www.DanielBridge.co.uk - Quality Photographs of Nature

More Macro at Hanners!

2009-06-26T20:39:00.002+01:00

Further to my last blogpost, we've booked in a further close-up and macro photo workshop at Hanningfield Reservoir for Saturday 5th September 2009. Details of it are on my Workshops page as usual. Book early etc etc.

I have many photos to post, but at the moment I'm re-organising and upgrading my computer's hard-drives, so there'll be a delay. I particularly want to show you shots of the Red Kites at Gigrin Farm, and dusk photos near Betws-y-Coed, but they'll have to wait...

In the meantime, here's a link to a photo of the Llanfair and Welshpool Light Railway, with which I won a friendly competition, with the theme of 'movement', on the Pentax User forum.

Book Early...

2009-05-31T00:09:00.002+01:00

I was at Hanningfield today, and asked how the bookings were going for my Macro Workshop on 5th July. Turns out we're already fully booked on that one, so if you want to do a Close-up and Macro Nature Photography Workshop with me at Hanningfield Reservoir any time soon, you need to ring them straight away and book your place on the August 15th one.

We still have spaces on the Photography In The Park workshop at Thorndon Park on Sunday 28th June, but again I expect these to be filled before too long, so book early to avoid disappointment!

Contact details and dates of all my workshops are on my 'Workshops' page.

Macro photo workshop

2009-05-29T17:51:00.003+01:00

Last Saturday saw me at Thorndon Park in Brentwood running one of my 'Close-up and Macro Nature Photography' workshops, and we were blessed with some nice weather and a good number of willing subjects, including Harvestmen, Spiders, Longhorn Beetles, Cardinal Beetles and various flies. The plantlife was good too, and as ever the bracken attracted me.

I try not to take too many photos myself when I'm leading a workshop, but sometimes I just can't help myself...

This longhorn beetle is a Rhagium bifasciatum, apparently.

Some bracken shot from ground level using my Manfrotto 055ProB tripod. Beetle shots taken with my Pentax K10D and Sigma 105mm macro lens, the bracken was with my Pentax DA*300mm lens.

This summer's shaping up to be a great one for insects, and I'm really looking forward to the dragonfly season really kicking off soon.

Have a look at my workshops page if you'd like to join me at Thorndon, Hanningfield or Fingringhoe Wick this summer!

Pentax K-7

2009-05-20T20:58:00.003+01:00

Well, Pentax have announced their new DSLR, the Pentax K-7, and rather than just repeat all the specifications that you can easily find all over the internet, I thought I'd point in the direction of this Pentax K-7 video on Youtube.

Note autofocus in video mode (something none of the other DSLRs can do), in-camera HDR (with three exposures), 5.2 frames per second, full weather sealing (again!) and cold-proofed down to -10 degrees celsius. Various other little gems.

I'm really looking forward to trying this camera out, and I think it will be my next upgrade. My K10D has served me well, and I think this new K-7 will be a huge improvement.

She Magazine

2009-05-17T22:25:00.004+01:00

Back in February I ran a special workshop so that a journalist from She Magazine could attend and write a small feature about it. That has now been published, and you can find it on page 134 of the June 2009 issue of She, as part of the feature entitled 'What A Difference A Day Makes'.

Subtitled "Looking to try something new? The U.K. boasts plenty of fascinating locations, with a range of activities, from horse riding to cookery courses", the feature sent 6 journalists off to attend different days out of their choosing, taking part in activities that interested them. Helen Anderson was so keen to take part in one of my workshops, that I arranged an extra one specially for her, and we managed to get a few more attending at short notice. It was a fun day, if a little cold at that time of year.

The original can be seen here, but the text of the article is as follows...

_____________________

UNDERSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Helen Anderson and her daughter Poppy visited Thorndon Park Nature Reserve in Essex.

Point. Click. Fingers crossed. That's pretty much how I've always taken photographs. Some of them have come out well, but I couldn't say what went right... or wrong. A short photography course sounded ideal, so camera in hand, I took my daughter on a one-day workshop given by wildlife photographer Daniel Bridge at Thorndon Park Nature Reserve, near Brentwood in Essex.

Daniel takes groups of up to 12 people (there were just six of us) of mixed ability. Some were quite adept and wanted to learn new techniques, while others were fairly inexperienced. But we all had one thing in common: none of us were making full use of our cameras.

Daniel promised to help us translate a scene into a great picture by first explaining the technicalities of photography - ensuring we got to grips with apertures and shutter speeds in a way that was straightforward. Next, he explained how to compose a picture and showed us some of his photographs. As well as being stunning, they illustrated the benefits of understanding composition and other hints, such as why blue flowers photograph better in a slightly shadowy light, whereas yellow flowers really sing in full sun.

After lunch, we ventured out into the park in search of gnarled tree trunks, interesting bark and lichens and pattern-forming shadows. As we clicked away, Daniel advised each of us on shutter speeds and apertures.

The course offered the right amount of technical know-how and insight to enable us to feel we had really learned something, with plenty of inspiration thrown in from Daniel. By the end of the day even the most photophobic had produced something to be proud of - and knew how it had been achieved.

HOW TO BOOK

One-day SLR Photography In The Park Workshops (danielbridge.co.uk; 01277 232944) cost £35. See visitessex.com for more days out.
_____________________

I'm obviously very pleased that Helen had a great day out, and it's wonderful to get this sort of publicity in a national magazine. I'd like to confirm that this is not paid advertising, it was just a normal workshop, and normal fees for participants were made.

I'd like to say a big "thank you" to Helen for choosing to come on one of my workshops, and to She Magazine for publishing this article. There's lots more of interest in the magazine, so I urge you all to go out and buy it today!

Norfolk Broads and Beaches

2009-05-15T19:02:00.002+01:00

I thought I'd better start looking into my backlog of blog posts, and so here are some shots from our trip to Norfolk in March/April. We stayed in a lovely cottage in Lessingham, near Stalham, which proved to be an ideal location for the Broads and beaches.

We spent a surprising amount of time on the beaches, especially at Sea Palling, where there were some amazing sand patterns, and miles of beach with few people on. Lovely!

All taken with Pentax K10D and FA50mm f/1.4 lens.

There's some wonderful architecture up there, and of course the windpumps are fairly iconic. Later in the week we had some heavy fog, and a trip to Cromer Pier was a good opportunity to make the most of the atmosphere.

All taken with Pentax K10D and DA16-45mm lens, except St. Benet's Wind Pump, which used a Sigma 105mm lens.

The whole area is very rich in wildlife (we lost count of the Brimstone butterflies we saw), but some highlights for me are shown below.

We hired an electric boat one afternoon, and the Great Crested Grebes were very obliging, fishing very close to us. The electric boat meant that vibrations were kept to a minimum, in 'idle' there's no engine to tick over.

A walk along the shingle bank at Salthouse, near Cley, allowed me to get very near to a pair of Turnstones that were more than happy to do their thing within 6 feet of my lens. One of those times when you can't stop grinning...

But definitely one of the highlights was visiting the Grey Seals at Horsey. It was cold, foggy and windy as we walked out to the beach, but it was well worth it to see hundreds of seals up on the beach. We spent about half an hour there, and the soft lighting really helped bring out all the detail in their fur.

All wildlife shots were with a Pentax K10D and the sublime DA*300mm f/4 lens.

This is the second year running we've been to Norfolk, and I think it will turn out to be a regular journey for us.

New Workshop Dates

2009-05-11T20:11:00.003+01:00

Just a quick note to let you know I have put some new workshop dates on the 'Workshops' page.

There are new dates for Photography In The Park (my general 'composition, exposure and equipment' workshop) and Close-up and Macro Nature Photography (does what it says on the tin).

My workshops have been fully booked this year, so if you want to be sure of a place on the date of your choice, book today! Be aware that there should be some extra advertising shortly, which should push demand up even higher. Watch this space...

More Macro Workshops

2009-03-05T18:21:00.004Z

I've just added a couple more dates for Close-up and Macro Photography Workshops at Hanningfield Reservoir, near Billericay in Essex. Have a look at the 'Workshops' page for more details.

EDIT: One of these has had to be postponed due to a double-booking at Hanningfield, I will be re-arranging it shortly.

Jessops no longer selling Pentax

2009-01-31T12:42:00.002Z

I was amazed to read Jessops Chairman David Adams’ comments in the latest copy of Amateur Photographer magazine as to why Jessops have stopped stocking Pentax cameras. With the K20D, K200D and K-m, the Pentax line-up has never been stronger or more competitive, giving features and specifications (2 command dials on the K20D – with customizable functions, weather proofing on both the K20D and K200D) that are simply non-existent in competitors’ ranges at these prices. Pentax have consistently offered excellent value for money, and have continued to expand their lens range and accessories. So the reason Jessops have dropped them? David Adams says “…the (Pentax) products were not the most compelling offer in terms of functionality and price.” I’d say he was fundamentally wrong on both counts.

Now, I haven’t shopped in Jessops for some time, as being a Pentax user I’ve always been disappointed in the stock that they’ve held. There are far more knowledgeable and better stocked shops such as SRS Microsystems, Park Cameras, CameraWorld etc that are more than happy to offer the customers true choice and advice. Whilst I don’t wish any company to suffer, I have to say I have never recommended Jessops to anyone wishing to buy a camera, as their opinions have always been biased towards Canon, and while they do make superb cameras, they are not right for everyone, and customers deserve to be offered a choice at what appears to be an independent shop.

I’ve lost count of the times I heard a customer saying “I want to buy an SLR” and the Jessops sales assistant saying “You want one of these” as they handed them a Canon. The correct response would of course be to ask “What interests you photographically? How much are you looking to spend? Here’s a range of cameras that might be suitable, have a play with them, ask any questions, and see which one suits you best”. Unless you genuinely really need a high frame rate, any DSLR from any manufacturer is capable of satisfying the general photographer. But each camera feels and works differently, and it’s this aspect that needs to be addressed when buying a camera, all other things being equal.

As far as I’m concerned, if you’ve got £500 to spend, you can’t get a better built, more highly specified camera than a Pentax K20D. David Adams obviously disagrees.

Due to demand...

2009-01-26T14:17:00.002Z

Just a quick post to say I'm running an extra Photography in the Park Workshop at Thorndon Park, on Sunday 8th February 2009. Obviously this isn't too far in the distance so book now to avoid disappointment!

No Third Runway at Heathrow

2009-01-19T15:38:00.004Z

If, like me, you were dismayed by the government's decision to build a third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport, then have a look at Greenpeace's campaign to stop it.

It's called 'Airplot' and basically they've bought a plot of land right where the new runway is planned, and they need our support to stop the build. You can sign up as a 'beneficial owner', just as over 20,000 others have so far (including me).

The more voices there are, the louder they are.

If you're wondering why the growth in flying is such a bad idea, this summarizes it nicely.

Don't forget...

2009-01-14T13:15:00.002Z

Just a little note to remind you that if you're getting in touch with me, perhaps to enquire about 1-2-1 photography tuition or my photography workshops, if you leave a message please don't forget to include a contact number for me to ring you back!

So, for instance, if you're Christine from Chelmsford, and you're wondering why I haven't rung you back, it's because I don't know your number. :-)

Photo Tuition Gift Vouchers

2009-01-03T18:48:00.001Z

Happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a good festive period!

Many of you will have received One-to-One photography tuition gift vouchers for christmas, and may be wondering about the best way to go about using them. Now, assuming they're for tuition with me, here's what you do...

The voucher entitles you to a 4 hour tuition session, at a location of your choice. If it's in the Brentwood/Chelmsford/Romford area, there are no further costs involved, if you'd like to meet outside these areas, I will make a small charge for travelling.

Have a think about what you would like to cover during your time with me, and start making notes of any questions you may have, to ensure you get the most from the session. Decide what time of year would suit you best, don't feel you have to use the voucher straight away. If you want to wait until Spring or Summer, that's fine - there's no expiry date for the voucher.

Give me a ring, or email me, to arrange a date, time and location for your session. Feel free to discuss anything at this time, as it's better that we both know what you would like to get out of the tuition before we get started. I am available any day of the week, but please be aware that I run workshops and also work for Essex Wildlife Trust on certain days, including weekends, so you may need to be flexible with your chosen date.

I can cover all sorts of requirements during these tuition sessions, whether it's getting to grips with the basics of your camera, or how to approach composition, or more specific themes like close-up or macro photography.

The whole point about 1-2-1 tuition is that you should get as much as possible from the time you have with me, so make sure you ask lots of questions, take lots of notes (even if they're just taken mentally), and above all enjoy yourself!

New Tuition Leaflet

2008-11-10T23:02:00.003Z

I have produced a leaflet to promote my tuition, both on a 1-2-1 basis and through workshops, keep an eye out for it wherever you go!

Here they are at Cameraworld in Chelmsford!

And some general views so you can see what they're like...

If you know of any outlet that would be happy to display my leaflets, please let me know - I have plenty of them! And if you like the look of these, and think I could design a leaflet or poster for you, just get in touch and I'll sort it out for you.

Pentax Christmas Cashback Offer

2008-11-08T10:59:00.002Z

Just a quick one to let you know that there's a Pentax Christmas Cashback Offer running until 31st January 2009. You can get up to £100 off the Pentax DSLR of your choice, and up to £50 off lenses.

So, if you got a K200D (with lens and vertical grip!) from SRS Microsystems it would cost you just £349 after £50 cashback.

Or you could visit Camera World and get a K20D with lens for £499 after £100 cashback.

I don't think there's a better time to be buying a new Pentax DSLR. Especially that K200D offer, that's quite amazing!

Wordle Word Cloud

2008-11-04T18:31:00.002Z

I came across this on another blog and thought I'd have a go. It's a 'word cloud' taken from my blog feed, showing words I've used most often when posting.

Just a bit of fun, but it took a few minutes to get a look I wanted, and the all important Pentax in red. ;-)

Click on the small image to see it full size.

Pentax in reviews...

2008-10-28T10:48:00.004Z

Often, as a Pentax user, I feel that Pentax cameras and equipment get unfair reviews in magazines etc. Now, obviously no-one would like to admit the equipment they used was rubbish, but I very much believe that Pentax gear is up there with the best (okay, perhaps not Nikon D3 best, but the K20D is a fifth of the price). You do tend to get your money's worth with Pentax, comparable lenses are better value, bodies have more features (weather-sealing being a case in point - both the K20D and K200D are fully weather sealed).

But occasionally a review appears that fully justifies the feeling that there is a bias towards other brands, and the one below is a classic!

These lens tests were from the Photography Monthly magazine Macro Lens round-up, June 2007. Left hand chart and verdict Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8, right hand Pentax SMC-D 50mm f/2.8 (click on the pic to open a larger version).

Just take a second to note the score for each lens under 'Performance', then have a look at the resolution charts. Hmmmm...

According to the reviewer "where it (the Canon) does score well is wide open at f/2.8", whereas "at the wide apertures below f/5.6, the (Pentax) lens is a little disappointing".

Hence the reason magazine reviews are held with an air of scepticism round here.

2009 Desktop Calendar

2008-10-26T16:00:00.002Z

Just a quick one to let you know that my 2009 Desktop Calendar is now available, with details and a link to purchase it using Paypal on my Calendar page.

To see how the calendar looks in real life, this blog post has some shots of the 2008 calendar.

Thanks for looking!

Nearly Winter!

2008-10-02T00:24:00.003+01:00

Well I've been a bit quiet on here lately, but that doesn't mean I've not been busy! I've run several workshops over the summer, including the Garden and Flower one described in my previous post, which worked well so I will be repeating that one next year.

However, for this year we're near the end of my workshops, just a Macro one and a Photography in the Park one to go. You'll have to be quick to book onto the Macro one, as it's very nearly full, so don't hang about! Details here.

So once the workshops have finished for the year, how do you get help with your photography? One to one tuition of course! Before you think that it would be too expensive, it's not, but if you want to share the cost with a friend or two, that's no problem. Find out about my 1-2-1 tuition here.

I'm currently sorting the dates for my 2009 workshops, and all being well I'll be adding a venue to the list - the Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre at Hanningfield Reservoir, between Billericay and Chelmsford. I'll post dates when I've finalised them.

Garden and Flower Workshop

2008-05-16T23:05:00.002+01:00

I have arranged a new Workshop at Hillcrest Nurseries in Ingrave, Essex, concentrating on flower and garden photography. Imaginatively titled 'Garden and Flower Photography Day', it will be limited to a maximum of 6 participants, making use of a polytunnel for indoor, but well lit, shots, and the nursery plants and gardens for outdoor photography.

I am taking bookings, either by telephone or email (see my Contact page for details), please do not contact Hillcrest Nurseries for bookings. I will be putting more information regarding this workshop on my Workshops page in due course, but if you want to know more in the meantime, just drop me a line.

Cost for the day is £40, payable in advance to secure your place, and booking is essential. Cheques will not be cashed until after the workshop has been completed, in the event of the workshop not running, no money will be taken.

Thanks for looking, and I hope to see you at Hillcrest Nurseries on 27th June!

Fingringhoe Macro Workshop

2008-05-01T18:55:00.003+01:00

We still have spaces on this Sunday's Close-up and Macro Photography Workshop at Fingringhoe Wick, give the Visitor Centre a ring on 01206 729678 to secure your place.

Details of all my photography workshops are here.

New Macro Workshop Date

2008-04-25T18:35:00.002+01:00

I have added a new 'Close-up and Macro Photography Workshop' date, at a new location - Chafford Gorges Nature Park.

I've chosen to run a macro workshop there because it's a superb location for Dragonflies, Damselflies and Butterflies, as well as having excellent wildflowers. The workshop will be taking place on Sunday 24th August 2008, 10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m.

Here's a few shots from the park, showing the visitor centre, and a couple of dragonflies.

More details of this, and all my photography workshops, can be found here.

The Geffrye Museum

2008-04-20T19:21:00.002+01:00

On friday we took a trip up to London, and paid a visit to the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, which "shows the changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day". It was very interesting, and allowed a range of opportunities for photography. The Anti-Shake feature of the Pentax K10D really helped here, as exposure times were around a half to one second, and I was hand-holding, with only a wall or two to help.

There is a garden room, which has a beautiful mural painted by Jonathon Early, but I can't find any details about him. If anyone knows who he is, and where else he has painted, I would be grateful if you could drop me a line - I'd like to link to his work from here.

Later, we ended up crossing the Millenium Bridge, so I got some shots while I was there, ideally the sky would be clear, giving a deep blue rather than the murky look here.

It was a very nice day out!

Outdoor Photography Magazine

2008-03-18T12:15:00.002Z

If you've seen the listing for one of my workshops in the latest (April 2008) Outdoor Photography Magazine, you'll find that it doesn't match up with any of the workshops that I'm actually running. This is because I sent through details of two workshops - the 'Photography in the Park' one at Thorndon Park, Brentwood, on the 30th March, and 'Close-up and Macro Nature Photography' at Fingringhoe Wick on the 4th May.

Unfortunately, these two workshops got combined at OP so nothing really matches up.

Oh well, never mind. There are plenty of dates to choose from, so you will find something to suit you, and there are more in the pipeline for later in the year too.

Don't forget, there's always the option of One to One tuition fi you want to learn something specific, or just have the luxury of my undivided attention for 4 hours.

Lastly, if you saw the listing in OP, you may be wondering why some of the other workshops cost £80 - £150 per day, whereas mine are £30 (£35 at Fingringhoe, which includes lunch).

The simple answer is one of numbers and what's included. My workshops can have up to a dozen participants, others may restrict numbers to 2, 3 or 4. Also, if it's a residential course, this should include accommodation and food.

Above all, I want to give you a enjoyable day, for a reasonable price. I make a reasonable wage from the day, Essex Wildlife Trust (the charity that hosts these workshops) receive a good donation, even better if you Gift Aid your course fee, and you go away at the end of the day feeling that you've had excellent value for money. Everyone's a winner.

See you soon,
Daniel

Pentax Photo Gallery

2008-03-10T17:48:00.003Z

The Pentax Photo Gallery is an online gallery, run by Pentax, for Pentax SLR users. I'm very pleased to have had some images accepted into the gallery, and I intend to expand on these in due course.

You can see my images (and a slightly scary self-portrait, might change this) here.