Photos you have taken in the last month of which you are proud?

Just had a few brief days in Perth, with a couple of photo opportunities.

Nankeen Kestrel in Australia

IMG_6839 by Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr

Silver Gull

IMG_6993 by Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr

Western Corella

IMG_7048 by Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr

IMG_7075 by Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr

Loch Ossian last weekend, brief gap in the rain…

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

I hate sound like a total arse Polarisandy but I really prefer your BW stuff. Somehow much of your subject matter seems to work better in mono to me.

No it’s not being an arse, and you know i was just thinking the same thing..
b+w is where i am more comfortable and i see things better in b+w, i just force myself to shoot colour cos i need the practice.

All comments are appreciated 😉

All comments are appreciated

Here’s a comment for you Andy.

I never realised how brilliant your work really is until recently. I’ve always really liked it but never really connected with it until recently.

I’m not sure what it is that I’ve learned recently or what’s changed in me that has triggered the emotional connection I’ve had with your work but something has.

As for your colour versus B&W, I think the B&W images you’re posting here are much better than your colour ones, but on your website you’ve got a lot of colour ones that are every bit as good as your B&W.

What I do notice is that you tend to default to B&W for portraits and colour for everything else and it’s your portraiture that I’ve suddenly made an emotional connection with and realised just how good it is, especially your series ‘Closer to Home’. There are a few shots in that project (Bob the Legend, Home and Daughter’s Phone Call spring to mind) that are just wonderful.

Daughter’s Phone Call is a good example actually because you’ve also got the colour version you originally took in another section. As I said on the other photography thread currently running, the colour version also works well but the B&W version is better because the toning and use of the light give a silvery ethereal effect to the woman’s skin that complements her so well (older people are so much more interesting to photograph don’t you think, not least because their skin works so much better in the image; so much more intersting).

But that said, where you use colour in a portrait or candid, it still works really well. The selection in The Cumbrians II shows this, with May Day Parade being a brilliant candid (of your daughter I think?) where the use of colour is exquisite. I also love the colour and light in Appleby Butcher – reminds a lot of Laura Panack if you know her work? ‘Jim’ is also excellent.

One thought though – where almost all the B&W portraits are stunning, some of the colour ones aren’t as good as the others. All the B&W portraits are taken in doors though, whereas the colour ones are almost always outside. Where they don’t work as well I think it’s down to two things. One is the time of day you’re shooting, where the sun might be higher in the sky and either washing out out the colours a little or giving you some strong shadows on the face (St John’s spings to mind). The other is that some of the colour compositions are a little muddied and confusing, Penrith Man springs to mind here.

But as I started out by saying, all this is in the context of suddenly having ‘got’ your work and realised just how fabulous it is. I’ve been meaning to drop you an email through Flickr to say as much but since you said you welcome the feedback, here it is.

Hey Greg, thank you for taking the time to ‘look’ at, consider and comment on the photos on the website.
It’s really interesting to hear your comments, in a way they crystalise what i’d thought myself, sometimes you need to hear someone else to say it though?

I post quite a lot on flickr, less on here and even less on the website and as such the website has a better quality of picture, they are the photos i feel closer to (technique and subject wise).
It’s interesting that you have the better emotional connection to the “closer to home” project as it’s the one i feel closest to.

I struggle with colour print film but a love slide film. B+W is just great and i have full control from press of the shutter to the final image.

Again you notice that the indoor b+w portraits are more pleasing, these are the ones i like taking the most; existing light, indoor, environmental portraits.

Daughters phone call in colour and b+w is interesting… funny that you should mention that one as the two versions record a professional failure, regret and a lesson to myself.
I thought i’d taken a really good photo until i got the negatives back and scanned them. I couldn’t understand why the skin tone was so messed up. After trying to correct it i posted it as a B+W and it looked better.
It was only later i realised that the lady was jaundiced and i’d missed it clinically. I felt really bad about that. Now i always ask myself, is this patient jaundiced?, unless you ask the question and look for it, it’s easy to miss.

Once again thanks for the feedback, it is appreciated!

Andy

Chapeau Tim (and all) , breathtaking shots! Andy, where is your website?

I shot this on expired 160vc very kindly sent to me by Pepper of this parish. Although it’s from July, I only got round to processing it last week so it half counts for the thread. Crap shot, crap scan but living abroad it is not often I am watching the tide rush out at Levens estuary at 5am…

I like the toning and colour of that picture Bob. It’s interesting shooting with expired film. Not that I have a lot of experience of it but the Hasselblad I borrowed before I bought into MF film came with four packs of (very) expired Portra 400vc and 800vc. I haven’t shot the 800 yet but the 400 worked very well.

Thanks gt. I really must sort out a better scanner but I’m reluctant to buy yet more gear!
I take it you had to give back the Hasselblad – what did you replace it with?

what did you replace it with?

Er, a Hasselblad 😀

Basically I was loaned one by the lady who originally shot our wedding (and used the same camera as I ended up borrowing). She hadn’t used is since our wedding in 2007 and I said that in return for borrowing it, I would either buy it or I would arrange for it’s sale on her behalf. I ended up buying a younger and better condition one and sold her kit to the same guy I bought mine from.

Josette by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

good move Geetee

Bob, http://www.polarisandy.com

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

On my way to pick up a fare this morning and I just had to stop to take a photo

Shitty job I have really, having to drive through the Scottish Highlands

Was looking (note looking) at the new Hasselblad H6D at Photokina, looked good but the new Fuji GFX was looking a far better medium format prospect. Both are too big and cumbersome for me. Not interested. I’m sticking with full frame rangefinder.

Paul do you mean the X1D rather than the H6D? I agree wither way that the GFX looks like the one to go for even before you price in the fact that for the same price as the Hasselblad body, you’ll get body and lens with the Fuji.

I was just looking at a review of the GFX and in my head I was thinking yep, I’ll sell all the Sony gear and trade in for one of those. Body and 63mm lens will be all I need.

A Leica SL or M240 though would be nice as well…..

Greg, not it was the H6D

L1002356 by Paul Whitehead[/url], on Flickr

I think the advantage of the Fuji, is the shutter is within the body, so you get more lens interchangeability with other brands. A Fuji body perhaps with Zeiss lens could be pretty neat!

As I say, all too big and cumbersome for me. I admire you for lugging a Hasselblad around. I sticking with the smaller 35mm.

Greg, not it was the H6D

Ah well there you go. What does retail for again, something like £30,000?

I hadn’t thought about the third party lens advantage of the focal plane shutter although aren’t most MF lenses lead shuttuers? I think you’re right though that using a leaf shutter would inhibit a third party from making an after market option.

DaylightR & Digger by durhambiker[/url], on Flickr

Very much out of practice, but took the old 400D out to Mallorca whilst supporting at the Ironman. This is one of my favourites, one Pirate helping another through a bad patch on the marathon.

Andy, some breathtaking work on your site, thanks for the link. Would love a print or two, I don’t know if you ever get around to them.

I’ve seen some of your photos before, and before happening on this thread, (I don’t have a flikr account either), so how I came across them is a mystery. I hadn’t made the connection that it was your site until now.
Road to Blencathra is one of my winter desktop wallpapers. Having spent many winter mornings up there I have a fondness for the place and you’ve caught its beauty and sense of foreboding perfectly.

Anyway, chapeau and thanks for the inspiration to spend this afternoon developing the half dozen rolls of TriX I never get around to doing!

Cheers Bob. Get developing. Got a few rolls of b+w to do myself but currently in the middle of an autumn shed clean out..
Yes i print them to sell or for the odd exhibition.
Let me know which ones, can do them mounted or mounted and framed.

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

Autumn on it’s way…

Autumn leaves by jon bawden[/url], on Flickr

going bokeh mad…

Autumn bokeh B&W by jon bawden[/url], on Flickr

Late sun by Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
Just a phone snap but an amazing evening, spring is here

Norfolk Beach

IMG_7458-2 by Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr

Proud of myself for getting up early enough to capture this.

Caerlaverock sunrise by Kit Carruthers[/url], on Flickr

one good thing about oncoming winter is that soon you will be able to get up later for morning light shots.

Prime numbers by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

A few from a new project I’m working on focusing on the young adults/teenagers who use the skate park in my home town.

7335 by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

7332 by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

7334 by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

Luke by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

7333 by Greg Turner[/url], on Flickr

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

Trucks passing through the view to a late night aurora from the A9 [/url]Aurora A9 truck lights full crop wtrmrk 1.04am 2270916 072

me and the missus

Hollie by Kit Carruthers[/url], on Flickr

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

scotroutes – Member
On my way to pick up a fare this morning and I just had to stop to take a photo

– where is that? it looks familiar

A hummingbird moth from about 3m away.

[/url]alaska by robb d[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[/url]alaska by robb d[/url], on Flickr[/img]

I’ve just come back from a shoot in Austria and this is one of the few images I can share (for now). Sods law says that the weather was grim and miserable until the last afternoon when it eventually broke!

great photos – love looking at this thread

Near the Tan Hill Inn…..

Untitled by Polarisandy[/url], on Flickr