Photography Show and more....

 

 I think I'm deeply smitten.....it's not often you get to photograph a top model but the Photography Show at the NEC gives you that and much more. Replacing Focus on Imaging, the Photography Show had a hard act to follow but I have to say it met and beat the challenge. It was better laid out, more room to move around, vast numbers of stands to call in at, all the top manufacturers with new products (Nikon D4s yes please!) some top demonstrations by some excellent speakers and a chance to rub shoulders with the top pros you've read about in those glossy mags and seen on the web. Excellent all round and well worth a visit. Can't wait for next year. Highlights for me the sports photography presentation by Mark Pain "Olympics Photographer of the Year 2012" www.sportsphotographyschool.co.uk. Every image was a WOW and Mark is a very approachable guy. So if your into sports photography Mark is the man. Oh yes and there was one other main highlight - Katy.....

Talk of sports photography, prior to the Photography Show I joined the Getty guys and other pros at the British Indoor Athletics Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Indoor sports photography brings all sorts of opportunties but also lots of challenges. The mixed and less than bright lighting, limited access to the best spots and wanting to be in several places at once come to mind. So it helps to have 12frames per second an ISO above 6400 with no noise and F2.8 prime lenses upwards of 200m - none of which I have... So a challenge. However it was great to mix with the top pros and to have the chance to see the athletes in action, including a new British indoor high jump record. Also nice to be able to see the Brits then going on to do well at the World Indoor Championships in Poland last weekend.

Spring is in the air and it is positively WARM, so the early flowers are out and I ventured all of 30 ft to take some pics of our Crocuses. I used my very old, completely manual wide angle marco, so more challenges but I'm pleased with a couple of them. Worth getting out and on your knees....

We have our first WORKSHOP on Saturday and the weather if set to stay warm sunny and clear so hopefully we will be getting plenty of practice in capturing the light, why not join us in 2014!