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2013-04-29 17:02:51 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Just before all my regular contacts abandon me after my last upload, I thought I'd put something more conventional up... An image taken last year but of course due to the unexpected length of winter across in the UK not a single Bluebell is currently to be found across Warwickshire. Who knows if we'll really see any real crop at all this year, so my pent up disappointment has got the better of me and thought I'd upload this one instead - I doubt I'll be able to take anything like this one in 2013...

2013-04-28 13:36:07 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 61 +1s)

I like making images which I hope have real aesthetic quality, that might be considered to be beautiful even. It's something I see or envisage and often I am attempting to almost add a veneer of beauty over the real world, I guess you can call it a cosmetic gloss or something. My last upload yesterday was a case in point:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/russellbarnes/8685510185

Spurn Point where it was taken is a pretty harsh location, it's windswept and lonely, on a now inhabited spit of land which is covered in vicious thorns and yet it has real natural beauty, something which I tried to accentuate in that image, giving it a dream state feel like you couldn't wait to be there amongst the dunes. And people like that idea and view, they want to think their world is like this.

A lot of landscape photography pursues this idealistic view of the world, but it really... more »

2013-04-27 18:36:46 (13 comments, 5 reshares, 123 +1s)

For me photography is as much about progress as it is about creativity. And when I say progress I really mean development. With almost every image I'm always trying to improve, sharpen a technique, or be clear in my own mind what makes the strongest composition for each and every scene almost by second nature.

My initial Tilt Shift long exposures were not that good, some of them are still not very good, but then others end up like this one which achieve something of the vision I had for the scene when I decided to deploy the technique. The plane of focus here was not easy to achieve - simultaneous focus in the dune grass and lighthouse is not easy at f/4, and the amount of blur from the 15 second exposure, just enough to soften the tops of that grass down depicting a little movement. And then there was the mono post process. Not as easy as it looks for a shot like this, but that's another... more »

2013-04-25 17:44:55 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)

I've been back to France a number of times this year, I think it's five already, and on each occasion we've been treated to a variety of conditions. This time we had some blue sky with broken cloud at times to play with and somehow I fluked the positioning of the cloud for this 2 minute exposure. 

I've been asked by a few people recently if and when I use a Polariser. Truth is (during winter months in particular) I barely see any reason to use one but when blues and yellows present themselves like this side by side then it's a great time to make the most of those. Calais is a great location for a Polariser actually because of the constant position of the sun, which instead of being out at sea, bobs around behind you or to the left and right all day - perfect for making the most of side light where a Polariser thrives.

I took a few from this spot playing with the... more »

2013-04-24 16:07:54 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 79 +1s)

I must say when I see stuff like this, it might not be my first go to type of photography but I absolutely can't help myself. I love grand building interiors, especially with a wonderful feeling of space or a view beyond like this.

This is of course the Turner Contemporary gallery and although some of the work inside tests the concept of art sometimes, it is absolutely on par with the Tate Modern and a very interesting view for me. This wonderful sculpture work by Juan Muñoz is titled "Conversation Piece III" and it certainly is that, but I loved the way that I could make silhouetted people who were mingling with the display, perhaps leaving the viewer guessing just for a moment which was a sculpture and which was not. I need to spend more time around Tate Galleries and especially windows like this, they really are quite wonderful.

2013-04-24 12:36:54 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 53 +1s)

2013-04-22 19:19:29 (5 comments, 5 reshares, 73 +1s)

Another for the Lumière collection from this weekends workshop I lead in Northern France. We were lucky to bag yet another day of quite wonderful light and conditions like these... Once again, the participants were great company, I very much enjoyed meeting you all!

2013-04-17 09:08:19 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 109 +1s)

Here's one especially for my hardy attendees of the Brighton Landscape Photography Workshop I ran last Saturday, indicating that images like this were very much possible in the conditions we experienced - giving you a point of reference for future locations. It was taken using my 45mm lens (remember the discussion about our 50mm vision?) from the top of the pier we were standing on, across the entrance to Shoreham harbour to the other side, it's been cropped down to 16:9 to remove the top of the sky which added nothing further in the image.

I did of course use the Lee Big Stopper here to reduce light to the sensor, and also a 0.9 (3 stop) Lee Soft Grad filter pulled down to the horizon. It was taken just after 10am when the cloud started to move in, but sufficiently covered the scene without being too blotchy.

My approach to subtraction played a big part in the composition of... more »

2013-04-15 09:50:51 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 71 +1s)

Going back over old images, in the hunt for colour once again...

2013-04-14 09:43:46 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 47 +1s)

One taken at first light yesterday morning on my Brighton Landscape Photography Workshop, before the rain took hold later. Some very moody cloud and light first thing giving rise to some great colour, even the sea was nice and calm allowing for some atmospheric shorter exposures like this 13 second image taken with available light, a Lee 3 stop soft grad and a 3 stop Pro 0.9ND glass filter.

2013-04-11 22:05:10 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 76 +1s)

I've been interviewed in the May Edition of Outdoor Photography Magazine which is out now. It was an interesting experience - it certainly gets you thinking about things a different way. The image here is one which they picked for publication, almost a shot I had completely forgotten about! If you have amazing eyesight you can read the interview on my blog here: 

http://russbarnes.co.uk/blog/2013/4/feature-interview-in-outdoor-photography-magazine-may-2013

2013-04-01 19:03:37 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 48 +1s)

I've stuck religiously to 3:2 and 16:9 formats for a long time, but there has always been a thought in the back of my mind that I would eventually get around to an ARPS and even an FRPS panel. Knowing I had a decent number of images I was happy with for this purpose I recently joined the RPS at the FOCUS show with the intention of diving into a ARPS as soon as I can. I've been given the nod by a couple of people already that the content is there but panelling is another matter altogether. 

I've still managed to squeeze in quite a few of my favourites here, though there are some images I would have preferred to have been in the panel but they just didn't balance right or worth with the others. So this is my first pass. I say first pass but it took me a number of hours to decide on a short list of images and then add, subtract and arrange them until I got to this set. All I know at... more »

2013-03-31 11:01:31 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 59 +1s)

Yes, today is the day, the official start of the full on British Summer. Hmmmm. In one morning, I've already seen an orange sunrise, clear blue skies, now deep cloud and flurries of snow - absolutely par for British weather. And if we think this winter has been harsh, has everyone forgotten the months of continuous rain during last summer yet? Seeing the clocks go forward and watching the usual spectrum of weather reveal itself this morning reminded me to reach into last summer's archives for an image like this - beautiful Cotswold fields of Flax flowers with that ridiculously foreboding sky, but such drama of course makes for the most interesting images. It may be an unpopular statement but I'm actually hoping for much more this year!

_________________________________

If you want to look at more creative aspects of photography including Tilt Shift, Long Exposure,... more »

2013-03-31 08:14:03 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 80 +1s)

Taken during an all too brief gift of side light in another deeply flooded Warwickshire location on a 1-2-1 day, 25 seconds was enough to keep some semblance of shape in the cloud but lose the mass of ripples in the water so that those great reflections were visible.

If you want to look at more creative aspects of photography including Tilt Shift, Long Exposure, Intentional Camera Movement or otherwise, come and join me for my next workshop in Calais for what will be a day stuffed with scenery you won't find on the British coastline, sharpen your technique, learn something new, create images of genuine artistic merit that others don't have and expand your portfolio...These places are strictly limited, and are on a first come, first served basis. To see more details about the workshop and secure your place with a deposit, use the following page:
... more »

2013-03-30 07:10:28 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 68 +1s)

Thought I'd better get out some more of my long backlog of winter images while people are still in the mood. Truth is I could probably be posting these until July given the length of our winter!

If you want to look at more creative aspects of photography including Tilt Shift, Long Exposure, Intentional Camera Movement or otherwise, come and join me for my next workshop in Calais for what will be a day stuffed with scenery you won't find on the British coastline, sharpen your technique, learn something new, create images of genuine artistic merit that others don't have and expand your portfolio...These places are strictly limited, and are on a first come, first served basis. To see more details about the workshop and secure your place with a deposit, use the following page:

http://russbarnes.co.uk/calais_workshop_110513

Any questions at all, please contact me.... more »

2013-03-29 11:32:41 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 44 +1s)

Taken yesterday with my favoured Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PC-E whilst demonstrating the possibilities and use of Tilt Shift based compositions underneath Weston's somewhat white elephant of a pier. The clay mud which makes up much of the beach as the tide drops out is an absolute death trap so I was somewhat nervous making my way to this point to get the most of the reflections and the wonderful streaming rays of light from the spring sky.

If you want to look at more creative aspects of photography including Tilt Shift, Long Exposure, Intentional Camera Movement or otherwise, come and join me for my next workshop in Calais for what will be a day stuffed with scenery you won't find on the British coastline, sharpen your technique, learn something new, create images of genuine artistic merit that others don't have and expand your portfolio...These places are strictly limited, and are on a first... more »

2013-03-27 15:28:24 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 57 +1s)

I'm pleased to say that following the sell out success of my Calais based Landscape Photography Workshops, I've been asked a number of times if I would make some additional dates available. I've said previously that these locations are only worth visiting out of season, so I've found a gap in the schedule to plug in just one more date on Saturday 11th May to coincide with the right tide conditions.

These places are strictly limited, and are on a first come, first served basis. To see more details about the workshop and secure your place with a deposit, use the following page:

http://russbarnes.co.uk/calais_workshop_110513

Any questions at all, please contact me. Keep watching for more news to follow - I'm currently organising a weekend event for the Jurassic Coast.

2013-03-26 14:00:36 (10 comments, 10 reshares, 112 +1s)

A quick return to the sea for this, so many more to process...

Details of all of my workshops can be seen by clicking here: http://russbarnes.co.uk/workshops

In particular I still have spaces available for my North Devon workshop on 6th April:

http://russbarnes.co.uk/hartland_workshop_060413

2013-03-25 20:19:13 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 89 +1s)

This is a revisit of a mono image taken earlier in the year, but the latest round of deep snow giving me some new thoughts, so I've reprocessed this one, and despite how it might first appear, this is a full colour image - there's just a hint there of something which I now think needs to be preserved.

All I seem to have done lately is photograph trees and walk around in water-logged muddy aspects of our landscape to get to them in freezing conditions, blizzards and rain! While many mono photographers seem to stick religiously to the somewhat over-used square format and never deviate from that, I'm becoming dangerously obsessive with the width offered by the 16:9 crop. 

It was hard work getting to these trees and positioning myself. The snow had drifted and it was around 1ft deep across the field - I wanted the snowy side of the trees in between the gap in the background... more »

2013-03-25 15:30:56 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

The Nik Collection by Google: photography first, for professionals and more

Here on the Google+ Photos team, we're busy building tools for all kinds of photographers. Today, and for all the professionals out there, we're bundling the complete set of Nik plug-ins as the Nik Collection by Google. We're especially excited about three things:

1) It's more affordable. The entire set of plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture only costs $149 (versus the previous $499).

2) It's really powerful. The Nik Collection by Google gives you tools for everything from noise reduction and HDR imaging to creative effects and image sharpening (and lots more).

3) It's free to try. You can visit niksoftware.com for a 15-day free trial of the Collection.

If you've already purchased one or more Nik plug-ins in the past, then don't... more »

2013-03-24 17:38:17 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 36 +1s)

The complexity of this image might be too much for some, but I absolutely love this image and sums up the weather and conditions of late. Still, as I have said to others over and over, these are the moments not to cower inside glued to the internet all day but to get out there and capture something a little different in the landscape. This scene from an area to the West of Nottingham on the River Trent captures what I think is the essence of our slightly unseasonal weather and once again shooting with a telephoto option proving to be the most appropriate and effective companion for compressing the scene.

Details of all of my workshops can be seen by clicking here: 

http://russbarnes.co.uk/workshops

In particular I still have spaces available for my North Devon workshop on 6th April: 

http://russbarnes.co.uk/hartland_workshop_060413

2013-03-21 14:27:23 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 82 +1s)

A foggy French afternoon from one of my workshops in Calais.

Details of all of my workshops can be seen by clicking here: http://russbarnes.co.uk/workshops

In particular I still have spaces available for my North Devon workshop on 6th April:
http://russbarnes.co.uk/hartland_workshop_060413

2013-03-20 20:46:22 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 88 +1s)

More experiments with toning and cross processing, this one being a 3 second Tilt Shift Long Exposure taken on a shoot with the highly talented David Baker.

2013-03-16 13:15:56 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 48 +1s)

> pundamilia



#sepiasaturday  | #squaresaturday  | #tanzania  

2013-03-16 06:36:04 (12 comments, 6 reshares, 94 +1s)

I thought I would start my 44th year on this planet with a recent one from France I've just finished working on... I've taken many, many photographs from the coastline of the Calais district already, but this one from the last workshop I ran was one of the simplest yet. It was clear that these gulls were just going to stand together for a while, I'd been watching for a number of minutes already, so decided to go with a 30 second long exposure through the fog and see what we got and I love the end result to this. The tide was going out and had left a nice washed down beach so we were left with the essence of the beach; it's texture, the silver reflected light at the edge of the surf and of course it's favourite inhabitants, seagulls.

I have only one place left for my Calais workshop taking place on 14th September. I won't be running these workshops over the summer as these... more »

2013-03-15 14:13:06 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 62 +1s)

PLEASE SHARE!

There's definitely a mini series in some images I bagged on this day - here's the first in some new Tilt Shift work from the North East. I'd love to create a workshop up there but the facilities are non existent which pretty much rules it out.

Last call for places on a couple of my other workshops however - I have only 1 place available for my Piers and Dreams workshop taking place in the Brighton area on 13th April and 1 place for my Lumière Françaises workshop in Northern France on 14th September. Book now to avoid disappointment! Further details of each event can be seen here:

http://russbarnes.co.uk/brighton_workshop_130413
http://russbarnes.co.uk/calais_workshop_140913

2013-03-12 14:51:16 (11 comments, 3 reshares, 117 +1s)

Finally got around to processing some personal work, I'm still well behind!

Want to learn how to take compelling landscape photography, free from the constraints of convention and other people's opinions on what's 'right' or 'wrong', why not consider one of my workshops where we concentrate on composition and creating something of personal expression. Take a look at my current workshop schedule and just drop me a line if you have any questions at all:

http://russbarnes.co.uk/workshops

2013-03-07 09:55:15 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 77 +1s)

PLEASE SHARE!

The collision of Tilt Shift and Long Exposure being played out here again, taken on the same day as my last image "Rebourne". This time I was obsessing over the zebra type striped patterns in the flow, there was such wonderful texture that day, you just couldn't ignore it...

Due to a last minute cancellation I now have an unexpected seat for my landscape photography workshop in Calais this Saturday, 9th March. Contact me urgently for details and deals if you're interested. All other Calais workshops until September are sold out so grab this opportunity!

2013-03-06 19:54:48 (26 comments, 8 reshares, 136 +1s)

I'm way behind on processing, I have weeks and months of images waiting to be reviewed. I've been wanting to get at this one for a little while however - it comes from a day I went out exploring with Outdoor Photographer Of The Year, David Baker, and we ended up at Southbourne Beach in Dorset shooting some nice moody wave patterns. It's a quite wonderful place to experiment as the beach is formed of a great blend of shale and soft sand, ideal for shape creation like this. David has a similar image on his stream with a portrait orientation but I went wide with this one to try and accentuate the shape and also I've toned this one instead of a standard black and white approach - something I'm going to be doing more of to add variety to my output.

Due to a last minute cancellation I now have an unexpected seat for my landscape photography workshop in Calais this Saturday, 9th... more »