So let's begin...

So let's begin...

Click on the images below to be taken to the full article in - 

So without further ado lets spend some time with Lancashire based landscape, wedding and product photographer Andy Phillips.

Welcome back to the latest, 'In Focus' interview and this time we've travelled all the way to Berlin to get some insight from another street photographer - a street photographer who has been an active member of some well-known collectives and groups. That photographer is Marion Junkersdorf.

When I say travelled, we used the power of the internet to chat and as always, it was an enlightening conversation and experience. You learn about how people end up picking up a camera for more than just snaps and in doing so find their own style. It is often an intriguing, if not to say, individual journey and as you'll find out, Marion's is indeed one of these journeys

I first spotted Marion’s work on various Facebook street photography-related groups. Her images were raw but with a joyous energy to them. As such, I often commented on them and before long we ended up chatting about photography. We exchanged views to such a degree that when I asked if she would like to participate in one of my, 'In Focus' interviews she said yes.

So here we go.
 

The other day I was asked for some advice on approaching strangers in the streets in order to take their photograph. Read the full article here -

Tell us what you think - leave a comment.

In 2015 I entered an AV (Audio Visual) competition in Preston Photography Society. It was my first attempt at it but I thought I would give it a go. 

I was very surprised to win the competition with this -

What did you think?

Is Street Art - Art? For me it sure is - they are very talented people who produce these pieces. 

Tell us what you think - leave a comment.

I've been a member of Preston Photographic Society for a few years now and part of being a member, along with a majority of photography clubs and societies, is the regular competitions. These competitions are there to help members get a feel for how their photography is improving in relation to the wider membership of that club and to gain feedback from an impartial voice.

However, there are larger communities to trans and different awards to be sought. I learnt that the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU) provides a mentoring system for members who are going for one of the awards run by the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB). So this, along with a little encouragement from Terry, helped me make a decision to give it a try. The following takes you through my process of achieving a Credit Award of Photographic Merit with the PAGB or CPAGB for short -
 

About 7 years ago I moved to Preston, Lancashire and in doing so I needed to build a new social circle that was local to the city. Photography was my key to that circle and with a photo walk or two under my belt, it began to grow. It was during one of those walks that I met Nancy Lisa Barrett (now Phillips.) Since then I have got to know her and know her work. I've even had the pleasure of working alongside her from time to time.

As Nancy continues to grow her business and brand you'll find her images of people, weddings and places appearing in many magazines. As you'll quickly come to discover, Nancy's precious way of looking at life is, in my view, rather unique.

Read the interview here -
 

Over the years I've come to know many photographers and I hope that I continue to meet many more in the years ahead. Each and every one of them brings their own style, knowledge and experience that has helped my own photography develop and grow. One such photographer is Deb, a photographer based in Mumbai and he manages to see the world with such a refreshing eye. He captures completely unscripted moments with a real feeling to them. He is also one of a growing number of modern street photographers who delights in celebrating colour, and only occasional converting to monochrome,

He has an eye for reading an image which he uses to great effect as a member of the Vivian Maier Inspired administrator team. Here he provides very valuable advice to people who are starting out, plus good critique for the more seasoned photographer.

Follow the link to the full interview with Deb -

Welcome back and this time we'll be bringing the photography of Mark McNeill into focus. Although my focus is street photography and it will be a topic we return to a lot, I also want to learn from the wider photography community and see what, if anything, transfers from one discipline to the other. You wouldn't say Mark's photography is street - it is very much landscapes, both day and night. But not exclusively so as he has also turned his hand to weddings and events.

Based in Blackpool, England, it is not surprising to see that his muse is mostly around the Flyde coast, the Lake District and surrounding areas, but not limited to the area. It's not unusual to see Mark posting on Facebook at strange hours of the day or night and in locations you've never heard of, generally with a picture of his trusted 3 Legged Thingand camera attached. The results that are shared later are breathtakingly good. He is also a part of 3 Legged Thing Pro Team)

As with Vanessa Cass, we've also talked a lot on Facebook but never really in-depth about his outlooks and approach. And so we begin...
 

Follow the link to read to the full interview and see some of Mark's pictures

March 24th 2018 - Liverpool

The On The Streets photo walk saw people coming from all different directions to gather at Liverpool Lime Street train station before heading out onto the streets. There were some new faces in among the now familiar ones and they were all eager to put their cameras to use.

This time we had a local guide to take us around the city. Hazel, from Maghull Photography Club, had an interesting little trip planned for us, with a few locations we'd never been to before, one being The Baltic Triangle. She gave us the promise of seeing Liverpool's own wings!

Welcome to the first of my 'In Focus' articles. They are a chance for me to spend some time chatting with fellow photographers. I'll be finding out a little about what makes them click and sharing that knowledge with you all.

You may not know, but I've been involved with the Facebook group called Vivian Maier Inspired The group looks to encourage people to share their street photography which we hope has been inspired by the work of Vivian. One of my fellow admins for the group is Vanessa Cass. She is an artist and street photographer from Haiti and her work constantly draws my attention. Her style is gritty, raw, real and mostly mono. Each image telling a tale of that time and place.

Vanessa and I have talked many times about street photography, exchanging views, approaches and thoughts on different images we've seen in the group. This time our conversation had this specific article in mind...

Follow the link to read the full interview and to see Vanessa's pictures -

Image Processing

From time to time I get asked a question about my approach to image processing, especially my monochrome work. It is a hard question to answer without showing you and it is also impossible to say without seeing the image that is to be processed.

You may have guessed the question already and that is "how do you edit your images?"

Well, I've put together this little video to explain how I go about it and some of the things I'm thinking about as I go through the process. 

The video is an example of the processing of one image and it demonstrates some of the technicques I adopt within Adobe Lightroom to get the look and feel. You'll find hits and tips within the video.

I hope you found that useful. For your information, the image was taken in Liverpool Lime Street station using the Olympus OMD- EM-5 MK II.

Did you find it useful? Do you have any hints and tips you'd like to share? Comment below -

These walks, be it street photography focused around a city or a landscape related walk within the scenic countryside, give you the opportunity to learn from, and social with, other photographers. But most of all, the chance to get some images that you wouldn't normally have been able to get.

The big question is, how do you get the most from them? Follow the link to find out more.

I hope these little tips go a long way to helping you enjoy your time on a photo walk and more so an 'On The Streets' photo walk. Hope to see you at one soon.

Do you have any tips? Why not share below and add them as a comment...

I've been a member of a photographic society (Preston Photographic Society) for some time now and really enjoy the evening when a speaker comes to give a talk which inspires me to take up my camera and try something new. Over the years I've tried many things photographically and been inspired by many a talk, demo and not to forget some YouTube videos, but I always returned to people photography and wanting to capture them in their being real. The true person, not the pose so to speak, thus street photography was a natural fit that I eventually stumbled upon.

My image "Street Tango" was one of the first street images I shared at the club. 

Street Tangohttp://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/ It did rather well, winning the opening night competition as votes by members. Later on, another of my street images went on to win Print of the Year, Skipping Tea -

Skipping TeaA London Tea shop - and one that everyone must visit!

Image won Print of the Year 2014/15 at Preston Photographic Society.

Note - there has been some post processing in the image to get the final result, although the essence of them image hasn't be altered the aesthetics have.

A few years on and members of the club and other local photographers were referring to me as a street photographer, some were even asking if I'd put together a talk about the subject. Eventually, "On The Streets" was conceived. A talk that gives an introduction to street photography for photographers, whilst at the same time showing off some of my own photography from around Europe (including the UK!) Mostly little of my initial work to start with, I'm sure other talks will come from more of my later work.

If you're interested in having "On The Streets" come to a club near you, have a word with your syllabus sectary or get in contact.

Here are some images that I've made over the last few years -

"Evolution of Man", Thessaloniki, Greece. Evolution of ManOn the seafront at Thessaloniki, Greece, three men spend the morning fishing.

"Taking a Sip", Java Bar Expresso, Manchester -

Taking a SipThe start of a photo walk around the Christmas Markets of Manchester. Unknowingly I capture one of the group testing his coffee before we start.

Note - this images has been manipulated to get the final image, combining two images take moments apart and the combining to produce the end result. One image focused on the cup in the foreground and the other on the man (Harry) taking a sip. This gives for a wider depth of field.

"Shocking News," Manchester's China Town

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Clubs I've been to with the talk so far are - 

1. Preston Photographic Society
2. Burnley Camera Club
3. Garstang Camera Club
4. Southport Photographic Society
5. South Liverpool Photographic Society
6. Eden Valley Camera Club
7. Poulton Photographic Society
8. Ormskirk Camera Club
9. North Fylde Camera Club

And many more to come.  

Saturday the 17 of February, the plan - run a photo walk around Manchester to coincide with the Chinese New Year celebrations. The location set, people signed up, route decided and starting point know. People turn up, excitement for the day evident so we top up on coffee and 18 intrepid explorers set off for a day On the Streets.

It quickly becomes apparent that the celebrations were not as extensive as one would have hoped but we didn't let that dampen the day. We explored the ins and outs of China Town, the city square and St Annes Square with all the food stalls and then around Piciddly Gardens capturing the day and the people in the city...

The group (minus a few who were in hiding) -

Manchester Photowalk group - Chinese New YearThe photo walk group assemble outside Java Bar Espresso Some images from the day -

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More photo walks to come in future - why not contacts us to arrange one in your town or city.

Last year I had the joy of returning to Crete, this time staying in the islands 3rd largest city Rethymnon.  The old town was a lovely base and our hotel was a delight.

For a change, and a little test, I thought I'd share a video from YouTube that I put together. I hope you give it a view and please free to leave some comments.

Not so long ago I had the pleasure to support James Randolph shooting a wedding at a stunning location, Knowlesy Hall. The venue was just amazing filled with history, rooms to explore and lots of potential for some beautiful photography. I sure hope we get to return at some point and learn from our first visit there.

The ceremony was held in a gorgeous room, however, it was difficult lighting! Especially at the vantage point I had... straight down the aisle and directly into the bright windows. That being said I got one of the images from the day there, or at least in my book it was.

First Kiss -

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The starting point

But this isn't the images that came directly out of the camera. This is - 

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/ Not that inspiring is it? But with a little work we can lift the image! Most of the work was done using a product called Lightroom, I used it to help pull out detail in the darker areas, play with the colour balance to help see a white dress and also to help draw attention to the happy couple. Using clarity, curves and local adjustments we take a large step forward. The result is -

The Lightroom Edit

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I hope you would admit that this a large step forward. However, there are some unwanted distractions! The videographer, two photographers and the registrar just peeking out from behind the lovely couple. Although they were there, they really don't add to the image and with a little magic, a new reality can be made.

The use of the clone tool can help to rebuild small, or not so small, areas of an image. Bit by bit you can remove the aspects that distract from the image and bring back what was behind them. Yes, it isn't reality, but in this case, we're capturing a dream, an emotion and memory - all of which see beyond the edits.

So here is the final image -

First Kiss 

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It is very different to the image that came out of the camera, isn't it? However, as a photographer, you look to get the best out of a situation and also learn from them too. In this case, I got an image I really like - but with lights and a tripod I could have made really a more dramatic image, but all our tools came use used when we would like them to be.

Tell me what you think below... If you'd like more details on the specifics on the edit I too can give these.

It is that time of year and we return to Manchester for a photo walk and to explore the Christmas Markets. This time five others joined me from Preston Photographic Society and Southport Photographic Society.

The plan - meet up and Oxford Road Train Statio, specifically in the Java Bar Espresso for a little coffee before setting out. From there to Manchester Library, then to St. Peters Square to St Annes Square, Past the Print Works and then onto the Koffee Pot for lunch and a rap up.

It was a cold day yet the sun as with up at the start giving some beautiful pools of light and reflected light to play with. However, by the time we got to the markets the gloom had set in for the day leaving relatively flat light to deal with. However, that being said everyone managed to pull together some wonderful image. Especially the three who I set a little colour challenge to.

Here are some images from the day -

Having a Sip -

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A Kiss Goodbye - OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A Magical Pool of Light -  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Street Yoga - 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A Heavy Load -  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The Gang at the Koffee Pot - 

Picked out by the sunThe afternoon sun picks out a woman shopping in Thessaloniki's shaded markets

On the Streets - Talks

Over recent years I've had the pleasure of being invited to talk at various photographic clubs and societies around the northwest of England about my take and approach to street photography.

The talk is called "On the Streets" and the first half of the talk I introduce what street photography is about and highlight a few of the photographers who have come to influence me on my journey. Some of these photographers are very well known, others a little less so but still deserve to be talked about as they each add to the genre.

Recently, after one of the talks, I was appeached and asked if I could provide a list of these photographers and thus this blog was born.

Over time I'll revisit and update this list, but for now, here are some of the photographers I mention in my talk -

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 to 2004) - How can you talk about street photography and not include Henri Cartier-Bresson, who discovered how the small 35mm camera can be used on the streets, bring an element of anonymity that enabled him to capture that natural and candid image.

His book Images à la sauvette which was published in 1952 has given us one of the biggest and well know concepts within photography. That being the Decisive Moment, which was the title of the English version of the book.

Garry Winogrand (1928 to 1984) - a majority of his images capture the life and breath of one city that has become synonymous with street photography and this is New York.

He has been described as "In the 1960s and 70s, he defined street photography as an attitude as well as a style – and it has laboured in his shadow ever since, so definitive are his photographs of New York." by Sean O'Hagan in an article in The Guardian.

Bruce Gilden (born 1946) - another street photographer who has become known for his approach to capturing up close candid images whilst using a flashgun. This approach has produced a range of images that are uniquely stamped with Gilden's style and is an approach which is being adopted by other photographers around the globe such as Spyros Papaspyropoulos a Greek photographer and founding member of Street Hunters.

Vivian Maier (1926 to 2009) - Vivian enjoyed the act of capturing candid moments during her spare time when she wasn't working as a Nanny. Taking to the streets and recording 150,000 photographs during her lifetime from places such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 

However, it wasn't until after her death that her work became known. Collectors John Maloof, Ron Slattery and Randy Prow acquired her negatives and thanks to their work Vivian's profile as a street photographer has risen and her images now well known. 

Others photographers that were mentioned -

Robert Frank

Mary Ellen Mark

Steve McCurry

Yiannis Yiasaris

Matt Hart

Matt Taylor

Zack Arias

Joel Meyerowitz

Spyros Papaspyropoulos

Valerie Jardain

Tatsuo Suzki

Alex Webb

Matt Stuart

John Free

Eric Kim

I hope you enjoyed this little introduction, from your view - who have I missed and who should we look at?

Many more to come - watch this space!

And not to mention a really interesting morning with Ozone Fit capturing the Heroes running Preston's first Hero Assault Course

Beyond that, there was lots of street photography including in a Street Hunt with Street Hunters.

Here are a few images from these events -

Preston Caribbean Carnival -

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Rockprest -

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Hero Assault - 

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2017 is quickly becoming a year of firsts for me. This exhibition all started after I entered a local photographic competition called Pride of Preston, which was run by the Caravan Gallery last year(2015). I entered three street images from around Preston, all of which were produced in monochrome and they did rather well, with two of them being classed in first place. The I got talking to Richard from Ham and Jam who turned out to be one of the selectors and he was very keen to see more of my work, so much so he suggested doing an exhibition.

Well, I couldn't say no to do could I, but I really had no real idea what was involve or what to put together, so time ticked by until the bullet was bitten. I selected a range of 30 images from around Europe and the "On the Streets" exhibition was born. Nights of printing, mounting and then framing passed by in quick succession before I was ready to go. I have to give a big thank you to Preston Photographic Society for the loan of their frames, not to mention helping hang them on the day.

Alas, it is over but not before drawing a little attention. First on Twitter and Facebook, then BBC Radio Lancashire and a talk on live radio with John Gillmore, this was quickly followed by a story in the Lancashire Post.

Here are a few of the shots I shared in print.

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/ Evolution of ManOn the seafront at Thessaloniki, Greece, three men spend the morning fishing. City HustleOur hectic streets,
All flow,
Fast,
And sometimes slow.

Step aside from the hustle.

-----

Your feedback - Some entries from the Comment book which was left in Ham and Jam

"These are awesome photo!" - Matthew Bennett

"A great exhibition of street photography Alf. Love the quality of the black and white prints on display. These pictures are brilliant examples of street photography at its best. Inspiring stuff!" - Paul M

"Alf this is a great form of art and expression. It looks amazing and must be so hard to get it. I went to see an exhibition by Eric Kim recently and thought I must go and see your exhibition as I really like what Eric Kim does. I really enjoyed the exhibition and the coffee shop is great asset to Preston." - Eric Kim Fan! Now Alf Myers Fan!

I had my plan for the day, part of which was to have a back-up. After all, I can be everywhere all the time! Plus I knew that there would be the need to provide some of the more traditional set-up shots. So I called in my friend, fellow photographer and mentor, James Randolph for help on the day.

Before all the guests arrived for their celebration, we planned to meet our lovely couple and do a few shots on the grounds of Ribby Hall.  Alas, due to circumstances beyond their control everything was running late. Full credit to Michaela and Stephen, they took it all in their stride with smiles and a laugh. And then the celebration began, involving music by Bamboo Fontaine, a caricaturists  from Venuart and the close-up magic of Paul Edmondson. They made the whole experience a joy.

So here are a few teasers from the day, and now the real work begins - the editing and processing and the we're ready to share our work with a wonderful couple.

"Call me Dell, Stephen Dell"

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"Master of the beat"

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"Making an impression"

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/ "Close up, and still no idea - its magic!"

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"And DANCE!"

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"For the love of cake" http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

Thank you for a most wonderful and memorable evening.

A Common Question

Street Photography is a genre of photography that I've grown into and come to love. And like all styles it has its challenges to overcome in learning the craft. Or at least to produce images that stand out and tell a story, or even someday become an iconic image. May someday with that last comment, I don't think I've got anything close to that yet.

But what about the common question? Well, I often get asked what camera should I use and what lens do I choose? My answer to that is always one that you are comfortable with, that you know inside out and can use it without thinking. If you're not comfortable with it, then you'll miss the shots as you try to work out what to do. You'll look out of place and uncomfortable and thus stand out more, which is the last thing you want.

So if it is an SLR, a Fuji, a Leica Rangefinder or a point and shoot - use it. You'll get better images than picking up the latest "best thing since sliced bread" camera for Street Photography.

What do I use? I have two setups that I like to use -

1) Canon 5d Mk III with a 24-70mm F2.8 L series.

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For some, this will be a bit of  a beast. You will stand out a lot more than using a smaller body/camera and lens combination but for me, it is a lovely bit of kit to use. I can trust it when it comes to using higher ISOs. I know it will focus quickly and I know I'll get very good images to work with.

The grip also works well for when I use the "shoot from the hip" method to get images. It takes a little practice and there will be rejects but I trust it.

2) Olympus O-MD E-M5 Mk II with a 12-40 mm lens

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The little Oly is a sweet bit of kit. It isn't as heavy for walking around the streets all day it is less of a strain to carry. With the flip up a screen with touch focus, you can stand in the middle of a crowd and take pictures without them knowing. If they do notice, it will be that you're looking at the back or be playing with settings. Add to that the silent mode and you'll not be heard either.

I find the images are noise at higher ISO settings than the Canon but still  very much usable. 

The main problem I had was with the grip being so small which made it difficult to use my "shoot from the hip" method. I adapted and managed to get good results from it too.

However, battery life is shocking when compared to the Canon so make sure you've plenty of charged batteries with you. I've added the additional battery grip to my setup which dramatically improves the situation and resolve the problem I had with the small grip.

All in all, the Oly is mo got to camera for street. Especially if it involves travel. 

I hope that helps to answer the question. Well not really, but I don't think there is a correct answer.

A little while ago I was asked if I'd lead a photo walk around Manchester for two Photographic Societies. These being Preston and Southport. Up for the challenge, I thought why not and so it was arranged and in July we met in Manchester.

For this one, I wanted to introduce some of the people who never attempted Street Photography before yet a the same time letting the more experienced photographers have something different to see. Luckily ,and strangely too, none of them actually knew Manchester all that well.

So it was a tale of two half. Firstly the delights of Manchester's Northern Quarter and its back streets. Followed by the more accessible St. Annes Square and China Town.

A little success it was two, with comments coming back along the lines of "I would never wandered off the beaten track" and by going off the normal routes there are some great parts of Manchester to be seen.

Here are some images from the day -

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Friends of Folk

At Preston's Guild Hall

Before Christmas, I had the opportunity to photography a dress rehearsal of Sleeping Beauty and it was an opportunity that I enjoyed very much. Since then I've been in contact with the Guild Hall looking for more chances to stretch my skills, low and behold I had just that option and a few more to come.

The event was a small folk concert put on by Friends of Folk and featured the singer Julie Felix. The venue was the foyer of the Guild Hall which made for a more intermate mood, not to mention some interesting lighting conditions.

So here are a few of the images from the night. I hope you enjoy -

The Empty Stage

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Sound and mixing deck

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Waiting to begin

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From the back of the audience

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Telling stories

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Hitting the notes

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And with emotion

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And to finish on a high!

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Again it was all part of a learning curve for me with this being another venture into low-light but with only once chance it getting the image. Thanks to the Canon 5d MK III and a few test shots, not the mention Canon's 70-200mm f2.8 L series lens giving me the tools I needed to do the job.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to the Guild Hall.

Until next time - Alf

Not so long ago I was invited to a writing group who were interested in undertaking a little experiment. That experiment being, what would a group of creatives and writers make of my images and would the images inspire?

At first, it may appear a strange idea, but considering that with each image I hope that I'm telling a story. It may be one dimensional or it may have many layers but I hope there is a story in each image. It turns out that the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" holds true on many levels.

For the group, I shared one of my favourite images and probably the one that really started me down the genre of street photography. That image being Street Tango -

Street Tangohttp://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

Street Tango shows a couple dancing on the streets in Helsinki. They're doing one of the most intricate and difficult styles, in my view, to do well whilst expressing feeling. When I watched them I saw a connection and their shared joy of the moment. His strong lead but tender touch. Her full contact, surrendering herself to him with utter affection. It really was a joy to see, and thus, I tried to catch that moment.

So what were the writing groups views? Some saw this connection others didn't but the one that stuck in my head was - "It is their last dance. She is completely fooled as he leads her around the floor, yet he knows what will be coming when the music stops. Never again shall they dance..." I may have got the wording wrong but I was struck at how I could see a joyful and tender moment yet from the very same print a sinister plot was beginning to emerge.

The group was asked to pick an image and write a story or poem based on it. I'm very intrigued to see what comes back. 

On the flip side - what are your thoughts on "Street Tango"? Please be gentle.

For this third photo walk of the year, I picked up on a suggestion of a possible location to try. It is somewhere I've shot before and I knew had potential but Bowness and Ambleside in the Lake District aren't the first places you think about when doing a Street Photography workshop.

Bowness-on-Windermere is a lively little spot which attracts many tourists who gather by the lakeside to feed the birds and join the queues to board a boat for a cruise around the lake. If you can, try one of the evening cruises they are really cool, especially if it has been a good weather day. Ambleside is a little quieter and is more about the winding streets and interesting shops.

Here are a few images from the day -

First Contact -

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All Wrapped Up -

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The News Reader -

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1 Scoop or 2 -

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A Family Lunch -

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Last December thanks to The Guild Hall I had the chance to shoot the last dress rehearsal of their Panto - Sleeping Beauty. It was an offer the Guild Hall made to members of the Preston Photographic Society, so I along with one other photographer took up the opportunity.

Here are a few of the images I took from the show and in which I've applied my street processing to. I hope you like -

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The year is moving on and it was time to run another photowalk with the hope that it would be warmer and we'd get some sun. My luck wasn't there as per normal as storm Katie made her way across England - luckily it was to the south of our intended destination and we basically had a grey day with only a little moment of the wet stuff.

It was Easter Saturday and because it was the Easter holidays I decided to try our home town of Preston, a place that I've found a challenge in the past. However, in our favour we had in town the Lancashire Markets so we were at least expecting some activity. The plan - well other than starting at a local cafe called Ham and Jam there wasn't really one but it did form over coffee. It got a little more complicated when all the people who said they would come actually came and I had more to deal with that normal - a lesson to learn there for future events.

Visit the bus station, then nip through the regular market, visit a pop-up exhibition called Pride of Place put on by The Caravan Gallery then do the Lancashire Market to see what characters were in town. Here are some of the images I took on route.

1) The Man behind the Ham and Jam

The Man Behind Ham and Jamhttp://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

2) The Smoker

The Smokerhttp://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

3) The Underpass

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4) A Waiting Station

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5) Still Shopping 

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6) Just Not for Me

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7) With the Beats

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I'm already planning the next trip so if you fancy joining and getting a hands on experience of Street Photography please contact me.

Most of us photographers have desires for the next camera, lens or accessory. I'm no different in this and for years I've been looking at the Lee Filter System and trying to find a reason to have.

Seeing other photographers results with them didn't help. Hell their results looked darn good, but I don't really do landscapes and could never justify the expense. Then I see more images of smooth milky waters, blurred fast moving clouds, empty streets which should be busy - the impact of the Big Stopper, then its little brother - The Little Stopper, got me thinking how I could incorporate them into my style of photography. But still it was a big expense. Luckily for me, others thought to help me out and one Christmas morning I found myself the owner of the 100mm system, some grads and a little stopper (quickly supported by its bigger brother).

Now the hard part comes to learning how to use them and to get into the practice of using my very under used tripod. So my first real attempt was to try a create a better version of a picture I took many years ago of Bolton Abbey with the river and stepping stones. It hangs on my parents wall and each time I see it I cringe... Alas, the river was full and the stepping stones were not to be seen. So that shot was off, but I still had time to test the system. Here are the results.

All images were taken on a Canon 5d Mk III step up on a tripod with cable release.

Image 1 -

Exposure : 1/60 second at f/16 at ISO 100. 

Lee Filter : .3ND Grad to darken the horizon/sky.

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

Image 2 - 

Exposure : 1 second at f/16 at ISO 100. 

Lee Filter : .3ND Grad to darken the horizon/sky, plus the Litter Stopper to smooth the water a little.

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

Image 3 - 

Exposure : 25 seconds at f/16 at ISO 100. 

Lee Filter : .3ND Grad to darken the horizon/sky, plus the Big Stopper to smooth the water out a lot lot more. I followed the guide card for 1/60th a second but though I needed a little longer to get the exposure I was after.

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

So, which image do you prefer?

The Caravan Gallery have come to Preston, bringing the yellow caravan and an exhibition ( extra{ordinary} ) which is currently showing at the Museum of Lancashire (visit soon - it is a risk of closure!!!) They've also started a project which is live as we speak - Pride of Place in Preston.

They have done this in other cities and it has proved to be very successful. It looks like Preston won't disappoint here either, people are coming in and adding their mark to the project. Be it a phrase, a story, a picture or more.

To get it started there was a competition asking to show Preston – the real Preston, which I just had to enter. My entries. are below

The Result - I was the overall winner!!! With Waiting and Street Vendor. I can't complain with that.

Title : Waiting

http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/ Title : Street Vendor

Street Vendor<a target="_blank" href="http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/">http://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/</a>

Title : Preston Street

Side Streethttp://alfagraphy.zenfolio.com/

How I found out -

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In between all of these -

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As you may have guessed I love Street Photography and I guess I class myself as a Street Photographer first and foremost, but it is something that is often shunned by photographers from other styles.

Why? I guess there is an element of fear. What are people thinking, what if they see me? What if they question what I'm doing - they'll hit me and steal my equipment.

All of which is far from the truth and the best way of doing this is to try it for real. Thus my PhotoWalks - people always feel safer in numbers.

The first walk of the year was in Blackpool which resulted in class images. Here are a few -

Title : A Little Comedy Underfoot

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Title : Lenux

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Title : Giving their Time. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Fancy giving street photography a go? Why not join me on a photowalk

Background

"Prepare to be Judged" was born after I attended a local Comic Con. When I say attended, what I actually mean is that I went along to the Guild Hall in Preston and photographed the people standing in the queue. They were the ones who were actually going to attend the Comic Con.

It has to be said that it was a great opportunity to get some interesting images.

Three of the characters supporting the Con were dressed as judges from the comic book and film Judge Dread. They had they gone to town! Their attention to detail was second only to the crew from Star Wars.

However, the background of the Guild Hall was just not in keeping Nor did the image on the day have the feel I was after and so the edit began.

1) Starting Images 

The three judges -

The selected background, or what is left of Huncoat power station.

Stage 1 - Develop the background

Although the background was a lot nearer to the look and feel I was after it was just a little to bright, clean and vivid. A lot more mood and grunge was needed. So I started by darkening it down using the curves tool.

Then to add a the mood I added some rays of light coming from the outside and the floor above. Note the hint of colour.

Even though the judges would hide a lot of the background I felt that is was necessary to build the entire background up independently. Almost as if the background alone was destined to be the final image.

Happy with the background it was time to move onto the main act -

2) Prepare The judges

To do this I isolated each judge and worked on each character individually. This was done by cutting each one out from the original image by duplicating it and applying a layer mask.

Then applying a few bits of fine tuning to bring each Judge closer to the tones and feel of the background.

This process was repeated for each Judge.

3) Bring in background

The three judges were then placed on top of the edited background. 

However, it was still a little safe and clean for my liking. More grit was needed!

I started by adding a little dirty mist, not sure what dirty mist is.... but still more was needed.

By applying a bit of desaturation and making the whole image darker we were getting close.

 Then with some further fine tuning the final image appeared - "Prepare to be Judged"

Hell RiderFinal Image

First a little history - Ghost Rider, a 2007 film staring Nicolas Cage. The film itself was based on a Marvel Comics character who first appeared in 1972.

The aim of this blog is to show the steps I went through in the creation of the final image.

It started from when I went along to Preston ComicCon 2014 with the aim of getting some images of the interesting people who were attending the event. It has to be said there were some interesting outfits, one of which was this character -

As interesting as his costume was, I though we could add a little extra spice to the end image. Maybe add some real fire, a fitting background and develop mood more in keeping with the character.

1 ) The Background -

This is the original background, it is an HDR image of a stairwell in Huncoat Power Station which, as you many have guessed, is now unused. It has now become a home for Street and Graffiti Artists, not to mention a few lost photographers and their models.

The colour was too vivid and a little on the bright bright side for the mood I was after.  Using Adobe Photoshop I made a few little enhancements to grunge it up a little more. Firstly by using a curves adjustment layer to darkened the image, then a Hue/ Saturation adjustment layer to remove some of the vividness. But this wasn't enough for me so onto that I added a Black and White adjustment layer to completely remove any colour. Some of this colour is then brought back by reducing the opacity on the B&W layer. This resulted in -

2) The Rider -

Next step, add add the rider. 

As you can see from the image above I have removed the background and "fire" from the original photo. This was done by selecting the character and creating a layer mask. This method allows for the background to be removed in a non-destructive manner, the advantage of this allows for fine tuning at a later stage should it be needed.

3) The Fire

Now Ghost Rider was bathed in fire, so to make this image sing I really needed fire. To do this this I used 3 images from a bonfire night I attended in Wales a few years back.  I always wondered what I would do with these and now I know.

Using  the Screen Blend Mode on the layer means that anything black becomes invisible resulting in only the fire being visible. Combining this with a layer mask and I just show just the parts of the fire needed.  Then with the use of a little warping using Puppet Warp transformation tool,  I moved the flames around for the look I wanted to give the flaming skull.

But a few more extra features were required to make the image work. These  included the addition of a warm glow and eyes to produce the final image.

"Gangsta Girl"The final cut.

"Gangsta Girl"

One of my experiments in photo manipulation. Slowly getting there I guess, but feedback is always welcome. More so if it helps!!!

The following images show the different stages to getting to this final image.

1) The Background.

A "Space Invader" found in Manchester's Northern Quarter. You find Space Invaders in most cities across the world now. Be the small or large like this one.

2) The Model

Ly, my model for the day.

This was taken at a group shoot using off camera strobe. So far I've processed then image in Lightroom to give me that initial grunge look. You'll see me use that a lot.

From Lightroom we go into Photoshop to tidy the image up and cut out the background.

3) Test Concept

An initial test composite to see if the idea will work.

I needed to remove the pipes and posts and in this image you can see the start of that happening, along with the moving Space Invader. Brings that music/sound they used in the game.

4) More alterations and movements.

A minor growth spurt to Ly to bring more attention to her and dulled down the invader.

5) The final image

Along with some additional bodging and burning to lighten Ly's face and some light in the background.

I hope you found that in an interesting insight into how some images can come together. Not to mention that what you see isn't always what was.

What do you think of "Gangsta Girl"?

Some of them will be helpful, some not so helpful, and some inspiring, but the one thing you can say for sure is that they will all be different and come from many different perspectives.

My image, "Street Tango", was taken in Helsinki during a holiday break and shows the intimate connection of two dancers performing in the streets. The streets were so busy, people going back and forth with many things on their minds. What to buy; what to eat; where to go, rush rush rush… and then these two dancers lost in their own world of music, rhythm and connection.

It was just a joy to watch, and if I hadn’t have had a boat to catch I would have been there all day watching them and taking their photos.

Wind on, get home… look at the images and there it is. That moment captured, the feeling I noticed and the joy I felt comes rushing back. And so the processing begins, “Street Tango” is born.

Technically there are flaws with the image but I like the feel. Can I correct them? Will it improve the image or ruin it? I keep any corrections to a minimum and decide to enter the result into my local photographic society’s opening night competition. This is judged by the Society’s members and I was hoping they would see beyond the flaws to see the connection and mood. They did – 1^st place and happy I was.

Later on in the year I tweaked the image and resubmitted into the monthly competitions, as allowed by the rules. This time it would be judged by an external judge and he saw the connection, he saw the mood, he liked what he saw. But he couldn’t put aside the flaws. His technical eye was attracted to the weaknesses, not the strengths, so much so that it didn’t do well. He did however put forward suggestions for improvement for it to succeed in the competition environment.

Now, when placed on social media the image goes down well; enter it in front of an experienced judge and the response is less than positive. One can lift; the other can cause a little reflection. I guess the thing here is; what is your intended audience and the type of image you produce for that audience and the reaction you wish to receive from them? The old adage of, “you can’t please everyone” springs to mind.

A version of “Street Tango” was given to our local Mayor for a Christmas present, by her daughter. The Mayor had seen it at a local exhibition and had fallen in love with it, so much so her daughter had to do a little subterfuge to distract the Mayor from contacting me directly, so that it would be a surprise. I never got to hear of the Mayor’s reaction until early May when I just happened to be at the same event as them. Her daughter introduced me and I was not expecting the effusive reaction one bit.

It was that reaction that feeds my soul and why I strive to be a photographer. Not to win prizes, although I will continue to enter competition and enjoy it if I do well, but to the see the reaction on the faces of the people who want my work, or who ask me to take their image. It is, to give a quote, “Priceless.”

I was in Northern Ireland for a wedding a few weeks back and whilst I was there I had the opportunity to do a fashion shoot.

It was a group shoot with a stunning model and about 10 other photographers so time is short. In this situation, you’re also after that image that is different, which can be hard because you’re all there at the same time with the same model,  in the same outfit while everyone is watching.

You’re ideas get picked up on, and improved but others. I know, I’ve done it too.

Anyway, this is where this image came from, the original image taken in the studio is below, which had been combined with two other images I’ve taken. The waterfall is from Yorkshire and the foreground if front the Giant’s Causeway. The wings I didn’t take myself but found a stock image to fit the bill.

With a little photoshop magic, we have an image… what do you think of the end result? Is the end result something a little different?

The original starting image....

So my first weddings as an up front and centre photographer and what a journey.

Such a steep learning curve but with a helping hand from my guide and mentor Sonia Lilley and later Lee Inskip-Clark as my equal photography. We made a great team.

One of the key things I learnt - planning. A little will go a long long way.

For the photographer - work with the couple to get a list of them key shorts, you know them formal one, the group, bride's side, groom's side, the long lost cousin. Get them down, get the names, know when you're going to do it and get a runner to collect and gather the people. The Best Man is normally a good start for that one.

Most of all get to know what your bride and groom would like.

For the happy couple - If you're thinking of getting married, having that day to remember and want it captured - spend time with your photographer. Get to know them to the point where you don't know they are they're there anymore.

Why? Well, so you can relax when they are around, you can be yourself and then the magic happens - those lovely images of the Moment will come and not look false.

That was my first lesson and boy was I in the deep end.

While visiting Northern Ireland to do a wedding shoot with Sonia Lilley Photography I had a chance to do a quick fun shoot. The photographers were outstanding and so so friendly.

Izabel the model brought out some of my dark side which I hope the image above reflects.

A few more from the shoot will appear and the start of a series of "Dark Matters" will appear. Not to mention future shoots.

In a few days time, I'll be making that step into the world of wedding photography and I must admit to having a bad case of the butterflies.

I've watched videos, read books, listened to speakers, and now...panic.

What will it be like, see the Bride full of joy, the Groom with tears in his eyes, the speeches, the cake, the first dance... the moments that make the day.

Can I capture the story, will I be able to deliver on the day....

Tick tick tick.

RebelDark and moody

An impending wedding prompted the build of the site. A small window into my world of photography.

The plan, open up my world to you. Both, in the images that I create, but also for you to ask questions of me. Be it about photography or to ask about creating something special for you...

So let's start today with "Rebel" taken at the end of a recent shoot I help to run for members of Preston Photographic Society.

Naomi was a joy to work with and really helped some of the photographers who were new to the world of Studio photography. The challenge I set them for this sessions was 1 light only... the results were great.

Travel Well