Normally I post about my own personal photography on my own personal blog but I thought that Passion, is Passion, is Passion and that this may help others also…

I Am Back !!!

Not sure if anyone actually ever realised I was gone – or even cares if I am back…

But, here is the thing about “Personal Projects” - you do them for “YOURSELF” and not for anyone else…  There is no wrong or right, there is no should or shouldn’t – a personal project is all about pleasing yourself – for whatever reason that is.  Full-Stop

There were a number of factors that I disappeared on the 25th Feb and haven’t been back since today, these are, but not limited to….

1.  I went to Iceland with Welshot – had a BRILLIANT time, an amazing time in fact and had a bit of an eye opening and thought provoking time.  I came back realising that to develop my photography and learn my post processing it didn’t “HAVE” to be about a picture a day.

I was putting myself under a lot of pressure to perform and I was resorting to taking any old picture just to say I had done it. I mean, how many images of my gin and tonics and results of my stationery addictions do you actually want to see each day?  Really?

I also came back on a real high and I had had a bit of an epiphany while travelling the wonderful landscape of Iceland with 10 Welshottters and wanted to put all my energy and focus into the business development of Welshot Imaging, the Photographic Academy and our Members.  So, you can’t do everything can you – something has to give…

2.  I was getting hung up on “Stuff” everything from Camera Kit – to Software – to Post Processing to was I doing it right… so, instead of “Just doing It”, I wasn’t – I was getting bogged down in the minutiae and  stressing the small stuff – the really small stuff…

Who cares what camera I use – who cares if I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 – who cares if I am in 8bit and not 16bit – who cares if “I LIKE” over post processed and saturated images and who blinking cares if I “LIKE” to take my photos on an angle…

That’s who I am – and it’s about MY passion of photography – no one else’s – Not Welshot’s – (as a Limited Company any images I take actually “Belong” to the company) – not a client’s – not Eifion’s – they are Mine, Mine, Mine and all Mine…

So, as long as I am doing something, I am doing something – right?  That’s the important thing and it is something I remembered when I asked one of my closest friends and someone I admire muchly what he thought…

I will never forget Will Cheungs words…  ”Well, you’re doing it aren’t you”?

At first, I was upset that I hadn’t got raving reviews of my images – but really, this was wonderfully insightful and I wish I had gotten it sooner…

After all, it is the Welshot ethos – maybe I need to take my own advice a little.

On that thought, I grabbed my camera, went out, found a building (Windows and doors) that I am always attracted to and just got on with it – hope you like them.  If you don’t, well, it doesn’t really matter – cos I do and I have no one to please but myself when it comes to my own photography

Until next time – which will be on a “You will see Me when You see Me basis..”

Keep snapping, keep having fun and make it count.

Lee xxx

About 12 months ago my interest in photography and using a decent camera developed and I invested in a Canon EOS 1100D. My intention, once I had vaguely familiarised myself with the camera, was to enrol at a local college on an A-level course. When I went to enrol I was told that the course was full. I was, to say the least, despondent. I really wanted to learn about techniques and trying different methods. A few months later, my partner Phil said ‘I know this lovely group of people who do just what you want. They’re really friendly and helpful. Look on their website and see if you want to go to one of their evenings in Chester. I’ll speak to Lee. She’ll look after you.’

I can now say, hand on heart, that I am so happy that the college course was full. In the 6 months that I have been involved with Welshot I have never looked back. It was with the encouragement of other members that I decided to try something I previously had no interest whatsoever, and definitively no experience. Off camera flash and models (in this particular case, with a vintage theme).

So there I was on Thursday 16^th May, after a brief signing in at the Bear and Billet and allocation into one of four groups, standing in front of a model by the River Dee. It was a genre I knew nothing about, using flash equipment I had no knowledge of, and a new camera (having upgraded a couple of weeks previously to a Canon 600D). What could possibly go wrong?

Nothing. Nothing could go wrong because of the enormous help and encouragement of the group leaders, team leaders and members. Talked through each step. Explanations of what I was using, how they work, how they work in different ways, how to set my camera up for each type of picture for each different effect. And in one case, reminding me to take the lens cap off

I was never made to feel stupid or silly for not knowing, or not understanding. Things were re-explained and then I did understand. I really did! And it wasn’t just the taking of my shots, and looking at my pictures. It was watching other members compose their shots. Try different things. Share their pictures. Explain what they wanted to achieve or try. It’s the chatting with other members. Asking about different types of lenses. Listening to the regular banter of Nikon vs Canon. Oh, and James Farley’s puppy Walter made an unexpected appearance and was used as a prop.

James Farley, Walter and a bunch of admiring Welshotters

Enough rambling! The first set up for our group was with a new model Rachel. This was using low light and hand held flash triggered from the camera. Peter Hudson and Keith Barlow talked me through how the flash in different positions created different effects and Tracy Edwards helped explain how my images showed the light and how to move myself, or Rachel or the flash, to gain different, and better effects.

Rachel

The second set up was John Evans, model and expert. He explained about the different speeds affecting the depth of field as well as the aperture. We each shot using the same aperture and ISO but at different speeds and then moving the flash to different positions. Thanks to John I now understand what light is best for different types of portrait shots.

John Evans, probably not shown in his best light

We now adjourned back to the Bear and Billet for some yummy scran, including the famous Welshot chips and a bit of a chin wag. The Bear and Billet was a very nice venue.

The third set was with Eifion Williams, using a flash in a (I’m really sorry Eifion I can’t remember the real name) square hood on a stand. We worked with Bethany as a model and used both the river and then Chester walls as a backdrop.

Bethany

Bethany in Black and White

The final set up was with Haili as the model and Paul Smith explaining how to use two hand held flash units and also gel flash cover

Haili in Black and White

Haili

As usual, I learned so much. Not only from the experts for the night, but fellow Welshotters. I may not remember all the names of the different types of flash that we used but I know things that I can use, for the photography that I take and would like try. If I don’t know what I need for a particular thing – I know a Welshot man, or Welshot woman, who does!

If you can pop over to the Welshot forum you can see some brilliant shots from the night. I will soon have some pictures up on my own site at gaynorrobertsphotography.co.uk

Gaynor Roberts

Academy Member and Team Leader John Evans put the evening together after many visits to the track using his son as cover so that he could play at being a kid again !

When I got there everything was in full swing. The riders were doing their stuff and photographers were all over the place getting every angle covered. Of course the event wouldn’t be complete without Lee and I found her at the start line giving out orders to photographers and riders alike. Eifion was in the thick of the action assisting photographers but still within earshot.

Picture taken by Gill McGowan

Although it wasn’t raining there was a bitterly cold wind howling around which was making the riders work a little harder but you wouldn’t have noticed, they never stopped. The evening sun and scattering of cloud provided a bright colourful background to shoot against. This provided great opportunities to shoot silhouettes as well as riders lit with off-camera flash.

Photographers were literally getting down ‘n’ dirty. It’s one thing getting low down to capture the action but to lie down in the middle of the track with 3 BMX’ers hurtling towards you is pushing it. These welshotters will do anything to get “the shot” and getting covered in dust from the track didn’t seem to phase anyone.

Picture taken by Gill McGowan

With John E, John A, Eifion and Paul on hand to assist there was plenty of knowledge and experience being passed around. We had wide shots, zoom, panning, off camera flash, ambient light, a mixture of both. John Evans then had the daredevils lying down on the track with riders heading straight for them. John covers motor sports so he knows exactly where you need to be to get the best shots when it comes to anything that is fast.

No Chips….that’s right there were no Welshot chips on this event but chocolate and hot drinks were enough of a pit stop for the gang. After a quick break we were gifted with a lovely sunset which took us through some great silhouette shots and onto the real fun with flashes. The ambient light had pretty much gone now so it was all down to the photographer and their skills. Getting the lighting just right on a fast moving subject is not easy but I’m sure all delegates will agree that after this event they’ve now got it nailed.

Picture by Keith Barlow

If you are serious about capturing live action shots then this event is an ideal way to practice your skills. The riders were very accommodating and kept a steady flow of traffic coming through the main jumps where welshotters where honing their skills.

I must say that the riders were a great bunch of guys and were clearly lapping up the attention. I’m sure it won’t be long before this event is on again.

Big thanks to the Welshot team for setting this up and also for constantly looking for new ideas, opportunities and experiences for Welshot Members.

Keith Barlow
My Blog
My Gallery

The day started (as it always does with Welshot) with a warm welcome from the Welshot team and our hosts for the day, John Arnold from www.photowalkthrough.com, Gavin Hoey from www.gavtrain.com and Eric Renno from www.tipsquirrel.com. Gavin was first to talk on his thoughts on what is creative photography, this was a real insight that for some of us who worry about if an image conforms to the “rule of thirds” and would certainly make us think more about creating a “great image” than worrying about rules (which are made of course to be broken).

One of the example images Gavin showed us how to create was the use of an ND400 filter and how to make best use of these types of filters to blur movement in an image, this was a snippet of what was talk about:

Next up is somebody i’ve known for a few years (and also actually introduced me to Welshot in the first place via his Podcast) and that’s John Arnold. Johns a real advocate (as is myself) of the amazing Adobe Lightroom. John gave an overview of the killer features of Lightroom including keywording, collections and how it’s possible to automate your post processing of images by the use of bulk edits (something that’s saved me many a wasted hour).

Eric Renno then took the stage to give us a presentation which he used his iPhone to present from (!). Eric shows us what’s possible in some of the leading mobile apps such as Photosynth, Snapseed and Photoshop Touch (to mention a few). Erics passion for this kind of image post processing was obvious and I have to say I’m totally impressed with what’s now possible by the use of a phone (well let’s face it, a portable computer – how many people really use their phones as a phones now anyway, not many I think).

After lunch the day continued with many, many ideas and tips with how to get the best out your images you’ve taken with a variety software tools. The one I was personally very impressed with (and subsequently now purchased myself) was John Arnolds demo of the Nik Collection available (now at a reduced price from Google www.niksoftware.com).

The afternoon concluded with getting some fresh air and doing a photo “Scavenger Hunt” which involved seeking out a list of things to photograph and being creative with them. Gavin then took a selection of images from our cameras and showed us how he would process them using some of the methods that had been shown during the day.

There’s a saying that “you get out what you put in” well today is just one example where the effort of everyone at Welshot paid off with what the delegates got out. Well done team!

Mark Carline
Web: www.markcarline.co.uk
flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/markcarline
Twitter: twitter.com/MarkCarline

Ferrari California (photo: Roj Smith)

I was there for an evening photo shoot session with Welshot, the objective was to use off camera flash and photograph the Ferrari, kindly supplied by Welshot member Patrick Yates, along with a Jaguar Mark 2 that had also been brought along by fellow Welshotter Mike Castle, thank you both.

Jaguar Mark 2 (photo: Roj Smith)

Meeting at The Days hotel, Chester, Lee assigned each of us into groups and we headed out into the cold, dark night. I quickly realised that the most important piece of photographic equipment to have is not an ultra fast prime lens or a three axis imaged stabilised zoom but a rather more modestly priced warm hat; sadly mine was sitting at home and making no useful contribution to the evening. But minor things like cold and hypothermia soon become insignificant when you’re having fun taking photographs and talking to fellow Welshotters whose enthusiasm and friendliness is ample compensation for the inclement weather.

The group leaders quickly set about getting the lighting stands, brollies and flashes set up and the cars positioned at the angle to give the most pleasing images. After a few test shots it was decided that shooting with the triggers wasn’t working so we switched over to using one or two second exposures and manually firing all the flashes. As the shutter would be open so long there wasn’t a problem with not catching the flash as it’s so much shorter comparatively. The ambient light levels were very low so this also wasn’t a problem for the long exposure. Focussing proved a bit tricky as it was so dark but people helped each other by shining torches on the cars so focus could be obtained before the shots were taken.

Lighting the Jag (photo: Gill McGowan)

Eventually everyone switched around and got shots of both cars. I think it was at this point I realised that the second most important piece of photographic equipment to have is a warm pair of gloves; yes, mine were with my hat, at home, not keeping me warm at all. Not to worry though as by now the food was ready and we could head back inside to eat and discuss how we got on.

After the food we had something of a departure from the usual Welshot proceedings in the form of an image critique session led by Welshot team leader Simon Watkinson. Welshot attendees had the opportunity to submit a couple of images that were then discussed by everyone. I found this very interesting, hearing what people think about images is always worthwhile, even if you don’t always agree with them. I think it’s quite difficult when you’ve taken a photograph yourself to be completely objective about it, you remember the problems you had taking the shot, or a myriad of other factors that mean you don’t look at the image with the same detachment that another observer might have.

So, a bit of everything from this evening, fast cars and constructive image critique. Life moves pretty fast at a Welshot evening.

Roj Smith
About me…

I went to my first Welshot event almost a year and a half ago and I’ve been asked to talk about a recent Welshot Workshop [try saying that fast three times!] I attended on Sunday 17th March 2013.

The Workshop in question was “Documentary, Reportage and Street Photography with Mark Scholey”.

The schedule for the day was to start with a lecture over coffee and pastries at the Ramada Hotel in Salford Quays, before heading into Manchester city centre to put into practice the various techniques Mark had explained to us.

At Lunch time we would get together and watch the St Patrick’s Day Parade. After that, Mark would set us a challenge and send us back out on the street. Finally we all met up again at Albert Square and caught the tram back to the Salford Quays.  At the Ramada we would warm ourselves with more coffee and tea while Mark reviewed a couple of our images.

Unfortunately the day didn’t start too well for me, as I found Public Transport almost non-existent early Sunday morning, and eventually arrived at the hotel 5 minutes late. By then everyone was getting stuck into the coffee and muffins, but luckily Mark’s lecture hadn’t started.

I think there were about a dozen of us taking part, plus Mark, Eifion and (of course) Lee. We began by each saying what we hoped to achieve from the day. Several members of the group were predominantly landscape photographers, so this whole field was completely new to them. I have done a fair bit of street photography, documentary and photographs of strangers, but I was hoping to learn new techniques that may give better results.

Mark then gave us a short talk on what to look out for when taking street photographs and illustrated this with some of his shots. He then gave examples of how aperture choice would effect depth of field for both crop and full frame sensors.

One of his suggested techniques was to manually set focus at a fixed distance. This meant I could then concentrate on the composition of the image and because of the aperture I had chosen I wouldn’t need to worry so about achieving auto-focus lock before taking the shot.

After this talk we all left the hotel and took the tram over to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

We now had the opportunity to wander around the city and try out the various techniques we had seen ourselves. Mark would stay at Piccadilly Gardens, so we could always return to ask questions if there was anything we weren’t sure about, or wasn’t working as we had expected.

One of the things Mark had suggested we look out for was juxtapositions – perhaps between signs and peoples actions. So this is how I ended up hanging around a well known high street chemists, with camera in hand waiting for people to walk through the doorway.

This isn’t the best shot I’ve ever taken (by a long way). But after standing outside the doorway, camera in hand, for over 10 minutes I was starting to get funny looks from the staff and the customers were starting to avoid that exit.

I moved on and continued around the city, trying my new technique of having the focus locked and taking a snap when someone moved into range. After a while I circled back to Piccadilly Gardens where we all met up for a quick chat on how we were getting on (and any problems encountered). We then all set off together to take photographs of the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Unfortunately I found that I wasn’t very well equipped to take shots of the Parade. I was using a Fujifilm X100, which is a great little camera for taking street shots without being too conspicuous, but has a fixed 35mm (equiv.) lens. The marchers in the parade were all sticking to the other side of the road and I wasn’t getting any close up shots – unlike the photographers who were (much more sensibly) using DSLRs and longer lenses.

I left the rest of the group behind and ducked through the barrier, across the road and then shot the marchers from a much closer position.

We were very lucky and the weather had been dry all day (something of a rarity I understand for Welshot events), but it was very cold. Once we had our fill of shooting the parade we met up at a coffee shop to warm us up. This is where I managed to get my favourite shot of the day.

This was also when everything started to come together. I was shooting with a small aperture giving a larger depth of field with manual focus fixed at a set distance and managed to get a shot showing the juxtaposition between the poster showing the coffee shops poster of this being a place to have fun together with friends, and the reality of it being used by someone on their own who is lost in his thoughts.

Once we had finished our drink Mark set us our final challenge. We had a list of themes to shoot in and around Albert Square. Because it was St Patrick’s Day, Albert Square had a number of stalls selling food, drink, and Irish themed merchandise.

I decided to take photos on two themes – people on the phone and people eating while on the go (sometimes I was lucky enough to get both in the same shot).

Once this session was over it was time to catch the tram back to Salford Quays.

Taking pictures may have come to an end, but the workshop wasn’t finished. Back at the Ramada Hotel it was time to reflect on what we had learned. Each of us selected two images from the hundreds we had taken and these were displayed on a TV screen in the meeting room over cake and coffee.

When our images were on the TV Mark and the other delegates would talk about what they liked in the image and suggest other ideas we could consider next time we are out on the street.

It was an enjoyable and tiring day spent wandering the streets of Manchester with other like minded photographers. I had a great time, and it was good to finish off the experience seeing what other people had experienced through the day. While I had gone for candid shots, some other delegates had approached the exercises differently (for example, asking strangers if they would mind having their portrait taken). But I’m sure we all came away from the experience with both new skills and (perhaps more importantly) new ideas for our photography.

However even though the day finished, learning from the experience still isn’t over. We’ve also each agreed to upload a couple more shots taken during the exercises to the Welshot Forum for further discussion.

I hope some of the enjoyment I’ve had from the experience has come through in this blog post, and would recommend this sort of workshop to everyone. While we might go out to shoot landscapes, or book a session in a studio to shoot portraits, we spend most of our lives surrounded by strangers in our towns and cities. There are photo opportunities everywhere.

Hopefully I’ll see you at another Welshot Workshop soon.

Thanks

Kev Pack

A pre-departure get together in Chester a few weeks ahead of Christmas set the scene, Richie Roberts sharing with us his experiences from his September trip and we were inspired. Shopping trips for outdoor clothing occupied many at Christmas as we were preparing for sub-zero temperatures just below the Arctic Circle.

The arrival day dawned in February and 12 trusty Welshotters descended upon Iceland, the anticipation and expectation high, Andy Wilson’s words ringing in my ears as we boarded the Icelandic Air flight; “You’ll love it, it’s beautiful with some stunning landscapes and if you don’t get any cracking images you may as well pack in photography”…….no pressure then!

Touch down at Keflavik presented us with lead grey skies, slushy snow lining the runway and rain……hardly the artic conditions that I had been anticipating as Iceland was experiencing a warmer than usual climate this winter.

The drive from Keflavik to the island’s capital, Reykjavik was around 40 Km and Lee had spared us the public bus to transfer, instead booking us two private taxis. Travelling along the coastal highway in luxury, I was took in the volcanic scenery and the setting reminded me of a colder version of the coastal highway in Fuerteventura, small fishing villages and sweeping vistas of rock and scrub peppered the route.

Reykjavik arrived; it may be a city officially, but it has that large town feeling, cultural, steeped in tradition, safe, friendly with multi coloured chocolate box houses that adorned the streets, quaint, simple yet beautiful and adorable.

We stayed at the East end of the city at the Hotel Cabin, a simple yet comfortable accommodation, warm with great facilities and convenient for the sea front with Subway across the way for those not wanting to head into the centre. Lee had worked her magic with the hotel owners, rooms on the 6th floor facing Faxafloi bay and the Esja mountain range gave way to stunning panoramic views; I was hooked and fell in love with Iceland instantly.

No time to waste, in true Welshot tradition, we headed for the World famous hot dog stand down near the city centre to fill our bellies and drink in the atmosphere. Hunger abated, we headed to the waterfront to capture some night scenes, the biting wind reinforcing the decision months ago to come fully prepared for the weather.

Day two dawned dark and misty, Ymir our guide arriving bearing gifts in the form of fresh salmon on brown sweet breads….what an introduction! No time to waste, off on a tour of the Golden Circle we went, over the mountains, Geysir in the Haukadalur Valley the first stop.

Geysir didn’t disappoint, the main geyser, Strokkur erupting every 7 minutes or so, gushing high above us and although the skies were grey and dismal, the setting of this geological phenomenon and its smaller counterparts made this a stunning photographic experience, especially as our arrival was planned to coincide with the quieter period before the tourists arrived. Richie and Eifion were on hand to help with composition and exposure compensation advice, tricky light and backlit water presenting new challenges for some.

Onto Gulfoss, the White Falls, a spectacular three tiered waterfall full of atmosphere. No rainbow today, but the sun came out to play briefly and the ice laden walls of sheer rock lining this chasm reflected in the glowing light, spray and noise of tumbling, thundering, cascading water making this a memorable location. Help was on hand from John Arnold who gave a brief lesson on the benefits of using HDR in the contrasting light, the art of composition and the importance of detail, starting with the whole and closing in on smaller sections of the scene. Breath-taking!

Lunch under a rustic timber shelter in the Haukadalur Valley; breads, meats, cakes all prepared by Ymir and the highlight, traditional rotted shark meat washed down with Brenniven, Icelandic Schnapps. Pungent, almost an aroma of ammonia, the shark meat was a life time gourmet experience, but well worth trying…..and the Schnapps was just reward for the effort.

Last stop of the day, Pingvellir National Park; home of deep rift valleys and the junction of the European and American tectonic plates, a sense of impending activity ensues, the plates inching apart annually.

The National Park was stunning; clear icy waters in deep jagged ravines, waterfalls, not high, but wide, laden with brown sediment, tumbling into rock strewn pools and even with grey skies and failing light, we managed to get come cracking images.

Golden Circle may be on the commercial tourist route, but Welshot and our guide made this very much a personal experience and its one area that I’m sure to go back to again.

Day three; snowfall overnight saw white slippery roads just on the outskirts of Reykjavik as we headed East along the South of the island in our four-wheeled drive mini bus shod in studded winter tyres, our destination the majestic Seljalandsfoss, a 200 feet high spectacle of spuming water plunging earthwards over the former sea cliffs on the South coast.

Uniquely, we were able to walk and scramble behind the falls to photograph this raging plume of water, the focus being on protecting the gear from the spray and mists, some electing for HDR to cope with the high contrast of the dark overhanging cliff face and the skies beyond. All along this area, there were smaller falls with wide open, almost prairie like vistas, photogenic and unlike anything I have seen before.

Second stop, a little further along the road and an impromptu lesson for us all from Richie on the use of graduated filters and how to cope with shooting in the wet misty conditions for our second set of falls, Skogafoss. Opting for a different viewpoint, Richie led Paul Williams and me to an airy vantage point some three quarters the way up the hillside for a small group tuition. From here, we were looking down at the near 200 foot high broad crested falls, away from the spray and mist and with breath taking vistas along the coastline. A series of bracketed shots ensued whilst protecting the grad filters from rain.

After a brief lunch break and with rain falling steadily, flat grey skies persisting, we junked the plans to shoot on the black beach sands at Vik and headed instead slightly inland to the Solheimjokull, a retreating glacier.

 This was a treat of the highest order, caverns, arches and bluffs of ice, interspersed with black grit detritus from the grinding, gouging action of the glacier as it still pushes its way down the valley under gravity. Photo opportunities were plentiful, be they scenic or photo journalistic, packs of would-be adventurers nervously heading onto the glacier, bedecked in crampons, tightly gripping their walking ices, hoping that they would be called upon to use them as their guides their progress as a mother hen would her chicks.

 It might have been pouring with rain, but our spirits rode high as we headed to a secret hideaway that Ymir knew of, a bathing pool high up in a glacial river valley fed by the geothermal heated waters of Iceland’s most recent active volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, towering cliffs and rocky pillars, sentinels of basalt guarding the approach.

 We crossed mountain rivers, some more successfully than others, but despite minor mishaps and early swims, the bathing pool was a sight to behold. Jumping in half way along, I was airborne when I heard the warning shouts of “that’s the deep end”…..too late as I plunge to the bottom of the pool, dark waters above, light pushing its way through and eventually surface to be greeted by howls of laughter.

We may not have been young, but we hollered like teenagers, excited at the discovery of this secret den, posing for photos, jumping as one out of the water, our Welsh flag flying proudly in the wind as we surveyed the snow-capped peaks around us, warmed by the 80°C water feeding the pool.

 Our reward for braving the cold, words of congratulation from our guide and host along with shots of moonshine, vodka and schnapps, a winter warmer to take the edge off the chill.
Drunk on our experiences and slightly merry from the alcohol, we headed to a traditional farm for evening supper before heading back to base for a well-earned rest. However, John Arnold was at selflessly on hand, leading a mini-workshop on Lightroom which I attended and which transformed my workflow.

 Day 4….sunny, warm and time to draw breath! A day around Reykjavik, in individuals, small groups and latterly as a whole, we explored the city, taking in a collective lunch at a renowned fish restaurant and then finishing the afternoon at the breath taking Hallgrímskirkja, the church which sits atop a brow overlooking the city, this magnificent architectural feature, basic and simple inside, colossal and prominent externally.

Views from the top of the church tower were a sight to behold, a 360° vista of wonderland; unique and varied buildings decked in their brightly painted corrugated metal cladding, snowy mountains abound, the setting sunlight glinting off the city airport to the West and the white capped waves of the Faxafloi Bay, whaling boats sitting in the harbour.

That night, the skies cleared and we encountered the strange phenomena of the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, Lee having worked all afternoon to secure the wonderful service of Ymir, our intrepid Viking guide.

Two locations offered plenty of time (about 4 hours in all) for us to take in this sight and capture some stunning images, Richie again sharing his knowledge with us all, Eifion and John Arnold assisting making sure everyone was getting their settings right and advising on composition etc.

Day 5, bonus day! Lee negotiated a trip with Ymir to the Snaesfellsnes Peninsula, a natural unspoilt area, off the beaten track.

First up, a trip into the lava fields, the route negotiating volcanic features and scrub, no visible track, just the experience of our guides. I sat alone for 15 minutes, unable to move, gazing into the beyond, lava plains and craters as far as the eye could see, a crumpled mountain range with its winter coat on the horizon. The beauty and splendour was paralysing; fitting a polarizing filter, I shook myself from the dream and proceeded to capture the scenes before me, venturing into a crater to explore and photograph the textures, colours and vegetation. Mind blowing!

Leaving here, we headed to a natural spring where we sampled the cold crystal clear water, laden with minerals, slightly effervescent. What an experience.

Travelling West, we passed beneath black spikey and folded cliffs, columns of hexagonally shaped basalt towering above us. These were unlike the sheer cliffs of the South coast; forged by tectonic action, alive with the spirits of Norse folklore.

Lunch at a Johanna’s farm, a favoured destination of legendary equine photographer Tim Flach. Corralled horses mixed with steep snow covered mountains of this coastal plain made for a fantastic photo opportunity, the owner also giving us free rein to explore the stable and yard, a host of subjects presenting themselves to be captured.

Onwards, following the sun towards the West trending yet further from Reykjavik, Arnarstapi our next destination. A small fishing port set down from coastal highway, hidden, a gem waiting to be discovered.

Our timing could not have been better, the fishing boats being unloaded, baskets of freshly caught fish making a fantastic set of images, whilst the mountains and holiday homes provided an equally attractive alternative to capture.
We walked along a coastal path, past inland lakes and ponds, quaint lodges on their shores, whilst to the other side, rugged sea cliffs with stacks, arches caves provided ample opportunity for some varied shots.

No time to waste, onwards then to capture a sunset, our first strong sunset in Iceland, fittingly on our last night. A beach, riddled with folklore of trolls and elves, and the wreck of an old British Trawler to set the unconscious mind racing and the creative juices flowing. Jet black pebbles, icy blue waters with crisp white surf, a backdrop of orange and yellow veins in an inky grey black sky…..paradise.

Supper was held at a secluded hotel, next to the Black Church where our guide would be married in September. Wooden floors, the walls decked in maritime and national treasures, what a scene for a feat of fish stew.
Leaving the hotel, we plodded back towards Reykjavik, our guide we suspect may have lingered at dinner to give us the opportunity of seeing the Lights again. And what a sight.

On the road through the Myrar region of this stunning peninsula, we were stopped in our tracks by the first showing of the Lights; as we descended from our bus, the Lights were visible to the eye, building in strength, dancing, gyrating for as far as the eye could see.

Directly overhead and arcing to our horizons, the Lights played green, red, purple and white, transforming, shape shifting over the plains and mountains, their brightness intense, the glow lighting up the surroundings.  Stunning images were captured that night, tears were shed at the joy and splendour of this amazing natural sight; one can only imagine what the reaction was of the first Vikings that settled here on seeing this, fear perhaps, wonderment no doubt.

And so we eventually arrived back at base, a long but fruitful day, the end of a magnificent adventure.

Photo holiday, expedition, adventure, experience, challenge or opportunity, call it what you will, but for me it was life changing; I now see my photography in a new light, no longer shackled by a limited repertoire, I am having fun, my skills grown from five epic days of tuition, nurturing, encouragement not just from team leaders but from each and every one of my fellow Welshotters.

Thanks you to everyone involved, I will be back for more with this dynamic group.

Lee has asked me to share my impressions of the wonderful Seascapes and star trails workshop at the beginning of March in Aberffraw on Anglesey.

Preparation!

This was to be an event that included photographing the sea as well as star scapes and light painting – an interesting mix of photography types – so deciding what to take was a big part of the preparation for me. Being generally indecisive and a bit of a pack rat, I decided I was going to load for bear and take everything I might possibly need – including, amongst other things, my much under-used 500 mm lens, my 250 LED array video light, numerous light sources for light painting, camera flash, tripod, remote trigger, red lights (for seeing what I was doing without destroying my night vision) as well as extra layers of clothing, 8-hour heat pack (recommend!!) and a hiking stick.  Apart from the flash, I’m pleased to say I used everything! Of course, this was a lot of kit but luckily our Storm Cases could fit it all in. I suppose next time I might decide to take less as it really was quite heavy, but thankfully I had my handy sherpa with me to carry it all. So maybe next time I will just leave the flash behind.

A gathering of people, suitably attired with backpacks for their cameras, was already waiting when we arrived. (Storm Cases are my cases of choice especially around rocks and near water, but I did rather envy the others having their kit on their backs. Note to self: get back straps for my Storm Case!!)

A beautiful little church in the sea

We set off walking across the sands to the island intending to put our kit in the church -  a 14th century stone church set on a low island in the sea off Aberffraw - then go back on the beach, but as it was windy and cold everyone quickly gravitated towards the church, which served both as a great photographic subject but also a handy shelter to warm up when it got too cold in the bitter March wind.

Of course going inside the St Cwyfan’s Church, didn’t mean an interruption to photography activities. Once inside the only available light came through the small-paned windows thus providing some interesting shots. Soon Kris lit some candles and we were able to switch between photographing the church in candlelight and photographing the surfers and waves outside.

Seascapes

I got some nice shots of the surfers with my 500 mm lens. Sadly the surfers only managed to stand up on their boards whenever I wasn’t looking, so I didn’t get anything worth sharing, but it was great to get some helpful tips from Eifion. He even altered some exposure lock settings on my camera that I’d be struggling to locate in the menus of my Nikon for a long time.

Eifion also lent me his 10 mm lens so I could get some wide angle shots of the church interior which I lit with my LED array light that, if I’m perfectly honest, I hadn’t really expected to use that night and had almost left behind – along with the kitchen sink! But I was glad I had it as the bright light revealed so much detail in the church that would have gone undiscovered otherwise. I wonder how often St Cwyfan’s has been lit up quite that bright, and several people outside photographed the light streaming out through the windows.

Starscapes

Once it was dark outside we took photos of stars when the cloud briefly and blessedly cleared. Kris helped me to figure out how best to use ISO settings whilst altering my shutter speed to minimise star trails to get crisp points of star light.

Star Trails

During this time the tide had come in and the path to the island was now covered by the sea. I realised, with a little trepidation, that I was now stuck on this island for at least another four hours! Gah!! Momentary panic over, I settled down as Kris demonstrated how to use the Star stacks application to stack several hours of 30 second images to create beautiful star trail photos without having to do incredibly long exposures. He then demonstrated how to comp the stacked images with a well-lit photo of the church to create a superbly beautiful photograph of St Cwyfan’s church beneath stunning star trails.

Light Painting

The finale of the evening was light painting. We all got some great pictures of Kris valiantly spinning burning steel wool and LED lights around his head in the strong wind.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening with lovely people and fabulous teachers, Kris and Eifion, who took such great care to help everyone get the most out of both their cameras and the amazing photographic opportunities the situation provided. The plentiful food and drink were received very gratefully and it was wonderful to feel so looked after, and considering we were on such a small island in the sea on a dark night with the wind blowing, I really felt very safe and comfortable.

At the end of the night we all set off across the sands, relieved to find that in the darkness the sea had now receded, and very happy after a wonderful winter evening’s photography.

Thank you Welshot!

The weekend of the 23rd and 24th February saw the official opening weekend for the Welshot Imaging Hoylake Lighting Academy. For the second time in a month we were at an additional new venue – this time the Holiday Inn Express in Hoylake.

Split over 2 days this Workshop was to teach us all the basics of different styles of lighting on the Saturday, then to let us loose with a pile of kit to set up whatever we wanted to on the Sunday. Not being a true 2 day full course, people could pick and choose which days they went to – both were very well attended with 18 on the Saturday and 8 on the Sunday.

The new venue was pretty good – 5 minutes off the M53 and easy enough to get to from either Liverpool or the Chester area. Free wi-fi was a big bonus, food was excellent (but you expect that at the Welshot events) and my only complaint was the coffee was pretty lousy – but I am an unashamed coffee snob….I addressed that issue on the Sunday though!

The Saturday saw us split into 3 groups and set off to learn about different lighting styles within a full studio, a cut down studio and off camera flash set ups. Eifion Williams was leading the full studio set-up with Peter Hudson and John Evans taking care of us for the “cut down” studio settings. Welshot regular models Sammie Jones and Georgıa Cresswell were swapping around these indoor studio set-ups throughout the day.

Paul Smith and John Arnold then had the dubious honour of the off-camera flash sessions tramping round the grounds of the hotel and various places within the lobby getting numerous odd looks from the guests! Our model for this part of the course was the relative newcomer to Welshot (but definitely not to modelling) Samii Bliss who was more than grateful for her big warm hooded coat as we were taking outdoor shots with snow starting to fall!

The morning studio session flew by from our initial 10am(ish) start and before we knew it it was Lunch. After that we had the other 2 sessions with the different set-ups and then a very brief, but really interesting session from John Arnold on processing using Lightroom. Will be honest I have very little interest in post processing unless it can be done on my iPad, but am now seriously thinking about doing the forthcoming specialist workshop in April that John’s leading. John’s immensely knowledgeable and passionate about his subject and actually managed to keep my interest for an hour so is therefore a certifiable genius. This brought the day to a close at around 6.30pm – long day but learned a lot and we all had a good laugh.

Sunday was a 10am start again, but we knew today was going to be a bit different. All the lighting kit was taken to pieces and put in the middle of the room. The 8 of us that were there (with Eifion, Paul and John Arnold leading) were then shown how to build lighting kit, add umbrellas, soft boxes, gels, remote triggers and generally build up the kit so we can organise our own studios to our own specifications. This is what we then did – very little cursing or swearing ensued which was vaguely surprising. The most important challenge though was the “can you fold up the lastolite pop up backgrounds ” one – dead easy!

In this initial session we also went through the basics of interacting with models, posing and a general discussion of where to get models for specific shoots (should we want to cast the net wider than Lee’s set of contacts).

Whilst this was going on the inordinately talented Lily Martin and Christine Bailey were painting and making up our 2 models for the day (Sammie Jones and Georgıa Cresswell) into an Alien and Zombie respectively. Hopefully the pictures will do some justice to the amazing work Lily and Christine did – have done 3 shoots with them now and they get better and better! After lunch we started the shoots with Sammie and Georgia and went through until 5pm when the session closed.

There are a number of highlights from the weekend for me – firstly the bouncing of ideas, willingness to help each other out and high levels of creativity generated by all the people there over the weekend – and I include team leaders, delegates and the models here. Secondly it was the surprise that post processing isn’t as horrendously tedious and/or geeky as I thought it was. Thirdly (and this is a personal one) – I actually got a few shots that I am genuinely pleased with. Finally was a comment made by a little lad called Harry who was having dinner with his family in the hotel resteraunt. On his way out he put his face to the door and saw Georgia in full Zombie make-up “She’s really pretty and scary” was his response and then lurched back to his family with his arms out in front of him groaning…

I didn’t take that many shots on the Saturday, and only a few more on the Sunday (about 200 in total) as I spent most of it getting Ideas off people and watching the wide range of photographers of all skill levels working. Guess it’s worth pointing out there that I hadn’t picked my camera up in nearly a Month and had only done so 2 or 3 times (all under sufferance) since Christmas. Taking this into account, I was actually dreading the sessions but was pretty sure it’d kick start me to pick up the camera again. I have come away from this a lot more enthusiastic about photography than before this weekend – so thank you everyone… really do appreciate it

As you’d expect with any Welshot event I went home with plenty of ideas, some pretty decent shots and well fed after a superbly organised and run weekend. The team leaders are always superb, the models amazingly patient, encouraging and creative and the other Welshotters that are there are always keen to encourage, pass on hints and tips and to learn. Its the thing I like about Welshot – doesn’t matter if you have a battered entry level camera or a pro DSLR – nor does it matter if you’ve just started photography or you currently have one of your shots on the front cover of National Geographic – ego’s get left in the car park and everyone is there to learn off each other….and they do….

If you’ve not been on one of these specialised workshops, I encourage you to do it – you will have fun, you will be working with like minded people and you will learn a lot.

It is worth pointing out here that this blog entry is solely my words – Lee, Eifiion nor any of the Welshot team haven’t had any input into this…. they just asked me if i’d share my unedited thoughts…

Martin Fryatt
25th February 2013
Flickr

Link to the output from the session: LINK

If you’re interested, Hallam Mill was built around 1860 initially as a cotton waste spinning mill by Ephraim Hallam, who was later the Mayor of Stockport. Following his death in 1897, the mill housed the Squirrel Confectionery works which made childhood favourites such as dolly mixtures, floral gums and cherry lips – remember those?

Following a very warm welcome from Lee and an introduction to the Welshot team leaders for the evening including ‘new boy’ Simon Watkinson of In Focus, it was the models’ turn…and what a great bunch they turned out to be! So on behalf of all of the photographers a big thank you to: Sammie Jones, Radha Patel, Samii Bliss, Lisa Johnson, Phil Bruce, Stephen Dyer, Debz Godfrey, Del Amore-Breeze, Leigh James, Jessica Bond and Nikki Wells – you were all amazing!

Split into four groups, we were each given a tour of the studio by Jim, which includes a dressing room, make-up room and lounge area. He also pointed out the numerous opportunities for image-making ranging from the infinity curve to more equipment on shelves and cupboards than you can imagine – how do you find things when you want them Jim?
After that it was networking and image-making all evening – with time out (if you could tear yourself away) to snack on the delicious buffet provided by Welshot, sandwiches, sushi, crisps and dips but sadly none of the much-loved ‘Welshot chips’ – but there was more than enough food to keep us all going!

One of the most interesting moments of the evening for me transpired as Simon (who had clearly warmed to the challenge of being a team leader) suggested we all turn our cameras to manual, making sure our focus points were sharp and then challenged us to take an image. It’s fair to say this was a bit of a revelation for me and Tim Charlesworth, and it made us think that sometime, autofocus makes us a bit lazy – from the ensuing conversation, I think both Tim and I will be switching to manual focus on occasion!
See, Del’s eyes are pin sharp!!

With support and guidance from Eifion, John A, John E, Simon and Jim I think between photographers and models alike, we managed to create some pretty amazing images…see for yourself.

Some notable moments… Keith B kept sneaking off with models to the studio next door, I think he thought we didn’t notice – but we did – great shot of Sammie against the feature wall Keith! Lee did a good job stealth shooting people with her camera and the number of people who couldn’t resist climbing the ladder/gantry thingy…Martin, Alison, Myshell (and me)!

I feel these events are important for Welshot members on a number of levels, there are the networking opportunities, the skills and knowledge of experienced Team Leaders, the chance to work with models, learning to style, pose and direct and develop in confidence. I’m sure that a number of new working relationships have been forged as a result of this event – I’ve already connected with some new friends in the hope of working together again.

Lee, you said you wanted a party atmosphere and I think without doubt you, Jim and the team achieved it – everyone I spoke with said how much they enjoyed themselves. The event completely met the Welshot aim of fun with your camera whilst learning too.

Readers…I have to stress that Lee gave me free rein to write this blog and share my thoughts and feelings on the evening as I saw fit, so, to my fellow Welshotters out there, let me just say that future events are planned at Hallam Mill over the coming months,  watch out for them on the Facebook Page and The Welshot Forum and book on, you won’t regret it…I’ll see you there!

Tracy Edwards
www.ashfieldimages.co.uk