pbnash1964

Wet-collodion process, early photographic technique invented by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. A group of us from Truro Camera Club were lucky enough to spend a few days with Nicky Thompson experimenting capturing portraits and still life using this wonderful process. Nicky’s website can be found here. https://www.nickyjthompson.co.uk . You have to slow down and prepare everything very carefully. The hit rate is not 100% but it great fun and you soon realise how skilled the early photographers must have been. If you dont want the perfect look and love that old feel then give Wet Collodion a try!

I was lucky enough to enjoy shooting four days of street photography in London UK. I was like a child in a sweetie store with images popping out all around me. Shooting 12 hours a day gives you the opportunity to capture life on the streets. With a Fuji XT4 and a Fuji X100V you have everything you need to capture some mesmerising images. I can’t wait to get back again but I think the next trip for an extended period shooting street images will be in Dublin.

I have always wanted to have a go at Astrophotography. My only worry was always the cost of the equipment. So luckily last month I started to see YouTube videos popping up about the Seestar S50 smart telescope, which was a lot cheaper. Basically a small unit with lots of features that allowed me to shoot deep sky targets via an App on my phone. What more could be simpler than pointing at an object and letting the telescope do all the work. Taking multiple images and stacking them into one file that you can then edit. What a thrill, my first beginner image was of the Orion Nebula and then I started moving onto Galaxies, Star clusters and other Nebula. Seestar lets you shoot the moon and the sun and comes with a solar filter. Now the only problem living in the UK is you don’t seem to get a lot of clear skies so even though I have had the telescope for a month I have only photographed around 8 images. I process all the images using a free software package called Siril. Then I further develop it in Photoshop and Lightroom. What an absolute joy to see the cosmos and realising we are a small particle of dust in an ever expanding universe.

I was lucky enough to purchase a second hand Fuji GFX 50R and have been shooting panoramas in camera. The sensor is so large that this can be done without stitching multiple images together. My first experiment was in a local bluebell wood. The location is stunning and opportunities are everywhere to capture beautiful images. Although not always easy seeing the panorama through the viewfinder only helps to focus the mind and allows visualisation in the field. The GFX range has fantastic dynamic and is a welcome addition for my greatest passion of landscape photography.

Last week I was lucky enough to enjoy four days in London just focussing on street photography. What a treat. Out from 8 till late everyday capturing different locations. From classic street to architecture. What a place to explore and capture everyday life set out in front of you. I can’t wait to get back again to indulge in this magnificent capital city.

Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity (limited edition)

The beautiful Godrevy on Cornwall England UK on a stormy day. A Panorama of this stunning location near St Ives.

St Pauls Cathedral Composite image with reflections in London England UK

During a recent workshop a few friends and I took the opportunity to explore different areas and capture the local scenery in this national park. Dartmoor is. special place and for this trip I took two cameras. The Fuji infrared converted camera and my trusty Sony A7R3. As conditions were mainly bright the Fuji came out on top with a different perspective being discovered on Dartmoor through the medium of Infrared.

Beautiful Dartmoor national park in infrared with a classic hawthorn tree under a brooding sky.

The first mist has eventually arrived and I was luckily enough to capture it at Idless near Truro in early September. The separation caused by the mist gives the woodland another worldly look and inspires you to keep capturing image after image. This few hours inspired me to capture around seven images that were worthy of keeping in my portfolio. Great images are always about weather, light and processing, with two of these the processing element is quick and easy. Lets hope a new few days of mists arrives quickly so I will have the opportunity to explore another local woodland in this majestic atmosphere.

The first signs of Autumn at Idless Cornwall UK. Caught in the early morning piston a September day. Near Truro.

Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity (limited edition)

Reflections of the Cheesewrings near minions on Bodmin moor Cornwall England uk

Harvest Mouse in the clover shot at a wildlife centre in Devon. After two hours trying to capture the perfect image with the correct amount of bokeh I was really pleased with this image.

Enys Gardens Enys is situated a few miles to the East of Penryn in Cornwall. The beautiful gardens are a genuine joy and the bluebells during spring are an eye to behold. The building have been left to rack and ruin but are slowy awakening from their slumber. The Bluebell festival in May is a joy and I was lucky enough to look around last Tuesday in the pouring rain.

Enys Gardens Enys is situated a few miles to the East of Penryn in Cornwall. The beautiful gardens are a genuine joy and the bluebells during spring are an eye to behold. The building have been left to rack and ruin but are slowy awakening from their slumber. The Bluebell festival in May is a joy and I was lucky enough to look around last Tuesday in the pouring rain. While this may have put some people off this was an opportunity to get the lovely misty shots I craved whilst also having the gardens to myself.