Back to work

Whilst it has been nice to have some time off during the Christmas period, I am now starting to get a little restless. “Good News”… I now have dates and a work schedule for the next 6 months photographing across the UK at various swim schools. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things.

 

© Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther, All rights reserved.

 

In between these shoots I will also be doing some travelling which I am very much looking forward to. My first destinations will be to France & Switzerland. I have visited both places before but I am eager to visit new parts that I have not explored on previous trips. We plan to travel to Lausanne which is located 38.5 miles northeast of Geneva, where we will be residing. Lausanne is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, or simply Le Léman) and I am keen to capture some landscape images here.

 

Lausanne, Switzerland © http://www.world-guides.com 

 

Other trips include, Gran Canaria & Iceland and again this will be a great opportunity to capture some images that I can add to my portfolio, as well as a great opportunity to travel and escape from it all. I will be keeping this blog up-to-date and posting new images.

À bientôt, ¡Hasta luego!, Sjáumst síðar.

Underwater Art

Another day, another shoot.

Today I undertook some more training for Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther. I now have my breathing and my buoyancy under control but I still need to make sure that my focusing is up to a high standard. Practice, practice and more practice. I am feeling positive about the next few weeks and I am determined that I will get myself up to a high standard. I am really pleased with some of the images that I have obtained.

Onwards and upwards!

Here is a peak at the new website.

Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther

Underwater Art | About

Underwater Photography Training

Yesterday I finally got round to starting my training in underwater photography. This involves taking pictures of young children and babies underwater at swim schools around various locations in the UK.

Yesterday the training was at Tadley in Hampshire. I was relieved to discover that it was for a small group of 20 children. Initially I was observing but I was also given the opportunity to take some shots….no pressure :/. Taking photos under the water is a very different experience to taking photos on dry land. The underwater housing that the camera is encased in takes some getting used to and it feels rather large and bulky, the other obstacle for me to overcome was holding my breath under the water. Holding my breath was not so much of an issue, it was trying to control my movement that I found the most difficult. Even with a weight belt on, I found buoyancy an issue and kept on rising to the water’s surface. Once I had figured out that the best way to deal with this was to do something counterintuitive (breathing out before submerging) I found the whole process a lot easier and was able to gain more control once submerged.

I am looking forward to the next session and just hope that I do not forget any of the technical aspects of the training. The next session will be with a larger group of children and will span over 2 days…a challenge, but something I am looking forward to.

Examples of the images that I am working towards can be seen on the website for the company that I am working for. Enjoy!

Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther

© Nicola Gwyther, Underwater Art by Nicola Gwyther. All rights reserved.

References

Gwyther, N. (2015). Professional Underwater Photographer baby swimming photos. [online] Underwater-art.co.uk. Available at: http://www.underwater-art.co.uk [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].

Potraiture (Holga Effect)

Yesterday, whilst on my travels to Lowestoft, Suffolk, I decided that I would look at portraiture photography as I had not done this in a while. I’m not one for creating portraiture images within the confines of a studio space, rather I prefer to capture my subject in natural surroundings where they feel most comfortable. I like portraiture in the style of reportage, as the subjects feel more at ease and therefore creating an image that looks more “real” than forced.

I decided to create the portraiture images with a “Holga” effect. This kind of effect is currently en vogue and is popular alongside with lomography and the effects that you can achieve with Instagram.

Holga

The Holga camera was designed by T. M. Lee in 1981 and it first appeared outside China in 1982 in Hong Kong. The Holga is a medium format 120 film camera, made in Hong Kong, known for its low-fidelity aesthetic.

The Holga’s low-cost construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. The camera’s limitations have brought it a cult following among some photographers, and Holga photos have won awards and competitions in art and news photography.

Holga Camera
Image: Mark Wheeler

Wikipedia. 2013. Holga. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holga [Accessed: 21 Dec 2013].

Wheeler, M. 2013. Holga 120. [image online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holga_120_GCFN.jpg [Accessed: 21 Dec 2013].

Creating My Images

To achieve the Holga effect I used Photoshop CS5 and a plug-in from OnOne called PhotoTools 2.6 that contained the Holga Black & White filter.

Step 1
© Richard Brochu-Williams

Step 2
© Richard Brochu-Williams

Step 3
© Richard Brochu-Williams

As well as applying the filter, I also made adjustments to it, so that the effect would compliment the images. I have noticed that some of my highlights are blown out, this is due to the filter that has been applied and not the images that I captured at the time. I know this, because when I shoot I use the “Highlights” display on my  Nikon D90 to make sure that my highlights are not blown out. At this stage I am not too concerned as these images are just in the experimental stage.

Highlights Display Mode – Nikon

Imaging Resource. 2013. Nikon: Playback Mode. [image online] Available at: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D300S/D300SA3.HTM [Accessed: 21 Dec 2013].

My Images

All images © Richard Brochu-Williams, 2013. All rights reserved.

Anyone with a keen interest in photography (especially analogue) and the Holga effect can find information on the following link.

Holga Inspire. 2013. HOLGA. [online] Available at: http://holgainspire.com/ [Accessed: 21 Dec 2013].