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Emily Maguire
2007-09-12 09:27:00
A few weeks ago I went down to Dorset and may have gone on a bit about the Best Pub in the World. I also mentioned that I was hoping to catch Emily Maguire perform at the Square and Compass, which I did.This YouTube video is a bit dark but will give you an idea of one of the cosy little bar areas. I really must take some decent photos of the inside of the bar and the adjoining fossil museum one day.

WTD288: ?You?ve got Smail?
2007-09-12 09:12:00
What the Duck is a cartoon about a Photographer duck. I suspect that it may be the only cartoon about a Photographer duck but please tell me if you know differently.

Raleigh Update
2007-09-11 09:49:00
Sadly, I?ve had to postpone my participation in this autumn?s Raleigh expedition to Costa Rica. Too many things to organise, not least of which is moving house, in too short a time. It?s disappointing but I will have an opportunity to go again so all is not lost. Thanks for the crossing of fingers earlier in the month guys, it wasn?t wasted and I?ll obviously be bringing news when I do get to go.
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Virtual Reality?
2007-09-11 09:15:00
OK, I?ll admit that not all aspects of travel are a pleasure. Getting to the airport, queuing for passport control, airline food, cramped seats, hostile taxi drivers, unhelpful hotel staff, the list goes on. Perhaps it?s with these drawbacks in mind that people will be tempted to spend an evening at ?the most hi-tech venue in the whole of London?.24 is, the owners claim, the ?first fully interactive bar in the world?. It has state-of-the-art lighting and bar technology that can project images of any location all around you as you sip your Tequila Sunrise. Apparently, the furnishing are touch sensitive too so light beams shoot out every time you put your glass down. Reach out towards the projections and they will react to your movements.So it is now possible to enjoy views of the Grand Canyon without even having to go as far as Zone 4 on the Underground. You can have dinner outside the Taj Mahal and still be home in time for Match of the Day. I assume that it will even be possible to...
More About: Reality , Virtual Reality , Virtual , Ality

Simon & Louisa
2007-09-08 09:01:00
Very nearly all photographers can be conveniently placed into one of two categories. Firstly, there are Wedding Photographers. Wedding photographers put adverts in the Yellow Pages. They make web sites, put up posters and attend wedding exhibitions to promote the fact that they photograph weddings. In the second category are all other photographers; travel, landscape, wildlife, commercial, architectural, etc. The second category of photographers repeat a daily mantra that goes ?I don?t do weddings. I don?t do weddings?.Earlier in the year I got confused over the exact wording of that mantra and found myself saying ?Yes, of course I do weddings?. As a result I found myself in Suffolk at the weekend, photographing the wedding of Simon and Louisa and although I should whisper this in case my colleagues in the second category of photographers hear me, it was a delightful experience.The bride and groom were a pleasure to be around and made everyone else?s job so much easier by being calm...

Meerkat Madness
2007-09-06 20:25:00
April 1st is many months away, which is perhaps why none of the editors at The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mail or The Mirror were suspicious when alerted to a story about Meerkats with a new hobby in photography.All of the above papers carried news and pictures of the Meerkats of Longleat apparently enjoying a bit of portrait photography. The tall tale, admitted now by Longleat staff to have been ?a slight hoax? suggested that a warden had accidentally left a camera on a tripod in the Meerkat enclosure. One Meerkat, it was reported, climbed up on to the tripod whilst the rest of his family posed and, one assumes, said ?Cheese?.And what, apart from the obvious, was the giveaway? Longleat staff reported that images had been recorded on a digital memory card and yet the camera pictured is a Canon EOS 650 - a film camera. Ah ha!Also, if it were true, the Meerkat pictures would be on Alamy by now.
More About: Madness

Beijing Bloggers
2007-09-05 13:34:00
The Guardian Unlimited web site has started a ?monthly city-focussed? roundup of blogs. The first in the series looks at Beijing and includes a Canadian Travel Blog, A Swedish drinking guide and a mystery video blogger (including footage of Kenny G ?blowing fans away? in Beijing!).Next month the Guardian picks out blogs about Rio. I assume there?ll be a blog guide to the places to avoid if you don?t want to be mugged. In fact, that?d be a pretty short blog and would simply say ?Avoid Rio?. All of which is fascinating stuff but does highlight the main problem I find with all this citizen journalism. There?s so much fascinating material being generated that it?s impossible to find the time to do more than scratch the surface.
More About: Bloggers , Jing

Shutting up Shop
2007-09-05 10:20:00
Featured in the latest edition of the AOP magazine is a book by John Londei that illustrates the decline of the local shop. ?Shutting up Shop ? was fifteen years in the making and all of the images were made on a 10x8 plate camera.The images featured in the magazine are nothing short of exquisite and you can see John?s ?Shops? portfolio online.The image of the bakers in Branscombe is beautiful and seems to have been lit from a solitary bulb, which is quite an achievement.The man outside the corner shop in Wigan wears a brown overall that seems to be the perfect uniform. It?s a picture where you can almost smell boiled sweets and hear the rustle of brown paper bags.Another of my favourites shows a couple standing outside their bicycle shop in Southsea. The shop is called ?Ricketts?, which I think is wonderful. ?I?m just popping down to Ricketts for a puncture repair kit dear?.This image of F. Gedge?s shop had me puzzled until I read the caption. Yes, it is indeed a condom shop. Who kn...

AOP Open 2007
2007-09-05 09:43:00
The winners of the 2007 AOP Open competition have been announced and the above photo, untitled, of a girl playing in a rubbish tip is the overall winner. Click the image above to view a larger example.The AOP magazine carries a larger version, almost a double-page spread, and it?s possible to see a much greater level of detail in the printed image. I like it. The girl?s expression is very engaging and the grimy rubbish is almost painterly. It was a shot made to increase awareness of the problems of fly-tipping. Personally, I?m not sure if it conveys that problem as it looks to me as if the girl is simply playing on a rubbish dump, not, perhaps, in her local park. Anyway, that?s not the issue here and I think it was a worthy winner.Equally as interesting perhaps is the winner of the public vote, which I was pretty sure would go to THIS IMAGE of Johnny Vegas which, in fact, was awarded to THIS IMAGE entitled ?Amazon Odyssey?.

Happy New Year
2007-09-04 10:15:00
The excitement is building as preparations for the new millennium celebrations build... In Addis Ababa.Yes, September 11th sees the new millennium arrive in Ethiopia and the country is preparing for 12 months of celebrations, as reported in this week?s Guardian.I imagine that many people still associate Ethiopia with images of drought and starvation, I certainly did. But how the country seems to have changed. It?s a country with a heritage that?s arguably richer than anywhere else on earth and the single photo heading up the Guardian article illustrates what a vibrant and colourful place it is.And if you fancy joining in the Ethiopian celebrations then there are apparently some excellent Ethiopian restaurants in London including Abyssinia and Marathon.Happy New Year Ethiopia!Links:whatsupaddisethipia2000
More About: Happy New Year

Newcastle Shoe Tree
2007-09-01 10:21:00
If you?re ever looking for evidence of British eccentricity then look no further than the Newcastle Shoe Tree . Nobody is quite sure how it started but I have to agree with those who suggest that it?s beautiful.I?m not sure of it really satisfies ?a communal longing for ritual in an age which has abandoned religion? any more than it is simply a bit of a laugh but I?m pleased to hear that the local council don?t plan to cut down the dangling footwear.

Canon Info Bank
2007-09-01 09:06:00
Canon have announced the arrival of Info bank, a comprehensive encyclopaedia of ?everything you wanted to know about Canon digital photography?.At first glance, it does indeed seem like a comprehensive resource. I wanted to find some information about E-TTL flash and as well as a quick guide explaining the principles of TTL flash metering, I found a list of compatible Speedlites and Canon camera.As a further test, I looked up ?Fill-in Flash? and there?s a pretty useful explanation that includes a couple of examples. If you?re a Canon user then this site may well offer some useful information.And whilst I?m regurgitating information from the Canon Newsletter, there are some road tests of the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III and whilst they?re pretty one-sided (what else would you expect from Canon?s own site?) they do make for interesting reading in terms of being able to find out more about the photographers who performed the tests.
More About: Canon , Bank , Anon

New Getty web site
2007-08-30 08:47:00
?The new www.gettyimages.com website is now live. The redesigned site is based on extensive customer feedback and usability studies. Through this process we have been able to preserve features from our old site that customers loved while adding new capabilities.?So reads the introductory e-mail from Getty to the new web site. As you?d expect, it?s pretty swish and the quality and depth of images is, of course, impressive. I?m delighted to see some of my own images appear and am excited about the new relationship. Unlike the other agencies I have contact with, Getty are prepared to invest time. I?ve enjoyed a productive and informative meeting with my ?Creative Contact? and am hopeful of big things from my links with the agency.
More About: Site , Web site

Back to work
2007-08-28 09:35:00
And now it?s Tuesday morning and the sight of a growing ?To Do? list is already clouding the memory of a stunning weekend in Dorset. So, showing a complete lack of self-discipline, I ignore the ?To Do? list and return to the weekend?s photos instead.I?ve added a small selection to the top of the Purbeck Gallery and one to the HDR Gallery but will mention a couple here, just for interest and to keep me away from those boring chores for a few minutes more.The first is the lighthouse near Durlston. Perhaps the shortest lighthouse in the world? Immaculate though, looking like it probably gets a fresh coat of paint every six months.The signpost is situated on the Priests? Way, the path between Swanage and Worth Matravers. There?s some great dry-stone walling along this path and it offers a relatively flat route along the coast, certainly flatter than the cliff-top path, which rises and drops every half a mile or so.Dare-devil antics at Dancing Ledge. It?s a popular place for climbers and...
More About: Work , Back

August Bank Holiday
2007-08-27 11:04:00
What a wonderful weekend. The summer finally arrived and although it had been a bit tardy, it was still very welcome. Tom?s Field was predictably full but 200 yards away I found Acton Field. Higher up the hill than Tom?s Field, it boasts gorgeous views over Swanage and the Purbeck hills. Although facilities are limited (2 loos, 2 showers, 3 wheelie bins, no laundry, no games room, no pool, no shop) it does have a Baker?s Van that brings supplies each morning. The van?s arrival is announced by the sound of a bicycle horn, and eager campers scurry from their tents to stock up on milk, tea bags, pain-au-chocolate and newspapers.Camping offers wonderful people-watching opportunities. As campers, we make temporary neighbours who we nod to when we meet in the shower block and when we bump into each other in the queue for the checkouts at the local Co-Op. Watching people put tents up is the funniest thing. Obviously, I?ve practised in the Living Room at home so am able to get mine up fairl...
More About: Holiday , Bank , August

Tom?s Field
2007-08-23 23:58:00
With the weather forecast for the Bank Holiday suggesting that these three days might be tall that we see of the summer of 2007, I?m hoping to get away to the Isle of Purbeck for the weekend.I?ve retrieved the tent from the loft, checked the gas canister, packed the sleeping bag and stowed the whole lot in the boot ready for an early get-away in the morning.The camp sites in Swanage get pretty busy through the summer but over August Bank Holiday with a forecast like this, anyone arriving after lunch-time tomorrow is going to be looking at some pretty busy camp sites.I?m hoping to get a pitch at Tom?s Field . It?s in the charming village of Langton Matravers, within stumbling distance of the Best Pub In The World. I?ve never camped at Tom?s Field before but I?ve been aware of it for some years. Tom?s Field always strikes me as the perfect name for a camp site, rustic and friendly.As well as getting more images to promote next year?s Photo Workshop, I?m hoping to get to see Emily Magui...

Travel Photographer of the Year
2007-08-22 09:40:00
It has a nice ring to it, Travel photographer of the Year . The competition has become one of the country?s biggest travel photo competitions. I suppose that along with the annual Wanderlust competition, it?s the one that receives the most public attention.It?s obviously a competition that catches my eye and I?ve been interested to watch it develop. I see that photographic workshops are now planned for Vietnam, Cambodia and other locations under the TPOTY umbrella. There?s a book published every year and the TPOTY name and logo are becoming more and more well known.My attention was caught by the recent announcement of an additional prize for the winner:?This year we are honoured to be able to announce that the overall winner of the competition will travel to Dharamsala in India, during which they wil have the opportunity to spend up to two days with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  This trip will enable the winner to produce a superb photographic essay on His Holiness and the Tibetan se...
More About: Photographer , Graph

Raleigh International 2
2007-08-21 15:59:00
So, the call from Raleigh came last night when I was still on the train.?Hi, Gavin? I bet you didn?t expect us to call you back this quickly???No I didn?t??Well...?The line went dead. The signal to my mobile phone dropped out.It took 45 minutes to get back to Basingstoke and a reliable phone signal, during which time I was thinking that they?d obviously come to a quick decision. Either I?d met their expectations or I was so bad in the interview that they were calling to tell me never to darken their door again.The phone rang again just as I reached the car in the station car park.?We?d love to offer you a place on the Costa Rica expedition?:)Links:Raleigh International

Raleigh International 1
2007-08-20 13:47:00
I?m on my way back to sunny Basingstoke following a meeting with representatives of Raleigh International in London. We?d been discussing the possibility of me joining an expedition as a photographer in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.Joining an expedition like this would have been a dream come true for me when I was a teenager but, unfortunately, it was never a realistic opportunity. Some years later, the chance to join a Raleigh expedition is just as appealing and being able to do so as a Photographer would be the icing on the cake.A few photographers have been interviewed today and obviously they?ll all be keen to be accepted for the expedition so I have to wait and see whether my skills and experience measure up to those required. I?ve been promised a call back with a decision tomorrow. Links:Raleigh International

Canon EOS 1Ds MKIII
2007-08-20 09:52:00
It seems that following the rumours earlier in the year, Canon are finally to announce the arrival of a new top-of-the-range Pro camera. Amazon have apparently revealed a page showing off the new camera?s specs before the embargo was lifted.I have a suspicion that these things are carefully orchestrated, Amazon didn?t take the page down before some blog owners had managed to take screen shots showing the camera and its specifications. Anyway, it all helps with the hype and it?s interesting to see the spec of the new camera.It?s suggested that the camera will be released before the end of 2007. At 21.1 megapixels, it?s almost 4.5 megapixels greater resolution than the current 1Ds MKII and may well tempt those currently using medium-format gear. I can?t see it making its way into my camera bag in the near future although I can see how it might tempt photographers working in advertising.UPDATE:As Nic mentions in his comment, Canon have now officially announced the arrival of the1Ds MKI...
More About: Anon

British Mac
2007-08-19 09:54:00
When I first moved across from a PC to a Mac I went in search of information to help me make the transition. I picked up a book from Amazon, read through a few web sites and downloaded three or four podcasts. I find the podcasts really useful because I can listen to them when I?m on the train or whilst I?m doing something that doesn?t require all my concentration - like removing dust spots from digital files!Most of the Mac podcasts are well written, well presented and informative. But let?s be honest, it?s a pretty dull subject. Mac users talking about how to use a Mac! And I thought I was a bit of a geek.However, amongst the podcasts I downloaded was one called British Mac. Created by Will Green, it?s completely unlike all the other Mac podcasts. He punctuates Mac news, hints and tips with clips from Carry On and St. Trinians films and the occasional bit of Status Quo. It?s quirky to be sure but carries on a fine tradition of British eccentricity. There aren?t many podcasts where ...

HDR
2007-08-18 19:25:00
I can?t help but like the effects created in High Dynamic Range images. They seem to have a painterly feel that is part Photography and part Science Fiction. A lot of HDR images look like they?ve been created by a very patient artist with a wonderful airbrushing technique. Whilst they probably won?t start making their way into mainstream newspaper and magazine articles in the near future, given that they do look quite artificial, they do work really well from a Fine Art perspective.This weekend?s Guardian Guide picks out stuckincustoms.com as one of their recommended web sites of the week. As well as producing some really eye-catching images, Trey Ratcliff has taken the time to put together a tutorial where he explains how he makes his HDR images using Photomatix. Although Trey suggests the tutorial is ?poorly worded and meandering? I found it really informative.I?ve made a few HDR images in the past but am still learning how to get the best out of the process. It?s not an effect th...

AOP Open
2007-08-17 16:11:00
The shortlisted entries for this year?s AOP Open competition are now online and votes are invited from the public.I?ve had an images shortlisted in previous years but didn?t manage to find time to send an entry this year. It seems that it would have been even more difficult to make the shortlist this year, only 84 images were selected from 1700 entries.Looking through the 84 shortlisted images, I have to agree with the web site introduction, it?s a really ?eclectic? selection. Every year the AOP shortlist prompts some raised eyebrows this year is likely to be no exception. There are some lovely images amongst the selection but there are certainly some curious choices too.There are certainly images that break all of the usually accepted rules of photography. No concerns about ?correct? exposures or the ?right? composition here. Far from it in fact.It will be interesting to see which photograph ends up being selected as the winner from the public vote. I?d predict that it won?t be one...

Photo Workshop
2007-08-16 09:25:00
I?m delighted to announce that I?ll be running a Photo graphic Workshop in April ?08. I?ll be joining up with landscape photographer Jason Friend to take a group for a day around one of my favourite locations, the Isle of Purbeck.Starting in sunny Swanage, we?ll walk along the coast to Corfe Castle, stopping to photograph the wonderful scenery on the way. We?ll return to Swanage from Corfe at the end of the day with a trip on the steam railway, which should be an excellent way to conclude the walk.Apart from the great views along the way (and the engaging company of course), we?ll visit the ?best pub in the world? and I?m sure it will be a really good day out. What could be better than joining up with a group of like-minded people for one of the best walks in England, all of whom want to talk about photography all day long? I?m really looking forward to it.Purbeck photo galleryView workshop details onlineDownload pdf guide (1.2Mb)View Terms and Conditions

Lake District
2007-08-12 15:28:00
The Lake District has been a favourite destination of mine since our first family holiday there when I was nine. Although there are some impressive cliffs on the Isle of Wight there is nothing to compare with the drama of the Lakeland mountains so it was like another world to me on our first visit.I?ve returned to the Lakes a number of times since then and walked the fells in all weathers. Nobody who has spent any time walking in the Lake District will be unfamiliar with the name Alfred Wainwright. 2007 is actually the centenary of his birth and there are various memorials planned by the Wainwright Society. He was the author of the wonderful Pictorial Guides, seven volumes dedicated to the Lakeland fells, each including painstaking precision and sketches drawn with meticulous attention to detail.On this trip to the Lakes I was hoping to walk some of the Wainwright Memorial Walk. About 120 miles in length but with a height gain and descent equivalent to climbing up and down Everest f...
More About: Strict

Auntie Extraordinary
2007-07-23 19:24:00
This is my Auntie Elsie. She?s quite extraordinary. She?s 94 years old, lives on her own, does all her own cooking and cleaning and maintains a very colourful and productive garden. Talking with her is always an uplifting experience and I caught up with her at a family get-together this weekend.  I know her next-door neighbour suffers from MS  and is wheelchair-bound and so I asked after her.?Well dear, she likes to get out when she can but her husband pushes her around so quickly that she doesn?t have time to look in all the shops.??Oh dear??Yes, so I took her out last week and we had lots of time so she was able to see all the shops she wanted??Really? Excellent. In her wheelchair???Yes dear??Is it an electric one???No, but it?s very light?
More About: Extraordinary , Xtra , Ordinary

Photo Expeditions and Workshops: Kanchanaburi
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This is perhaps the time of year when we begin to take stock, to review what we've achieved in the preceding months and to begin planning for the year ahead. It's very convenient that our time should be divided into such tidy blocks. Twelve months, fifty two weeks, three hundred ...
More About: Photo , Kanchanaburi

Free Desktop Wallpaper for November 2009: Bhutan Masked Dance
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November's free desktop wallpaper comes from the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong in Bhutan and was taken during this year's annual tsechu (festival). Masked dances play an important part of the annual tsechus and the traditions associated with them vary from village to village. The dances, or Chhams, are often performed with the ...
More About: Desktop , Wallpaper , Dance , Free

Bangkok Photo School: November Classes Announced
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We announced our November schedule of classes at the Bangkok Photo School this afternoon and the response has exceeded our expectations. We will be running three classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. There will be two 'Beginners' courses for those new to photography and an 'Intermediate' course for photographers with ...
More About: Classes

Postcards from Delhi
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Here's a couple of pictures that I took yesterday in Old Delhi . Chandni Chowk is inevitably high on the photographer's list of "must-see" places in Delhi, as is the Djamaa Masjid, the largest mosque in, I think, the Indian sub-continent. Of course, I can't resist the panning technique in places like ...