PepperArt - The Blog

This blog has moved

2012-02-21T04:16:00.002-08:00

I wanted a more user friendly blog host and have found that in Wordpress.com. Please now go to:-

pepperartblog.wordpress.com to continue following my photographic adventures, creativity and growth as a photographer. Be sure to sign up to follow.

Thank you for visiting. Also, please get in touching you want to ask me anything.

Steven.

Neutral Density Filters

2012-02-10T02:08:00.001-08:00

These are a landscape photographer's best friend. Being able to control natural daylight to create the image you want is a wonderful thing.

One of my favourite bits of kit is the B+W 10 stop ND filter. This has helped me to create some stunning, prize winning images. However, I have adopted the Lee Filter system as my process for taking most of my landscape shots and the B+W Filter no longer fits into this family.

The Lee system consists of a holder to accommodate multiple rectangular and square slot in filters and the B+W filter is a screw in filter. With the 10-Stop filter being so dark, by the time you have screwed it onto the front you can no longer see anything through the viewfinder. So if you need to make any adjustments you have to take everything off again.

Lee now make a 10 stop slot-in square filter for the system I use which makes things a whole lot easier. However, their back order is so long I have been waiting since June 6th 2011 for mine to arrive. Finally it arrived with Monday morning's post! Yay!

So, if anyone requires a fantastic quality 10 stop Neutral Density filter with a 77mm thread I am selling mine on eBay here. I look after all my kit so you will find it in mint condition.

Competition success

2012-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Having not attended my camera club for a few weeks due to personal circumstances I finally had the time to go this week. This week's entertainment was the 3rd Projected Digital Image (PDI) competition. This is one of the best things for me about being in a camera club. Seeing what other photographers have been shooting and competing against them.
There were 57 images in the general section and about 27 images in the Nature section. The nature section always seems to be a lot more fierce that the general section and the quality is far superior. This sounds a bit mean but it is completely true.
The judge for the night was someone we have seen before in previous seasons. We only invite them back if they are any good so we knew we were in for an entertaining evening. It is not often the photographers agree with the judges comments but I think last night was one of those rare occasions where I felt he was spot on. I suppose I would say that because I won the Nature section! Yay!

Night Photography

2011-12-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

Winter is now setting in and the early nights are upon us. So what do we do when us enthusiasts get home from work of an evening? Do we wait all week for the weekend or are there other ways to get enjoyment from our beloved black boxes?

Photography has always been and will always be about working with light. Whether that be sunlight, flashlight, street lamps, torches, whatever.. It is about capturing what you see or creating something you see in your mind using light.

A couple of years ago I was introduced to the idea of 'painting with light'. This idea opened up a whole new strand of photography for me. Bulb mode was no longer a mystery. Shooting at night more often than not requires long exposures, sometimes minutes. It also involves waiting around, wrapping up warm and the anticipation of what will appear on the camera's display when the shutter finally closes. I love it.

Painting with light can involve many different light sources. I like to use my flash gun and a mag light along with some coloured acetate or 'gels'. The gels add that extra touch to the image by giving the light source different colours. Light shining through the coloured gels projects light of that colour.

There are hundreds of examples of this kind of night photography online. Here is an image of mine that I am particularly proud of :-

Knock Out Wonderboy!

2011-11-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

Knockout competitions seem to be becoming somewhat of a speciality for me!

At the end of each season at camera club we have a knockout competition whereby each member is allowed to enter up to 6 images to be projected digitally. The images are all entered into a piece of software on the computer and randomised. The images will then appear in a random order to be voted against the image next to it. Members vote for the image out of the two they like the best and it goes through to the next round, knocking the losing image out.

Long story short, I won! Here is the winning image...

I call it "Sticks and Stones"

Projected Digital Image Competition

2011-11-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Last week at camera club saw the 2nd PDI league competition judging, in which i entered the maximum of 3 images. The 2 highest scoring images are taken into consideration for the league.

The 3 images were completely different. A colourful seascape, a mono scene from a civil war reenactment, and a nature shot of an Arctic Tern with a Sand Eel in it's bill. I personally thought they would score highest in that order from high to low.... However, it just goes to show that judging is very subjective and everyone's opinion is different. My Nature shot came in with 18/20 and the Colourful Seascape was awarded 17/20.

Although not a winner this time around I am very pleased with the scores.

As I have said before a camera club (or photographic society) is a great way to meet other photographers and exchange ideas as well as see what other people are photographing. Whilst social networking sites such as flickr are a great way of viewing other people's images, there is nothing like mingling in person. I personally found that joining a club has helped improve my photography no end as I am sure i have helped others to develop their craft.

To view more on our camera club competitions or find information on our club in general, see Crewe Photographic Society.

Photographers and their gadgets

2011-11-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

Whilst you will hear some photographers saying that it is the person behind the lens that creates the picture and not the kit they use, there are some bits of equipment you cannot do without.

A good place to go to compare prices for camera gear that i refer to often is Camera Price Buster

One handy bit of kit is a neutral density filter. This helps to hold back the light so you can use a slower shutter speed. I particulary like taking photographs of seascapes and slowing down the shutter speed enough to give the water a milky effect and the sky a zoom burst effect. I have examples of these on my Coastal and landscape sections on Pepper Art

I currently use and would highly recommend the B+W 10-stop filter for seascapes and landscapes. However it gives a warming effect to your images. Lee have a version called The Big Stopper which gives a cooling effect, which I prefer. I ordered one of these at the beginning of June and it is yet to arrive! Lee have had major production issues for the last couple of years and the waiting time for orders on these filters is currently 6 months.

I borrowed a friend's earlier this year and took the following photograph with the Lee Big Stopper...

12 months plus???

2011-06-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been over 12 months since my last post. I didnt feel like i had much opportunity to get out with the camera last year and this just proves it! I started a new job which takes up a lot more of my time these days so photography has unfortunatley had to take a bit of a back seat. :(

The last competition of the season was very fruitful for me. I managed to win the knockout competition with the following image: -

This was taken at Llandullas beach in North Wales using a 10-stop neutral density filter, which allowed me to expose the image for a good few minutes!

Camera club season is over for us at Crewe Photographic Society and the chance to go shooting instead of the weekly club meet has arisen. I have managed to get out a bit at weekends too.

I have so far been on a couple of excursions and I'm happy to report they have been quite successful. I'm really pleased with the direction my photography is going at present and I just hope i manage to capture enough material for the coming season.

You will see some new images on my website.

This Dandelion Clock was basking in the dappled sunlight underneath a tree amongst these Bluebells. I love the colours!

THE BEAUTY OF A SUNRISE

2010-04-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

It's 4.15 and my phone alarm is playing it's 'harp' melody. I picked this tune because it was less offensive than the usual BEEP BEEP BEEP of normal alarms... however, it is now associated with disturbing my slumber and so is equally annoying!

I just about manage to pack a chocolate bar, make a flask of that gorgeous friend I call coffee and shove a couple of rounds of toast into my mouth before my lift arrives.

We travel eastbound in the dark towards my favourite 'local' destination for photography and views of our english countryside know as The Roaches in The Peak District. As many of you will know, I spent a fair few trips at this destination last year and feel I still havent seen all it has to offer... and I'm not bored of it yet!

On the way there we are excited and talk about the mist we can see laying on the ground, almost fog-like, talking of hopes that it will still be around when we arrive at our desitnation, Hen Cloud. We also moan how tired we are and how bloody freezing it is despite it being warm in the daytime!

Finally we arrive and as soon as the car is parked, I spot my shot straight away. It just calls to me. I dont care what the others are doing... this is my individual location for my camera, my view, it's my tree... My Shot! And I'm gone.. bye guys... see you later!

http://www.pepperart.co.uk/

So I scale the farmer's rocky wall and barbed wire to race to my location (still bloody freezing - Minus 1 Celcius - but I dont care now because I have a purpose...A Mission!) and race to get into position for when the sun creeps above the rocky ridge of The Roaches and licks my subject with its beautiful golden gift of light, whilst still showing the Beast that is Hen Cloud in the background to one side, and the eerie misty valley towards Tittesworth Reservoir on the other. Perfection!

Visit my main website to see more stunning Peak District photographs.

North Wales

2010-03-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.pepperart.co.uk/

At 4.30 am the alarm went off to signal a belated first trip to the coast was about to start!

This outing was to start in Colwyn Bae and finish in Llandulas on the way home (with a short stop at Macdonalds in between of course).

Itching to test out some new kit i'd recently invested in, I couldnt wait to unload the car and hit the beach as soon as I arrived.

I've processed and uploaded some shots from the weekend to my website. Be sure to check out the 'North Wales' and 'Creative' sections for the latest ones.

I love the milky water effect created through long exposures like the one above.

Thanks for looking.

Travel

2010-02-05T06:34:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since my last post. I've just been so busy recently.

Anyway, I finally got around to printing some new stuff off. Ive had a cracking photograph printed large for my living room and thought it selfish not to share it! :D

I've therefore created a new Travel section in my gallery, to which i am sure there will be a fair few additions...

Be sure to check it out.

LCPU Knockout Competition Winner!!!

2009-11-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

WWW.PEPPERART.CO.UK

The LCPU - Lancashire and cheshire Photographic Union consists of many camera clubs throughout the region. The annual knockout competition was held on 28th November 2009 with some 37 clubs entering 5 images each. By my calculations that's 185 entries.

My image, "Urban Directions" managed to battle through 9 rounds to fight off the other 184 images to win the competition. This photograph won me a nice shiny gold medal to keep and a trophy to take pride of place on my mantle piece for the next 12 months.

I am over the moon!

Natural History or Nature

2009-10-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

I dont particularly care at this point in time if people want to class it as Natural History or Nature. All i know is that i have achieved another acceptance in a national exhibition competition. This one hosted by Dingwall Camera Club.

I give you the Azure Damselfly.

WWW.PEPPERART.CO.UK

Click on the image to take you to my website for a better view.

Shutlinsloe - The Roaches

2009-09-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

WWW.PEPPERART.CO.UK

It seems like ages since my last post.

After heading up to The Roaches again, (but this time for sunrise) I made my way down towards Roach End to capture the brightness of the grass in the fields below as well as the light hitting the green trees at the bottom, with Shutlinsloe peaking up in the distance.

Trying to concentrate was hard because I was constantly being attacked by little tiny midges with teeth!!!

Ill be glad when it has cooled down a bit and they wont be there!

Urban Directions does it again!

2009-08-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

PepperArt

I received another acceptance into a national exhibition for my image, Urban Directions, this weekend.

Each acceptance into these BPE accredited exhibitions count towards recognition in the ability to produce photographs of great quality. After recieving 25 acceptances i will be awarded the BPE* designation - so still some way to go but i'm definitley off the mark.

There were over 1400 entries into the same category, out of which only a certain percentage can be accepted so i am pretty pleased with this result.

The actual exhibition will take place Saturday, 12th September, 2009 at the Washbrook Village Hall, Suffolk, IP8 3JD, starting at 2.30p.m The Village hall is on the old A12 opposite the Elizabeth Hotel at Washbrook apparently.

Dont forget to check out my latest images on the main website.

More of The Roaches - Peak District

2009-08-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

Last night's sunset was amazing!!!!! I was just walking down from doxey pool back to the car when the sky suddenly came to life!

PepperArt

Doxey pool - should be called poxey pool! Its tiny! No disrespect to it though as i gather there is an unfriendly inhabitant of the pool - Jenny Greenteeth - A seductive mermaid or water spirit who lures travellers to a watery grave..... Spooky!

The area seems to be very popular with rock climbers. I think a return visit to try and capture some action on the rocks is on the cards...

Never buy cheap equipment!

My bloody card reader fused last night and smelt like it was burning. So i whipped the card out of it as soon as i physically could! Luckily it didnt damage the card or images! Phew! That will teach me to try and save money and buy a card reader for £3!.. False economy!

The Roaches

2009-07-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

PepperArt

Last Thursday evening saw a trip out the The Roaches in the Peak Disrict. Having made the trip the previous week in the pooring rain, and visited the site prior to this whilst fell running, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of images i wanted to capture.

The colourful heather and the gorgeous setting sunlight made for some amazing results. Take a look at the main website for more images from this trip.

Prees Heath

2009-07-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

PepperArt

Wow! What a lovely little area to visit!

This place had loads of beauty to offer my 'black box'. I arrived at about 6.45pm last night. The temperature was cooling as the sun was slowly dropping out of the sky and the Silver Studded Blue butterflies were just roosting atop the Bell Heather.

As the angle of the sunlight was getting lower and lower, I had to position my body accordingly, and ended up lying down on the ground with my ear in the heather and my legs sprawled across the rabbit holes (something you need to look out for at this spot if you don't want to break your ankles). This position was surprisingly comfortable actually!

There were quite a few different species on the site; Ringlets, Small Heaths, Meadow Browns (where aren't these guys!), Common Blues, and 5 Spot Burnet Moths. The different wild flowers made the place look especially beautiful. I think I will return here again soon.

Wild Sex

2009-06-28T10:58:00.001-07:00

PepperArt

It seems there is nothing to do for insects in the wild except mate! Ive been shooting butterflies/moths and things this season for a good few weeks now and all they ever want to do is mate, mate, mate, lay eggs and mate some more!

There is an advantage to this for the photographer though...they stay still a bit longer!

Fresh New Look Website

2009-06-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

The main website now has a bright, exciting, fresh, new summer look!

I think it has a more modern and appealing feel to it. Let me know what you think..

PepperArt

Butterfly Mania

2009-06-03T01:04:00.001-07:00

PepperArt

This is my favourite type of butterfly (Common Blue) that i've seen to date. They are so small and really fast. They seem to hover over the smaller flowers closer to the ground. They kinda sprint up and down the meadow until they are knackered then finally perch themselves upon a flower such as the buttercup above. The suckle on the pollen for a second or three then bugger off again!

I had to act really quick whilst trying to remain stealth-like in order to capture this shot. Shooting butterflies is a lot of fun.

Loving the macro

2009-05-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Another trip to meadows and fields chasing after butterflies and damselflies was how I passed one of the bank holiday weekend mornings. I think I am a bit too early to see and real action at the moment and things will heat up in a few weeks when average temperatures are warmer. I haven't yet seen a dragonfly and most if the butterflies have been white. I have seen a couple of Peacock butterflies but not managed to capture any yet. Snails seemed to be about in abundance though, and a LOT of mating going on with other insects!

The macro lens is permanently on the camera at the moment and trying to capture the little critters has been kinda fun. I never thought I'd be that interested in insects and the like but it's actually a skill to get all the subject sharp at such close range so there is an element of competitiveness with my own abilities as well as learning new techniques.

I'm sure I'll also get the wide angle lens back on the camera soon to create some landscapes. But for now... Bring on the dragonflies! :-)

More little Critters!

2009-05-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

It supposed to be coming up to the time of year when Dragonflies and Damselflies are 'on the wing' and start to emerge from the depths of ponds to flutter about and nurrish in the surrounding fields.

So last night (evening), I headed out to Sandbach Flashes to see if there was anything about yet. After scanning the water reeds and the water area itself, i soon realised that all this wet and miserable rainy weather we've been having this week has frightened the little buggers off! They've probably all decided to hybernate for another week or two!!

So, without wanting to waste a trip out with my camera, i decided to get some nice close up shots of the flowers in the field...how nice! Whilst photographing these flowers, i noticed that there were lots and lots of daddy long legs hopping floating about like they do! Trying to capture these little fellars is pretty difficult because when you get close they scamper off!

Anyway, whilst tracking down the daddy longlegs in my sights, I finally spotted something that looked like what i came for... A Damselfly!

This was a more relaxed creature who was quite happy to pose for me and my camera. Please meet the Azure Damselfly.

PepperArt

What to find in a meadow

2009-05-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

I went on a trip this morning to Swettenham Meadows - part of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. I headed out intending to get some nice macro shots of the flowers or maybe a nice landscape shot - more of a reccy than anything though really, as i'd never been before.

When i got there, i soon realised the potential for this place was pretty big as far as beautiful nature shots go. There is potential for landscape, flower, macro, and insect photography. Today though, i was hooked on trying to photograph insects, namely butterflies and bumblebees.

PepperArt

The bumblebees were a bit more friendly and less sporadic than the butterflies. The butterflies didnt seem to want to stay still for too long.

I'm looking forward to going back to discover the dragonflies!

Solihull BPE Exhibition

2009-05-15T02:25:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that 'Urban Directions' was accepeted into Solihull's Exhibition of British Photography 2009 and will be displayed at The Old Schoolhouse, Churchbridge, Oldbury, West Midlands, England, UK at 5.15pm on 13th June 2009.

PepperArt

This is the 2nd time this image has been accpeted in a BPE accredited exhibition this year. To read more about how I created it, please visit my website here.

Powis Castle & Garden, North Wales, UK

2009-05-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

A coach trip out with my camera club to Powis Castle & Garden National Trust site in Wales last weekend proved fairly fruitful as far as image results were concerned.

Weatherwise though... What a wet day! It pee'd it down for a lot of the day but that didnt stop me getting some good shots and enjoying myself.

The castle itslef what a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting some big really old rustic building and was presented with what looked like a mansion house. The attaching gardens however, were definitly worth the visit.

With high trimmed hedge walls and various colourful plants and flowers it was a spectacular sight.

I think my favourite images of the day are as follows: -

PepperArt

Newest Committee Member!

2009-04-24T04:05:00.001-07:00

I have been accepted as a new member of the committee for my Photographic Society.

After joining the club in September 2008, I have met some great people and learned a lot. My photography has changed slightly (for the better) and I am definatly more critical of my own work than ever.

I have a lot to be thankful for and it will be great to have the chance to give something back next season.

Here's to 2009/10 season - starting in September 2009. :D

With the current camera club season nearly over, I am already thinking of what kinds of images to aim to shoot for entering into next season's competitions. There are a lot of natural history/nature shooters in the club and as such, a special section for these photographers has been created for the next season. I may try and compete with these guys as well as continue to enter stuff for the general section. Although, I am not going to specialise too much at this stage because I find thats how things become stale too easily and I get bored.

As summer approaches, I am sure more day trips will be organised! :D

Whats in a name?

2009-03-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Thinking about the judging of my last print competition, which was a portrait only comp, it was becoming clear to me that people didnt really put much effort into naming their prints. They'd just title it 'jane' or 'joe' or whatever.

Some people did come up with strong single word titles like 'defiance' (this was a brave self portrait by one club member) which i liked but nothing that really told a story like 'The 5am Fisherman'.

This guy wasnt really a fisherman. He was a fellow photographer from the local area. But if i had just titled my photograph 'Colin' (no offence to colin and his name or other people that share it of course :) ) I dont think it would have had the same appeal.

The judge very kindly spoke about how this image had some great features such as the beard, and textured skin and spoke about the clothing being his fishing outfit. This wouldnt have happened had i just given my image a human name.

I dont think the result would have been any different as far as scores were concerned, i just think it made the judging more interesting because the viewer is invited into the subject's world - whether its real or ficticious doesnt matter. As long as there is a reaction and perhaps some thought provocation.

What do you think?

The 5am Fisherman

2009-03-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

PepperArt

This photograph was rewarded 19/20 in my camera club's annual portrait print competition last night amongst some fierce competition!

'The 5am Fisherman' - History: -

Out on a trip to Heswall, on the Wirral, photographing the stranded boats in the estuary, I met a lovely chap named Colin who happened to be a member if the local camera club. This guy lived nearby and told me he comes out every morning to try and capture that 'perfect shot' of the estuary. He had such a classic face that I feel is brilliant for a portrait, lots of texture. So I thought it rude not to ask.

Colin kindly agreed to show us around the local area for the rest of that morning, introducing us to Perch Rock Lighthouse as well as some other great locations which i may return to for future shoots.

I wanted to give the image a more interesting name than just the guys actual name so I chose 'The 5am Fisherman' because of his wirey white beard and the fact I photographed him next to the boats.

You can see more of my work on my website PepperArt.

Hello and Welcome!

2009-03-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first post for PepperArt.

As it says on my website, I am an enthusiastic photographer and love to learn (and share) new techniques with friends. I guess I will be replacing my old blog Captured Little Moments eventually, when everyone knows about this new beast! So be sure to bookmark or 'follow' me.

I love photography! I love most aspects, especially the trips I get to go on, the things I see and create. I love to 'make pictures' rather than just record what is in front of me. As you browse through my gallery, you will start to see what kinds of subjects interest me most.

Anyway, this was just a little post to get the blog up and running. Keep an eye out for new and exciting news.

Have a read of my old blog Captured Little Moments to see the expeditions and what else I have been up to this year but be sure to bookmark this replacement for future posts. :)