Since September 2002, I’ve been studying for a City and Guilds Photography qualification (Level 2). Most of my time has been spent on the Black and White module “People in the Environment”, where I chose to focus on Street Entertainers. I’ve gone from never having set foot in a darkroom, to being able to create a reasonable print, from hating all the time that it takes, to becoming more tolerant of the whole process and maybe even enjoying it a little…

Last week I finally completed the A4 black and white prints and contact prints that are required, and sat down with the course tutor to choose 10 images from the 13 that I had printed. The tutor and another student both picked what they thought was my best image. It turned out to be the one shown below, the one that I thought was “OK, but nothing special”.

So how many photographs have you got in your collection that you initially thought were just OK, nothing special? It might be worth looking back and re-evaluating them every now and again, just to be on the safe side. You never know, that stunning image could be lurking in your files somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered.

Covent Garden #4

Could Maurice Joubert from France be the very first EOS 10D owner?! There are no sample pictures taken with the 10D, but there some photos of the actual camera. I think Maurice is going to have a pretty busy weekend, fielding questions and testing out the 10D…

“This happend today. My local dealer knew that I was interested by a 10d. He called me today he had got one. He told me that he phoned to Canon.France and asked like anybody for avaibility, he was answered there was one available, he ordered it, et voila ! The kit is complete, except for the manual and soft, who are expected later.”

Website: DPReview - Canon SLR Forum

UPDATE: 10/03/03
Maurice has been out and about in Paris during the weekend and has now posted some sample images taken with the 10D.

Website: DPReview - Canon SLR Forum - Sample Images

Just stumbled across what promises to be a thought-provoking article entitled “Making Photographs” (as opposed to Taking Photographs) by Philip Greenspun at Photo.net. The article is split into 5 sections: Light - Lens - Film - Exposure - Camera.

Here’s how the Camera section begins:

“We’ve arrived at the last and, to my mind, least important chapter in the text. As noted on the cover page, this is where most photography textbooks start. Generally your choice of camera will not have much effect on the final image. Certainly the brand of camera that you choose will have virtually no effect. However, if you’re a nerd like me, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing what tools are available to the photographer and how they work.”

Website: Photo.net - Making Photographs

This is definitely one of the strangest photo weblogs that I’ve ever visited…2am Photography (found via 28mm.org) has 50 black and white photos, all taken at 2am. The thumbnails may be a little too small, but click through them and you will definitely get an eerie feeling. No reassurring crowds of people, just harsh street lights and long, dark shadows…

Website: 2am Photography

ePhotoZine have quietly reviewed Minolta’s top-of-the-range digital camera, the SLR-like Minolta Dimage 7Hi. This is the grown-up, studio friendly descendant of the Dimage 7 series and Dimage 5 cameras, “aimed at the professional and serious amateur market.”

“The lower end Minolta Dimage 7i is already a well regarded camera in terms of image quality so the 7Hi has a solid foundation. Aimed partly at the Pro market, potential buyers of this camera may have very high expectations. Whilst many of the improvements Minolta include do offer a tangible benefit to Pro photographers, this camera still isn’t a complete alternative to a Digital SLR.”

Website: ePhotoZine

DCResource have reviewed one of the new digital cameras that Canon announced at PMA, the PowerShot A70.

“In my opinion, one of the most exciting cameras introduced at PMA wasn’t a digital SLR or loaded with pixels. Rather, it’s a camera for the rest of the world, the folks who are really moving the digital camera market forward.

The camera I’m describing is Canon’s PowerShot A70 ($349), a 3.2 Megapixel camera loaded with features normally found on more expensive cameras. Lower end cameras don’t usually excite me, but this was an exception.”

Website: DCResource

CNET have reviewed the beta version of Jasc’s Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 4, awarding it their Editor’s Choice award.

“While Adobe may have a bigger marketing budget, Jasc has enjoyed a loyal following for years, and for good reason: The company continues to churn out innovative, highly customizable graphics programs. With Photo Album 4.0, which replaces Jasc’s multipurpose photo utility After Shot Premium Edition, the company has done it again—and to great effect. Of all the photo organizers and managers that we’ve tested to date, Photo Album 4.0 is the top dog.”

Website: CNET

Now that PMA 2003 has finished, we’re starting to see reports detailing what was on offer at the Show. A Digital Eye, for example, have a new article entitled “PMA 2003 TOP 20 NEW PRODUCTS LIST (03/05/03)”, which helpfully sorts out the wheat from the chaff.

Website: A Digital Eye

CNET has a similar kind of report called “Most notable cameras”, which focuses on the “cameras that stood out from the crowd” at PMA.

Website: CNET

UPDATE 11/03/03
Rob Galbraith has posted an 8-page report on the products that caught his eye at PMA. Top of the list is, yes, you’ve guessed it, the Canon EOS 10D…

Website: Rob Galbraith - PMA Roundup

Photo.net have posted a Preview of the Canon EOS 10D DSLR. “Photo.net has not yet got it’s hand on a 10D, so this is a preview, not a review, however I think it may still be useful to many readers. I think there’s very little doubt that it will be an improvement over the D60 and it seems to address some of the most often heard requests and complaints of current 60 owners”. The Reader’s Comments section at the end of the article is a particularly interesting read.

Website: Photo.net - Canon EOS 10D Preview

On yet another bitterly cold London day, I decided to go back to Covent Garden and take some colour shots of the street entertainers. All of the usual suspects were out in force; the Golden Man with the Bike, the Silver Fairy Woman and several others. They all basically stand still until the crowd gives them money, and then they perform a certain action. For example, the bike man rings his bell and changes position, while the Fairy Woman waves her wand and blows a kiss.

Unusually a couple of them broke off their routine and waved away my attempts at photographing them, so I was left with the Golden Man as the most willing subject. Here are the best 3 shots from the 36 Kodak EBX 100 frames that I took, all using my Tamron 75-300mm lens at a wide-open aperture…

Covent Garden Colour #1	Covent Garden Colour #2	Covent Garden Colour #3

The international jury of the 46th annual World Press Photo Contest has selected a black and white picture by the Los Angeles-based Armenian photographer Eric Gregorian, represented by Polaris Images, as World Press Photo of the Year 2002.
The winning picture was taken on a Leica rangefinder camera on June 23rd, 2002, after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Qazvin province of northwest Iran, killing more than 500 people in some 12 villages. In the photograph, surrounded by soldiers and villagers digging graves for victims of that morning’s earthquake, a young boy clings on to his dead father’s clothes as he squats by the grave where his father is about to be buried.
3,913 professional photographers from 118 countries participated in this year’s contest. With a total number of 53,597 images, the 2003 contest attracted a record number of entries.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this image.

Now I realise that this is out of reach for most mere mortals, but Imaging Resource have posted some 14 megapixel images from Kodak’s much-delayed, top-of-the range Pro 14n digital SLR. Apart from digital camera backs for medium-format cameras, this DSLR has the highest resolution available at the moment. Dave at Imaging Resource managed to get hold of the Kodak Pro 14n and take some real-world pictures with it. So if you’ve ever wondered what 14 megapixels looks like, now’s your chance to find out…

Website: Imaging Resource - Kodak Pro 14n Images

Photo Links.org does exactly what it says on the tin - it is a simple and quick resource listing hundreds of photography-related websites. Thanks to Altaf Shaikh for pointing it out.

Website: Photo Links.org

Found via bbCity, the Analog Photography Users Group - APUG for short - is dedicated to all things non-digital. The site aims to be “an on-line community, completely devoted to traditional (non-digital) photographic processes. This is a non-profit initiative, which we envisage will become an active photographic community, as well as a highly detailed archive of traditional photographic processes, history, and preservation.” The extensive forums are certainly popular, as is the site’s sparse design, and there’s also a Gallery section with some excellent images to look at.

Website: APUG.ORG

LetsGoDigital and Imaging Resource have both published photos of Pentax’s new DSLR, the *ist D, which give a good impression of how small the camera actually is. “after 20 minutes we were able to get the Pentax in our own hands behind closed doors and indeed the camera is light weight, it immediately has a good grip despite the fact of its very slim design.”

Website: LetsGoDigital

Website: Imaging Resource

On a light-hearted note, the Pentax *ist D has already won its first ever award; “the 1st Annual Luminous Landscape Stupid Product Name Award”!
Luminous Landscape PMA Report

UPDATE 17:00 GMT: DPReview have also joined in and posted their own photos of the Pentax *ist D, live from the PMA show floor.

Website: DPReview

Ian Burley over at DP-Now.com has some exclusive photographs from PMA of the Olympus E System DSLR, announced yesterday. “We were allowed to handle the items, though only after donning cotton gloves! Even Japanese journalists haven?t been shown them yet. Below are possibly the first independent photos to be published of some of these system components.”

Website: DP-Now

You can imagine how surprised I was when I visited DCViews this morning, and discovered that one of my photographs is the Hotshot of the Day for Monday 3rd March!!

It seems that they use images from WebPhotoForum.Com, where I’ve posted about 20 photos so far. I’m going for a large coffee to calm myself down… :-)

Olympus have finally unveiled their long-rumoured Four Thirds system DSLR, the Olympus E System, at PMA 2003. They will be demonstrating a prototype of the new camera along with 4 lenses at the show. You can see images of the camera and lenses on DPReview. Here’s Olympus’ explanation of why the Four Thirds system is so important:

“The Four Thirds system is a new open standard for digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses that utilise a 4/3 inch image sensor. In addition to facilitating the development of camera lens systems specifically designed to maximise digital image sensor performance - without being bound by the design conventions imposed by 35mm film camera SLR systems - the Four Thirds system establishes a common standard for lens mounts, ensuring compatibility between lenses and bodies even if they are produced by different manufacturers. Furthermore, the Four Thirds system interchangeable lenses are much smaller and lighter than 35mm and APS SLR lens systems.”

The new Olympus lenses announced are:

300mm, f2.8 (600mm)
14 - 54mm, f2.8 - f3.5 zoom (28 - 108mm)
50mm, f2.0 macro (100mm)
50 - 200mm, f2.8 - f3.5 zoom (100 - 400mm)

The camera, lenses and the whole system certainly looks the part, but I think you have to bear in mind that this is a prototype, with no date given for a production camera, except for “the Olympus Digital SLR System will then be introduced to the market at competitive prices in the late third or early fourth quarter of 2003.” That could mean Christmas 2003…

Olympus have also announced 4 new digital compact cameras.

The C-750 UZ is a 10x optical zoom, 4 megapixel update to the C-730 UZ. At an RRP of ?499.99 and available from April, this camera offers the longest zoom in its class. “The C-750 Ultra Zoom features a bright, high performance f2.8 - f3.7 lens, comprising of 11 elements arranged in seven groups and including two aspherical lenses plus ED elements, which are only found in top-end SLR cameras and significantly help reduce chromatic aberration.” Olympus are also releasing a 3 megapixel version, the C-740 UZ.

Website: DPReview

Imaging Resource have already managed to post First Looks at both the C-750 and C-740; how do they do it?!

Website: Imaging Resource

Perhaps less interesting are the compact digital cameras, the 3 megapixel C-350 Zoom (?249) and the C-150 Zoom (?139.99), which are firmly at the budget end of the market.

PhotographyBLOG received 10,363 unique visits during February - that’s 370 visits per day on average. Thanks for the support everyone! I’m always looking to improve the site, so if anyone has any bright ideas, leave a comment on this post and let me know…

On the morning of Saturday 22nd February, I ventured into central London to take some colour photographs for one of my City and Guilds Photography modules. “Colour and Pattern” was the subject, focusing on the urban environment. On a really, really cold day, I took 3 rolls of ISO 200 Jessops film (108 frames in total) in 3 hours, in the Waterloo station / Charing Cross / St Pauls areas.

It was refreshing to spend a few hours just taking photographs, without having to combine it with anything else. At one point I found myself taking macro shots of peeling wooden doors, skips and sand under the watchful gaze of the London Eye, receiving more than a few funny looks in the process…

As an aside, it’s taken nearly a week to have the films developed, sort through them, scan the selected frames and add them to this website. Not exactly a fast turn-around.

With 12 weeks left to go on my photography course, I’ve just about completed the Black and White module. I’ve still got 2 colour modules left to shoot, 2 essays to write, 3 workbooks to complete and 1 exam to sit. Please wish me the best of luck :-)

Here are a few selected highlights from the first roll of film:

London Patterns #1	London Patterns #2	London Patterns #3
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London Patterns #4	London Patterns #5	London Patterns #6
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London Patterns #7	London Patterns #8
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