The Poetry Society Exhibition

Highlight: Getting another exhibition at The Poetry Society cafe.

Lowlight: Not having time to see it on display

Fill in: In the middle of July I got an email from the Poetry Society asking me if I could arrange some prints as they wanted to refresh the exhibition of mine in the cafe. I of course obliged. They sent through the print requests, and the whole hting was done in less than a week. I have still yet to visit the thing having been totally immersed int he Olympics and Paralympics for most of the Summer but hope to get there very soon

Tech spec: Prints are often needed at break neck speed by organisers and it is good to know who you can rely on to deliver. If I have time I always look for the best deal. usually Sams Photolab who do outstanding prints at outstanding prices, but when I'm in a hurry I use the only one I am used to and that is Photobox. Getting to know your suppliers and how they work is very important when you are under pressure.

Exhibition is at:

http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/cafe/exhibition/

Printers I like to use when I have time on my hands:
http://www.samsphotolab.com/

Printers I use when I'm in a rush:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/

Gillmans and Soame Training

Highlight: Meeting up with a bunch of enthusiastic photographers (start of week)

Lowlight: Meeting up with a bunch of moaning photographers (end of week)

That's me - 5th from right not counting the weirdo in the top right corner.

Fill in: Having completed a year doing single portraits, I passed the first year of the Gillman and Soame school of photography and entered the training school for the class groups. The thought of having to control a whole class of school kids and make them all smile at my camera at the same time had me nearly reaching for my phone and calling Clare, who has the thankless task of trying to train a bunch of know -it-all snappers, to tell her not to bother with the pay rise and I was quite happy just doing individual portraits thank you. But that never happened (why? why?) and I duly finished the course and am looking forward to a season trying to get whole classes of school kids to look at my lens and smile.

Tech spec: No tech spec - it's all a trade secret I'm afraid but I will tell you that I practice at home with Lego figures....

For more info:
http://www.gillmanandsoame.co.uk/

Buckingham Palace Poetry

Highlight: Free viewing of the Leonardo Di Vinci exhibition

Lowlight: Not being able to stay all day and do the workshop.

Fill in: The fabulous Joelle Taylor was doing a Poetry Society workshop at The Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace, where an exhibition of Di Vinci's anatomical drawings were on display. As I rarely get time to peruse the art galleries of London it was a real treat to get to see this exhibition for free. The images were being used as an inspiration for the Poetry workshop and I was to capture the workshop in action and the young poets at work. It was an amazing building and the light, although dark, very atmospheric so it was easy to get evocative images.
Tech spec: The galleries were a saturated blue, red or green so I had to ensure the compositions made the most of this without taking over the point of the image. The files also need careful colour correcting in the post processing using the histogram. I used an 85mm F1.4 most of the time to get as much light as possible onto the CCD without turning up the ISO, which would have aggravated the noise with such saturated colours. Even so I was still on ISO 1600-3200. I had to make sure the exposure was spot on, but even then used the NEF files to reduce hotspots from the spotlights. With high contrast scenes like these I always expose for the shadows and use the NEFs to bring back the highlights. Just like the old days of film - expose for the shadows, print for the highlights. Nothing changes.

For more on the exhibition visit:
The Queen's Gallery Leonardo Di Vinci Exhibition website

For more on the workshop by Joelle visit:
The Poetry Society Slambassadors Website

PPL Violinist

Highlight: Private show from one of Britain's future stars

Lowlight: It was a classical violinist so totally out of my depth.

Fill in: A young talented violinist, Iain Gibb, came and wowed the staff of PPL with a stunning performance. He says his parents are not at all musical so there is hope for Kyle yet...

Tech spec: Pictures were taken in a long office lit by flourescent lights with a low ceiling. I shot on auto-white and adjusted the green cast in the post processing. I coudl not use flash, so I made sure I had lots of windows behind the subject and let them burn out the white walls to give an ethereal atmosphere. 

For more info:
http://www.ppluk.com/