Image of the Month – “Sunset and Pillows”

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Phil Corley

January was a fairly slow month and I spent a number of days exploring Llanddwyn Island on Anglesey in Wales. The island has an amazing variety of rock formations, including some great pillow lavas.

But “Llanddwyn Island is much more than just a series of spectacular pillow lavas. There are dolerite dykes, and rocks belonging to the Tyfry Formation (dark green fine-grained sandstones, Limestone commonly mixed with basalt (pale pink and cream limestones frequently mixed with brecciated basalt), and Bedded Jaspery Cherts (perhaps the best example of deep-water cherts in North Wales).“

OK I copied that bit from a description of the geology of the Island that can be found here…

These are not my “image of the month” but the following two images show the sort of amazing rock formations and colours you can find on this little island (click each image to view a larger version)…

One particular day on the island in January had been fairly unproductive, the light was very flat with a blanket of thin and grey cloud cover. In fact at no time in the day had there been a hint of a shadow cast on the ground, so time was spent exploring the rocks for some abstracts.

Shortly before the sunset was due, I decided to position myself in case there was a surprise and a sunset would appear from nowhere. This really was just a hope, given the weather conditions of the day, I really thought it would be a vain wait followed by a long walk back to the car.

But as ever with landscape photography, never (and I repeat never) give up on the light; Nature just might surprise you – and it did.

Just as my watch was telling me it was the official time for sunset (and I was thinking of packing up), the sun appeared squeezing its way between the blanket of clouds and igniting the sky.

Image of the Month: Sunset and Pillows

My camera was set-up and ready, with a one and a half stop hard graduated ND filter and a three stop full ND filter to flatten the sea and maximise the reflections, so it was simply a case of tripping the shutter when the sunset reached its peak :-)

After the shot was in the bag and I had enjoyed the sunset, it was time to pack the kit away and put on the head torch for the walk back to the car.  The head torch is very useful here as it is about a 45 minute walk back along the beach and when it is dark it is very difficult to find the path off the beach to the car park.

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First Competition Win of the Year

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Phil Corley

Well it is January and I have bagged my first competition success of 2011 :-)

I was pleased to receive an email yesterday from Nikon UK informing me that one of my Isle of Eigg shots, “Rock-pool and Clouds”, was the December winner of Nikon’s In-Frame Photo of the Month competition.

The image was judged as “A very eye catching dramatic and moody sea scape. Great composition with lots happening with a really nice feel and quality to the light”.

Here is to the first of many successes in 2011 – I hope!

Rock-pool and Clouds (Laig Bay, Isle of Eigg) - Reference: 2-1009-1650
As the tide retreats from the beach at Laig Bay, the falling water starts to form a rock-pool around two black, glistening rocks whilst the high winds create a surreal cloud-scape above the island of Rum in the distance

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Image of the Month – December

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Phil Corley

Instead of posting my image of the month for December, I thought I would share a short video highlighting my favourite images from 2010.

This is my first attempt to put a series of images together in a video with an appropriate sound track, so I hope that you find it was successful.

The music in the video is “Long Road Ahead” by Kevin MacLeod. I thought it was a fitting piece as Landscape Photography is a continuous journey of learning and discovery.

Best to change the viewing resolution to 720p when playing back the video…

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Image of the Month – November

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Phil Corley

November was a very productive month having had a couple of trips to Scotland; visiting Glencoe then Inverpolly. With a number of strong contenders for my “Image of the Month”, I finally selected “Sun and Pines”. Whilst it may not be the best of my November images, it is a favourite as it brings back memories of the wonderful light that came (rarely!) and went (quickly!) whilst I was in Glencoe…

It had been a very dull and miserable dawn on Rannoch Moor, waiting for the sunrise and hopefully for a break in the clouds. About an hour after sunrise, some breaks in the cloud developed and let in splashes of sunlight which randomly painted parts of Lochan na Hachlaise and the mountains of The Black Mount behind.  I knew the composition I wanted and it was just a case of hoping that the light managed to catch the clump of pine trees on the far shore. After about 30 minutes of waiting, I got what I was waiting for :-)

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What is in my Kit Bag?

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Phil Corley

I must admit, I have always been someone who likes gadgets; anything technical and shinny was always hard to resist and with photography it is same; there is always something else I would like. But photography is far more than the equipment being used; yes it helps, but the photographer is more important than the equipment. Having the latest and greatest camera, wont make you a better photographer or get you out in better locations at the right time.

But, some people like to know what other people are using to make their photographs, so I thought I would share what is usually in my kit bag: -

Camera
Nikon D700 DSLR

Lenses
Nikon 16-35mm f/4.0G ED VR
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 G AF-S ED
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 G AF-S ED VR
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro

Tripod
Gitzo G1325 MK2
Markins M20 Ballhead

    Bags
    Lowepro Mini Trekker AW inside an Osprey Aether 70 litre back-pack
    Kata PR-460 Shoulder Bag
    Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II (mostly redundant now)

      Filters
      Lee Filters Hard graduated NDs – 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 stop;
      Lee Filters Soft graduated NDs – 1, 2 and 3 stop;
      Lee Filters ProGlass ND 3 stop;
      Lee Filters Big Stopper ND 10 stop;
      105mm B+W Kaseman Circular Polariser to fit Lee Filter holders.

        Other Bits
        Nikon DR-5 Right Angle Viewfinder
        Nikon MC-30 Remote Cord
        Hot-shoe mounted bubble sprit level
        Hoodman Loupe
        Home-made 3:2 Viewing Card
        Nikon SB-800 Speedlight

          On my most wanted list…
          Nikon D3X DSLR – for that amazing 24mb sensor; don’t need it but it would be nice…
          Nikon 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E – to get some of that tilt and shift movement…

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            Image of the Month – October

            Posted on November 10, 2010 by Phil Corley

            This month’s image is “Loch Leven Autumn” taken near Kinlochleven in Scotland.

            It was a calm day over Loch Leven, allowing the autumn colours to be shown in all their glory and with the sun painting a patch-work of light over the flanks of Mam na Gualainn, it was a scene too good to miss. The small house in the middle of the scene provides a nice sense of scale to this view of mountains and sea loch.

            What was more impressive about this scene was that the day before was the most horrible of weather with lashing rain and gale force winds (which made a lovely 7 hour drive up to Scotland). Unfortunately, this was the calm before the next storm and almost 7 days of rain followed. Ah, the joys of landscape photography!

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            Cleaning my Gitzo 1325 Tripod

            Posted on October 28, 2010 by Phil Corley

            From time to time, I realise that my tripod is crying out for some TLC (tender loving care). I can tell when it reaches this point as the tripod starts to protest with horrible grinding sounds as I try and tighten/loosen the legs. I’m not surprised, as I stick the poor thing into soft sand; stand it in salty sea water; drop it in soggy, muddy fields and basically abuse it as the workhorse it is.  But what a workhorse!  This tripod is a tough beast, it has been going for years and is still looks like new – except when the leg-locks get really dirty as they are this week.

            So, it is time for that TLC and give my Gitzo 1325 a really good clean.

            It is an easy job to do, but I thought I would detail how I go about cleaning the 1325 in case anyone is wondering. You can get the tripod cleaned as a service from Gitzo/Manfrotto, but the current price for this is about £40, plus postage and VAT – so it is a more economical and quicker route to do this yourself (and not sure I would like being without my tripod for 2 to 3 weeks!).

            Firstly, I undo each of the leg sections by loosening the leg-locks and then continuing to unscrew the locks until the section comes apart. Once apart I carefully remove the two split plastic rings and the fibre bushing and put those to one side. When each leg section has been separated I wash the legs and leg-locks in hot water with plenty of washing-up liquid to remove all the gunk and dirt. Once washed, I leave them soaking in a fresh bowl of hot water with washing-up liquid for about 30 minutes.

            Whilst the legs and locks are soaking, I will rinse the plastic rings and bushing in more hot water with washing-up liquid and then rinse in clean water. Once cleaned, these are set aside on a sheet of newspaper to dry.

            After the legs and locks have been soaking for 30 minutes, I rinse in cold water and let them dry. It isn’t necessary to let them dry before the next stage, but I find it is a good time to take a break from the cleaning.

            For the next stage, you will need some methylated spirits, some old rags and a hard toothbrush.

            What I do is soak a rag with meths and wipe down the tripod legs. Next with a well soaked rag I tightly wrap the rag around the threads on a leg section and then twist the leg hard so it pulls out of the rag. This should help get any remaining grease and gunk out of the screw threads. Once I have done this for each section, I clean the threads within the leg-locks by soaking a rag and stuffing it into the lock and twisting hard.

            I will then screw a leg-lock onto a matching leg section and check that the threads are running clean and smoothly.  If not, then I will soak the toothbrush in meths and give the leg section and leg-lock threads a very hard scrubbing; chances are there is still some grease and dirt in the threads.  I will then repeat screwing the leg section and lock together, if it now runs free I move on to the next section; if not I will repeat the toothbrush scrubbing until it runs smooth.

            Again, I then leave the cleaning and take a break, allowing time for the meths to evaporate and dry.

            The last stage of the cleaning is to grease the leg threads and reassemble the tripod. Talking to the Gitzo/Manfrotto service department, they use Castrol graphite grease, but this is very hard to obtain locally nowadays (they mentioned they have had their tub for years; you don’t use much per tripod). As I couldn’t get the graphite grease, I use Castrol LM grease which is a good all purpose grease that isn’t too thick. I did check with the service department that this was  good to use and they confirmed it was perfect for the job.

            One thing to note: when you reassemble it is very important not to get any grease on the fibre bushing.

            When reassembling, I use a cotton-wool bud to wipe a very thin layer of grease over the leg section threads; it is important not to use too much grease as this will then just trap more dirt and bits and make a real mess (as I found out a few cleans ago). I then put the leg-lock on a matched leg section, followed by the fibre bushing, then the two plastic rings and carefully screw the leg-lock up. Once each of the top sections have been done, I repeat this for each of the bottom leg sections.

            End result is a Gitzo 1325 Tripod that works as new :-)

            There will come a time when the fibre bushing will have worn and will need replacing. These six little rings are fairly expensive to replace (about £30) but can be obtained from the Gitzo/Manfrotto Service Department. Currently (October 2010) these are out of stock and have been on back-order since June; so if you think you may need some new ones in the near future, best get your order in quick.

            Posted in Equipment, Ramblings | 4 Comments

            New Online Landscape Magazine

            Posted on October 20, 2010 by Phil Corley

            For a while now there has been a real need for a decent landscape photography magazine here in the UK.

            The nearest contender was Outdoor Photography, which is a great publication but covers travel, nature and landscape photography. Don’t get me wrong, it does cover this very well (I am a long time subscriber), but I am left feeling I need more coverage for landscape photography.

            This week, I see that Tim Parkin and Joe Cornish have launched a new online magazine dedicated to landscape photography in the UK.

            First impressions look very promising and I wish the venture all the best.  I am sure it will go from strength to strength and develop into a real mainstream publication; just what we need!

            To check out this new magazine, have a look at www.landscapegb.com

            Posted in Update / News | 4 Comments

            Image of the Month – September

            Posted on October 2, 2010 by Phil Corley

            I thought I would start a monthly feature where I publish my favourite image of the month.  This month’s image is “Rock-pool and Clouds” taken on the Isle of Eigg, off North-West Scotland.

            What attracted me to this image was the may the colours and textures of the clouds were repeated in the rock-pool being formed by the falling tide. Given this, I decided to place the horizon centrally; even though this breaks some of the rules of composition. To me it works, but please let me know if you agree or not.

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            Camera Bags!

            Posted on July 26, 2010 by Phil Corley

            Since my back operation I have been careful about the weight I carry and how I carry it; when you add up the camera gear that we lug around it soon becomes heavy!

            I have two camera bags, a Lowepro Mini Trekker and a Lowepro Photo Trekker. Now the Photo Trekker is a great bag; robust, well made, water-proof, plenty of room for all your bits, but has one problem – even when empty, it is very, very heavy!  By my scales, it is nearly 5 kilos empty, before you start adding camera bodies, heavy lenses, filters and all the bits you need to carry. The other problem with it is that it seems to have been designed for a short torso; let me explain…

            When fitting a back-pack or rucksack, you need to have one that fits the length of your torso, regardless of how short or tall you are, it is the length of the torso that is important. This is to ensure that the fit is comfortable and that the weight of the pack can be carried by your hips and not your shoulders/back.

            To find out the length of your torso, measure the distance between the top of your hips and the 7th vertebrae (bony lump at the top of your back). Typically a short torso is between 15-17 inches, a medium between 18-20 inches and a long torso over 21 inches. So if your torso is 19 inches long you need a medium sized backpack.

            Now my torso is 22 inches, so I would need a large backpack.  Now I am not sure what torso size the Photo Trekker is designed for (I seem to recall someone telling me it was 18 inches), but I do know (even with its adjustments) it doesn’t fit my back.  There is just no way I can fit this pack comfortably with the hip-belt on my hips; therefore all the weight is going through my shoulders and back. Two years ago, I put up with this, but now I don’t have that luxury.

            So, I needed to rethink my approach to carrying my equipment and started to look at real backpacks / rucksacks. After a lot of looking and talking to various people and manufactures, I purchased an Osprey Aether 70 litre pack. Empty this pack is half the weight of the Photo Trekker; weighting in at 2.2 kilos.

            I then needed a way to secure my equipment, as the Osprey is really just a sack on a clever suspension system. So, I took my Lowepeo Mini Trekker and removed the shoulder straps, the zip covers and the rain-cover; basically anything that added weight or got in the way.  In the end, what I turned the Mini Trekker into was a “cartridge” bag which simply slides into the Osprey pack. When I need to access my equipment, I simply unzip the front of the Osprey pack and then unzip the Mini Trekker and access my gear. If needed, I can pull out the Mini Trekker and carry it around by the carrying handle I left on the top.

            Now with this bag set-up I can carry my gear in a proper fitting backpack that puts all the weight in the right place and also have room to carry water-proofs, drinks, food and other odds and ends; something the Photo Trekker didn’t have the room for. It is much lighter than my old bag and gear and I can easily carry everything for over 10 miles if need be; 2 miles (and aching shoulders) was my limit with the Photo Trekker.

            An added bonus, is that as I am still using the Mini Trekker, I still have the great padding and protection the Lowepro bag gives my equipment; but now I can actually carry my equipment properly!

            Update: I also wanted to be able to carry my Gitzo tripod on my Osprey pack; something I couldn’t do easily with the Photo Trekker as the tripod was too big. On the Osprey, there are two large pockets on each side of the pack and the legs of the tripod can fit in one of these pockets easily. Then, after a quick email to Osprey customer services, I got a spare set of clips to extend the side straps on the pack. Once extended the side straps allow the top of the tripod to be secured to the pack, making it very easy to carry and access the tripod.

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