WrightPhotos - The Blog

St Catherine's Artisan Market

2009-07-05T22:26:00.003+01:00

St Catherine's Artisan Market is held on the first Sunday of the month throughout spring and summer in Frome. It is well worth a visit. Many of the interesting shops on Catherine Hill and Stoney Street are open, along with several street stalls selling all sorts from antiques to sauage baps. On a sunny day like today it was great!

Tradition!

2009-07-01T21:43:00.004+01:00

Topol famously sang about tradition in the musical, 'Fiddler on the Roof'. A few days ago, I was lucky enough to see a display of people who still keep alive traditional crafts. I did not realise until I saw it, that the 'flowers' in the picture above are carved from solid pieces of wood, as you can see. The man in the photo has been doing this since he was 8 years old.

The picture below shows pegs being made. These hazel pegs are used for thatching. They are bent in two and then hammered into the thatch to keep it in place. It is fantastic to see that that traditional crafts are still being put to good use. Let's hope that the next generation can still see them in action.

To Microstock or not to Microstock?

2009-06-10T21:44:00.006+01:00

OK, I confess. I have sold images through microstock sites. But not anymore. For me the effort involved far outweighed the benefit. As you know, I do now sell photos through Alamy. Most of my images are sold 'rights managed' but a few are 'royalty free'. These 'royalty free' images are the ones that were previously available through microstock. I have only had a few sales from these images since they have been up on Alamy. But the value of these sales far outweighs my total sales from micros.

Having said that, I am sure that this is a reflection of the type of image I have on Alamy. I am certain that if I shot objects isolated on a white background then those images would not sell well on Alamy because they are freely available through micro outlets. If I had these images then a mirco would be a reasonable choice to host them. But is it worth the effort? For me, a resounding NO!

On another subject entirely. I did complete the 50 mile Somerset Levels bike ride and I feel good! It is not too late to sponsor me here.

Stax is Back!

2009-05-28T20:08:00.004+01:00

A few years ago I used to ride for the 'Stax in Style' mountain bike team. It was a bit of fun with a few mates. Well Stax is back! On Sunday 7 June I will do doing a lap of the Somerset Levels on my bike to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. It is a great cause and deserves support - and money! You can make a donation and sponsor me by following this link.

The Stax in Style logo that accompanies this post was designed by a friend and so I do not hold the copyright for it.

Grot is Back!

2009-04-21T21:42:00.004+01:00

Reggie Perrin is back on our screens this week, so Grot is back!

I jet washed my patio this week. All the mud and other debris collects at one end of it and takes several days to dry out. After it is thoroughly dry, a stiff brush finishes off the cleaning job nicely. After the dirt had time to dry out, some of the 'grot' peeled from the paving stones to make some interesting shapes and, as you know, I really cannot resist making photos of texture. So there you have it, 'Grot - the Return'.

Fresh Green Growth

2009-04-19T20:45:00.002+01:00

As some of you will know from my post last summer, I really like sweet peas. Well, I am pleased to say that this year's plants are growing nicely and will soon be planted out in the garden - out of range of the hens!

Chicken Run

2009-04-13T21:41:00.003+01:00

Much as I like my hens, they have made a mess of the garden. I am growing some salad crops this year and I was starting to wonder who they were for, the chickens or the humans. So the naughty girls had to me contained in their very own bespoke chicken run. Although this is not as good for them as roaming free in the garden, it has to be better than what the hens they were reared with are now enduring.

Somerset Bike Ride

2009-04-03T18:56:00.002+01:00

I have signed up for the Somerset Bike Ride, 50 miles to help the British Heart Foundation. This could be interesting as I have only been on my bike once in the last year. I better get some miles into my legs!

You can sponsor me here .

Eggs

2009-03-16T22:32:00.002Z

A trio of eggs from my three lovely ladies. I am pleased to say that the hens are now in full production, laying three eggs most days. My wife's cake production has gone up too!

New Arrivals

2009-02-22T20:11:00.002Z

We celebrated some new arrivals this week, in the shape of three hens. They are Lohmann browns and they are enjoying scratching around the garden. I think I'll have to put in place some protective measures for some of the young plants came spring time - now there is a thought!

Now the Melt

2009-02-07T21:36:00.003Z

Today the snow that has fallen during the week started to melt. I have lived in Somerset for the last twenty years and this week we have had more snow than in any of the previous nineteen winters, possibly more snow than in the previous nineteen combined! My sons have really enjoyed it. Their school has only been open for two days during the week. Roads have been blocked; lorries have got stuck on the many hills around here and the buses stopped running. For us adults, a couple of days of snow is still fun, but after that the novelty wears a little thin. Anyway, I'm sure that we will all remember this winter.

Fiddling!

2009-02-05T21:52:00.003Z

There is nothing like a good bit of fiddling! As you can see I have returned, after along break, to my 'Making Music' series. This time I have shot a frind of mine who is a fiddler - and he makes a great sound! I have really enjoyed this series because, besides making some interesting pictures, I have had the pleasure of listening to some great music at the same time. Oh, by the way, there is more to come.

Snow Day

2009-02-02T14:39:00.003Z

For the first time in years we have had a reasonable amount of snow in my corner of Somerset. OK, we are still struggling to make a snow man, but for us it is a lot. Other parts of the country have had it far worse than us, but it's white and it's cold and it looks like winter.

Update: When my sons got home from school they could not wait to play out in the snow. They enjoyed throwing snowballs, especially at me. And they made their first ever snowman.

Burns Night

2009-01-25T22:21:00.001Z

Burns Night or Chinese New Year? Which would you celebrate? A friend of mine could not decide, so he had sweet and sour haggis!

Burns Night always reminds me of my student days in South Kensington. My friends and I would go to the Crown, a pub just off the Fulham Road, which was run by a patriotic Scotsman called Dave. He certainly knew how to run a Burns Night Celebration!

Here's to the Diggers Club and Imperial College. Happy days!

All Tied Up!

2009-01-24T16:08:00.003Z

Lighting and texture are both vital to successful photos. If these are both well handled then quite mundane subjects can be made into successful photos.

Freezing Frome!

2009-01-10T17:51:00.001Z

This post shows the rooftops of Frome in the grip of the freezing weather.

Freeze!

2009-01-10T10:37:00.002Z

The freeze continues. This morning I put out some water for the wild birds. I poured the water into a brick as I had nothing else to hand. The water froze over very quickly. The birds must be having a very hard time finding water at the moment.

Update: We had a thaw at lunchtime today but it was short lived. As darkness falls it is freezing again.

Still Cold

2009-01-09T22:06:00.003Z

It is still very cold here in Somerset. The temparature hardly got above freezing today, which is quite common at the moment. I spotted this frozon spider's web and snapped it this morning. It was still frozen as night fell - very unusual for southern England.

Usually I enjoy shooting in cold weather but this last month has been so unrelentingly cold that in the main I have kept my camera inside. The weather we have had would be unremarkable in many parts of the world but it is certainly colder than the norm in this corner of the planet.

It's Cold!

2008-12-07T22:43:00.005Z

It's cold here today. There was a sharp overnight frost that made the ground as hard as concrete. One of my roses - The Fairy - is still trying to flower but it got caught out.

There and Back Again

2008-11-15T21:34:00.005Z

I had to go to Birmingham for a meeting this week. As usual, I took my camera with me. I didn't get much time to see the city. I got the train from Somerset up to Birmingham then took a taxi to the hotel where the meeting was being held. Going home was the reverse. So this entry's photos show the taxi rank at New Street Station and a train waiting at a platform.

Poppy Appeal

2008-10-29T19:50:00.001Z

The Royal British Legion has launched it's annual Poppy Appeal in aid of British service men and women, in the 90th year after the end of the First World War. The appeal forms the basis of the organisation's fund raising and is especially vital with our forces continuing commitment in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I have a gallery of photos associated with the theme of Remembrance on the site.

But most importantly, please give generously to the appeal.

Upgrade?

2008-10-11T10:03:00.004+01:00

Deciding when to upgrade can be a difficult question. The shelf life of new cameras seems to be ever decreasing as manufacturers release new models and try to seduce consumers into parting with their hard earned cash with promises of increased performance.

Having a shiny new camera in your hand is always a nice feeling and, let's face it, the idea of new equipment giving better images is attractive. A lot of people get drawn into this upgrade cycle, when their system manufacturer brings out a new model they have to have it. This can get very expensive and

Maybe a better approach is to look at the equipment you have and if it is delivering the goods, stick with it. Don't fix what isn't broken, as the saying goes. If, on the other hand, there are things that you are having trouble with, first of all check your technique. Is that hint of softness down to a poor lens or a badly supported camera?

If your technique is solid, then go for it. Buy the shiny new camera or lens, after doing the necessary research. If you get it right then your images really will improve.

This is why I have just upgraded my mandolin. I was getting frustrated with the old one. It was a beginners model, the tone was not great and the set up wasn't too clever. So I upgraded. Now I know that any problems are down to me and not my equipment. The new instrument features in the photos that illustrate this entry. They were taken with my aging DSLR.

Colour Space

2008-10-01T20:27:00.003+01:00

Eventually all digital photographers have to decide which colour space to use for their imaging. So how should you decide which is best for you from all the options available?

Many people will start off using the sRGB colour space and for the majority of users there is no point in changing. This colour space has a relatively small gamut but it is adequate for many purposes. Most web browsers do not look at an image's colour space before displaying it on the screen. sRGB images will be shown as the photographer intended but those in AdobeRGB will often appear pale and washed out. Many online printers use the sRGB space. Certainly, when I check with mine, Photobox, they said they wanted images in sRGB.

Many people find out that AdobeRGB has a larger gamut and then assume that it will automatically be a better choice. As we have already seen, it isn't for web display and for online printing. You many get better results on your desk top printer or you may not. You will have to check with your printer manufacturer. Another downside of AdobeRGB is that your monitor is unlikely to be able to display the extended gamut properly.

Both sRGB and AdobeRGB, for the same bit depth, can display the same number of colours. With AdobeRGB there is a wider variation but each individual colour is further from the next one. With sRGB there is less variation but the individual colours are closer together. Imagine two ladders. Both have the same number of rungs but one is taller than the other and its rungs are further apart. AdobeRGB is the tall ladder and sRGB is the shorter one. Then there is ProPhotoRGB which has some of the advantages of each colour space. There is a good description of it on the Luminous Landscape.

So, how should you decide which colour space to use? I suggest looking at the problem from the end. What colour space do you need for you output? Once you have answered this question then the answer becomes easier. If you only want to show your images on the web and use online printers then there is little reason to leave sRGB, especially if you edit using 16 bit files which you should be doing anyway.

My workflow is based on AdobeRGB however. A large proportion of my images end up with Alamy who insist on images submitted to them being in the AdobeRGB space. As this is my most common output, my workflow is based around this requirement. When I want to display photos on the web or send them to my online printer, I convert (not assign) the colour space to sRGB. It is certainly better to go from a larger gamut to a smaller one, especially if it is done at 16 bit before reducing to 8 bit for delivery of the final image file.

I have tried ProPhotoRGB but it is not for me as it introduces even more complications to the workflow. But it may be the best choice for you.

Did the Earth Move for You?

2008-09-28T15:21:00.003+01:00

This is what I saw yesterday when I was driving down a country lane in Wiltshire. It was a pair of rhinos trying to make a baby rhino. OK, the lane was in Longleat Safari Park so I did expect to see the rhinos but I was surprised by their antics.

If you can think of a better caption than mine, then I'd love to see it as a comment.

Webs We Weave...

2008-09-26T20:12:00.004+01:00

Autumn is a great time for shooting spider's webs. Often the morning dew really makes the silken threads stand out. So I took this shot in the evening! I noticed the female spider sitting in the middle of its web, spot lit by the warm light from the Sun. I used a large aperture to concentrate attention of the spider.