my year in photography

[GeX]

i've always had an interest in photography, looking through photos of family holidays and the like i'm not in a lot of shots, because it's me with the camera. I'd always wanted to get a decent camera, but never had the money or could justify to myself that i would use it a lot.

I was mainly using my k800i to take shots of things that caught my eye. The camera had its limtations, but i got used to it and worked round them. Taking what i thought were some pretty impressive shots;

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In around Feb I decieded that I should get a camera. But a compact. So I bought an F31FD.

It was awesome. It went everywhere with me. So much more control than with a phone camera, and the full auto digital cameras i had used before. It sparked an interest in understanding more of the technical side of photography. I knew of terms like aperture and focal length but was clueless as to what they meant.

I read through the guides on morguefile and that helped fill in the gaps.

I began to play with DOF, and work out what kind of effects I can get from the camera.

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Being such a small camera, it wasn't a chore to take it out places - captured many beautiful sunsets with it, whilst still being able to enjoy them too.

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I realised with this camera i could actually take photographs at night, so went and had a play

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It was about this time i returned to OCUK (after a few years gap!) and began posting in this section. I was very impressed with my nighttime shot of the beach. You guys weren't as much. Understandable, it isn't that good really. But i really liked it, and i didn't like hearing it wasn't so good but knew i could do better, and i would.

The more i read into photography, the more i realised that a compact was going to let me play as much as i want to. I needed a DLSR or bridge camera, having just spent £190 on the F31 FD there was no way i could afford a DSLR. So in May I bought myself an S5600. This opened up new windows for me to play. It had a fixed lens, but a thread on the lens.. so i could buy filters for it. I wasn't sure what i needed, or wanted to so left that alone for a while and just played with the full manual mode and 10x optical zoom it had.

Circular polariser - thats what i needed. One came up for sale nice and cheap on another forum i'm on, and i bought it. I'd read about what they did, and seen examples yet it took me a while to realise what it was doing to the shots and how was best to use it.

I had the camera just in time for small trip to Spain to see the Formula 1 race at Catalunya. The zoom would come in handy here, and i'd have a chance to practice these panning shots i'd read about.

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The F1 cars proved too fast, and i prefered watching them full size rather than through the camera.

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It gave me a great chance to play with camera in a different environment too. Taking night shots of the harbour reminded me i should've taken my tripod with me, and shooting the fountains forced me to use shutter prioirty and experiment trying to get the droplets right.

I still wanted a DSLR, and when i changed jobs I was given a lot of owed holiday pay that I didn't even realised i'd been collecting. Determined not to waste the money, I bought myself a Nikon D50 with kit lens, couple of batteries, bag, remote etc.

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I sold my trusty s5600 to a friend, as i knew i just wouldn't use it that much anymore.

The D50 had so many more buttons, and odd sounding menus than my other cameras.. it didn't take long to get used to, though am still learning with it.

In July, i began urban exploration. Gaining access to derelict buildings, and viewing a world we normally choose to not see - or areas that are simply off limits to most of us. This is something I love doing, i am fasinated by what i see and it also gives me a lovely subject to photograph.

 

[GeX]

These are a couple shots from my first trip to an asylum

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I had sold my old polariser with the s5600 as the thread size was different on the D50 kit lens, so decieded to invest in some new filters. CPF, ND4, ND8 and R72 were all ordered and i had some fun with the IR.

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The D50 came with on all my explores, and i was begining to see the limits of the kit lens. I needed a wider angle, i had a play with panaromaics.. but wasn't keen.

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So in Aug I bought myself a sigma 10-20. Despite tripping up and damaging ligaments etc in my foot on the way out, i still went into town and bought the lens as it was the only time i could get up there to buy it. I went to hospital after i'd got my new toy, i couldn't walk for a week after that..so that wasn't much fun.

After i'd recovered, i could go out to play with the 10-20. wow is all i can say. I know this lens gives distortation round the edges but i love the effect that that creates. It is very useful when exploring, as i am not always as free to posistion the camera where you want to as i'd like.

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Oct saw me trying to take photographs in complete darkness. This was a new challenge, something i'd not really tried before. The shots came out ok, maybe if i'd had more than an LED head torch for light painting they'd have worked out better. I'm yet to try this again.

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[GeX]

Nov, i fancied playing with DOF at an interesting location. Knowing that the D50 is capable of much more shallow DOF than my compact ever could, i was quite looking forward to having a play. The lack of DOF preview on the D50 was annoying here.

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I've continued exploring, and taking photos as i go. Playing with processing techniques, and lighting as i go. I'll wrap it up here and just post a few of my fav images from the end of 2007.

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and into 2008? It's gonna be a good year

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[GeX]

thanks guys. it took me a while to pick the images, as i've taken so many that i love - i was trying to show the progression - good to hear it worked.

scarysquirrel - it's taken in the moruge of High Royds Asylum up near Leeds. The ghostly figure on the right wasn't meant to be there but now that he is, i think it adds a bit to the image

 

[GeX]

Great story, and I can certainly see a real progression and then a lean towards a certain style.
The urban exploration stuff is really cool. I also like doing that stuff but haven't been to any proper locations yet, need car!

Good work, looking forward to what this year brings you

Cheers. I've had a couple of people comment on my style of photography now, which i like. It means that my stuff is mine.. there is some of me in the shots..if that makes sense.

I am looking forward to 2008, kit wise i think i'll just be getting a nifty fifty - be aiming toward more high up shots as well (but shot with the 10-20, mostly!) like this one.

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I have a slight fear of heights, which i'm working on

Number 23 is a shot above the rest, and nice post, it was fun to read and it's great to see how you've come from 'a bit crap' to interesting and skilful (no offence taken there I hope).

2008 is going to be a good year for you.

thanks, i do really like number 23. The other guys i was with there too shots, but because they have larger tripods - they were at a higher level and a different angle. I have always used small tripods, and can quite often be found balancing the camera on other things (like for that shot.. it was on work top and i was sat in the sink!)

No offence taken about the 'a bit crap' I do have a problem with critically looking at my own work - i really like most of what i save from a shoot. I do accept that as technical skills imrpove more interesting shots that might've been not possible become atainable though

Really like this progression as well Gex. It's interesting to see how far some of the members have come over the last year on this forum. Some of the people I consider to be brilliant photographers have only been in the game a year or so. It makes me quite jealous (in a good way).

It's really good to see that you have found an environment and a style that suits you. You're very good at the urban decay side of things.

Panzer

That's made me beam from ear to ear. Ta! I do love that i've been able to combine photography with something else I love doing, and something that also will have some level of historic purpose to it as these places are lost.

I like 5 6 and 7

6 inparticular, i love the way its taken, especially in the night.

When i buy my 1st camera in a few weeks i want one that takes pics in night aswell...

I love the sky at night.

I want one thatll take a good shot of the stars, or the moon, night sky and clouds etc...

What camera did u use to take that pic in the dark?

Cheers

For 5 and 6 i used a Fuji F31FD and for 7 i used a fuji s5600.

A more recent low light / night shot is this one (shot on the D50)

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anything that can do a long exposure time will help when photographing the sky at night

 

[GeX]

thanks cokebottles.

as you begin to take more and more shots, you get a good idea of what you can capture and what settings to use. it really does just take time to pratice

19 and 21, i just opened the aperture right up. took the shots and checked how they looked. i can't remember now if i then adjusted it and re shot - or left them as they were.

 

[GeX]

thanks alex and paul

iBot, some of them shots are from that asylum yeah. That gunman incident was a while back now, i remember it though. I do post on 28dl, and some of the above have def been posted on there

 

[GeX]

best bet is reading through the FAQs on 28dl, i'd put these points forward though.

assume every floor you are standing on is not safe.
wear a P3 rated mask or respirator
decent boots
if you open any doors, move any fence panels etc - but them back as you found them
don't go alone
don't smash or damage anything
if you get caught, be polite, the security people are just doing their job and when they ask you to leave, do so.

other than that, just be careful and have fun