Monthly Archives: November 2011
In the last six months, probably 95% of my photos have been taken with one single lens. A lens, that is cheap, small and light, and doesn’t zoom.
A 50mm f1.4
This lens has none of the finishings of an uber pro level lens. It doesn’t had any of the gimmicks, such as vibration reduction or special non glare coatings. It’s made of humble plastic and some very capable glass. I can’t do close ups, it can’t do wide sweeping landscapes.
But this lens can do things no other lens can, regardless of price. And it has done something particularly special to me.
This humble little lens has made me fall in love with photography over and over again. Just when I don’t think it can surprise me anymore, it continues to shine, and helps me take wonderful images, day in day out.
A sub £150 50mm lens will be sharper, colourful and contrasty compared to any standard zoom lens. And I should know. (My nikon 24-70mm f2.8 is £1200 of top spec glass, and it’s completly inferior to my 50mm f1.4 at a 1/6th of the price!)
A lens with a 1.4 or 1.8 aperture will allow in 6 times more light than the standard kit lens that comes with your DSLR. At a basic level, that means softer, more blurred backgrounds, and less reliance on flash in low light.
Just because the 50mm is often small and straightforward to look at, does not mean it is straight forward to use.
Using a prime lens (a lens that has a fixed focal length) can be a strange experince for new photographers. Not being able to zoom your camera is a difficult habit to break, but once you do, you soon realise how much more aware you are of composition and framing, you begin to work harder for each shot.…
I just had to share this with you.
It’s inspiring.
Not just photography inspiring, but life inspiring.
Please take 3 little minutes to watch it. And preferably, little bit longer to think about it afterwards.
It’s funny how just scouring the internet for photographic inspiration, has helped me find so many other amazing people and ideas that have such a positive impact on my life.
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I’m just over half way through my 30 day self portrait project. And I’m starting to wonder where some of my ideas are coming from.
Are they based on what you know? What you’ve learnt and experienced? Maybe it’s inspired from seeing the work of other talented photographers. Or maybe, it’s simply a reflection of the photographers personality, who they are, and how they see the world.
I think it’s a combination of all of those. The key thing is to keep stimulated and inspired as much as you can.
Take what you can from the every day. Look for beauty in the people and places you know best. Be wowed and inspired by the works of others from around the world.
And most importantly, just be yourself.
Then the ideas will come.
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I’m not afraid to admit….I suck at Photoshop!
For the last 2 years, I knew one of my weak spots in my photography was my photoshop skills. I mean they’re okay, but not at the level they should be, and I think sometimes my images are held back by them. I depend too heavily on just Adobe Lightroom, which is great software, but Photoshop just offers up so much more control.
So, in keeping with my goals for November, I have spent the last 48 hours, reading, watching and learning Photoshop. I can even see keyboard shortcuts in my dreams.
It might sound a little weird, but honestly why? When was the last time you learnt something new?
Knowledge is power, as they say.
I can think of no reason not to pick out your weak areas, and learn how to improve them.
I mean, what do you have to lose? Nothing. You can only gain from learning and developing your skills.
So I’m setting aside the next few weekends, to read, learn and practice, practice, practice.
Ok, so I’m not going to become a photoshop guru in a fortnight, but I will have a better understanding of what it can do, and how it can improve my photography.
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PS: My 30 Day Self Portrait is still going! Check it out here!
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One of my goals for this month was to kick start my YouTube channel and post some photography related videos.
A video that’s quite popular with photographers on YouTube is the “What’s in my camera bag?“. This is where photographers give viewers a guided tour through their kit bag, and explain what they use and why they use it.
So here’s mine!
It may only be of interest to you if you are really into photography, but perhaps you might just enjoy seeing me mumble on for 10 minutes. It’s up to you.
Part 1
Part 2
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I love winter.
I like the cold. I like the fog, the late sunrises and chance of snow. I like the frozen leaves in the morning, and the cosy winter nights at home.
There is nothing better than sipping on a warm coffee, all wrapped up in big coat and gloves. All the while just looking at the world go by.
Yeah, this is gonna be a good winter. I can feel it.
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Wow, last week was a bit of a whirlwind.
I recently posted on the blog that I had reached my 500th photo journal entry on Blipfoto.com.
It turns out the nice people at Blipfoto thought that was a pretty big deal and offered to contact some people to let them know about it. Of course, I said yes, but was pretty sure nobody would really care.
Turns out, some people did. A few days later and I was contacted by the local paper, the Gloucester Citizen, and BBC Radio Gloucestershire about my photography. Yay!
I’ve posted a copy of the article about me in the paper below, or you can see it on line on the thisisgloucestershire website.
If you are local to the Gloucestershire area, look out for more of my photos in next Tuesdays (8th November) copy of the Citizen aswell!.
I’m just 11 months into my photography plan, and it’s so great that little things like this are happening. It’s nice to know I’m going somewhere with my photography!
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I feel quite comfy right now. Photographically, I mean. I know what I like taking images of, and I know how to get the look I want. There are certain images I can do now, almost without thinking.
Yawn.
Time to shake things up. Time for something different. Time for a challenge.
For all of November, I have set myself the challenge of taking and sharing, a self portrait every day.
That’s 30 self portraits, in 30 days.
I will continue to take photos of other things, but I will be concentrating on the self portrait project more than anything else.
My thinking with the self portraits challenge, was to force me to think more creatively, and organically about taking pictures. And of course, to get more experience of portraiture in general.
I’m really looking forward to it!
At the end of November, I will post all 30 photos to this blog. But I will be posting them on my blipfoto journal and FaceBook page everyday, so go check them out!
A challenge is always a good thing, it’s forces you to adapt to something new, and hopefully get better at it.
When was the last time you set yourself a challenge? Let me know in the comments below!
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
This is the blog of Chris Scuffins, a hardworking, creative photographer from Gloucestershire.
With years of experience in landscape and commercial still life photography, his focus now lies on capturing creative, natural and beautiful fashion and lifestyle portraiture, as well as a fun, relaxed approach to photojournalistic wedding photography.
FEATURED POSTS
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- Wedding | James & Arjia | Milton Keynes
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- Wedding | Natalie And Andrew | Tewkesbury Park Hotel
A Gloucestershire Wedding | St Marks Church, Cheltenham...
POPULAR POSTS
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Just a few short months after making the decision to...
- 30 Day Self Portrait Project Finished!
WooHoo! Today I have finished my 30 day self portrait...
- Wedding | Natalie And Andrew | Tewkesbury Park Hotel
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