The Ugly Button

Absence of posting - been away from the internet for most of last week enjoying my holiday.

Firstly - a great wedding you can see the pics here. This was the first wedding I went to with my DSLR, and my respect for professional wedding photogs increased tenfold. Shooting people is so difficult, firstly finding the right aperture so that all of your faces are in focus but you get decent bokeh, then ensuring that your subjects are looking the right way, smiling etc. It's a seriously demanding job and I really struggling.

At the reception afterwards I hit the limitations of the four thirds system. Plain and simple they can't shoot in low light. Typically this doesn't matter because I shoot landscapes during the day but for night-time shots I was reliant on my crappy onboard flash. I've now added an external flash to my lust list.

Okay, then it was onto Poolewe (way up the west coast of Scotland), to fish some brilliantly remote hill lochs. Stunning surroundings and some great photo opportunities. I also took my first panorama that I stiched in Photoshop, I'm really pleased with it, see above.

Finally, the week finished in Edinburgh, for a Black tie ball in aid of the brilliant Princes Trust, a charity I wholeheartedly support. Great fun, lots of wine and again a real battle in the low light conditions. As well as the ball I got he chance to shoot in a more urban environment, and once again found it hard to get my shots right.

To be honest I was disappointed with most of my shots over the week, whilst I had a great time I've been really struggling with how to take good candid shots, battling with aperture and it seems like I have an Ugly button that transforms beautiful people in squinting ogres!

Still, I learned a lot and hopefully will do better next time.

MICRO 4/3

Read this...

Now what I'm inferring from the above statement is that Olympus got it wrong with Four Thirds, so they've fixed it with Micro 4/3rds (MFT from now on).

This is Four Thirds but even smaller. All your existing lenses will work on MFT with an adapter but the new snazzy MFT lenses won't work on your current Four Thirds model....

An added feature of an MFT camera is that you compose your shot by looking at the LCD...the don't have mirrors and won't come with a view finder. Err...so it's an interchangeable lens point and shoot? A bridge camera with interchangeable lenses? I don't know.

What I am worried about is the future of Four Thirds. According to the press release, "Olympus will develop relevant technologies and devices for both Four Thirds System and Micro Four Thirds System standards."

But why bother? If MFT is smaller, lighter and more capable than clunky old four thirds, why make lenses or bodies to function on the legacy system? Why not force users onto the new MFT?
And yet, in the last eight months Olympus has released 3 brilliant Four Thirds camera bodies (E3, E520 and E420), this comes on the back of the award winning E410 and 510 last year. The lens range has recently expanded with a cheap wide angle, new SWD options and the very attractive 70-300. Surely that investment means that the future of Four Thirds is bright?

But then why MFT? Gah...going round in circles.

Anyway, I was going to spend £600 on the 12-60mm F2.8 lens, my first serious investment in the Four Thirds system. It's a great lens, I am probably going to get thrown out of the camera shop if I play with it one more time. But what's the point if the system becomes obsolete tomorrow? I could buy a Nikon or Canon body tomorrow and rest assured that their commitment to the DSLRs 'standard' format remains...I don't know.

Loch Scardroy

BoATS, originally uploaded by Bexley98.

Great weekend at the top of Strathconan, which is in my top 5 most beautiful places in Scotland.

Loch Scardroy (pictured above) is at then end of single track road that runs down Strathconan and past 3 amazing trout lochs and some stunning scenery, if you’re visiting the Highlands of Scotland and like taking pictures, ensure it’s on your list of places to visit.

Unfortunately, due to the elevated height of the glen, the weather is always rough, the high hills funnel the wind down the valley and I’ve only ever seen a flat calm on Loch Scardroy twice in 10 years. The wind however is a blessing because it keeps the midge (a nasty little black fly that swarms and sucks blood) at bay.

There is any number of good walks in the local area, the fishing is excellent (and affordable!) and the wildlife, most notably the birdlife is really diverse. There is a nesting pair of Peregrine falcons in the area, Golden Eagles, Black & Red throated divers that whilst elusive would make a great photograph. Just remember a compass, an Ordinance Survey map and waterproof clothing.

Anyway, due to that fact that we were fishing in a rowboat, the photographic opportunities were limited. I would like to praise my Lowepro AW camera bag…the all-weather cover got a good soaking and my camera gear was bone dry whenever I used it. Another must have accessory if you’re taking pictures in Scotland.

Despite the elements, wet boat and difficult conditions, I was able to get a few half decent shots. The one above is probably my favorite of the shots I took. You can see the rest on my flickr, or even more on my Picasa site.

I’ve got a wedding to go to this Friday (my niece), so I hope to get a few good snaps at that. Then a weeks holiday and (hopefully) some camping on Scotlands west coast.