Andrew Kent
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
Thought I would post a general post.
I do try and get out and about taking photos, but like most of us I expect, I don't get out as often as I would like.
I am trying to make a concerted effort to try and take more photos, and grab opportunities that present themselves.
I guess this post is to maybe inspire a few others to get out shooting too.
I have two young kids and a full time job, so free time is hard to come by.
As some of you will have read, I recently went out with Dan and a few of his friends to the Peak district, details on the "Urban Mooch Collection" thread:
http://www.realphotographersforum.com/general/10585-urbex-mooch-collection.html
Since then I have tried to continue with the piccy taking.
So on Tuesday evening (Photo club night at Bromsgrove photographic society), I skipped the club night (Lecture), and went out to brave the cold in search of a photo.
It was dead clear, So plan was Sigma 10-20 with star trails. destination Tardibigge church near Bromsgrove (Not been there in the dark before).
Sadly it was floodlit, No switches on the floodlight....so that scuppered that one.
So a wander down the hill to the canal to find a bridge with potential.
I had a load of wire wool, and a shiny new egg whisk to spin it with, all bought for the Urban Mooch trip. Plan was to light up Middleton Mine, but unfortunately that didn't work out.
So I spent a while laying in the dirt in the cold by the footpath juggling my camera an torch to get the compisition right. Got there in the end. Two long term moored narrow boat owners either side of the bridge asked my brother what on earth we were doing, and "Why has your mate been laying in the mud for 10 mins, is he ok?" He explained, and off they went back to their boats.....
After 40 mines of star trailing the scene, I set about the foreground interest, green flash guns under the bridge, torches on the steps, and wire wool spins above, and under the bridge.
Who knows what the boat people thought by now, plenty of curtain twitching going on for sure.
After some frantic stamping out of some small fires that caught on top of the bridge, the shoot was done.
So off to the post photo club watering hole.
After the barman kicked us out and locked the doors, it was back home to comp it all up with "Star trails.exe". Fantastic bit of free software.
Not only sorts out the 30 second continuous shooting trails that avoid light pollution, but also used it to add all the foreground shots.
When I looked at the final stack I realised I had caught a small shooting star. BONUS
The final image is here:
Tardibigge Bridge 56 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
Anyway, back to the point...
At work today (Office units are on a farm), took the camera, got some decent shots of the local crows drinking from the puddles by the cow sheds.
Back home and out with the camera again.
This time I stood quite literally on my front door step and shot the sparrows in my hedge with my canon (To the uninitiated, a disturbing sentence!)
Well chuffed how these came out as well.
I have noticed over the last few weeks that the evening light is right on the leafless hedge as the sparrows settle down before dark.
Pics here:
Sparrow 1 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
And:
Sparrow 2 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
Don't know why I didn't shoot them earlier.
But that's the point really. Look around, spot opportunities around you. You don't need to make a concerted effort to go on a photo trip to get photos, just try and keep the camera with you, and be an opportunist.
I will try and keep it up, so watch this space! Hope you guys will too?!
Pics attached.
Cheers,
Andy.
Thought I would post a general post.
I do try and get out and about taking photos, but like most of us I expect, I don't get out as often as I would like.
I am trying to make a concerted effort to try and take more photos, and grab opportunities that present themselves.
I guess this post is to maybe inspire a few others to get out shooting too.
I have two young kids and a full time job, so free time is hard to come by.
As some of you will have read, I recently went out with Dan and a few of his friends to the Peak district, details on the "Urban Mooch Collection" thread:
http://www.realphotographersforum.com/general/10585-urbex-mooch-collection.html
Since then I have tried to continue with the piccy taking.
So on Tuesday evening (Photo club night at Bromsgrove photographic society), I skipped the club night (Lecture), and went out to brave the cold in search of a photo.
It was dead clear, So plan was Sigma 10-20 with star trails. destination Tardibigge church near Bromsgrove (Not been there in the dark before).
Sadly it was floodlit, No switches on the floodlight....so that scuppered that one.
So a wander down the hill to the canal to find a bridge with potential.
I had a load of wire wool, and a shiny new egg whisk to spin it with, all bought for the Urban Mooch trip. Plan was to light up Middleton Mine, but unfortunately that didn't work out.
So I spent a while laying in the dirt in the cold by the footpath juggling my camera an torch to get the compisition right. Got there in the end. Two long term moored narrow boat owners either side of the bridge asked my brother what on earth we were doing, and "Why has your mate been laying in the mud for 10 mins, is he ok?" He explained, and off they went back to their boats.....
After 40 mines of star trailing the scene, I set about the foreground interest, green flash guns under the bridge, torches on the steps, and wire wool spins above, and under the bridge.
Who knows what the boat people thought by now, plenty of curtain twitching going on for sure.
After some frantic stamping out of some small fires that caught on top of the bridge, the shoot was done.
So off to the post photo club watering hole.
After the barman kicked us out and locked the doors, it was back home to comp it all up with "Star trails.exe". Fantastic bit of free software.
Not only sorts out the 30 second continuous shooting trails that avoid light pollution, but also used it to add all the foreground shots.
When I looked at the final stack I realised I had caught a small shooting star. BONUS
The final image is here:
Tardibigge Bridge 56 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
Anyway, back to the point...
At work today (Office units are on a farm), took the camera, got some decent shots of the local crows drinking from the puddles by the cow sheds.
Back home and out with the camera again.
This time I stood quite literally on my front door step and shot the sparrows in my hedge with my canon (To the uninitiated, a disturbing sentence!)
Well chuffed how these came out as well.
I have noticed over the last few weeks that the evening light is right on the leafless hedge as the sparrows settle down before dark.
Pics here:
Sparrow 1 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
And:
Sparrow 2 by Andy Kent 100, on Flickr
Don't know why I didn't shoot them earlier.
But that's the point really. Look around, spot opportunities around you. You don't need to make a concerted effort to go on a photo trip to get photos, just try and keep the camera with you, and be an opportunist.
I will try and keep it up, so watch this space! Hope you guys will too?!
Pics attached.
Cheers,
Andy.
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