On the Rocks

Love in the Dales

'On the rocks' ... Not the marriage obviously! Taken during a recent wedding in the beautiful Peak District, the couple had requested a photograph at the lovely setting on the moors of Grindleford. The spot meant a great deal to the couple and it was an amazing place to photograph at. Groups of people everywhere, harsh shadows and a seriously strong sun made for a challenging shot but I'm really pleased with the outcome. The couple had wanted to stand on the rock and there was very little direction from me, I just let the couple share a moment while I snapped away. Out of shot to the right of camera a reflector was used to bounce light back towards the couple, which helped lift any unwanted shadows. Using a Nikon D4 with a Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 I was able to stand back using a longer focal length and wide aperture. This helped me isolate the couple from the background. Taking the RAW file back into Photoshop I adjusted the levels slightly and cloned out a couple of cars that could just be seen poking above the hedge in the distance.  

Being able to look back on moments like these will always be something very special to the couple, as well as family and friends, and it's always a pleasure for me as a photographer to capture them.   

Shooting with the Fuji X-T1

I've had the Fuji X-T1 for a few weeks now and I'm really starting to get to know it. Such a powerful little camera and the more I use it the more I fall for its many charms. From the exquisitely solid build, retro styling and of course incredible image quality, it's starting to make me seriously consider whether I need to carry around large and heavy DSLR's for the majority of my shoots.

I've been playing with the many film preset jpegs of late, jpegs not being my format of choice as I normally shoot RAW. I still shoot RAW with the Fuji but I also now select one of the jpeg settings along with it, giving me the best of both Worlds. What I really love about the X-T1 files, (and all other X cameras for that matter) is the lovely filmic quality the recorded files tend to have. I have chosen to shoot in B&W jpeg and the results have been fantastic, straight from the camera. Contrasty, bags of detail and moody to boot. Ooh, I can't wait for my next wedding shoot.

Old Cemetery.

Sunlight and Shadows

One of the things I really love about the X-T1 is the Electronic View Finder (EVF). It allows me to see the exposure as the camera sensor will capture it, which can be a massive help when facing tricky light situations. Changing the exposure compensation dial on the top plate of the camera quickly allows me to assess the scene and helps me select the exposure I desire. It really can be a life saver if you're having to work quickly in difficult conditions were time is of the essence.

Decaying Pipe

Sunset over the Boatyard

I was browsing through some of my older photographs today when I stumbled across this image taken at the Boatyard, Wells-Next-The-Sea in December 2013. At the time of taking it I didn't really feel as though it deserved a second look as the dynamic range between the foreground and the sky was just too great for the camera to capture all the detail within the scene. I exposed for the beautiful sunset but by doing so I lost all detail in the foreground (as I didn't have my filters with me to balance the exposure). Everything was in silhouette and as a result I didn't think there was any interest to the image at all. Or so I thought. The amazing thing with the new breed of Nikons is that they have such incredible dynamic range, and by shooting in RAW format, the camera had actually captured all the detail that I just couldn't see at first glance. Careful tweaking in Photoshop to the RAW file, lifting the shadows, adjusting the levels and a bit of dodging and burning has actually resulted in a half decent image, and it's just as I remember seeing the scene at the time. Just goes to show. You should never throw away any digital images, you just might discover a forgotten gem you never knew you had.   

Magnificent Sunset over Wells-Next-The-Sea, photographed with a Nikon D4

The unedited Raw shot

The unedited version clearly shows the under exposed foreground. I tried to brighten it a tad whilst taking the shot but any more and the sky would have been blown. As it turned out, the sky was blown slightly but easy to recover later in software, and by recovering the highlights in the sky the file revealed a gorgeous fiery orange colour. Normally when faced with such lighting conditions I would opt for a silhouette against the sky but the scene just didn't warrant it in this instance.

Looking at both images side by side, in many ways I prefer the original as the edited version looks a bit over the top. ( although I have to say the sky was indeed that amazing colour, the raw file just looks flat ) But this was just an exercise in how far I could push a file and recover lost detail without producing unwanted side effects like noise and hideous artefacts. It's fair to say, these modern cameras are pretty good.