needlemind photography

Sunday Morning Photowalk

scott — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:43:38 +0000

Everyone knows that to get the best landscape / nature photographs you have to go off the beaten track, you have to get yourself to that place that no one else normally goes… so, when my car gave up the ghost earlier in the week I felt sure that I wouldn’t be able to get out and about with the camera this weekend. I could have taken the opportunity to complete my house bound challenge, but I really didn’t want to. I think because I knew that how far I could actually go would be restricted by how far I could walk, I wanted to get out into the wilderness even more than usual.

That’s when I decided it was time for a photowalk… so, this morning whilst the world was still dark and grey I set out with my Samsung NX10, looking for the sunrise.

A quick check of the local weather told me that I wasn’t in for anything special, that it would be a dull grey morning, with some sunlight in the afternoon. This wouldn’t deter me, if the weather was that bad, I would simply turn around and walk home again. However (and thankfully) the weather prediction was very wrong. Instead I was greeted by an amazing sunrise (as seen below), which allowed me to experiment with both my NX10 (see the “featured imaged above”) and my iphone (see below) in low light conditions.

pre-dawn light, as seen by an iPhone

I was reasonably happy with the results from both cameras, but I was definitely pleased with the display Mother Nature presented – and how light my camera bag was

The sun rose slowly, majestically, and mercifully behind some interesting trees, allowing me to get shots like the one below:

some very strong backlighting

Though shortly after these shots, the clouds rolled in, the sun disappeared, and I was left with a grey, flat light that wasn’t of any use. Until this inquisitive swan came along and allowed me to take its portrait (even if I did have to resort to a black and white conversion and high contrast processing):

high contrast swan portrait

All in all it was a great start to the day, very much worthwhile, and proved that getting “off the beaten track” doesn’t have to mean travelling very far.

Inspiration? Everywhere.

scott — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:12:38 +0000

I was recently asked by a friend where I get my inspiration from? I thought about it for a moment or two and then gave the incredibly glib and oh-so-cheesy response “everywhere”. Urgh. I quickly apologised and attempted to give a more sincere and genuine answer… only I couldn’t. Where do I get my inspiration from? The conversation moved on to other things and I never did come back with a proper answer.

And it was only today that it really struck me – Mother Nature is my biggest influence. Looking through my back catalogue of images there is an obvious pattern, sure there are a handful of people shots (which, you could arguably say exist because of Mother Nature), and perhaps one or two architectural images, but other than that almost every shot is either of an animal, a landscape, or a close up examination of something natural (leaves on trees, blades of grass glistening with dew, flowers …)

All of which means that my cringe-worthy answer wasn’t too far from the truth. Mother Nature is everywhere, from buzzing insects to enormous forests of ancient trees.

I guess next time someone asks I’ll just have to try to say it without coming across as pompous. Everywhere…

2012, Day One…

scott — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:53:41 +0000

So here we are then, 2012 and all that.

The last 365 days have been quite eventful for me, from travelling across Europe, to meeting up with photographers, to producing several books, but this post is not a look back instead it’s a look forward – to the potential of 2012. I have a few things lined up (including a trip to America in the summer – but more about that nearer the time!)

But the thing that I want to really talk about now is the set of Challenges I have drawn up, 34 different mini-projects that are definitely going to keep me going throughout the year. It may only be the 1st of January, but already I have plans to tackle one of the challenges today, or at least to begin taking on one of the challenges. You’ll find out which one later on, when I post some results (assuming I actually get some results, that is… after all, I haven’t actually gone out with the camera at the time of writing this).

So, here’s to a new year full of untapped potential.

Robin Wood

scott — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:11:42 +0000

I ventured onto a nature reserve this morning, by the time I arrived most of the decent light had gone, replaced by a dull, overcast greyness that I’m sure anyone living in the UK is familiar with. I decided not to let the poor light quality get in the way of trying to get a reasonable shot, and so I took a walk around the reserve pointing and shooting (ok, DSLRing) my way around.

Then, as I was about to give up the trip as a generally bad idea, the sun poked out from behind the clouds and everything came to life. This robin (and about a dozen others) appeared out of the trees and basked in the brief but beautiful daylight, before heading off once more into the dark and shady undergrowth.

I suppose the moral is never give up on the light.

Image details:

Focal Length: 200mm

Aperture: f/4

Shutter Speed: 1/250

ISO: 1600

For the larger version, check out the gallery below:

December 2011

And So December Begins…

scott — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:25:22 +0000

I have yet to shoot anything new in December (a combination of feeling a little under the weather, and a distinct lack of time are my current excuses for not picking up the camera over the last week), but I have spent a little time going through the archives. The first four shots uploaded into the December gallery were all taken several years ago, but these are the first time they’ve been polished up and shared online.

One of the shots – The Photographer – is a black and white self-portrait. I decided to share this one in preparation for next year’s Creative Self Portrait challenge. I really don’t like having my picture taken, but that is going to have to change over the next 12 months – how could I expect others to enjoy having their picture taken by me, if I don’t like it myself.

The above image (and several others) can all be found in the newly created gallery:

December 2011

Setting A Challenge (2012)

scott — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:57:21 +0000

Having finished with the Challenges for 2011, I have now created a set of 2012 Challenges to keep me inspired, motivated, and… well, challenged throughout the next 12 months or so. There are 34 individual Challenges within the 2012 set, and whilst I’d love to say that I’ll get them all done, I really don’t know if I will. What I will do is give each one of them as much attention as I can. Right now it looks as though 2012 will be a busy year.

The Challenges themselves break down into 9 sections:

Beyond The Camera

Additional

Animal

Landscape

Macro

Night

People

Action

Street

Cyclocross

scott — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:28:27 +0000

I had the pleasure of attending a cyclocross event today.

If you’re not sure what cyclocross is, here’s a handy link to help you out. The cyclists taking part today had the challenge of riding around a circuit of just over a mile (it looked about that far, at least), riding down some steep hills, running / riding up some other steep hills, and even hurdling (with their bikes) over a couple of shin-high boards. It looked quite challenging, but it made for some great photo opportunities, helped by the low winter light, which was bright and beautiful today.

The chap in the featured image above was the overall winner.

I took a few shots, and I should have one or two to share over the coming days (up to the end of November). Check back soon.

Image details:

Focal Length: 200mm

Aperture: f/4

Shutter Speed: 1/800

ISO: 400

For the larger version, check out the gallery below:

November 2011

Reading The Blurb

scott — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:33:20 +0000

Overnight last night I self published my 16th & 17th photobooks, titled: TimeFrame 2 and TimeFrame 3. They are, as the name clearly suggests the 2nd and 3rd volumes in a series I have called TimeFrame. The intention behind the TimeFrame books is to capture a set period in time, and all the best photographs I have produced in that time (including those shot many months, or even years, earlier now taken out of the archives and polished up ready for sharing online).

TimeFrame volume 1 covered a period of 13 months, from April 2010 to April 2011. TimeFrame 2 covered May 2011 to August 2011, and TimeFrame 3 covered August 2011 to November 2011. As you can see, volumes 2 and 3 cover shorter periods than volume 1 (not to mention that I also self published two volumes of Scotland photographs during October 2011).

I can’t fully explain how the increase in output over the second half of 2011 has happened, but I guess it just boils down to determination. After a fairly slow start to the year, photographically speaking, I have tried to make amends.

The most recent thirteen of the seventeen books of photographs that I have self published are produced through the www.blurb.com website. Blurb is a great way to self publish, and they also have an online bookstore for people to find and buy your photobooks (if they so choose).

Here’s a set of links to my latest two books:

TimeFrame 2 – Covering landscapes, portraits, animals, nature – all images produced between May & August 2011:

TimeFrame 2 by Scott Fisher | Make Your Own Book

TimeFrame 3 – Covering landscapes, portraits, animals, nature – all images produced between August & November 2011:

TimeFrame 3 by Scott Fisher | Make Your Own Book

Tranquility, Peace, and Harmony

scott — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:03:13 +0000

I am a big fan of minimalist photography. Images that take full advantage of negative space, contain just a few visual elements, and exude a feeling of calm. It’s a technique that I haven’t tried very often, but I’m kinda in the market for trying new things (what with December’s “Challenges” not too far away). Anyway, here’s a triptych of minimalist shots taken during this morning’s foggy start.

Tranquility

Peace

Harmony

The Clown

scott — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:25:08 +0000

Earlier in the year I visited Hay-on-Wye, during the world-famous literary festival. Hay-on-Wye itself is a small town packed full to bursting with bookshops – and when I say full, I mean full! Almost every shop on every street is a bookshop, it’s a book lovers paradise. During the Festival (the Glastonbury of Books) Hay is also packed full to bursting with people, and street performers. And so we come to the reason for this blog post – The Clown.

I have no idea what his name is, but he was an impressively agile French clown (I saw him feed himself through a tennis racket!), and he was also very happy to pose for a picture or two, as you can see. Unfortunately I was somewhat less ready than he was, having only gone to Hay with my NX10 and the 30mm pancake lens attached and I managed to cut his left hand out of the frame. Hopefully it’s not too distracting from the rest of the image.

Image details:

Focal Length: 30mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/100

ISO: 100

This really is one of my first attempts at “street” photography – something that I would like to try more of in the future. The idea of wandering around an urban environment with my camera, capturing the spirit of a place (and the spirit of the people) appeals to me very much.

For the larger version, check out the gallery below:

November 2011

(the image was shot in May 2011, but wasn’t released into the wild until November)