Skip to main content

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I've been meaning to write about my experiences with photography for a while, and finally, ten years after starting, I've put figurative pen to paper.

The spark of photography hit me in September 2008 when I traveled to China for two weeks. Before going, I decided that I probably needed to take something a bit more capable than my trusty Olympus μ 700 - and so bought a secondhand Lumix FZ50 from a work mate.

Picture info: Lumix GH1, LUMIX G VARIO 14-140 @ 48mm, ISO100, f/5.6, 2 sec
At the time, I had no clue about aperture, shutter-speed or ISO, had only heard of dynamic range in passing, and metering was a dark art best not talked about. I effectively jumped into what was, at the time, a trip of a lifetime with a new camera and no idea how to properly utilise it.

What do I mean? Well, my perfectly capable bridge-camera was hamstrung by the idiot behind it, who for reason known only to himself never reviewed the manual beforehand. And hence travelled around China shooting everything manually-focussed, with manual ISO and a manual aperture which (as I've already said) I knew nothing about.

Amazingly, I arrived back in Britain with a memory card stuffed with almost 1200 shots, all in JPEG. Again, I had no knowledge of RAW, and why should I? I was still editing images on my Amiga, so didn't even have the capability if I wanted to.

Though I don't believe any of the photos I took stand up to anything I may take these days (I've learned a lot since then!), they are a good record of not only a fantastic trip, but also of my start as a photographer.


Since then, I've upgraded my kit and traveled elsewhere, but that Lumix FZ50 still holds a place in my heart despite the advances of technology.
I'm still setting up this blog, so the layout will change over the next few days as I get everything where I want it. Hopefully I should be updating the fairly regularly, but if things go quiet for a bit, do not be troubled! I've a young family so sometimes my time is needed elsewhere.

Comments

  1. Destry545 February 2018 at 11:51

    Good Luck, amipal. I've enjoyed seeing your photos over the years.

    Rgds, Destry

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Examples from the PL50-200mm

After I waxed lyrically about it , readers may well have expected a review from me by now of my "recently"-purchased Panasonic Leica f/2.8-4 50-200mm telephoto lens, and I do indeed plan to write one in time. However, I don't seem to be able to find the time to get in front of the keyboard for an extended period. So rather than leave you with nothing, instead I'll provide you with some example shots which I hope provide you with some insight into just how well the lens performs. Some of the images are with the 1.4 teleconverter, which I'll note in the information. I'm heading to Duxford for Flying Legends in a week's time, so will be able to show some images other than nature. Hopefully I'll be able to provide you with a more comprehensive delve into the lens next time I update the site. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these... Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 50-200mm f/2.8-4 ISO200, f/4.5, 1/1600 sec, 200mm ISO200, f/4, 1/250 sec
Post a Comment
Read more

Lessons from RIAT 2018

Last weekend I got up stupidly early to travel half way across the country to attend an airshow. But what an airshow! The Royal International Air Tattoo 2018! A word of warning - this is going to be a looooong post. Grab yourself a cup of tea and settle down... I haven't been to an airshow, or at least shot aircraft flying since the Goodwood Revival in 2015, where they had a number of warbirds from the Second World War flying. My equipment back then was my trusty GH3 with the first-generation Lumix 100-300mm lens, and my GM5 with Lumix 14-140mm as backup. These performed well as a pair, allowing me to grab take off, landing, and formation shots with the surprisingly-capable GM5, and the longer, single aircraft detail shots with the GH3. At the time, AF-S was used on both cameras, as I didn't trust the reliability of the continuous auto-focus offered by either - bare in mind that at this point, Panasonic had yet to introduce their Depth from Defocus technology to assist wit
2 comments
Read more

A dark night, and a brace of Voigtlanders

I fell in love with the Voigtlander f/0.95 17.5mm prime as soon as I mounted it on my GH4 a few years back. It properly sprang to life once I moved over to the Lumix G9 - the higher-resolution viewfinder made it much, much easier to check focus, and I feel that the sensor was able to benefit from the lens more than the GH4's was. Due to coronavirus in the UK, I've left the area where I live on very few occasions. I am lucky in that I have the South Downs to the north, and the English Channel to the south - and both are only a five minute walk away for me. Despite coronavirus, I've ensured that I've kept my Photo 52 challenge up to date. This forces me to get out with my camera so that I at least have one image, no matter how rubbish it is, to show for my week. As the nights have grown longer, the Voigtlander 17.5mm and its 42.5mm brother have both joined me on my evening walks, so I thought I'd show you a few shots I grabbed the other evening whilst traipsing
Post a Comment
Read more