Astbury Photography

Portrait Magic

2012-01-22T18:19:00.000Z

"If you have your own camera why get a professional to take your portrait?"

This is a basic question I get asked frequently and in various ways so this is a very short post to try and illustrate the answer. I will show just three photographs of the same subject to try and show what the professional photographer brings to the party.

1) The 'amateur' style shot

From Portraits

Even with a good camera and good lens this may be typical of what many people shoot when doing it themselves. The lighting is harsh and unflattering, note the hard shadows on the background. This sort of photo might appear on a driver license but is not exactly what you want on the mantelpiece!

2) What the professional captures

From Portraits

With a shoot by a professional more complex lighting is used to produce a more flattering image. You will be guided on stance and posing.

3) The finished professional photograph

From Portraits

A well executed image then makes the basis for some sophisticated image processing that includes enhancing and retouching. This may include skin smoothing, teeth whitening, and adding some sparkle to the eyes. The extent to which this is done varies from person to person so, like Cromwell, you can opt for 'warts and all' or that airbrushed cover girl look, or anything in-between. The final result is something you would be proud to frame and display.

So why not book a portrait shoot and get the best photo of you that you've ever had?

More competition photos from 2011

2012-01-06T16:16:00.000Z

The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers hold a series of informal weekly competitions where results are based on votes by other members. Themes for each week are provided by the previous weeks winner and can be anything. This can lead to some quite varied entries and some quite 'interesting' results. I enter whenever I feel I have something to fit the theme, here are my successes over 2011.

Week/Theme: 33 / Panoramic Landscapes
Result: 1st

From SWPP Weekly Competition

This image was published in the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of the Professional Imagemaker magazine.

Week/Theme: 41 / Element of Surprise
Result: 2nd

From SWPP Weekly Competition

Week/Theme: 31 / Fields of Gold
Result: 2nd

From SWPP Weekly Competition

Week/Theme: 35 / Automobiles
Result: joint 2nd

From SWPP Weekly Competition

Week/Theme: 21 / Sailing
Result: 3rd

From SWPP Weekly Competition

Week/Theme: 50 / Aquatic
Result: 3rd

From SWPP Weekly Competition

Happy Christmas

2011-12-15T11:40:00.000Z

It is that time of year again when I would like to wish a very happy Christmas to all my followers, clients, models, suppliers and friends.

Here is a Christmas scene from Bo'ness, Santa's Polar Express and for those that like to know it is actually locomotive 75254, an 0-6-0ST Austerity engine, complete with War Department logo (please click on image to see large version):

From Bo'ness

My diary is now closed for 2011 but it is an ideal time to think about booking portrait sessions for the forthcoming year, perhaps when the family are gathered together at new year or for couples in time for Valentines day.

Best wishes,
Duncan & Cherry

Children's home portrait shoot

2011-12-07T19:14:00.000Z

These photos are examples from a recent children's portrait shoot. The photographs were done in the client's home and used a simple light setup, the emphasis was on having a fast and fun shoot.

Solo

From Portraits

Pairs

From Portraits

The trio

From Portraits

To book your own shoot please see the Portrait page on the main Astbury Photography site.

SWPP Monthly Competition - November 11

2011-12-02T20:25:00.000Z

In the November round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was very pleased to be awarded a Silver in the Open category. Along with 6 other Bronze merits this made for a successful closing month, the last round of the competitions for 2011, they will recommence in the new year.

Here is the Silver and some of those Bronzes (please click on images to see larger versions):

Silver

Category: Open
Cattle Grid

From SWPP Competition 2011

Bronze

Category: Fine Art
Orchid

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Science and Nature
Autumn Leaf

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Pets
'Looking back at you'

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Travel
Locomotive 75254, an 0-6-0ST Austerity engine

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all my awarded entries (77 in total) from 2011 please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Thanks for looking!

SWPP Monthly Competition - October 11

2011-11-03T12:55:00.000Z

In the October round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was very pleased to be awarded a Silver in the Commercial category. Along with 8 other Bronze merits this made for another successful month.

Here is the Silver and some of those Bronzes (please click on images to see larger versions):

Silver

Category: Commercial
Handbag

From SWPP Competition 2011

This bag, a Steven Harkin "Eliza" shoulderbag, was taken as part of a series of product shots for Pebbles Jewellery.

Bronze

Category: Open
Rope People

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Architectural Exterior
Amongst the trees (leaf peeping in Perthshire)

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Pets
Blue Point Siamese

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Fine Art
Broken Shells

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Monochrome
Bench

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Science and Nature
Butterfly

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Arabian Horse magazine photo advert

2011-10-20T09:42:00.003Z

Here is a design featuring one of my photographs that is a full page advert for the Arabian magazine, a worldwide publication (http://www.thearabianmagazine.com/). This was originally to be in the October issue but now won't be in till the new year (though I must confess I don't get the magazine myself so wont see it).

Credits

Horse
HT Nybraska, owner Susan McArthur of Cameg Arabians
Photography
Duncan Astbury of Astbury Photography
Design
Scotia McCombie of PaleGallery Design

A word from the designer

"Horses are the hardest animals to capture well. Dogs & cats have habits, you can anticipate (for the most part) what they will do next. You don't get that window with horses. I was asked to create an advert for a world wide publication that specialises in Arabian horses, arguably the most expensive horses on the planet (& the magazine isn't cheap either). This particular stallion has been photographed throughout his career, but I needed something special - something that showed the horse 'he is'. His owner sent me a photo I instantly fell in love with - for its subtlety, angle, feel & clarity - it made my work too easy. Every photograph is a glorious split second in time & to horse owners - utterly unique.

Many thanks to Duncan Astbury for his superb photography skills & his flexible approach to usage. I wish all photographers could understand that not every web & graphic designer is a 'freeloader' - & that some of us do honestly value & credit the skill, time, expense & intuition it takes for a magic shot. Thanks Duncan."

Scotia McCombie

The original photograph

A word from the photographer

My service is not just limited to prints, a variety of licensing options are also available and so I'm always happy to consider working with designers. Images can be provided in a variety of sizes, resolutions, colour spaces and formats to assist the design process. Scotia is particularly sensitive to both copyright and the assertion of moral rights and this builds both trust and consideration into the process, making for a confident interaction. Scotia is a 'photographer friendly' designer, as such I look forward to working with her again.

SWPP Monthly Competition - September 11

2011-10-04T14:41:00.000Z

Beware those that are superstitious because in the September round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded 13 Bronze merits.

Here are some of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Monochrome
Fuel filler

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Science and Nature
Gunnera leaf

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Digital Art
Wood!

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Commercial
Ring

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Contemporary Portraiture
Charlotte

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Pets
Arabian horse

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Travel
Loch Fyne

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Ravelrig RDA Charity Horse and Pony Show 2011

2011-09-27T09:41:00.000Z

The Ravelrig RDA Charity Horse and Pony Show 2011 was held at the Polo Fields on the Dalmahoy Estate, near Edinburgh, on Sunday 25th September. Numerous classes were held including various showing classes, ridden and in-hand, and also jumping classes.

Below are a few photos from the event (click on thumbnails to see larger versions) followed at the end by a link to a more complete gallery with slideshow and option to purchase prints.

Friends:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Big and small:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Riding:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Big jump, little fence:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

More jumping:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Winners:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Fancy dress:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

And a (very cold) mermaid:

From Ravelrig RDA Horse and Pony Show 2011

To see the whole set of photographs and for buying prints please:

use the Astbury Photography Pro Gallery, for standard prints up to a max of 12x8
and for a bespoke service, including digital files, framing and larger print sizes, use the contact form on the Astbury Photography site, quoting image reference numbers (from the filenames in the titles) and sizes required.

Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

2011-09-12T15:26:00.000Z

The fourth Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival Meeting was held this weekend, September 10th and 11th, 2011. Below are a few photos from the event (click on thumbnails to see larger versions) followed at the end by a link to a more complete gallery with slideshow and option to purchase prints.

Shiny and red, a Cooper MG comes straight at me (thinking of Zulu, don't shoot till you see the whites of the eyes/headlamps):

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

And for those that like the mechanics how about this, a supercharger:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

Keeping the rain off this Buckler Mk 5 while waiting for a turn:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

Queueing up for the start line:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

Driver ready to take a turn:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

The start line:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

Not quite so fast, a quadbike used for various errands, as seen from the commentary box on the first bend:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

This driver concentrates as he takes the first bend in his JP:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

An Alvis 12/70 Special corners at speed:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

Steam train, one of the SRPS tank engines passes by the track:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

The Trice!

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

A Brabham BT18 decelerates into the bend:

From Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

To see lots more of these photos from the climb and to buy prints please:

use the Astbury Photography Pro Gallery for the Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011, for standard prints up to a max of 12x8
and for any bespoke orders, including framing and larger print sizes, please use the contact form on the Astbury Photography site, quoting image reference numbers (from the title) and print sizes required.

SWPP Monthly Competition - August 11

2011-09-03T07:13:00.000Z

For the August round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded 1 Silver and 10 Bronze merits, making another new personal best for highest number of awards in a single month. Here are some of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Silver

Category: Monochrome
After the rain

From SWPP Competition 2011

Bronze

Category: Open
Old cart, Kerrerra

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Fine Art
'Royal Purple'

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Digital Art
Flower power

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Architectural Exterior
Glasshouse, Falkland Palace

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - July 11

2011-08-02T10:07:00.001Z

For the July round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded 8 Bronze merits, making a new personal best for highest number of awards in a single month. Here are some of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Digital art
Summer Flowers

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Open
Wedding car, a 1957 Chevy

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Macro
Wedding ring

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Monochrome
Fishing boat

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

SRGAHS Annual Arabian Horse Show 2011

2011-07-19T08:10:00.001Z

The Scottish Regional Group of Arabian Horse Supporters, SRGAHS, had their Annual Horse Show for 2011, on Sunday 17th July at SNEC.

Here are a few sample photos (and for the full set please follow the link at the end of this post):

Arabian Head classes

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

Standing beautifully

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

Some running in hand

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

Getting frisky!

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

Ridden by the judge

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

Tea and medals (well actually rosettes and sashes)

From SRGAHS Arabian Horse Show 2011

To see lots more (nearly 500) photos from the show and to buy prints please:

use the Astbury Photography Pro Gallery for the 2011 SRGAHS Show, for standard prints up to a max of 12x8
and for a bespoke service, including framing and larger print sizes, use the contact form on the Astbury Photography site, quoting image reference numbers (from the filenames) and print sizes required.

SWPP Monthly Competition - June 11

2011-07-05T18:37:00.000Z

For the June round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded a Silver and five Bronze merits, making a particularly good haul for this month. Here are some of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Silver

Category: Open
Teapot! (from Shanes Castle Steam Rally)

From SWPP Competition 2011

Bronzes

Category: Digital Art
Nettles

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Fine Art
Dandelion

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Monochrome
Barn

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Science and Nature
Wool

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Jousting at Linlithgow

2011-07-03T16:08:00.000Z

A selection of photographs from the jousting event run by Historic Scotland in the grounds around Linlithgow Palace:

A jester acts as the warm up man:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

The red team:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

And the blue team:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

The riders line up:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Jousting:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Jousting, up close:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

A winner:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

And a loser:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Helmet off:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Time for a wave to the crowd:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Severed head (fake!):

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

And spearing rings as they are thrown into the air:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Red team rider:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

And one of the blues:

From Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

To see an even bigger set and for a slide show option please view the album:

Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, 2011

Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

2011-07-01T19:28:00.002Z

Here are some photos from the Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011 parade (and as usual click to see bigger versions).

The front of the parade, complete with police escort:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

The queen:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

Champion:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

Flower girls:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

A Toy Story theme, Woody:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

Brass band:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

And a Mexican theme:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

And pipe bands:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

Sambalistic:

From Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

To see lots more photos from the parade and to buy prints please:

use the Astbury Photography Pro Gallery for the 2011 Fair, for standard prints up to a max of 12x8
and for a bespoke service, including framing and larger print sizes, use the contact form on the Astbury Photography site, quoting image reference numbers (from the filenames) and print sizes required.

Classic cars and steam at Bo'ness

2011-06-19T15:36:00.001Z

The SRPS hosted a special father's day event this weekend with a mix of classic cars and trains. Here are a few photos from the event:

Classic Cars

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air:

1950s Chevy style, door detail:

And if you prefer even more luxury check out this Mercedes from Prestige Cars of Grangemouth, rear heated seats, double glazing, roller blinds...

Ford Cortina, the very special Savage-R:

Morris Minors were well represented, how about this lovely Minor 1000 Traveller:

And it's always good to see Landrovers, this was one of the fire engines attending:

Trains

Locomotive 75254, an 0-6-0ST Austerity engine, complete with War Department logo:

Tank engine Braeriach in the sidings:

Tank engine Braeriach having just dropped off the signalling token:

One of the diesel engines on the move:

The diesel engine reverses under guidance:

For future events you can find the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway events programme here:
http://www.srps.org.uk/railway/events.htm

Open Farm Sunday 2011

2011-06-15T12:09:00.001Z

Sunday 12th June 2011 was this year's Open Farm Sunday. We visited two farms, Balquhatstone Mains at Slamannan, Falkirk and West Craigie Farm at South Queensferry.

Below are a selection of images from that day, in no particular order:
and click on thumbnails to see larger versions

Personal registrations even in the farmyard, some of you will recognise that RCS 535 is in fact the ubiquitous Massey Ferguson type 35 tractor:

This chicken was definitely free-range:

Three little piggies:

And a pot-belly pig enjoys a snooze in the sun:

Holstein calf, ears back:

And how about this for a load of bull!

Good job the bull wasn't seeing red:

Growing fruit in poly-tunnels:

And remember that you don't have to wait a year to visit these farms, many such as Craigies have a farm shop and things to entertain on any day.

SWPP Monthly Competition - May 11

2011-06-07T07:21:00.000Z

For the May round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded three Bronze merits. Here are those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Open
Tractor wheels

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Events
Traction engine rides, Shanes Castle Rally

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Science and Nature
Tawny Owl

From SWPP Competition 2011

These images were taken at the Shanes Castle steam rally, see more images from the rally here:
http://astbury.blogspot.com/2011/05/shanes-castle-steam-rally-2011.html

And for all awarded entries from this month and subsequent months please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Angela and Brian's Wedding

2011-05-29T18:24:00.005Z

Here are a small selection of photographs from Angel and Brian's wedding held on Saturday 28th May at the Bo'ness Town Hall. Where possible Angela and Brian opted for local suppliers in the Bo'ness area and I will mention a couple of these as I go.

please click on thumbnails to see larger versions

Bridgeness Tower, the couples home!

The Cake!

Bride's shoes

Wrist bag and Smith tartan shawl

Brian, the groom, pre-ceremony

Bride, Angela, arrives

Exchange of vows

The service was conducted by the Humanist Celebrant, Brian Hawkins. For me this meant a very relaxed and photography friendly service.

Combining Champagne and Stout

Signing of the register

Poem reading

With the wedding car, a classic Jaguar, at Glebe Park

Cars, including this classic Jaguar, provided by Prestige Cars of Grangemouth.

One of the many speciality ales

The tables were themed with the help of various breweries including Caledonian Brewery (Deuchars IPA), Harviestoun (Schiehallion), The Inveralmond Brewery (Ossian),Tryst Brewery of Falkirk (Brockville, Raj etc) and others.

Hog roasting

Hog roast by King Boar Catering.

The rings

Wedding rings were provided by Pebbles Jewellery.

The happy couple

For friends and family there is also a password protected gallery on the client pages of the Astbury Photography web site. NB If you want the password please check directly with Angela and Brian.

Details of wedding photography packages by Astbury Photography are also on the main site.

1k of Stock

2011-05-18T09:04:00.000Z

My stock portfolio on Alamy continues to grow, I have now reached my original target of over 1000 images and will need to set myself a new target. Here are a few favourite images with a watery blue theme, selected from the last 100 to be submitted.

A Selection

Please mouse-over the images below to see titles, click to see a bigger version with further details.

Graphoskop coin operated telescope

An iconic seaside image.

Outdoor power sockets

In fact another seaside image, these are all from yachts hooking up to shore power at a marina.

Canal boat moored at Trevor

This looks like a tranquil and calm scene but this canal basin is in fact home to a hire boat company, positioned just after the Pontcysyllte aquaduct that carries the Shropshire Union Canal and just before a very sharp turn to access the Llangollen canal. Chaos normally ensues!

Over the Pontcysyllte aquaduct

And here is the view coming over the aquaduct, approaching the Trevor basin, don't look down!

Jetty at Blackness Castle

How about this as an example of linear perspective.

Most recent sale

One of the funny things with stock is that the oddest of things can be in demand, it is not always the pretty images that sell, this is my most recent sale for editorial use:

Public toilet kiosk

Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

The whole collection

See the whole Astbury stock collection.

Passport Photos for Babies and Children

2011-05-18T08:19:00.000Z

Did you know that children can no longer be added to a parent’s passport but need one of their own to travel abroad? This means all children travelling will require their own passports and so will need a passport photo to accompany the application.

The Problem
For adults it is generally an option to use a photo booth but for babies and small children this gives a couple of potentially big problems:

Positioning - You need your child to be at the right height and forward facing BUT without you getting yourself in the shot. Not easy if you are trying to balance a baby on a small stool!
Timing - Once you press the button the machine will take a shot but only after a slight delay, you can't be sure exactly when so how do you ensure your child is looking forward and with a suitable expression at the right moment.

Repeated attempts can quickly add up in cost and be frustrating if the results are not of a usable quality.

The Solution
Luckily help is at hand by having the photos taken professionally and with the convenience of using your own home, this means:

Positioning - There are lots of comfortable options so no need for any precarious balancing. For example the child can be safely placed sitting on the floor or even lying down and photographed from above.
Timing - The shots can be timed to coincide with the child looking forward, having eyes opened, mouth shut etc.

Example, 3 weeks old!

A short session in the comfort of your own home is followed by selecting the most suitable image which is then edited and sized to fit the passport office requirements. A proof image can be emailed for you to check, once the proof is confirmed the prints only take a few days, printed at a pro-lab for optimum quality. Sessions are offered from as little as £20, inclusive of a sheet of 4 prints and additional prints can be purchased in sheets of 4 or 9 (if required for use with other IDs, family memberships etc).

For further information on UK passport requirements please see the Home Office Identity and Passport Service (IPS) web site:
http://www.ips.gov.uk/

To book a passport shoot please get in touch, via the Astbury Photography contact page.

Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

2011-05-10T15:00:00.000Z

For some years we have talked about going to the Shanes Castle Steam Rally, this last May bank holiday weekend we were in Northern Ireland with a free day so headed over to Antrim for the day and finally attended the rally.

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

The rally was well attended with a variety of traction engines in steam, there was even one giving free rides:

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

There were showman's engines such as this huge engine:

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

Steam wagons included full size, for example this Foden:

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

And also some rather good working models, here another smaller Foden:

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

There were many working exhibits, for example traditional threshing and baling:

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

Additionally there were other vehicles including military and commercial vehicles, I liked this Mini, complete with eyelashes!

From Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

See a larger set of photos here:

Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - April 11

2011-05-05T08:57:00.000Z

For the April round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded two Silver merits and several Bronzes.

(please click on images to see larger versions)

SILVER

Category: Architectural Exterior
Abandoned

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Pictorial
Departure (record holding steam loco 60007, Sir Nigel Gresley departs Birkhill Station)

From SWPP Competition 2011

BRONZE

And here is my favourite of my Bronzes:

Category: Science and Nature
Peacock butterfly, Inachis io

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month (and previous months) please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Sir Nigel Gresley visits

2011-04-22T16:28:00.000Z

Locomotive No 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley was built by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1937. It is an A4 Pacific class engine in 4-6-2 configuration. The name is that of its creator, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway.

During April 2011 the loco visited Scotland and this included a brief visit to Bo'ness Steam Railway, here the loco can be seen at the station:

From Sir Nigel Gresley

The loco is distinguished by holding the post-war record for steam traction at 112 miles per hour:

From Sir Nigel Gresley

The tender sports the lovely British Railways lion logo, nicknamed the "cycling lion":

From Sir Nigel Gresley

Here it is in full steam:

From Sir Nigel Gresley

And at rest:

From Sir Nigel Gresley

See a larger set of images here:

Sir Nigel Gresley

To request prints please follow the Contact link.

SWPP Monthly Competition - March 11

2011-04-05T13:00:00.000Z

For the March round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded a Silver merit for my Pictorial entry.

Category: Pictorial
Towpath (Shropshire Union Canal)

From SWPP Competition 2011

To see more fine art images with a canal theme please also check out these additional sets:

And here are a couple of other entries awarded Bronze (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Travel
Shropshire Union Canal

From SWPP Competition 2011

Category: Open
Crane Cog

From SWPP Competition 2011

And for all awarded entries from this month (and previous months) please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Slightly Gothic

2011-03-09T08:57:00.000Z

Location shoot at an old abandoned church. For this shoot a loose Gothic theme was adopted but with a little more colour than would be usual for this genre.

From Slightly Gothic

See a larger set:

Slightly Gothic

My thanks go to model Chloe.

SWPP Monthly Competition - February 11

2011-03-03T11:07:00.000Z

For the February round of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, I was awarded five Bronze merits. Here are a couple of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Digital Art
Scissors (in the style of Beaton)

From SWPP Competition 2011

Another one in my series inspired by the work of Cecil Beaton who produced images based around multiple (usually 3) exposures of the same negative using a darkroom enlarger. This is somewhat easier to achieve using current digital techniques. This image has also been duo-toned, green and red.

Category: Macro
Shutter control, Voigtlander Bessa

From SWPP Competition 2011

Detail from an original Bessa, circa 1931. The top scale is for shutter speeds, with just 1/25th, 1/50th and 1/100th s options along with B and T. B for bulb still appears on cameras and keeps the shutter open as long as the shutter release is held. The T option is not something you tend to see on modern cameras, it keeps the shutter open until the shutter release is pressed again.

Category: Pets
Daisy

From SWPP Competition 2011

A simple cat portrait using a combination of natural window light and bounced flash.

And for all awarded entries from this month (and subsequent months) please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - January 11

2011-02-04T09:59:00.000Z

After a break in December the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition has started again for 2011, I was awarded four Bronze merits for January. Here are a couple of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Category: Macro
Kodak slide transparency corners, low key

From SWPP Competition 2011

For those that like a little technical info this was shot with a 50mm f1.4 prime lens stopped down to f20 and used in conjunction with a 25mm extension tube (EF25 II).

Category: Digital Art
Spoons (in the style of Beaton)

From SWPP Competition 2011

This was inspired by some of the work of Cecil Beaton who produced images based around multiple (usually 3) exposures of the same negative using a darkroom enlarger. This is somewhat easier to achieve using current digital techniques. I am generally not a great fan of CB's portrait images produced in this way but do find it can lend itself to certain still-life images.

And for all awarded entries from this month (and subsequent months) please see the album:

SWPP Competition 2011

Professor Plum in the Hall

2011-01-26T23:26:00.002Z

No, I wasn't playing Cluedo but I did get a call from a Prof last week looking for some head shots to use for some publicity on a new position he was taking up. Now requests for head shots are not unusual but in this case the sitter was, being one of the most qualified and eminent people I have had the pleasure to photograph.

We quickly ran through a series of lighting, background and pose combinations to generate a variety of images. One of my personal favourites is this one:

From Portraits

And I rather like this profile shot:

From Portraits

The image chosen was a conventional head and shoulders taken against a plain white background and with a serious expression:

From Portraits

And this is how the photo was used:
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/theuniversity/principalvice-chancellorsoffice/newdeans/professordouglasgreenhalgh/

If you have a web site with photos of staff remember that they will need updating once in a while and new staff including, so why not get in touch to book a session.

Location portraits - tots on trains

2011-01-03T13:53:00.000Z

Doing formal studio style photos is not always the easiest with younger children, they can quickly get bored and fedup, so why not consider a 'location' shoot as a fun alternative. Parks and playgrounds are obvious places but there can be potentially many other options, here the shoot was based on a trip on the local (Bo'ness) railway for this 6 year old and 3 year old:

From Portraits

Managing Redundant Peripherals

2010-12-31T10:27:00.000Z

The Peripheral Problem

Many years back we had a very nice scanner which has served us well all this time to the present day. Snag is that it was initially supported for Windows XP, when Vista came along it required a bit of fiddling about with new drivers but again it was made to work. Finally we moved to Windows 7 and then the scanner was no longer supported.

Now for a photographer a scanner can be anything from useful through to essential. It is needed when scanning in documents, for example model release forms. It is also good for scanning in old prints which can then be 'repaired' digitally. It can also be used as a capture device (like a camera) to create original digital images.

On the surface this seems very annoying, to have a piece of hardware that is fully functioning and meets its requirements but cannot be used for lack of updated driver software. I can think of plenty of examples of this personally, including; MP3 players, wireless network cards, mice, web cams, GPS units etc. The scanner unit is so old that selling on eBay is no longer an option and without being clever with electronics I lack the skills to cannibalize the unit for anything (probably been watching too many Scrapheap Challenges).

So the solution in this case was to give-in and buy a new scanner. Ignoring the cost, the new scanner unit, when compared with its predecessor, is more energy efficient, scans to a higher resolution, scans much quicker and comes with more sophisticated software. Basically its much better!

To be fair, manufacturers cannot go on supporting old devices forever and need to instead invest in R&D if products are to improve.

Conclusions

Change is inevitable and especially with anything technology related so my suggestion is to go with the flow.

In some cases the purchasing decision may determine the life. So called 'big brand' names may be more expensive but in some cases are more likely to offer support with updated drivers. Also think about how generic the interface is, for example I had to sell my first MP3 player as it was only supported for XP, I switched to a player that used MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) and that has worked fine with both Vista and Windows 7.

Firstly when changing operating systems remember to check online for updated driver software in case the peripheral can still be used. If it doesn't look like it is supported try it anyway, you have nothing to lose.

Possibly keep an old machine or laptop to use with old devices. From a software perspective this may mean keeping it on an old operating system (say Windows XP). From a hardware perspective this may be about keeping a machine with serial and parallel ports when everything has switched to USB (and with much faster USB 3 on the horizon).

Try to anticipate the life of any peripheral and consider selling them before they reach the end of their useful life, i.e. while they still have some commercial value. Failing that, look for any trade in deals that may be offered, these can even apply to obsolete kit sometimes (mobile phones are a good example of this).

Then embrace the new technology as an opportunity to upgrade and get something better.

This post is not intended to be a product review but if anyone is wondering, the new scanner is the Canon Lide 210 and so far it seems very impressive.

Best wishes for Christmas and new year

2010-12-24T11:09:00.001Z

Best wishes for Christmas and the new year to all my readers, clients and friends.

And don't forget to check out the current Astbury Photography seasonal special offers.

SWPP Monthly Competition - November 10

2010-12-03T09:39:00.000Z

For the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) members' Monthly Competition, November 2010, I was awarded a Silver and several Bronze merits. Here are a few of those entries (please click on images to see larger versions):

Silver

Category: Pets
Siamese portrait

Astbury Photography

Portrait Magic

More competition photos from 2011

Happy Christmas

Children's home portrait shoot

Solo

Pairs

The trio

SWPP Monthly Competition - November 11

Silver

Bronze

SWPP Monthly Competition - October 11

Silver

Bronze

Arabian Horse magazine photo advert

Credits

A word from the designer

The original photograph

A word from the photographer

SWPP Monthly Competition - September 11

Ravelrig RDA Charity Horse and Pony Show 2011

Bo'ness Hill Climb Revival 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - August 11

Silver

Bronze

SWPP Monthly Competition - July 11

SRGAHS Annual Arabian Horse Show 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - June 11

Silver

Bronzes

Jousting at Linlithgow

Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival 2011

Classic cars and steam at Bo'ness

Classic Cars

Trains

Open Farm Sunday 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - May 11

Angela and Brian's Wedding

1k of Stock

A Selection

Graphoskop coin operated telescope

Outdoor power sockets

Canal boat moored at Trevor

Over the Pontcysyllte aquaduct

Jetty at Blackness Castle

Most recent sale

Public toilet kiosk

The whole collection

Passport Photos for Babies and Children

Shanes Castle Steam Rally 2011

SWPP Monthly Competition - April 11

SILVER

BRONZE

Sir Nigel Gresley visits

SWPP Monthly Competition - March 11

Slightly Gothic

SWPP Monthly Competition - February 11

SWPP Monthly Competition - January 11

Professor Plum in the Hall

Location portraits - tots on trains

Managing Redundant Peripherals

The Peripheral Problem

Conclusions

Best wishes for Christmas and new year

SWPP Monthly Competition - November 10

Silver

Bronze

Alamy Portfolio passes 900 images

Clouds over the Forth

Landrover tow truck

Crinan Lighthouse

Red Telephone Box, post box and Whisky Barrel

Seafront properties, Whitehead

Old rowing boat

SWPP Monthly Competition - October 10

Silver

Bronze

Turning the tables

Greetings from Bo'ness

SWPP Monthly Competition - September 10