Wednesdays child

Wednesdays child, originally uploaded by Dan Baillie.

This shot was taken at a recent wedding, the little girl really didn't want her picture taken, but her mum really wanted her to, she refused to look at the camera, and in the end I had to take a couple of pictures of her when she wasn't looking.

This was one of the out takes but there was something about it and I prefer it to the 'official' shot.

It's Guinness Time

It's Guinness Time, originally uploaded by Dan Baillie.

I wanted to produce a low-fi image that was reminiscent of a primitive analogue camera such as the Holga. I wanted to produce an image that conveyed all of the importance and atmosphere of the moment without the reliance on megapixels or pin sharp detail.

This was a candid shot that I took in the Bladnoch Inn, near Wigtown. I decided that I could use my small Canon Ixus to take this shot for several reasones, firstly it is relatively discreet, sencondly it has reasonable image stabilizing which helps and lastly due to the small sensor it is lower quality than from my Nikon DSLR's. I disabled the flash to make use of the available light. However this resulted in a slow shutter speed having to be used and despite the image stabilization a bit of motion blur. No problem, this helped add to the atmosphere.

The resulting image was then processed in photoshop and slight sepia tint was added in post production with some grain to make it look like a "real" photo :-)

Together

Together, originally uploaded by Dan Baillie.

This portrait was one of several taken on a recent privately commissioned shoot. The models here are Solway Star and Kate. I particularly love the moment captured here, there is a strong connection between the girl and horse and it makes for a lovely image. Ironically this shot was a grab shot which I took just as I was starting to put my camera equipment away after the formal shoot. Which just goes to show that some of the best pictures can not be planned!

The photograph was taken using natural light and Nikon DSLR with 70-200mm f2.8 lens.

I was recently awarded a distinction from the Royal Photographic Society which was a proud moment for me, and has encouraged me to try some new techniques and styles of photography.

Canon P&S Happiness

Natural History Museum, originally uploaded by Dan Baillie.

I have been incredibly busy over the last month, both on a personal basis and also a photographic one. So I apologise for the lack of new posts on the blog. However I intend to make up for all that right now.

Following on from my last post regarding my small pocketable Canon Ixus Camera. I was mooching around on the internet wondering whether I should add a more sophsticated compact camera to my collection when I stumbled across a site called CHDK for Dummies. CHDK stands for Canon Hack Development Kit, ok it's not very snappily named but if you have a small Canon compact camera then it is a revelation.

The CHDK allows you to copy a small program onto the media card in your Canon compact, through this program you can then unlock a whole host of advanced features such as being able to shoot in RAW, shutter priority, aperture priority, time lapse photography and also motion detection.

CDHK seems to be perfectly safe and does not damage the camera, you can choose to let it autoload every time you start the camera or fire it up at will. I have been using it for the last few weeks and can testify that it is incredibly powerful, absolutely free and a must have. It's saved me from buying a more expensive compact with more manual control. My inexpensive Ixus now does it all.

Windows Wallpaper

Windows Wallpaper, originally uploaded by Dan Baillie.

As a photographer it can sometimes get a bit wearing having to carry a multitude of camera bodies and lenses around. Even when you are not working you feel that you should have a reasonable amount of gear with you in case you see the perfect photo. Well the other day I flouted convention and went for a walk without my usual Nikon accompanyment. After all I was only going to walk the dogs. I took with me a Canon Ixus 80 IS.

When I saw the view in the photograph I immediately regretted not having my SLRs, however with a bit of jiggery pokery with the settings on the Ixus, this is what I managed to capture - yes it probably will only print upto a 16"x12" maximum, and it probabably hasn't captured as much detail as one of my Nikon lenses might. But it's not bad, and it set me thinking as to what other images could be captured on the small sensor camera, a bit like the way that pin hole cameras have a huge amount of limitation, but sometimes the results of something so simple can be stunning.

This is the start of my Small Sensor Project entitled "Big Pictures from Small Cameras".

Ben and Vicky

Ben and Vicky, originally uploaded by The Puddock.

The 9th May marked my first outdoor wedding this year. The location was Glentrool Estate on the banks of Loch Trool. As the ceremony was to take place outside on the lawns of the lodge, during the week proceeding there were at least three people praying for sunshine....and low and behold it was a gorgeous sunny day. Also a credit to Ben and Vicky it was the most beautiful wedding with a really relaxed and joyful feel and they were a lovely couple to photograph.

Taken looking towards Glentrool Lodge, taken using a Nikon D200 and 70-200mm f2.8 lens set at 70mm, ISO 200, natural light.

Bus Stop

Bus Stop, originally uploaded by The Puddock.

I absolutely love candid street photography, it's hard to do and even harder to do well. I don't really get much chance to practice it where I live as I live in a very rural area, and there isn't an abundance of jostling street life, however sometimes I happen to be in the right place at the right time and this was one such occasion. This lady was waiting for a bus and I took the opportunity to grab a shot. Some people don't like colour popped (selectively coloured) images, probably because it is often overused and has become less fashionable. I quite like it when it is done well, and where I feel it wasn't done for the sake of it. I don't really follow fashion anyhoo.