Monthly Archives: July 2012
Everything I know about photography I have learnt from the Internet for free. I have never had any formal training, I never studied it at school, or have a single qualification in anything even remotely artistic or useful.
My photography has got where it has by continuously finding, learning and practicing photography at every single opportunity I can.
My collective photography knowledge and experience; from Photoshop to posing, from light to lenses, has come entirely from other photographers and bloggers who were kind enough to share their own knowledge with the rest of the world. Those guys seriously rock.
When it comes to Photography, I think an inquisitive and hard working nature matters far more than innate artistic talent or fancy qualifications.
It’s this hard work and passion to learn that has allowed me go from buying my first DSLR to shooting my first wedding in less than 18 months.
If you have that passion to learn and to grow as a person, you’ll easily find the skills and knowledge you’ll need out there to be successful. And who doesn’t want to be as good as they possibly can be?
I really annoys me when people say “Oh, I wish I had the time to learn photography“. Or play the guitar. Or cross stitch. Or whatever. Time has got nothing to do with it, especially if you stop watching TV and spend that time googling your ass off to find out how to do what you want to do.
You should never have to say the words “I don’t know how?” more than once. All you have todo is find the answer, and practice the solution, so that next time you can say “Yes! I so got this!”
Mistakes are fine. In fact mistakes are a really really good thing!…
Well, I didn’t see this coming.
I’ve just finished repackaging the Fuji X100 after just a few short weeks with it. I’m done with it.
There was so much to look foward to, so much to love about the X100. It should have fitted me like a glove, a small, light and fast fixed lens camera. But after a few weeks together, it was pretty clear we just weren’t getting along.
First off, let me start off by saying this camera isn’t awful. Far from it. There are parts of it that I absoulutly love. The image quality is supurb. It has the best APS-C sensor I’ve come across. The f2.0 35mm lens is real winner. And that tiny, silent shutter is something I will really truly miss.
On the other hand, the Fuji X100 is a flawed experience. The bugs and operational quirks just dont make up for the good bits. I fell in love with the the idea of the X100 but in reality, it’s not so good. The autofocus was really quite poor. And having to switch between the evf and ovf when focus at around 0.85m was a major pain..
And really stupid things, like not telling you that your chosen aperture/shutter speed settings are “incompatible” or that the battery went from full to flat in 20mins. While I was in the middle of the Scottish highlands, my spare battery about 2 hour walk away in the car.
These bugs and quirky issues came up so often, it made me want to chuck it’s gorgous, film-era magnesium body at the nearest brick wall.
But in all honesty, the main reason I passed on the Fuji X100 is that it just wasn’t earning it’s way.
I don’t make a lot of money, from either my day job or photography, but I work damn hard to earn it.…
In one of the wettest, dullest summers the UK has had for a long time, I made the awesome decision to take a short summer break, and go for a roadtrip in Scotland. I expected it to probably be the only place in the world that could be more grey, wet and cold in the middle of July.
The trip started with a few days in Edinburgh, then to little town called Elgin, on the coast of the north sea. Next was a day traveling west across to Inverness, and then down past Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and a finally staying a couple of days in Fort William, a town that lies at the bottom of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK.
In the space of 5 days, I have seen everything from the historic Edinburgh streets, to absolutely gigantic mountains, miles of endless green wilderness, and crystal clear blue water as far as the eye can see. You may not believe me, but I have actually stood on the whitest, cleanest sandy beach I have ever seen in my life. Even the sun came out.
Everything was beautiful.
Safe to say I took a lot of photos, but as it was a road trip, we didn’t stay in one place for very long. I could so easily get lost in Scotland for days, exploring the lesser know parts of the country, waiting for great light and getting a perspective that captures the beauty and sheer scale of the Scottish landscape.
For this trip, I took just the Fuji X100, and the Nikon D700 with 35mm f1.4.So all of the photos I took during the week were all with a 35mm prime. Mmm, my favourite.
Some of the places we visited were just too big for a 35mm focal length, so some of these required a lot of photo stitching (some of the panoramas are 12 - 16 photos stitched together).…
I’ll start this review of the Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.4 by saying this not so much of a review, more like a love story. This lens is by far the single greatest piece of camera equipment I have ever purchased. (Apart from the Nikon D700. And the Fuji X100. And the Nikkor 85mm….maybe)
What’s So Great About A 35mm?
Unlike it’s cheaper, smaller brother the 35mm f1.8, and its older, louder and more annoying uncle, the AF-D 35mm f2; the Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.4 is amazing. At everything.
Want to shoot Landscapes? It’s awesome.
Want to shoot Portraits? It’s awesome.
Want to shoot Street Photography? It’s awesome.
Want to shoot Still Life? It’s awesome.
Want to shoot anything? It’s awesome.
It’s no secret that the 35mm focal length is a magical one. Wide, but not too wide, the 35mm let’s you get in close, while still showing context. Even for portraits from a few meters, there is no distortion in the subject, but plenty of space still in the frame for the background. I absolute adore this lens at weddings. A standard enough focal length for almost all situations, just with a little extra space for the story.
Every photographer should own a 50mm, so for comparison, just imagine looking through that 50mm view, but actually being able to see around the frame. The Nikon 35mm f1.4 is used like a 50mm, but it’s wider, sharper and a lot, lot more fun.
A Great Combination
The Nikon AF-S 35mm f1.4 was so good, I sold my vulnerable AF-S 50mm f1.4. The 35mm is a better lens in every single way. It’s sharper wide open, built better and focuses closer.
But the true awesomeness starts when I combine this 35mm with the just as fantastic Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.4.…
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 | Natalie And Andrew | Tewkesbury Park Hotel
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POPULAR POSTS
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Just a few short months after making the decision to...
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