New lens, ready for wildlife photography
So I know I haven’t posted in a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been taking photos. In fact a few weeks back I splashed out on a new lens, one that would be ready for just about any situation. It’s an 18-250mm lens that on my Sony A55 will equate to something like 27-380mm, which I am more than happy with. Previously I’ve made do with a 50mm portrait lens (that I love), and my stock 18-55mm lens, but now with the new lens I can achieve so much more, for instance; wildlife photography.
This was something I’d had in my head since I got the lens and so on my way to work I would, every so often, go via a nearby park called St Ann’s Well Gardens. The first time I went I was really lucky and the place was literally swarming with squirrels, very friendly squirrels who didn’t mind getting very close. But these ground level shots in the morning gloom weren’t really working well. Every time I returned to the park on a brighter, nicer morning it was instead swarming with dogs and their owners. The squirrels kept safely hidden. Then a few days ago, after all but giving up on the squirrels, I was walking along my normal route to work and heard something move in the trees above me. And this fella posed for me;
More breakfast than I'd had that day
The Brighton Trail
At the start of October I went on a little thing called the Brighton Camera Trail, a present for my birthday in June. A small group of amateur photographers are led around Brighton by a professional taking photographs of anything and everything whilst getting tips and tasks from the the pro. A lot of the things being taught were things that I already knew, but it was incredibly useful having someone affirm what I’d learned myself by messing with my camera’s settings. The highlight of the trail was a task we were given in the heart of the north laines where we were told to approach strangers and take portraits of them, in order to create a series of similar pictures, forming a ‘project’ of sorts. We weren’t forced to do this, and in fact one guy didn’t approach a single person, but it was a really useful exercise in building confidence with my camera in public settings.
So, here are a few of the photos I took on the trail. My project is going to feature in its own post, with a little more detail.
Enter the Laines
A very handsome building
Possibly the girliest image I have ever made
I’m going to do so many more of these, they’re awesome
A bit of long exposure to end the day
Solo: Accidents that you wish were intentional
Sometimes I’ll just take pictures of the sun and sky, or stretch my hand out as far as I can and take a picture from some dodgy angle, or mess with my cameras settings as much as possible then snap away. If I were to then say that this has worked for me, I’d be lying. It’s produced some interesting shots, but nothing that great.
This shot however came from a far less contrived accident. I was simply taking a picture, a portrait, and accidentally lined up myself and my friend in the subjects shades. Bam, instant cool. Now this could have been set up, but then I wouldn’t like it so much, it would be far less natural, so unnatural in fact that I’d probably have remembered to keep my eyes open.
Rose between two thorns
What does ‘Brighton’ make you think?
Seagulls. Also Photoshop‘s Content Aware fill feature is awesome, got rid of a big bit of building and some extra tree.
Snap Flash Pop 