Rear lens element

This is the rear lens element (the last piece of glass at the very back of the lens). The white/green streak pointing towards ten o’ clock is a fracture in the glass. The lens still works but any bright lights in the view produce massive ghosting, blobs and streaks on the image. There may be other damage that I can’t see but if so, it isn’t obvious. This lens is ruined.

Apart from the obvious problem, I need this lens for next weekend. I have three different events to cover and this lens will get used at two of them. I’ll enquire tomorrow, but I severely doubt that I can get a repair done within 4 working days. I hate to think what the cost will be too. I might rent a lens but again, no idea on the cost yet. At the end of day I’ll probably end up having to buy a new lens. Yes, it is insured but the cost of the insurance premium increases over the next few years for making a claim will probably be more than the cost of a new lens.

I know this is my fault for being clumsy and dropping the lens. C’est la vie.

The performers are great – they know how to entertain a crowd, all have lots character, can hit some great poses, posses some amazing skills and can play to the camera a little to provide some great shots.

Anna Fur Laxis - great performer and knows where the camera is.

This is all well and good, but as usual there is a fly in the ointment. The stage is lit with typical stage spot lighting – mainly straw and red coloured gels which is tricky to expose for. I choose to shoot with the available light rather than use flash which is very distracting to both the performers and the audience. My camera is good enough to provide good results but the venue ambiance casues problems. The stage floor is painted black, the side and back walls are black and even the ceiling is painted black. This is a proverbial coal hole! For some reason, many of the performers wear black outfits, have black hair and use black props. Now I’m shooting a black cat in a coal hole (or as my title alludes, a black kitten in a coal hole!).

Luna Rosa

The extreme example of this was a recent performer, Scarlett Daggers, who wore a black body suit, a black gimp mask and used a large black balloon for her act. Thankfully the shots worked, but it doesn’t get a lot harder than this especially as it is a live performance, so no setting up poses or second chances!

Scarlett Daggers, a black kitten in a coal hole....

I started taking more interest than usual in the weather forecasts, waiting to see a prediction that matched perfect weather for this shot. After a few days there it was: clear sky and no wind between 6am and 9am the following morning. I set the alarm for 6am, got the camera gear ready and went to bed. The alarm went of, so I looked out of the window to check conditions. Despite being dark it was obviously heavily overcast with no hint that it would clear anytime soon. I went back to bed. Later, on the way to work it was still heavily overcast. The weather did not break and I was right to have made no attempt to get on location. That night, same forecast for the following morning: clear sky and no wind between 6am and 9am. Alarm set, camera bag ready, off to bed. Alarm goes off, check conditions and again, almost totally overcast. Back to bed. Third night in a row and the same forecast for the following morning: clear sky and no wind between 6am and 9am. For the third time: alarm set, camera bag ready, off to bed. Alarm goes off, look out of the window and…. clear skies! Game on!

I leave the house at 7am and by 7:30 I am on location. The access was easy and just as I arrive I see another great photo opportunity: freshly ploughed fields providing lead lines with uninterrupted views directly toward the power station. I make a mental note to try that shot another time – I already have today’s shot in mind and it involves the M62. I park the car and get out with the camera bag and tripod. It’s cold: the temperature gauge in the car is reading -5C. I take a quick walk around the location and pick the spot for my photograph. I get the camera out, set it up and fire off a few test shots. Everything is looking good so I just have to wait for the sun to rise.

The cars on the M62 rushing past below are oblivious to me standing in the cold dawn glow. Apart from the noise of the traffic it’s quiet. Nobody else is around. I check the camera and wait, trying to keep warm. It’s really cold. An elderly couple appear from nowhere across the fields, walking their dog and wrapped up in the warmest coats, hats and gloves they probably own. They give a cheery “hello” and eye me curiously as they walk past, no doubt wondering what is so interesting about a motorway and a power station. The sky is getting very bright in the East and suddenly a deep red, fiery sliver of sun appears over the cloudless horizon.

As the sun rises it lights up the vapour from the cooling towers of the power station, making it glow bright oranges and pinks. I fire off several frames and adjust the composition slightly after looking at the image preview on the back of the camera. It looks pretty close to how I imagined the shot to be. I check my watch. It’s 8:15 and I need to go. I pack away the camera and tripod and walk back to the car. It’s really, really cold. According to the car the temperature is still -5C and I have been out for 50 minutes. It’s worth it. I have the shot and I’m at my desk in work on time. There’s still those ploughed fields to go back another time for, as well………..

Ferrybridge power station and M62

Two of the best times to take landscape photographs are dawn and dusk. In the Summer months, dawn can be around 04:30 which is a pretty unsociable time to get to a location and be set up ready to shoot. In mid December, dawn is a more reasonable 08:15 which means you’re not tired out for the rest of the day if you go and capture a sunrise. Likewise the sun sets around 16:15 so you can get a sunset shot and still be home in time for tea. It’s also easy to pop out again afterwards to take light trail images of roads and motorways too!

M62 Westbound, Junction 27

Through Winter the sun is low in the sky throughout the day which means landscapes are always sidelit, giving shape to the contours of the land which makes for a more attractive image.

Winter also produces some good storms which gives the opportunity to capture  dramatic skies or crashing waves if you are lucky enough to be near the sea. Gales provide the chance to use some slow shutter speeds to capture movement of tress in the wind. Lots of rain means wet paths and roads which give great reflections in urban scenes at night. Of course, when it snows everything looks different and gives an entirely new perspective to well known views. Even foggy conditions can produce good shots.

Middleton golf course. Snow & fog.

In the Winter wildlife looks very different to Summer with birds changing plumage and migratory animals making an appearance. It’s well worth overcoming the often poorer light to get some good images of animals. As a bonus, the lack of foliage on trees often makes them easier to spot!

Sometimes the weather is just too bad to go outside with camera equipment. When this happens it’s an ideal time to get creative indoors. Almost every room of the average house provides a wealth of photographic options from fruit, veg, spices, pans and crockery in the kitchen to cushions, ornaments and perfume bottles in the bedroom.

As much as Summer is nice for warm weather and long days, I prefer Winter for all of the reasons above.

The GX1 appears to be a reasonable update of the GF1 (newer sensor, better video, faster response) but I was troubled to see that it also implements a touchscreen. Digging further, it seems that you can pretty much avoid the touchscreen if you want as most of the important controls are still available with buttons and dials. I’m open to the thought that the touchscreen might enhance these controls so I’ll be interested to get some hands-on experience with one and see how it really handles.

Of course, whether I actually need to replace my GF1 is another story. It’s still a very likeable camera and does everything that I want it to very well. If anything does happen to it, though, at least I know there is potentially a viable up to date replacement for it!

I’ve been watching the trees turn their Autumnal colours with interest in the that hope I can get out and capture some shots of them. Unfortunately the weather has turned and after a mini gale last night and plummeting temperatures, I’m not sure I can get out and do them justice before we are left with anything but bare twigs!

My camera body has been replaced with what seems to be a brand new one. The serial number is considerably higher, it looks factory fresh and needed a set up as though from new on arrival. I’ve configured it the way I like and given it some tests. So far, everything appears perfect (and no sensor problems!). I need to perform a fine focus calibration for my two Pentax lenses then I can back in business.

Thankfully the trip this weekend is for fun and nobody is relying on my getting good shots – that’s why my main camera is away for repair: it’s a ‘down’ period for me photographically. I can take my walkabout camera, a Panasonic GF1 away with me or I’ve been offered the chance to borrow a Canon D-SLR. I’m leaning towards just sticking with the Panasonic GF1. It’s a great camera and I’ve really been impressed with what it can do since I got hold of it. It has only been used for snapshot/reportage type photos up until now so this may be a good chance to push it into proper service and see how it handles things. It will never replace my D-SLR but it would be fun to see just how capable it is.

I’ve had some bad experiences with Johnsons Photopia before, when a repair for my main lens, the Pentax DA* 16-50, last year had to be returned to them three times and after nearly 5 months without the lens it was eventually replaced with a new one rather than repaired. I can be without the camera for the next week or two so I’m sending the body off tomorrow. Fingers crossed that this time it goes more smoothly…..

Most people don’t seem to realise that turning up and acquiring the images in camera is only part of the work. There is a lot more to do afterwards: selecting the best images to use, processing them, making sure the EXIF copyright data is present, resizing the images, getting them to the client, archiving them and so on.

So off I go and fit the above around the other demands on my time……….