white balance to daylight, using a tripod and remote I took the shot at 10 second exposure ( I also forgot to clean my filters).

There is no end to the types of photographs you can take with minimal equipment from Landscapes to portraits, it's all about utilizing your cameras controls and mastering editing software, the above shot took a bit of time to edit as it was over exposed.

Below is a selection of my favorites taken with my usual equipment.

Night Photography

As you have probably gathered from my posts I like to share what I learn when it comes to photography.
Just like playing the Guitar I am constantly learning new techniques and styles with which to play around and create my own take on them.

Night photography is something I have been trying to master for quite some time and I have found it very rewarding, not only do you get to experience places that would look and feel different in the daylight, done correctly the images produced can be awe inspiring and representations of light in the darkness.

It can take a lot of practice to get a shot like the one I took above and a lot of research learning which settings to use, I always research the settings other photographers use before setting out to shoot a particular photograph but these settings are never set in stone and can be tweaked to suit the location/time that you are shooting.

for the above shot I used "shutter priority" the large S on the control wheel of the Nikon D60 (similar on most dslr cameras) I used a 30 second shutter speed, iso 100 and set the white balance to daylight, I also used a remote and a tripod to avoid camera shake.

The best time for night shooting is usually just after sun set onwards, in my opinion the darker the sky the better although this isn't always the case, allow for variations in weather or cloud formations to get more dramatic backgrounds.

Always check your lens and sensor is clean too I had to do a lot of cloning with the above shot because of this mistake.

A tripod is essential for night shooting although any flat surface will work as in the next shot which was taken by balancing the camera on a low wall.

This was taken using a higher ISO setting, auto white balance, 5 second exposure at F14 giving a nice capture of the cars rear and front lights as they pass by, please forgive the text on this picture, as this is my most stolen image used without permission by others I have to protect it somehow.

When there is no actual light source available such as street lamps, I find using a high powered LED torch to illuminate the subject can give some very interesting results, the next shot was taken at around 10pm at Sandal Castle near Wakefield, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped but serves to show what can be improved on.

The shot would have turned out much better if I had used shutter priority and a longer exposure.

Another source of light which could be used is fire.

Flash can also be used to highlight the foreground of a photograph taken at night and will often give the image an almost eerie feel to it.

the above shot was taken using a tripod and a 1.4 second exposure at F5.6 using a high ISO setting of 1600 I set the white balance to cloudy.

The essential things to remember when taking night photographs are:

Always wear something bright, a florescent jacket or something white so you can be seen.

Tripod or flat solid surface is required to avoid camera shake as is a remote or use the cameras timer.

check your lens and sensor are cleaned.

take a friend or a group of friends with you, there is safety in numbers.

experiment with the settings

in locations with no natural or unnatural light use a a high powered torch.

Landscape Photography

Recently I applied to a post on GumTree from a restaurant in Glasgow looking for artists to display and sell work in their premises.

A few days later I was happy to receive a reply saying they wish to use some of my landscape photographs as they felt they stood out and so I thought after my little rant earlier I would write something a little lighter on photographing landscapes in general.

Location is always important, this isn't to say you have to travel to Wales or Scotland just to take good landscape shots, as most people know a beautiful vista can be found in most any place, some of my favorite photographs I have taken were taken not with my Nikon but with a standard fuji 5700 bridge camera and its big brother the sf8000.

The one shot I took with the 5700 was using standard sunset settings and as you can see from the image (below) the setting is a stunning lake with the sun going down, this was taken around 4pm in September (if my memory serves correct).

My point here is the camera you use is not important that isn't to say using a DSLR camera wont give you better results than a compact as we all know the more expensive a camera the more chance of capturing a great shot, but as I say it isn't essential to spend hundreds of pounds on a camera the next picture was taken on an olympus C35 3.5mp camera.

 If you are lucky enough to drive or have access to transport finding locations can be much easier by driving around if it's pleasing to your eye then the chances of it being pleasing to someone else is just the same.

Technical ability with landscapes is not so much an issue, I think the skill is more in knowing a good vista when you see one and in the editing afterwards.

If you feel more comfortable or don't have much time by all means use the automatic settings it isn't "cheating" as some photographers tend to think it is there for a reason, to be used. As with the other settings on your camera.

Of course sometimes Manual mode is required as with the next shot, I am still learning myself when it comes to long exposure shots outdoors but discovered using neutral density filters helps to darken your lens making it possible to take longer exposures.

This makes it possible to slow time down and capture speed as in the next shot with traffic at a 2 sec exposure.
 

I won't say I am anywhere near an expert at landscapes or photography itself but these guidelines are what I have personally learnt from others.

Caged

Today I awoke to find it was a glorious sunny day, a rare thing I agree in the UK, it's on days such as this that I feel the most caged, by this I mean "stuck". Without trying to sound like a whining old fart health problems restrict me getting about, this causes issues with my work as a photographer, the job of someone with this title is simply to take photographs, continuing to update their profile with new images and new techniques learnt.

With health problems this can be difficult as I mentioned in my previous thread about photography and disabilities there are ways to overcome this but often it requires the help of another person who can drive or money for public transport, when neither is available the option of getting out and capturing a beautiful landscape to sell is limited to none.

Within Wakefield there is an array of things to photograph, modern and historical architecture, people, nature and open landscapes, but after shooting these so often it becomes monotonous, you become tired of the same old scenery and crave for pastures new.

I spent around seventeen years travelling around the UK and my only regret was not having a camera to capture it all as I do now, unfortunately now I don't have the ability to travel the way I used to and so this brings us to the title of this blog, Caged.

To feel caged is a feeling I can only explain by the above, take a man who has known the freedom of the road, heading wherever and whenever he feels the need to, a man who has experienced the true kind nature of human life, the spirituality of nature herself and the elements upon his face, then put him in a small dark room, leave him there where he is unable to see the sunlight through his window, a place where walking distance is a repetitive concrete and brick metropolis or sights he has seen over and over again like staring at the same picture for many years on end without taking your eyes from it.

Imagine what it must feel for an eagle to be captured and caged, this is how the man feels, this is how I feel cooped up and lost in an endless groundhog day of images, I feel my creativity suppressed within these walls and the freedom of the road is no longer an option of release.

Wedding Photography

A little while ago I was asked if I would photograph an old friends wedding, now normally I would have refused this request as I have done a lot of research on this area of photography and have to admit I didn't like the idea of a 12 hour job, mainly as my physical health would suffer.

Unusually though the alarm bells which would usually alert me when asked a request such as this didn't go off and so I replied with a yes.

Now it did help that A) my friend is also a photographer and B) the client was a friend and knew not to expect miracles or anything close to a professional wedding photographers portfolio. 

I was kindly offered the loan of my friends Canon eos 7D with a nice zoom lens to use along with my nikon D60 and the standard lens , a 16gb memory card was ordered as payment (along with travel costs paid) and all was ready for the big day.

I had several discussions with the groom before the day and he told me the basics of the kind of shots he was wanting, simple enough or at least so I thought.

Planning is the key ingredient in wedding photography and despite knowing this I left it till the last moment to do more research, there were a few mistakes I made throughout the days shoot some of which with more careful research and planning I could have avoided I hope that this blog serves to refrain any of you from making the same mistakes I did.

With a bit of technical skill and a lot of luck I was able to get the majority of the shots I was asked and only missed one of the ones requested and could have taken a better shot of another, I will go into more detail about what the mistakes were in a moment.

My first mistake as I mentioned before, was lack of planning, the wedding took place in the small historic town of Matlock in  Derbyshire, a place I have visited on many an occasion in my biking days, and with this knowledge of the area I presumed (wrongly) that I would have no trouble finding the venue. 

I looked the venue up on google earth and studied the area around it for locations to shoot the bride and groom, when we did turn up in Matlock it took us 20 minutes to find the correct venue this could have been avoided.

As a result of this we arrived later than expected but still early for the ceremony, this was where I missed the shot of the bride arriving as she was already at the venue in a separate room to the groom, after a quick chat with the groom and the registrar I took up my cameras and began shooting, flitting between each room and capturing images of the guests arriving, the groom looking nervous and the bride and bridesmaids looking radiant. 

through out the day I kept snapping and captured the ceremony without any problems, then came the moment I had to step up and take charge, this has never been an easy task for me I am fairly quietly spoken and gaining peoples attention is not my strong point, and so came the next mistake, the group shots.

If I had visited the venue before hand I would have known there was a nice expanse of grass with cherry blossomed trees below the venue, however because of the lack of planning I took the shots on some steps, this resulted in them looking messy, some people could not be seen, kids were all looking in opposite directions, I wasn't happy with the results of these few shots myself and can only imagine that the bride and groom dismissed them as "snapshots".

Other than a mis-hap with the laptop battery dying on me and not having the lead the rest of the wedding shoot went very well and I am happy to say that the bride and groom were overjoyed with the results and although I had to sit down many times throughout the day and rest I actually really enjoyed it.

So my advice now I have experienced wedding photography for itself is:

1) have a spare camera with a different lens it saves time swapping lenses.

2) preparation

3) research

4) pre-visit the venue

5) make sure you have plenty of memory card space and a fully charged laptop with lead to transfer images to

6) arrive early 

7) be polite and friendly and smile at people, it softens the defenses of those who dislike their photograph been taken.

8) keep shooting

9) discuss what the couple want in terms of poses, shots etc

10) take a lot of candid shots, couples like to reflect on their big day and see people enjoying themselves.

Wakefield (a lost city?)

This may be a day late however this is my response to the appalling article in The Guardian by ex Wakefield resident Nichi Hodgson the article can be read by clicking on "The Guardian" text link.

Wakefield, to someone like me who has spent a lot of my time living and travelling away from the city, it is and always will be home.

It has always been the place I came back to, not just because my family and friends are here but because Wakefield as a city holds a special place in my heart, as with all other TRUE wakefield residents born and bred here.

I will be the first to admit we have our fair share of "rough" areas, as with 99% of Britains other cities, yet in my experience non of the so called rough areas are as bad as their reputations, treat the residents with respect and humility and the same will be given back, that is how I have found it on these estates, and YES I have lived in one or two of these so called Rough areas  and I had some of the best times of my life there too.

Now onto this so called article which was basically a rich kid who's education was paid for whinging and whining about a city she obviously knows nothing about as she "escaped it's clutches" and moved to the big smoke.

Her rant about Rhubarb was totally unfounded and researched about as well as the collision capabilities of the Titanic, as a self taught historian I have studied the rich history our fair city has to offer and in doing so have come across mentions of Rhubarb being a rich source of income for the city in the latter 14th/15th century something that Miss Hodgson failed to find in her attempt to research the cities history.

Her attack on Sandal castle was even more amusing, now this is a national monument of historic significance, it may look like a pile of stones to an unimaginative over educated FOOL! but to someone who understands its significance the ruins of the castle are a magical place full of echos of the past, walking in the footsteps of historic figures such as Richard III a man so significant to Britain's history the great bard William Shakespeare wrote about him and in his play the castle at Sandal is also mentioned.

I shall also point out the nursery rhyme "the grand ol duke of york" was born here, as was "here we go round the mulberry bush" taken from Wakefield prison when the prisoners were given exercise around a mulberry bush in the prison yard.

Yes I have to agree that certain areas of the city are less than pleasant to look at, but it is a city which is developing and changing, more should be done about restoring our rich past as well as the modernization of

areas beyond repair but if you look beyond the few boarded up shops and the odd rowdy reveler on Westgate on a Friday and Saturday night you will find Wakefield has so much to offer.

The beauty of the surrounding area alone is enough to keep anyone intrigued, several nature reserves, a massive river, canals, old railway walks, woodland and hills all within a five mile radius of the city center.

I personally don't think Wakefield is a lost city I think we are just beginning to find ourselves and put Wakefield on the map with the opening of the Hepworth, the Unity Hall project, The Ben Manning Music Foundation all helping to bring awareness of local artistic talent, of which there is an abundance, the biased views of Miss Hodgson are misinformed, prejudice and badly researched, throw in a few BIG words and hope no one will notice, well I am sorry to inform you but Wakefield noticed, We stand up and salute you with one big middle finger if you don't like a place don't just spout rubbish about it LEARN, RESEARCH and maybe talk to people who actually live there.




http://phillross.brandyourself.com/

Disability and Landscape Photography.

Being disabled can come in many forms as we know, myself I suffer from Fybromyalgia which is a disease that effects the muscles and nervous system making getting some of the shots other photographers can do often unimaginable, and I am not alone here.

There are many photographers who have a disability of some kind yet adapt techniques to enable them to get the shots they need.

In this blog I am going to give you a few techniques I use myself to make the taking of good shots a little easier on the old body.

The first thing I would suggest is whenever possible take someone able bodied with you to carry equipment and support you when you come to terrain you may be uncomfortable on.

When it isn't possible to take someone with you travel light, I usually only take my camera, one lens, a 2x converter, tripod in a carry bag and any filters/flashes I think I may need, I also take my monopod with this being small when folded down it fits easily in the pocket  of my waistcoat (which has many pockets) and can be used as a support when stepping on terrain you struggle with.

Getting low: this can be a big issue if like me you struggle with bending or kneeling however taking a small fold up stool with you ( a rucksack stool is ideal as this can be used to carry equipment) place the stool on a flat area and setup your camera on the floor or a sturdy rock, using a timer is essential here and you may have to find some way to prop up the lens to get the shot you want, auto focus is probably best used for this type of shot, if you have a tripod with you use this at a low level.

Location finding: it can be daunting finding places to shoot and even more so if you don't have the ability to get out and explore like able bodied togs, my solution to this is good old Google Earth, with it's street view capabilities I can explore to my hearts content and with the panorama photo app selected I can view other peoples photographs of interest and then decide if I would like to create my own perspective on the location and if it is within a distance I can manage.

Rest often: I probably don't need to tell anyone this however I do find it is essential to rest whenever I feel the need, this can often lead to me spotting a shot I would have otherwise wandered straight past, take your time and drink in your surroundings, often we may miss a fantastic shot because all we are focused on is the pain so relaxing and taking notice of everything around you, above you and below you is a sure way of finding a perfect composition.