The Nikon “1″ J1 and V1
Having owned my Panasonic GF1 for just over two years now, I figured that technology had moved on enough to warrant investigating a new small-form camera for days off and secret squirrel assignments. With Panasonic’s follow-up models being too consumer-based with added touch-screens and gimmicks, while still utilising the same sensor, I’d waited eagerly for [...]
The complete alternative London “Knowledge”
Regular readers may remember the first parts of the “London Knowledge” that I posted a while ago. Having managed the previous “tips”, I squeezed out a further batch to make the century so here’s the final and complete collection. Read and learn (or at least nod with recognition…) You can tell a long-term Billingham bag [...]
Umpire State of Mind
They come for me when I sleep. Thousands of them. Attacking from all sides. Glowing in the darkness, they whistle past my head. With the instantly recognisable “thwack”, the Slazenger “Wimbledon Ultra-Viz” are out to get me. I wake from my dreams as the alarm chirps on the bedside table. Yes, I’m deep into coverage [...]
The day I shouted at a Wizard
***** THIS IS AN OFFICIAL WARNING – DUE TO TECHNICAL CONTENT, THIS POST WILL ONLY BE OF INTEREST TO PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO USE POCKET WIZARD TRIGGERS WITH THEIR NIKON CAMERAS – ANYONE EXPECTING THE USUAL STUFF PLEASE ENJOY A POST FROM THE ARCHIVE ***** Following a mind-destroying battle with technology to get my new Pocket Wizard [...]
My Sweet Sixteen
While finalising my entries for this year’s photography competitions, I realised that I never look back on the year’s output other than during the hunt for prizes. In light of this, I decided to put together a somewhat belated collection of my personal favourite images from 2010. These aren’t necessarily the ones that I’ve entered [...]
The alternative London “Knowledge” v4.0
There is no real need to take a camera, especially your Leica, to Focus. When cleaning your lens with a cloth, it will invariably be the final wipe when the cloth slips and you smear a dorito-grease covered finger across the front element. The World Press Awards must be something to do with the Corby [...]
Sensi and Instability (with apologies to Jane Austen)
Glastonbury 2010 was a new experience for me as, this year, I was going all multimedia on this festival’s ass. After pleading with the techno honchos in Gay Paris for some new toys, they managed to get a Zacuto Z-Finder and an Audio-Technica PRO24-CM couriered to me on the day before the festival. The downside [...]
Workflow-a-go-go
I recently discovered that there are quite a few photographers that do not have any real system of filing their images for easier archiving. With this in mind, I thought I’d share my thoughts on how to make life easier when it comes to organising your digital diamonds. When I first arrived in London, a [...]
The “s” stands for “sodding hell, it’s even better!”
The other day, the lovely people at AFP Paris sent me through my new toy, the Nikon D3s. To those who aren’t as obsessed with keeping up to date with all things new, the D3s is essentially a D3 with the small amount of concerns that photographers had ironed out plus a few very attractive [...]
The alternative London “Knowledge” v3.0
If you actually prepare for the bad weather for once and get fully waterproofed up, by the time you arrive at the tube station in central London, you’ll emerge to blistering sunshine. The same also applies in reverse. You will see the politician that you waited 10 hours outside the House of Commons for on [...]
The alternative London “Knowledge” v2.0
It’s good practise to get on with all the photographers you come across as it’s guaranteed that you’ll end up stuck on a doorstep for three days with the one you told to piss off. Stand next to the loudest shouter at film premieres. (See also “Ian West“) Even if the object that we’ve been [...]
The alternative London “Knowledge” v1.0
Not much can compare to feeling the first hot rays from the sun as you leave Downing Street on a Summer’s day after an 8 hour stakeout. No matter how sure you are of the job, the longer you wait for it to happen, the more likely you are to feel the need to frantically [...]
Madchester? I’m f@*!in’ livid!
As many of you know, I LOVE football. Everything about it excites me, be it adding new parts to your kit, learning new grooves or finally nailing a fill you’ve been working on for a while… Erm.. Hang on. That’s drumming. Oh, FOOTBALL. That’s the one I don’t like at all. Pushing this from my [...]
Going through the change
After months of speculation among the head bods, AFP London moved to the dark side, or more particularly, the black and gold side. Now armed with Nikon D3 bodies and various lenses, I’ve wandered the streets of London zooming left rather than right and pushing the exposure the wrong way. I mean, who in their [...]
The leak shall inherit the sack (AKA “D3x release? Ooops”)
When I was handed my mail in the office today, I was surprised to see that the quarterly Nikon magazine featured their brand new D3X. I have a geekish habit of keeping my eye on the forums and blogs relating to new gear so was really surprised by their casual launch. It’s only now that [...]
The Canon 5Dmk2
SO.. Earlier this evening I was pleased to be invited to Canon’s showroom in London for a preview of their latest offerings. While I had a look at the new 24mm f1.4 mkII lens and the Canon G10 powershot (much improved over my aging G7), the star of the evening was the new Canon 5D [...]
Canon’s return to form?
Having only just returned from my holiday in Cuba with my girlfriend and a hurricane, I’m mid-picture edit but thought I should post about this morning’s announcement of the new 5dmk2. Having totally changed the field of digital photojournalism on it’s initial release, the 5d’s successor has been the subject of miles of online debate, [...]
