Saturday 26 November 2016

Vanity publishing


I really like to see my pictures printed, the bigger the better. But are there other ways to display them?

I wanted to look at some of the alternatives. This got me thinking about books. I hoped it would be a good way to bring a selection of my pictures together in one place. I could show them to people just by handing over the book.

There had to be theme, a story. What better than a decade of cycling photography.

Ten years ago I started cycling again after a break that started when I got my first motorbike. No pictures exist from back then. I've made up for it, this time around. 

It took some time to go through them all. Almost every ride results in a picture or two and I cycle most weekends. Then I chose the forty that I liked the most. I decided to make two books. The first one contained some specific journeys. London to Paris, the South Downs Way and trips to Brighton. Mostly bike shots. The second book contained more people. I wanted to show the people who have kept me cycling.

I don't expect to sell any books. It's just for me. An indulgence.

I might produce more books. I have so many pictures that aren't viewed very often, even by me.

To see a preview my books and purchase them. Click here.

I'm thinking Family and Beauty Portraits. Why not add your address to my mailing list. You'll be informed about future posts. Follow me on twitter. 

Please checkout my website and facebook page. And leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.


For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.
and 




Sunday 6 November 2016

Jumping ship

This might be a bit of G.A.S.

I am always reading on forums and blogs about photographers jumping ship to another manufacturer.

I know each one replaces their line-up at a different pace. Bringing improvements and new features before the competition.
But invariably they all catch up.

So what would tempt someone to sell all of their Canon kit for example, to be replaced by Nikon or Sony etc?

Pro quality lenses hold their value well, so selling them wouldn't incur too much of a loss. Camera bodies though don't fare so well. And the manufacturer specific accessories, they may not find a new home. Why not wait until the upgrades or improvements come to your system? That way you will only be looking at a new body.

Pro photographers can do the maths. They write off their equipment over the years. They can calculate how long it would take to recoup the cost of the change by work generated from having the new feature or ability. They use it more heavily, so could look at it as partly replacing old kit.

But what about amateurs? I replaced my camera body for one that had better ISO performance, higher resolution and I must admit to a bit of G.A.S. But I made sure it was going to be compatible with existing lenses and accessories. Otherwise it would have been too expensive. I have also gotten use to the layout and menus. There were some new features, or different ways to set it up. But no big changes.

Had I swapped manufacturers it would have almost been like starting again.

There is an upside to this. There is plenty of used last generation equipment for sale. For when I convince myself I need a newer camera.

Please checkout my website and facebook page. And leave a comment on this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post. And my website.


For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.
and