Merry Christmas everyone

Another Christmas out the way and I hope you all had a good one. Among my presents was a Thermos flask that look exactly like my Nikon 70-200 lens..What will they think of next?! My nephews were very pleased with the radio controlled helicopters I bought them, although I doubt their parents will be quite so thrilled ;)

Anyway, hope you all have a fun-filled New Year and I'll be back in a short while with more images. I also need to book some more model shoots so I'll be quite busy..remember, if you would like one please get in touch via the contact form on the main site links.

Mark

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Mark the Photographer

Thought it was about time I told a little bit about myself! Ok, where to start?

I'm Mark, I'm currently 40 years old (although I'm told I look younger :) ) and I have a day job. In my spare time I like to play Mark the photographer, so I often book beauty and modelling shoots through networking site or stylish friends who want to pose. I prefer to shoot location portraits as I don't have a studio, although hopefully that will change in the not-too-distant future! Fashion and beauty photoshoots can be done with minimal equipment e.g. flash and reflectors, although the best results can often be gained in a studio-For this reason I currently hire a studio until I can get the space and lighting equipment.

I'm self taught, although I did study photography at school all those years ago, with an Olympus.. I think. My dream camera back then was an Olympus OM10Ti, so I might indulge one day. Nowadays I want a Leica and a medium format camera..but digital is fine at the moment. i use a Nikon D3 digital camera, with an older D2H as backup. It's a superb camera with great low-light capability and image quality. I have three prime lenses, a medium zoom and a 70-200mm fixed f/2.8 zoom, which is heavy. Of course, I want more! Got my eye on the new Nikon primes- 24 and 84mm, plus a 200 f/2 and maybe a tilt-shift. I'd probably also like a 14-24 as I like to shoot landscapes when I get time to relax.

Other hobbies include reading photography tutorials and getting inspiration from fashion photographers' websites..no names though! I oil painting when I can, and have started visiting London galleries (see earlier blog posts). I have also started a whiskey collection..I used to hate whiskey but now I love all the different interesting flavours.. especially those from Islay and Speyside. Must be my age ;) 

Well that's enough for now, keep an eye out for the second part. Hope you found it interesting, why not let me know by adding a comment?

New photography equipment - exciting!

Any serious photographer will tell you that the equipment doesn't matter, it's the photographer that ultimately makes the image. While true, good equipment is (in my view) an important part of the equation.

When I started, I bought cheaper brand lenses and the best body I could afford, a Nikon D100. This camera's successor, the D200, was added as soon as possible.Now these cameras were both great for the time, and are of course still capable of taking great images. However recent advances in DSLR sensor technology mean that today's high-end camera bodies are much more capable for wedding photography. Without getting too technical, the digital 'noise' is much more refined on my latest Nikon, and (although I'm sure many would disagree) much more reminiscent of film grain, the fine 'grit-like' texture which was a characteristic of fast, light-sensitive film.

Anyhow, getting back to the point - In retrospect, I now believe I took the wrong route. I should have upgraded my lenses first, as these have probably a greater effect on final image quality. A lesser body with a great, sharp lens is more likely to capture a good image than the reverse, a good body with low-quality lens. Please don't get me wrong, the third-party ie non-Nikon lenses can be very good-- but they may be of lower build quality or slower to focus than the Nikon equivalents.

So, then, it's almost time for me to upgrade some of my equipment again. While I'd love to get my hands on a 200mm F/2, this is primarily a specialist low-light sports lens and very expensive. For wedding purposes, I'll probably go for the new 24-70 zoom, which is reputedly very sharp. I'm also looking at the 35mm F/2 as an addition to my 50mm prime. These are both superb lenses-small, light and very sharp. But Sod's Law says that the moment I buy them, Nikon will come out with some serious prime upgrades such as a 135mm F/1.8 or new 85mm F1.4, a great lens which I have but is getting on a bit. Of course, Canon owners will be reading this and laughing, as they already have many great primes and some upgraded zooms to play with. Decisions, decisions...Oh well, how much will a complete new system cost me to go with the Nikons?!