Landscape

British Airways i360 Aerial Photos

I was asked by the British Airways i360 PR team to capture some aerial photos of the i360 once the jacking tower had been removed. After getting permission to take off and land on the beach I headed down early one morning when the light was looking fantastic to capture some images.

i360 i360c i360h i360i i360l

West Pier Aerial Photos

On a couple of warm mornings towards to the end of the summer I created a short tribute Aerial film on the West Pier in Brighton, I also captured some images whilst up in the air which can be seen below…

The West Pier Aerial 2

The West Pier Aerial

Survigin

Dji Inspire 1 photos

Was up incredibly early this morning, not really ideal but heading towards summer sunrise is just getting earlier and earlier, but it is a time I like to go out, for one being the best light, and secondly practise flying my multi-rotor its nice and quiet with no one around so have total peace of mind to just get the hours in without any members of public showing interest.

Just adding this blog post because despite the limitations of the Inspire camera, I am actually very very happy with the results it produces. To really get the full dynamic range its advisable to use the 3 or 5 multi exposure shot, but I do find 3 has been more than enough to capture the detail. I generally use a very subtle blending in photomatrix to combine the images and with how incredibly stable the inspire one is in flight, its almost like having a tripod in the sky. Never had any alignment issues at all.

So a few images below taking from the Inspire 1…


Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One Dji Inspire One

BNUC-S Ground Theory Exam for Aerial Work

Ok so I am branching out into Aerial photography, which will help take my photography and videography work to another level. I started out last year with a Phantom 2 which carried a GoPro that my girlfriend bought for my birthday, the first time I used the Phantom I was hooked, and the silky smooth video that the gopro captured whilst attached to the Phantom (on a Zenmuse 3D HD Gimbal) was breath-taking, totally pulled me in and I really saw the potential to use this within my work.

I decided to build a DJi S900 with a Z15 Zenmuse and GH4 which despite being a fantastic bit of kit, and capturing videos that were astonishingly good, with the way I wanted to go forward with this, the s900 wasnt the correct route to take. This was mainly due to mobility, and despite the fact the s900 has folding arms, its still a hassle to carry around as well as the HUGE brick like batteries, Dual Radio Transmitters, monitor etc etc. Just didnt seem a viable route to take. Now aside from the actual quality if the image, I was getting better and more cinematic shots from the Phantom than I was with the S900, this all came down to mobility and the fact I could basically take it anywhere I wanted. The more I used the s900, the more it annoyed me, but the more I used the Phantom, the more I loved it.

It is not always about having the best camera you can get, in the end it is about getting the shot, and if the camera is inferior, then being able to adapt to its limitations to produce something that can still look professional is a rewarding achievement. The biggest limitation with using a GoPro on a phantom is the fish eye, its horrible, and when you remove the distortion you get warping and softness in the corners, there isnt a way to adapt to this, so it put me in a dilemma as I love the image quality from the GH4 on the s900, but love the simplicity and mobility of using a gopro on a phantom as it makes framing a video, or composing an image much more enjoyable. Now what if there was an in-between? Just so happens the new Dji Inspire one had just been released, and basically this was a middle of the range multirotor but with technology that is from a high end multirotor!!!. plus something which is very important to me… lightbridge and the ability to have dual controllers. The inspire was the complete package in theory and all of this including batteries, tablets, controllers and inspire could fit into one portable case and my impressions of the system, absolutely fantastic.

The sensor on the inspire camera is actually a Sony sensor which is used on the GoPro 4  aswell, but without the fish eye lens and ability to take photos and video whilst in the air (something I couldn’t do with the GH4 as I had to bring it back each time to change the mode from video to photo) The quality I have been able to achieve on the Inspire has been excellent. Of course it is not in the same league as the GH4, but working with its limitations, I can create footage that would be hard to tell the difference and this is absolutely perfect for what I want to do. I want to do do weddings, surveying work, promotional videos, documentary work, real estate and of course… Photography. The Inspire one is the perfect all in one package to to this. This is an image below from the inspire, in low light on a cold misty sunrise… the quality is very very good.

SS_513

There is one slight issue I do have which is you need a Permission For Aerial work from the CAA, and this involves spending ALOT of money to go through a process to allow you to get the permit around the sum of £2000. Right now I can not take on any commerical work and get paid for it, but this is coming, I have made the decision to apply for my PFAW by going through a company called EUROUSC and getting a BNUC-S Qualification.

I have literaly just finished the Ground Course which involves a crazy amount of information to take in about Air Law, Safety, risk assesments etc etc and it really was heavy going and makes you so much more aware of what you need to take into account before even taking your Drone/UAV into the air. There is a 60 question exam at the end, and I actually think I have done ok and feel quietly confident that I have passed which for me is a huge achievement as my academic history in school and college was terrible. Not for a lack of trying, but due to a lack of actually being taking in all the information. When it comes to theory work, I really struggle so I was hoping being older and wiser that my ability to learn would have improved, and I think it might have… We shall see!! I will update if I have passed and post information about what happens next on another blog post.

If anyone has any questions about the course, please feel free to get in touch.

 

Just to update on this.. I PASSED!! For me this is a massive achievement and the hardest part over with, now I can relax and work through the next 2 stages to getting my permission for aerial work.

 

Countryfile Sussex Weald spread

I was contacted by Countryfile magazine requiring a nice image of the Sussex Weald for use in a magazine article in their September edition. After uploading a selection of images, the image chosen was one from a summer sunrise looking over the Weald from Ashdown Forest, image can be seen below

Ashdown Forrest Sunrise 2Image is available to purchase at www.sussexscenes.co.uk

 

South Downs National Park Campaign

I was commissioned by the South Downs National Park Authority `SDNPA` recently to get images for their Autumn Campaign which is to get people out of cars and onto public transport and then walk or cycle the sites of South Downs. Took me from Eastbourne to Hampshire, It was a fantastic project and something I would love to work on with them again. These images are taken just as the colours are changing, but some spots I found are places I would love to go back to and really capture the rich colours when in the thick of Autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

Colours of London at Night

Headed to London with some friends to get some shots, photographic eye candy everywhere. I have been wanting to get the Iconic Red bus over Tower bridge shot and the Olympus OMD with its 5axis IBIS helped capture this without a tripod, making the composition much easier to do amoungst the crowds of people and tourists walking by. My next visit will be to visit the Shard, I am desperate for some more unique views of London I haven`t yet experienced.

All images are available for purchase as print or canvas at http://www.sussexscenes.co.uk/gallery/london-england/

 

 

 

 

 

The Sussex Downs

What seems such a short spring this year and now supposedly into summer, a few images below are from a few days in June in Sussex

 

 

 

Yellow and Green

mix and match

Casting Shadows

green fields

Green Curves

green lands

Spring Trees

Birling Gap in Sussex

Sunday was an interesting day, only went up there really to go for a drive and have a look around, it was a windy, hazy and suprisingly cold day high up on Beachy Head. Drove down to Beachy Head as I havent been there for a few years, and by luck the sun was breaking through the clouds and tide was still out. I generally take my OMD everywhere and a spare tripod in the car just in case of catching something interesting and it worked out well this time. Fortunately I had my filters with me too, so some interesting long exposures were possible.

2 of the images I had cropped into a Panoramic and converted to mono because sometimes despite having lots of interesting colour in a photo, less can sometimes be more, and I think it shows well with the textures from the sky and rocks within the black and white images. Might be one for my Office wall!!

Forrest Light

A revisited photo which I hadn`t processed before. This is a good demonstration of how superb the Olympus OMD`s dynamic range is. Taken using the 9-18mm lens.

A bit Choppy at the Brighton Marina

Taken on Christmas day whilst heading into Brighton, always quite a sight when you see the waves crashing against the marina wall. This was taken with an Olympus OMD and 100-300mm lens. Took alot of photos and this one being one of my favourites

 

big wave brighton marina

New York New York 2012

Recently took a trip to New York with my girlfriend and the sites, sounds and hectic New York life is certainly an experience in itself. A Selection of images from this trip are shown below. Using mainly the Canon 5D with an 85mm F1.4 prime, and the trusty Olymps OMD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Exposure of the Lake

In the early evening after a Behind the Scenes photoshoot I decided to try a long exposure of the Lake at Lakewood as the clouds were looking dramatic.

Using the Olympus OMD EM5 and 9-18mm Lens with a Hitech 10 Stop Po filter attached, I managed a 20 second exposure and to give it a more dramatic feel I converted the image to Black and White resulting in the below scene.

Image available for Purchase on www.sussexscenes.co.uk

Deer in Knole Park

Knole Park has 1000 acres of Parkland, with Deer roaming all over and makes for plenty of photo opportunities.

Using the 5D with a 70-200 F2.8 lens, and Olympus OMD with a 45-200mm lens (and Tesco Value Carrots) gave me the range to easily capture images of the Deer.

Last time I was at the Park was last October at Sunrise, I plan to return here again soon at Sunrise as the light is incredible, espcially if its a slightly crisp morning with mist lingering around.

Knole Park Deer

Sunny Evening at Beachy Head in Sussex

Making the most of our 2 days of sun this summer, and after a scorching day, I decided when it had cooled down and the light was at its best to pop over to Beachy head and take a few shots.

I took the Olympus OMD with 3 lenses due to it being so compact for traveling about and again… it carrys on to impress. Fantastic little camera and this was a good test of dynamic range which it excelled.

 

Andy Black Photoshoot In Ashdown Forrest

I was asked to do a photoshoot for musician Andy Black (SLIM) for his upcoming album release, the photos would be required for promo and album cover artwork for his soon to be released Album “Gallows Tree Tails”

Andy is a fan of my landscape work and wanted to have photos taken of him wearing a Top Hat and Tails within a typical Sussex enviroment. Being that rain was on the menu for pretty much most of June, we had to make use of the first nice evening and what a great evening it turned out to be!!

Ashdown forrest being my top choice, with for one it is a haunt of mine where I take alot of Landscape photos, and also there endless backdrops to use for the photoshoot required.

Being that the title of the Album is called Gallows Tree Tails, a requirement would be to use a tree that is sitting on its own in a field somewhere. Fortunately this was easy to find, and heading towards the Golden Hour we headed into Ashdown Forrest to get snapping.

 

Yellow Rape Seed Fields of Sussex

Its that time of year again for the mass of Yellow fields appearing. One that caught my eye is in Falmer and I finaly popped over to grab a few shots.

Deciding to leave the DSLR at home and take the trusty GX1 Micro Four Thirds camera out for another bout of shooting was probably a good choice.

One of the shots I wanted to get was a flatter field of view of the rape seeds, and for this I held the tripod so the camera was about 10ft in the air, and with being able to see the LCD from the live view this made it easier to compose the shot I wanted. A remote cable was attached to the camera to allow for the shutter actuation and I then snapped away.

The Micro Four Thirds cameras and their excellent range of lenses is really proving that this format is definately here to stay. A DSLR could never be replaced with this format, as certain aspects of photography work the DSLR is the only tool to use, but im finding for some landscape work and hard to get too places, a small high quality camera is a great bit of kit to have with you.

Cold and Crisp in the Sussex Woodland lakewood

With the very wintery weather we have had recently I headed out to Ashdown Forrest to see what I could photograph. A lake nearby gave a nice location for some scenic shots.

I had intended to use my Timelapse Dolly for the first time, but due to an injury it was hard enough just trying to walk with one camera!!!

Brighton Bandstand at night

I briefly headed into Brighton to take a photo of the bandstand with its lights on, not really the best time of day to take this as idealy it should be blue or golden hour, but I wanted to try a bit of HDR on the lighting.

I have been playing around with some new software called HDR Machinery which I liked alot and processed this image with that software.

Im very happy with the outcome and can definately see myself producing alot more HDR work over the coming months.

 

The GX1 goes to London

I took a trip to London with the Mrs to see some of the sites, and decided to leave the 5D at home and really test out the GX1, accompanied with 4 lenses and a Joby Tripod.

I wanted to give the camera a real test being that it would be a hectic day and not much time for composition, the camera needed to work fast and produce decent images at high iso, and it succeeded.

 

 

Hove Bench Shelter

After annoyingly missing the Burning of the Clocks, and finding the band stand had no lights on. I decided to have a wander about and try some random Fisheye shots. I`m loving this lens as it brings a completely different perspective on what I`m used too. Means for great experimentation and wild captures.

I was hoping there would be a drunk asleep on the bench which would have enhanced the composition, but I may return and try this shot again at Blue hour.

Prints of these images are avaiable to purchase at www.sussexscenes.co.uk

 

The Brighton Bandstand & Wheel

I headed into Brighton briefly to get a fisheye shot of the Brighton Bandstand and Brighton Wheel with the Samyang 7.5mm Lens. Being that it was a dull day, I choose to go down the Black and White route.

I think I will return to both spots again with a tripod at Blue and Golden hour and get a longer exposure in colour using the Fisheye lens. Gives a slightly different take on very much cliche shots.

Prints of these images are avaiable to purchase at www.sussexscenes.co.uk

 

Panasonic GX1 in Ashdown Forrest

I`ve now upgraded the GF1 to the GX1 from Panasonic, the latest Micro Four Third offering. Took it to Ashdown Forrest to give it a little test and so far its a big step up from the GF1 in terms of IQ and speed.

Looking forward to testing it with scenes I would normaly only be happy taking with the 5D as high iso was a weak point on the Micro 4/3rds cameras, but the GX1 pretty much blows the GF1 out of the water in this aspect which for me is like a area. At the moment there are just a few images from Ashdown forrest, but I shall be testing out the High Iso capabilities of this camera over the coming weeks.

I also have a 52-77mm Step-up ring which can be used on the 14-45mm lens, allowing the use of the Heliopan Vari ND and Hitek 10stop pro filter.

Seven Sisters East Sussex

A windy, cold, rainy Sunday, usually a good opportunity to stay home by the fire, watching some cheesy B movie about the end of the world. Not for me today, I wanted to head to Cookmere Haven and get a long daytime exposure of the Seven Sisters. A spot ive been too a couple of times before, but never when its windy and with an attempt to get a long exposure in the day.

Being on the edge of a cliff with no barriers and alot of wind probably isnt the most sensible idea in the world, but sometimes to get the shot you want you have to goto these extremes and Im really pleased with the outcome. Its a 60 Second Exposure using the Hiteck 10 Stop Pro Filter.

 

Brighton Wheel from the Pier

Heading back from seeing a client, I quickly popped onto the pier to snap a couple of shots of the Wheel and the waters edge. Wish I had my big stopper as this would have worked brilliant for these shots

Splash Time in Brighton

Checking my World Tides 2011 app on the Iphone, it was high tide in Brighton and being that it was a windy day too I wanted to try and get a few shots of the waves crashing against the Getty next to Brighton Pier.

Being that most kids were off school today, quite a few were playing dodge the splash (very unsucessfuly!!). This gave a great opportunity to get an action shot of kids running away just as a big wave hit the getty.

I`m a little annoyed I didnt have my reverse grad NDfilter to hand as it would have helped exposed the sun correctly, but never the less im pleased with the final images.

Prints of these images are avaiable to purchase at www.sussexscenes.co.uk

 

Brighton Pier

BY chance I headed to Brighton beach to shoot photos of the pier, the weather was blustery and the clouds were broken up and clashing creating a dramatic sky.