So now it’s Winter and I’m dreaming of the tropics
Posted on | October 21, 2009 | No Comments
Couldn’t help it, after walking in the drizzle all the way home, I needed a reminder of what the real world is like this time of year. I want to be back photographing the Seychelles!
Tethered shooting with Lightroom and Canon 40D – How To
Posted on | October 21, 2009 | 4 Comments
Canon tethered to Lightroom tutorial.
Having not used a tethered setup in a while as I usually work on location, I had to double check everything was working correctly for an upcoming project. I thought I would compile my thoughts into a ‘How-To’ for other people who might have problems setting up tethering.
How to shoot tethered with a Canon 40D and Adobe Lightroom.
Install Canon EOS utility for your canon camera, in my case I was using the Canon 40D, I found that the EOS utility from the Canon XTI worked fine (I think it’s the same program for the majority of Canon models). You’ll need your existing software, as only the updates are available on the Canon software website these days.
First of all, i’ve plugged my camera straight into my laptop via usb, turned it on, and fired up Canon EOS Utility.
1. Open EOS Utility and go to preferences. You can see that the camera is attached, and ready to just work normally – we now need to change the preferences to make it work properly tethered. So once you have opened the program, if you click on the “Preferences” bottom left, it will take you to some options.
1. Fire up EOS Utilty & Click on preferences
2. Configure your destination folder that it saves to.
On the destination folder tab, I have selected the destination folder, which in this case I have put on the desktop for testing purposes. I have ticked the boxes; download images, remote shooting and monitor folder. You can see here that it makes a new destination folder as a subfolder – based on the shooting date – this folder must be empty before it will work.
2. Specify destination folder
3. Set to save to memory card.
I have chosen to save the images on the memory card, because it serves as an instant second backup, and also if I shoot quicker than the write speed to the computer, it’s still saved regardless.
3. Set to save to memory card
4. Configure Lightroom. Now that the Canon EOS Utility is set up, you can now start up lightroom.
Go to File -> Auto Import -> Auto Import Settings, not forgetting to tick the Enable Import.
4. Set to Auto Import
5. Configure import settings. You can see here that I have specified the watched folder, which is pointed to the new subfolder in the folder structure (You’ll find if something doesn’t work for you, it’ll be the subfolder selection that’s been missed, I did it myself!)
I have chosen to copy my file from the desktop into my usual lightroom file structure, which is on an external 500GB drive. You can just choose the destination folder you want, or wherever your file structure dictates.
5. Configure Import Settings
Now you are ready to shoot, so try taking a photo with your tethered camera, wait a couple of seconds and you will see your ‘Import’ button bottom left in lightroom click on and off – and the image will appear in your Lightroom window!
That’s it, there is very little to it.
Let me know how you get on.
Tags: can eos utility > Canon 40D > canon 40d tethered > canon eos file utility > canon lightroom tethered > canon tethered > lightroom tethered > shooting tethered > tethered > tethered shooting > tethered shooting how to
In the hands of an botanical expert…
Posted on | September 14, 2009 | 2 Comments
A close up of my good friend Will’s hands, a professional gardener extraordinaiire – after looking at pollen in the garden. The hands tell it all.
Droplet of water on Arundo Donax
Tags: 24-70L > 40D > Canon > canon L > close up > exotic garden > hands > will
Proposal in the treehouse…
Posted on | August 26, 2009 | No Comments
I was having a look through my photo’s today and I had meant to make a little post about this before..
I proposed to my beautiful lady about a month ago in my friend Wills treehouse in his exotic garden..
Candles, Champagne and a ring… and a beautiful treehouse.
I had my camera and self timer on standby… of course!
Beautiful place up in a massive oak tree.
Hidden away in the sky
Two landscape photographs of Bavaria in black and white / Duo tone
Posted on | August 19, 2009 | 2 Comments
A couple of split toned black and white photographs of Hohenschwangau and the Neuschwanstein.
Am really getting into my black and whites at the moment, I expect I will be posting a few more over the coming weeks.
Looking out over the Alpsee
Looking up at Neuschwanstein Castle
Tags: bavaria > black and white > duo tone > duotone > germany > Hohenschwangau > landscapes > Neuschwanstein
The German Storm…
Posted on | August 16, 2009 | No Comments
Hello from Germany,
Have taken a couple of weeks off to spend some time in Germany, staying at the foot of the magical Neuchwanstein castle in the heart of Bavaria – an amazing place.
First night there was a short and intense storm, and looking up towards the castle from our apartments balcony you could see the tower darting in an out of the clouds – occasionally being lit up by sheet lightning.
I didn’t have much time to play around, as the only spot I could sit the camera was literally out in the rain, so I only managed to grab a couple of shots..
First pic: Long exposure (66 seconds) shows the sheet lightning lighting up the clouds – and combined with the shadows of the uplighting flood lights around the base of the tower – has left an interesting shadow cast on the clouds… which were ripping through at the rate of knots. Interesting outcome. (ISO 100, 24-70L @ 40mm, f/5, 66 seconds, Canon 40D)
Second pic: This time just a short exposure of 5 seconds, at ISO 400. Grainy and dirty but I just love it, as it really shows the movement in the clouds that were moving across the sky. (ISO 400, 24-70L @ 70mm, Canon 40D, 3 Sec, f/10)
I love the storms!
iPhone Photograpy – Abstract Leaf and Plant Textures
Posted on | August 10, 2009 | 2 Comments
I got a bit carried away yesterday taking abstract leaf and plant textures on my iPhone camera, and using CoolFx application on the iPhone to change them to black and white.. thought I should post them up here as well as my twitpic account.
Tags: abstract photographs > iphone > iphone photography
Pre Wedding Shoot for Dean and Sonia Constant
Posted on | August 10, 2009 | No Comments
I recently photographed the wedding of Dean and Sonia Constant, in their hometown of Biggleswade in Bedford. As with all of the weddings that I have photographed we always go out for a pre shoot to get the bride and groom relaxed and happy with me and the camera, so that on the day I just blend into the background and they don’t worry about posing or feeling uncomfortable in front of the lens.
We all went for a walk in a local wood, and eventually we ended up in a farmers field with long grass, which I imagined would look quite good against a bright blue polorised sky. I used my usual kit to get my signature look and feel, using my Canon 40D, Sigma 10-20mm, Cokin Neutral density filter and modded holder, plus a decent poloriser. I also used my Canon 24-70L 2.8 for some of the other shots. A great combo.
The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich – Photographs For Stock
Posted on | August 7, 2009 | No Comments
Out taking stock photographs a few weeks back, I thought I would stop by the Sainsbury Centre at the University of East Anglia – an iconic piece of modern architecture, weird looking but great so for taking photos of with a super wide angle lens. I was using my Sigma 10-20mm on my Canon 40D here, and also using the Cokin filter setup, which I had modified to sit closer to the lens – with Cokin Neutral Density filter 2 stop I think it was.
Also a photograph at the bottom of the beautifully curved part of the UEA, interesting shape and certainly complements the Sainsbury Centre very well.
It was an excellent bright and overcast day, dodging the rain clouds. Personally I love being out taking photographs under heavy clouds, I makes for much more dramitic photography than just bright blue skies..
Tags: 10-20mm > norfolk > norwich > sainsbury centre > sigma > stock photography > wide angle
Norwich Cathedral Photographs for stock
Posted on | August 6, 2009 | 3 Comments
A few pictures of Norwich Cathedral in Norfolk that I photographed for my stock portfolio recently.
The cathedral never ceases to amaze me, it’s hard to comprehend that it was completed in 1465, having taken over 300 years to build – it’s hard to imagine these days. Incredible.
Norwich Cathedral is one of those places you can go back to a million times and you still just stand there in awe at the 315ft spire.
View more of my stock photography here:
Tags: cathedrals > norfolk > norwich > norwich cathedral
