Beautiful misty morning on Lake Windermere. Winning photo in the Olympus Global Photo Contest 2017

5 Lessons From An Award Winning Photo

Richard

A few days ago I received an email telling me that my photo “Windermere Morning” had won the Olympus Global Photo Contest 2017. Apart from the kudos that this brings as well as the nice shiny new Olympus camera and lens, it also affords an opportunity to share my thoughts on why my particular photo may have won. I did consider calling this article “How To Create An Award Winning Photo”, but then I realised that I have no idea how to do that. I simply took a photo that won a competition and I am fully aware that this is very different. Lesson 1: You’ll never get the shot if… Read More

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Cosyspeed Camslinger 160 Review

Richard

Update: 10% off code below video. Scroll down 🙂 There are two things I dislike about landscape photography. Firstly, tripods. These are the bane of my life, a necessary evil that cannot be carried or stored in any satisfactory way. The sooner someone invents a self-levitating camera the better. My second pet hate is backpacks. I have yet to find a backpack that does anything more than hang on my back, feeling uncomfortable, making me sweat, and being a complete pain in the arse every time I have the audacity to actually use my camera gear. You cannot work with a backpack, you fight against it. You hike for miles… Read More

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The sea swirls around the rocks in this long exposure from the beach at Ilfracombe in Devon

Lightening The Load – The Sirui T-005X Tripod

Richard

It’s over a year now since I sold my Canon 5D MKII and all my lenses and took up photographic arms with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and whilst I can’t put an exact figure on the weight saving that process garnered me, it is substantial, at least 2.5kg, and what’s more it has made everything easier in terms of handling my equipment. The camera swings over my shoulder better and is less strain on my neck and one of the first things I was able to do at the time was get a smaller backpack.

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A highland cow in the Lake District, UK

Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens Review

Richard

Over the Christmas period I have had the opportunity to borrow my brother David’s Oly 45mm f1.8. Up until now the only primes I had around this focal length were 2 old manual lenses that I got on eBay. More about these another time but whilst I love using them for the tactile nature of going manual (there’s no doubt that I feel more connected with the whole shooting process when using these), I find I do miss a lot of candid opportunities because despite some very good focus aids built into the OM-D E-M1 I simply miss focus, a lot. Image Quality Ok, let’s get the most important point… Read More

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The old boathouse on Devoke Water, Lake District, UK

Poor Light? Try Black and White

Richard

It’s a dilemma isn’t it? You’ve packed up all your camera gear, booked hotels, travelled hundreds or even thousands of miles with hope and excitement running through your veins, your mind overflowing with images of beautiful landscapes bathed in wonderful golden dappled light………and then you arrive and are greeted by leaden skies and dull grey land. So, what to do? Well, this is the scenario that occurred to my brother David and I on a recent visit to the English Lake District. There were, as usual when the two of us are together, two schools of thought. David favoured the “sitting in the pub taking wide aperture images of pints… Read More

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Why I chose Olympus OM-D Cameras

Richard

Note: This is a guest article written by my brother who is a very good travel and street photographer and who first introduced me to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds system way back when I was shooting with a Canon 5D Mkii. You can find out more about his travels and perhaps even join him at www.paintedroads.com. I am often asked “what camera do you use”. My old blog was pretty much dedicated to wobbling around the world on an old bicycle, and until recently this question had never crossed my befuddled mind. But as time moves on and circumstances change photography has become an increasingly important part of my life, both as… Read More

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