Extreme Cellists Attacked by Japanese Cats

I was amused to see a post from kebaneco in Japan, whose prints of my Extreme Cellists images were subject to unwanted attention from cats! I can't read the Japanese but recognise the pics well enough. Kebaneco's shiny cello case doesn't look as if it's been up many mountains. Not yet, least ... Many thanks, kebaneco, for showing me this.

Silverdale Pupils Get Fighting Fit

Earlier this month, I was pleased to be commissioned by the Fitness Industry Association to shoot a showcase event with pupils from Sheffield's Silverdale School -- my daughters' old school -- at Ladyzone on Ecclesall Road. Pupils enjoyed a Boxercise class, then posed for for a group shot with instructors and local MP Richard Caborn.

Sheffield Chamber Orchestra

I've now completed post-production on a shoot with the Sheffield Chamber Orchestra. This long-established group of around 40 players gives three concerts a year, under their two resident conductors, Robin McEwan and Richard Haworth. I was commissioned to provide rehearsal images, formal shots of the orchestra and conductors before the concert, and shots during applause. The occasion was a concert at Firth Hall, University of Sheffield. The soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto was Jiafeng Chen.



Before the shoot, I found inspiration in the work of David Bazemore. I wonder how he achieves such fine images? They set a standard for photographers working with classical musicians. Of course, actual performance in concert dress gives stronger images of musicians at work than does rehearsal. But camera noise can be an issue, more for audience than for performers. A sound-deadening enclose for the camera, known as a "blimp", is very expensive.

Of course, the quality of imagery you can get is constrained by the extent to which the players are able and willing to adjust to the needs of the photographer. Most of my work with classical musicians has been opportunistic -- and, hopefully, minimally obtrusive -- rather than resulting from time having been dedicated to a photoshoot. For example, cleaner images of groups of players could be obtained by re-arranging the platform to isolate small groups. But this would not be compatible with effective rehearsal. However, the SCO rehearsal shoot could have been improved simply by taking the time to clear the auditorium of musicians' belongings and darkening the windows.

So I tried to convey the atmosphere of rehearsal, including visual communication among players and conductor, and including the informalities of the rehearsal context. I hope SCO members will feel free to add their comments as to how far we succeeded in this.

As always, I found it hard not to be distracted from my work by enjoyment of the music. But I was free to enjoy the concert itself. Although an "amateur" orchestra, SCO members have all achieved at least Grade 8 on their instruments, so their playing is excellent. And Jiafeng Chen was stunning in the Beethoven, obviously a rising star of the violin.



I'm grateful to SCO for favouring me with this commission and hope the images do not disappoint.

Getting Colours Right

Gearing up for my Imaging for Artists service, this week I've had my system colour calibrated by the excellent Simon Clifford-Smith. Although Simon travels over a wide area -- his car has 200k miles on the clock-- I'm fortunate that he's based near me in Sheffield. An accomplished landscape photographer, he combines technical mastery with a keen understanding of photographers' needs. His charges are reasonable and the results consistently excellent. He's also a mine of information and helps his clients understand what's going on. In addition to calibrating my printer for the fine art papers I'm offering to artists, he showed me the correct use of advanced settings with my eye-1 monitor calibrator. Result of Simon's visit: total confidence that what is seen on screen will be faithfully reproduced on paper.

To complete the flow of accurate colour information from the digital file to viewing of the final print, I've also recently invested in a GrafiLite desk lamp. You can't judge your print output under biased lighting, and Simon's measurement confirmed that this lamp is, er, spot-on.

Vista 64 -- nightmare over

Last year I replaced my desktop computer. Not before time, as I'd had it for 5 years, during which time the only upgrade was additional memory and new peripherals (NEC Spectraview 2190 monitor, Wacom tablet, USB disk drives). In an attempt to make the new machine last as long as possible, I went for a 64-bit operating system. This means you can use more memory, which should speed up heavy-duty processing of photographic images. Seemed a good idea to future-proof against the demands of higher-resolution cameras. I thought I'd checked that my existing kit was compatible. But not carefully enough, it transpired.

Here's a list of (the most important) stuff that didn't work for me:

Canon driver for 5D camera (web searches suggested this is down to the installer rather than the driver itself)

Adobe Photoshop (CS3) Bridge (various windows mysteriously greyed over; increasingly frequent crashes)

Nikon CoolScan 5000 35mm film scanner (no 64-bit drivers available)

Wacom Intuos 3 graphics tablet (all sorts of hassles)

Asus WL-BTD201M Bluetooth dongle (failed to install)

Installation of ICC profiles

Sound card (stopped working)


Of course, it's possible that some of the above was down to user error. I've been using PCs for over 20 years but have never considered myself an expert. Just learned as much as I needed to get by, with the aid of a resourceful and helpful local supplier: The Real Computer Shop. After patiently fielding my frustration for many weeks, they finally advised me to give up and revert to 32-bit XP. I've now been running that for a week. Bliss! I'd forgotten what it's like when everything installs and works first time. Of course it may be that a more expert user wouldn't have had as much grief. But I suspect my own computer skills are no worse than average. So, if anyone considering a 64-bit system finds this posting, I hope it might save you hassle.

Geoff Roe on Photographic Composition

An intriguing 5-star short review in Amateur Photographer dated 3 January '09 led me to a brilliant, self-published book by Geoff Roe on Photographic Composition. The author is a retired academic, and this succinct little book chimes with my background in psychology, as well as making frequent links with painting and music. Informed by cognitive science, it goes far beyond the usual, hugely dissatisfying, platitudes about the Rule of Thirds and Lead-in Lines. Very informative and refreshing. ISBN 978-0-9529867-2-0, available from GE Roe, PO Box 220, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 2UZ, for £12 plus £2 p&p.

Best Christmas Present

Daughter Amy gave me World Architecture: The Masterworks by Will Pryce. Photo-essays on 49 great buildings across the world, by a photographer who is also a trained architect. I'm hugely impressed with the photographic vision and technique displayed in these images -- especially as I've had a go myself at two of the featured buildings this year: the cathedrals at Durham and Ely.