Category Archives: Coastal

“The Best Camera…….. Is The One You Have With You”

By Nigel | Published August 25, 2011

As the title to the post states the best camera is the one you have with you and since the X100 arrived on my door step that has been my camera of choice whilst I have been out and about doing my everyday things…..

I have found that I have been slipping the camera into my work bag when I head off to London, and a weekends it is easier to just pop the quick strap on the camera and sling it across my body and head out. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a camera to solve all you problems and replace your DSLR, however for the times when you want to travel light ensuring that you do not venture out camera-less, the X100 is the idea solution.

Depending on your shooting needs I am sure there are better compact’s out there, say for instance you would find the 35mm focal length to restrictive, then the X100 would not be for you.

I must say I love the focal length and challenges that it throws down when you are out and about in london or walking along the coast. I find it makes me look for images just that little bit harder.

I have been shooting with X100 for nearly a month now and I have been coming to grips with it’s eccentricities, learning how to overcome the shortcomings of the camera, which has been fun and not that limiting.

One thing that I have been doing more of is using the X100 in tandem with the Ipad, all of my images that I have been processing and post from the X100 have been worked up in the Ipad using a combination of PS Express and Snapseed. I have found that these two app for the Ipad take care of 80% of my processing needs, and since I am now only shooting in JPG processing on the Ipad is a breeze.

As you can see I have been having a blast with black and white processing of late, but that is not to say I do not like the colour images produced by the X100, they are mighty fine too.

The minor issues that the X100 has, for me are forgotten about as soon as you start shooting with this Fun Retro Design, quality compact. I am blown away by the usability of the camera and the quality of the images that the camera produces but the one this I love above all else is the silent operation of the camera, which leaves people pondering if you have taken a picture of them long after you are past them and off down the street.

I will sooner or later put together a full review of the camera detailing it’s little tick’s and quirk’s, however I am sure that all the reviews that our out there on the internet which have been produced by far more illustrious individuals than myself would sum this camera up far better than I could do it justice.

Also posted in Black & White, Day out, Landscape, London, People, Street, X100 | Tagged Kent, Landscape, London, nigel wheal, nigel wheal photography, Street, X100 | 3 Comments

“What Does A Day Contain, Photographically ?”

By Nigel | Published April 5, 2011

Your choices are endless I hear you say….. and you are correct everyday is different and everything is constantly changing – light – weather – subject matter – location.

I think that is one of the most interesting things about photography, it is never static and you are only limited by your imagination, where ever you look images can be found or made.

One thing that always catches me out is forgetting to look behind me, thinking I had seen everything that there was to see along the route I had just ambled. I alway forget that two things are constantly changing and that is POV (Point of View) and Perspective.

This can be easily demonstrated here with this series of images which were captured in a location I walk many times in a week, but by changing my POV and orientation by looking down this is what I captured on a bridge in London.

Previously I had always crossed this bridge only looking for images within my field of view, it never occurred to me to just stop and change my angle of view to see what could be found.

Start To Finish…..

I tend to do this quite a lot, have a day out and about with the camera and try to encapsulate that day in a series of images, 9 times out of 10 I do not succeed as I miss either the start or the end of the day, light wise that is.

Last weekend was nearly a home run with the series of images, the only image I missed was the sunrise. Don’t get me wrong I was not languishing beneath the covers of a warm duvet, I was out and about before the sun was up. “So what was the issue” I hear you say… well I by the river in a favourite little spot of mine with a Rag Stone bridge crossing the Medway ready for the sun to break over the horizon. Tripod was set up, Camera was is position, Settings were checked all things were in place and ready for the off. However one problem arose just as the just broken over the horizon, and that problem was me …… I had left the memory card in the card reader and forgot to bring camera bag with me so I was without a means of recording the sunrise. So I sat back and watch the scene unfold and just enjoyed the moment whilst muttering my favourite mantra which is the 5 P’s…..

Planning – Prevents – Pi%% – Poor – Performance

With that in mind here are a selection of the images from the nearly perfect day, minus the sunrise. Regardless the images should give you a good sense of what the day contained.