The Canon 5D MKII 3 Sep 2010, 4:04 pm

This week I ventured into the realm of full frame digital photography with the Canon 5D MKII. Nervously I took the new camera for a walk around the local county side and found moving from a cropped sensor to full frame is going to take a little bit of getting used to.

For landscape work I am playing with the 17-40mm (sadly not my own) and it is stunning, almost offering a 180 degree field of view. Once I get used to the on-off switch being in a totally different location from any other Canon camera I have owned I think the 5DMKII is a winner.

The full set from the walk can be found in a set on flick right here.

iPhonific 25 Aug 2010, 2:19 pm

Here is the original post featured on a number of websites regarding the iPhonific project. iphonific.com is a new offering from the photographer behind Flixelpix and is designed to be a mix of iphonic experimentation wrapped up in the concept of a photo 365.

David Commented “With the release of iPhone 4 mobile camera technology has come on leaps and bounds. I have always wanted to embark on a Photo 365 and experimenting with the iPhone and a range of different Apps seems like the logical challenge”.

The iphonific website is broken down into categories and every photo will arrive on site directly from the handset. There won’t be any Lightroom, Aperture or Photoshop enhancements instead David is relying on the latest mobile software to tweak the images directly on the phone.

David commented “iPhonific isn’t a self indulgent journey, it is simply a way of taking post production and advance DSLR settings out of the equation allowing there to be focus on composition. I would appreciate as much feedback as photographers can offer on the photos, feedback is how we learn”.

Links:

iPhonific

Exhibition : Through the Mill 23 Aug 2010, 1:00 pm

It is definitely strange seeing it in print but the Island Arts Centre Programme arrived this morning and there in black and white was my Hilden Urban Decay exhibition.

“Through the Mill, a series of thought-provoking images by a local photographer, captures a living history of aspects of Lisburn’s industrial past. ”

A two hundred year story ended in 2006 with the closure of Hilden Mill – ‘Through the Mill’, a final chapter,

offers us a unique opportunity to see the mill as it is now and a chance to imagine something of the lives of generations of mill workers.

The images challenge us to consider our heritage – what has gone before, what will never return, what is our legacy, and what will become of an architectural and industrial landmark on our doorstep?

‘This series transcends location, with its images capturing urban decay, the natural world and the minutiae of our daily routine, challenging us to consider the supposed silence of the past and our place in the present’.

It is obviously a daunting experience as this is my first photography exhibition, if you are free during the week I’d appreciate you calling in for a viewing. As a novice on a steep learning curve all feedback or advice is greatly appreciated.

Links:

Island Arts Centre
RSVP via the Facebook Event

Product Photography : G-Drive 22 Aug 2010, 6:09 pm

One of the biggest resources I consume as a photographer is storage. If you shoot your photos in RAW mode you suddenly jump from images of 5-10MB to CR2 files weighing in around 25MB. If you are just starting out on your photographic journey you may well be getting to the stage where your photo library has consumed most of your main hard drive and you are looking for alternative storage systems.

Welcome the G-Drive

For years I have struggled with a range of photo storage solutions. For the last year I have been storing my main Lightroom Library on a USB2 low speed, host powered harddrive. In addition I was also using a USB2 CF card reader to import my photos across to the drive. Shooting RAW meant starting the import and then going of and doing something else for an hour before coming back to edit the photos.

Backing up

Although I am a massive fan of TimeMachine on the Mac I tend to back up my photos using a separate additional USB harddrive and I mirrored my main drive on a weekly basis. Again this was a particularly slow process and was made even more difficult with my computer struggling to run a number of USB2 drives at the same time over a powered USB hub. As you can see it was clearly time for a change.

In reality the drive on which you store your photos should be as important as your camera. If you value your work then you will want the best storage and the most effective backup strategy, this is one area of my photographic journey I really have neglected, the good news is a 2TB G-Drive changes that instantly.

The move to Firewire 800.

If there was a perfect drive for the amateur or beginning professional photographer, actually, any photographer it has to be the G-Drive. My drive arrived at the beginning of the week and I have been in storage heaven since. As well as the G-Drive I purchased a Firewire 800 CF Reader which I was able to daisy chain with the drive. This basically means the CF reader connects to the G-Drive and the G-Drive connects to the computer. This has the added benefit of freeing up 2 USB ports on my hub.

Getting starting

Hitachi the makers of the G-Drive are clearly serious about looking after their customers. The G-Drive can be connected to your computer in 3 ways (ESATA, Firewire and USB) so as well as the essential power cable the drive comes with a Firewire 800, ESATA, Firewire 800 – Firewire 400 and a USB cable. There is nothing worse that purchasing a new piece of kit to find you have to purchase the cables as an extra. You can see a photo of the unboxing here.

In terms of looks the G-Drive is stunning. You are probably wondering why looks matter when it comes down to storage ? well look at the drive ! It suits the Mac desktop perfectly and the build quality is superb in everyway. Previous drives I have owned (including a Drobo) I have tended to hide away behind monitors but this drive takes pride of place beside my Apple screen.

Moving Lightroom

On day one I moved my Lightroom Library over to the new drive. This is a very simple process. With Lightroom closed simply copy your main Lightroom working folder, (this is likely to be in your ‘Pictures’ Folder) over to the new device, then while holding down ALT load Adobe Lightroom and you will be prompted to select the catalogue you want to use. Click “Chose a different Catalogue” and locate your Lightroom folder on the G-Drive.

Importing Performance

I couldn’t wait to see the difference the G-Drive would make to the process of importing my photographs. Probably the biggest question I was asking myself was why had I stuck with the USB solution for so long? Firewire 800 makes a massive difference to the import time and better still I also noticed I was able to work on the photos being imported while Adobe Lightroom imported the rest to the same drive, this was a whole new experience.

Usability

One massive bonus that I hadn’t considered was the performance benefits when simply using Lightroom to access my photo library. The G-Drive is 7200RPM where my previous USB drives were all 5400rpm add to this the difference between Firewire and USB and I suddenly discovered I was able to navigate my Lightroom Library and load photos full screen considerably faster than before.

With a 2TB drive I was also able to keep a few backups on there rather than having TimeMachine doing all the work. The speed of the drive means moving files from my main drive to the G-Drive is also remarkably fast.

Noise ?

One of the big issues I find with external storage is noise. You invest in a near silent Mac system to have your happiness blighted by a big noisy storage solution. The G-Drive isn’t silent but it isn’t noisy either. The case is designed with a built in heat sink so the only noise is the actual hard drive ticking over rather than fans. Previous drives I have used have had their own enclosure fans and these tended to be noisy and one solution was so bad it actually made my desk vibrate. The G-Drive purrs away but not to the point of annoyance.

G-Technology have a range of drives designed for photographers (you can view the entire range here). To be honest I’d be tempted to use of the G-Drive Mini drives when out and about, the bomb proof look and style of the drive and robust design means they are fit for pretty much any climate or condition.

The standard G-Drive comes in a range of sizes up to 2TB which is more than enough space for the beginning photographer. You add additional G-Drives to the daisy chain but obviously, as your business grows you will eventually need to move into G-Technology Raid solutions. If you are not at the full raid level let and are looking for the perfect drive your photo work flow then look no further. If you are serious about your work these pro-end drives will be an essential part of your photo studio.

Don’t just take my word for it, there are some great work flow examples from respected professional photographers on their website. If it is good enough for Candace Feit it is good enough for me !

If you use the G-Drive or have another backup and storage solution that you swear by why not let us know in the comments ? It would be great to hear how others look after their prized photos.

This review was also published on Sevenbyfive.net

Links:

The Unboxing Photos

Geek Notes 10 Aug 2010, 9:11 am

There is no getting away from the fact I am a gadget geek. From iPhones to iPads I am hooked on every life enhancing piece of technology. The latest addition to FlixelPix HQ are these stunning iPhone Post-It notes.

The Post-It notes are the very latest in Post-It technology. The screen is stunning and  you don’t even have to hold them a specific way to ensure the best communication. Unlike previous versions there doesn’t seem to be any battery life issue and haven’t witnessed any dropped calls since they arrived. !

The Reality

Possibly the biggest negative about something as cool as iPhone Post-It notes is if you are a true geek you life is already paperless with every note ending up in Evernote ?

You can see a few more photos of the post-it notes in the flickr set.

State of the Union 9 Aug 2010, 4:55 pm

This photo is included on FlixelPix, not for any political reason but simply for the colour. The image is a quick capture with the 50mm lens as I walked along an empty street. It isn’t difficult to find a flag to photograph here but this was literally a split second hold the camera up and snap.

In a way it is included for the irony, when I try to achieve a perfectly focused shot at f1.4 I fail, the single time I don’t look through the view finder or care about the photo being taken I manage to capture a naturally sharp image. I give up.

Golden 9 Aug 2010, 4:35 pm

I thought it was time to replace the dull, drab and rather depressing photograph of Belfast with something with a big more light.

I am focusing on only using my 50mm f1.4 lens for a month being determined to learn now to control such wide apertures and reduce the number of tragically out of focus photos I capture.

Obviously the beauty of 50mm lenses is the ability to create stunning bokeh effects but it is ensuring the bokeh is balanced with an area that is actually is focus.

There are a few more photos from the field in this set on flickr. Actually most of the photos in this set were taken with the 50mm lens.

The FlixelPix Flickr Top Ten (Aug 10) 3 Aug 2010, 1:45 pm

I thought I would post my top ten photos on flickr, more of a record for myself as the flickr stats change so regularly and the popular area isn’t accessible to the public.

1. Frozen Swans

Number 1 on the list is the photo of swans on the frozen lake taken on New Years day this year. If you click on any of the images it will take you directly to the photo on flickr.

2. November Walk

This photo was the first few images captured with the Canon 7D the day after I purchased it. This image is licensed by Getty Images.

3. Landscape

Surprisingly this photo was taken in the same day as November Walk (above) and was the first photo I took with the 7D.

4. Frozen (Ivy) Heart

Another winter photo this one is again licensed by Getty Images, it was a lucky catch over the Christmas holiday period.

5. Fog on the Lough

I actually don’t like this photo. A cliche, boring, and almost too pure with the fog hiding the distant landscape.

6. More Rugby

I am not really a sport photographer but I do try and capture the emotion, this tends to work in mono. Although this is a popular image my personal favourite is actually this photo captured at the end of a match. Flickr ranks this one at number fourteen.

7. The Getaway

Having chased a hoverfly around the garden for over an hour I managed to grab this macro shot just before it flew away.

8. Watching the Sunset

I think most people think this photo has been enhanced beyond reality but this is exactly how the sunset appeared the night before an intense storm. People left guest houses and hotels to witness the redest sunset I have seen.

9. Giant BMXer

I am not sure I understand the formula for popular photos on flickr. This photo has been viewed less than 400 times but it has been favourited and commented on which seems to help with the ranking.

10. The Church Revisited

I have no idea why this image is popular. It isn’t the type of photo anyone would want to display on their wall yet 700 views and 6 favourites later it makes its way into the top 10.

It will be interesting to revisit the list in six months, I really hope some new photos will break through but as these photos continue to receive comments and favourites that might be a challenge.

Belfast in Black and White 25 Jul 2010, 1:05 pm

I decided to do a quick review of some of the photos in my flickr account. The above photography is of St George’s Market complete with the Big Issue seller who targets the rich who attend the niche culture market each Saturday morning.

It is in this very location where I bumped into Lisa Bonet (read more). I am sure the restraining order still allows me to post about the chance meeting. If you click on any of the photos it will take you to the image on Flickr.

The Belfast Wheel

The wheel closed shortly after this photo was taken having been in place for three years. I don’t hold myself responsible.

The Government

Government House at Stormont.

Kilroot Smog

A view across to the Kilroot Power Station where our overpriced electricity is produced.

A Belfast Street

A view between two Belfast Streets.

Stormont Hill

The view from the doors of Government house at Stormont.

New Belfast Buildings

Belfast have been a hive of development and change over the last ten years. Buildings appear on the cityscape on a near weekly basis.

Belfast Lough

The view from the top of Cavehill across Belfast Lough. From this point you can see the entire city, Holywood, Bangor and Carrickfergus.

Behind City Hall

A narrow street behind city hall. Photographed purely as I liked the idea of double yellow lines on each side indicating you can’t park. I realise this photo is strictly black and white but I have use artistic license to include sepia tones in the post.

Cavehill

Final Photo from the top of Cavehill just as the rain began to fall.

I think the post serves as a Belfast review of the last twelve months but also how bad photographs can look a year later. Images I once thought were reasonable appear stale, dull and unimaginative. I hope the post serves as a marker for avoiding the cliched, predictable, tourist board esque photos these images personify. The line is drawn.

Other Photos :

A few iPhone photos that also feature Belfast in Black and White:
The Titanic Drawing Room
QUB Library
The Belfast Skyline
Harland and Wolff

Belfast from the Cave 24 Jul 2010, 11:45 am

Despite being a stunning view there is something utterly depressing about looking at the city from this height. From this point you see every aspect of the city from beautiful to the downright ugly.

Perhaps it was coincidental the cloud formation over Kilroot power station appeared as smog from the large chimney on the Carrickfergus shoreline but the trial of cloud looked thick and heavy.

I don’t think this is unique to Belfast. I don’t think any city looks great from above. On a plus point we did manage to see the spots where ‘Closing the Ring’ and ‘City of Ember’ where shot. They definitely look different in real life.

The full set of photos including some experimental iPhone shots can be found in the flickr set.