Project 365 day 90

A colourful and sweet Easter haul. The bounty from our Easter egg hunt this morning. I couldn't resist all the bright colours here. Shot with an aperture of f/4 for 1/60sec using the built in flash on my camera.
Happy Easter to all my Flickr and Blogger friends.

Project 365 day 89

A diptych of my two cats, Lulu and Charlie.

Project 365 day 88

Homemade sausage, egg and bacon quiche. Shot with an aperture of f/4 to keep a slightly shallow focus, and lit with a macro led ring light from above. Still practicing with food photography and starting to like the results but I still think I can improve.

A selection of monochromes from my portfolio

 Spitfire at the Battle of Britain Memorial in Capel, Kent.

War grave of an unknown soldier of WW2.

 Howling wolf shot at Wildwood Animal Park Canterbury, Kent.

 Candid Couple walking at Ruculver, Kent.

 Couples portrait shaot a Broadstairs Harbour, Kent

 Sleeptight.

 Small pine cones shot with natural light to create the shadows.

 Rusty padlock shot on a beach hut at Westbrook, Kent.

 Mooring line shot at Whistable Harbour, Kent.

 A collection of anchors shot at Deal, Kent.

Lady Irene shot at Deal, Kent.

Project 365 day 87

The gift of light. Shot in manual mode with an aperture of f/4 for 1/20sec. As I've said before I love the feeling that comes with candles and candlelight, the warmth, the romance and the calming effect. I like the reflection that comes from candlelight as it hits nearby skin and the way it created highlights and shadows on the hands.

Project 365 day 86

Homemade garlic bread with herbs and cheese. Shot with an aperture of f/4 for 1/100sec to create a shallow DOF and lit from above with an LED macro ring light.

Moon shots from 26/03/2013

A couple of shots of the moon just taken tonight from just outside my front door, I had to handhold the camera as my tripod is out of action at the moment but I'm pleased with the results. These were both taken at full zoom 720mm withe the first shot at 1/100sec and the second at 1/50sec.

Project 365 day 85

A purple flower for Purple Day.

Purple Day - 26 March will be the official day that increases awareness of epilepsy all across the globe. So what has the colour purple got to do with epilepsy?

Well the answer is that lavender is the international colour for epilepsy. Why? Because the lavender flower is often related to the isolation and loneliness that people suffering from the condition often feel.

The colour was actually chosen by a girl called Cassidy Megan, who launched the day with the help of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia. The aim is for people suffering to feel less alone!

The reason its so important to get this message spreading around the world is because 50 million people suffer from the epilepsy worldwide. An MP in Canada has even introduced the Purple Day Act to parliament in Canada - lets hope they pass that bill!

Unfortunately there is often a stigma attached to epilepsy - a stigma that needs to be eradicated. While some people will remember their seizure, and others will have no memory of it happening, depending on the type of seizure that they have encountered. Although there is no cure currently, avoiding triggers is said to help.

Triggers include stress, a bad sleeping pattern, exposure to flashing lights and forgetting to take medication.

So what can you do to help? You could become an Ambassador of Purple where you live. This basically means getting your purple gear on and educating loved ones and local politicians about epilepsy.

Whether you decide to be an ambassador or not, your role wil be similar. Get your purple clothes on, even paint yourself purple learn the quick facts by visiting the Purple Day to raise awareness and show people you know what you're talking about! Plan a fundraising event, any sort of event that involves the colour purple, whether it be a bakesale with purple cupcakes or something else you can think of!

I took this shot using a 4x macro filter and a macro led ring light.

Project 365 day 84

Swirly Colours. Well as Spring doesn't seem to have sprung and Winter still seems with us, I wanted to try and brighten things up. I had these markers lying around and they looked so colourful I decided to include them in my 365. I've seen some photos like this before but the lines were just straight so I wanted to give it my own twist and go for swirly lines instead.

Project 365 day 83

RED. This shot started as a candid portrait and ended up being more about colour and contrast.

Project 365 day 82

Welcome to the digital age. I was sorting through my photography gear and and came across a small selection of the digital storage I have acquired over the last few years. This is just a small selection and ranges from micro m2 and SD cards for mobile camera-phones to smart-media, SD, compact flash, multimedia cards and all the adapters and then several usb drives for backing up and transporting. I remember my first digital camera only needing a 128mb card for hundreds of photos, this has gradually increased to 8gb as I have bought new cameras over the years.

Project 365 day 81

Water droplets. I've been wanting to do some water droplet photos for ages and today seemed like the perfect day as it is World Water Day.

Each year on the 22nd of March it's World Water Day. First celebrated in 1993, the day was established by the United Nations to celebrate the importance of freshwater around the globe.

Over 45% of the world's land surface is covered by river basins, and over 75% of all countries have their boundaries within shared river basins.

All around the world events will be held to celebrate freshwater and promote its sustainability, and every year there is a different theme.

From water and our future to sanitation and water scarcity, the day aims to keep us informed, and in a whole host of different ways!

Around the world there will be an array of events, from musical performances to galas, art shows and seminars.

It looks like 2013 is shaping up to be a bigger and better year than ever for raising awareness, because 2013 has also been designated as International Year of Water Cooperation by the United Nations - so why not get involved? Find out all you need to know by dropping by the official website today!

I shot this photo with the shutter set to 1/2000sec and an aperture of f/4.5 and I used the pop up flash on my camera as it is the only flash I have that is synced. The droplets were made from a rubber glove, with a couple of pin holes in the fingers, suspended above a tray of water.

Project 365 day 80

The passage from sea to land. I took this photo while out for a walk this morning, I only had my camera phone with me as I wasn't planning on getting a photo this morning, I liked how the footprints of everyone who had made this trek were visible for others to follow and the different textures and contrasts created in the picture by natures elements and mans need to explore.

Project 365 day 79

The aliens are coming. Lego alien figure from mini-figures series nine. I added the sword to give the figure an even meaner look. I was running a bit behind schedule today and wanted something quick for my 365 photo today so a quick rummage in the kids toy box and I came up with this. The background is a sheet of black card curved to create a continuous backdrop and the light is provided by a pen-torch set up to light the backdrop behind the figure. Shot with a shutter speed of 1/2sec and an aperture of f/4.5.

Project 365 day 78

Royal Flush. While sorting out a cupboard I came across some of my old poker stuff, I used to play regularly but haven't had enough people interested in a poker night for quite a while, so I thought I'd put it to use once again and get a decent photo out of it before packing it away again.

Project 365 day 77

The light in your hands.

Project 365 day 76

Beauty on a grey day. As its an absolutely miserable day I didn't fancy going out in the rain but wanted to do something different from shooting set up shots in doors, this was the best compromise a shot from inside of the outside world. I like the refracted view in the raindrops on the window and the slight reflection of the camera lens. I shot this with a shallow depth of field so that the detail could only be seen in the refracted image.

Project 365 day 75

Congratulations Wales Rugby Team, 6 Nations Champions 2013.

Project 365 day 74

Red Nose Day 2013 (Comic Relief). I chose this shot to raise awareness for Comic Relief (red nose day) which is today 15th March 2013.

Red Nose Day - we are asked to get our red noses at the ready!   Comic Relief is also asking us to 'Do Something Funny for Money'.

You can make a difference by showing struggling people that hope is possible.   Ready to get started?

Fundraising activities take place all over the country- there are so many ideas to choose from!  Take inspiration from the options on the Red Nose Day website, or your own brain - I bet it's full of ideas.

So how has the money raised in the past made a difference? Previously 4 engineers from Exeter each dressed up as a superhero and raised £250! A sum like £250 can provide ten people living in slums in Kenya with a loan to start their own business - and allow them to feed their family.

The vision is simple: Comic Relief wants to free the world from poverty. People in Africa and the UK are being helped by the money we raise to protect, educate, feed and free those in need.

Pre-order your fundraising kit now and start planning your red nose day games!   It doesn't matter if you're a pupil or a worker, young or old, this is everyones chance to be silly!

You can also make a simple donation by clicking here.  And after all your hard work is done, don't forget to lie back and enjoy the special Comic Relief that will be shown on the BBC!

Project 365 day 73

Playing with fire. I wanted to capture the sparks from the flint in the lighter and the inevitable flame. I shot this in manual mode with an aperture of f/11 and a 1 second shutter to allow time to strike the flint and get a flame.

Project 365 day 72

MS Awareness Week. I decided on this shot of BOB (Multiple Sclerosis Trusts mascot) to promote MS awareness week 11-17 March in America and 29 April to 5 May in UK. Just want to say thankyou to my two kids who ran round the house to find lots of blue things to make this picture.

MS Awareness Week is about encouraging people like me and you to give people with multiple sclerosis a chance. So what is it exactly?

In short: a progressive disease affecting the brain and spinal chord. The effects can vary from person to person, so to understand more about the different levels and symptoms take a look at these <a href="http://www.imaginis.com/multiple-sclerosis-symptoms-diagnosis/what-are-the-symptoms-and-effects-of-multiple-sclerosis" rel="nofollow">MS facts</a>. In 2012 the campaign slogan urged you to 'Be bold in blue!' That meant anything from blue-themed parties or cake sales to ... dyeing your hair blue! It didn't look good on me before, but for charity ...

There are plenty of other options too. Why not give a talk in your local community? Or if public speaking isn't your thing write a letter to your local newspaper - or even skydive to raise money!

It will be a challenge but worth it if we can draw attention to the cause and help suffers at the same time.

And don't forget to get on facebook or twitter and post facts to raise awareness or make your picture blue. Online networking campaigns are usually so successful because information is delivered so fast between everyone. And the sooner the better!

For more details about <a href="http://www.mstrust.org.uk/msawareness/" rel="nofollow">MS Awareness Week</a> go to the official website.

Deep Depth of Field vs Shallow Depth of Field

I was just reading this article on the Digital Camera World website about depth of field and the factors that affect it. Quite interesting reading and informative.

Deep Depth of Field vs Shallow: 10 common questions and answers | Digital Camera World

Project 365 Day 71

National Salt Awareness Week. I decided to create this image to raise awareness for national salt awareness week.

In 2013, National Salt Awareness Week will be running from 11-17 March, and it aims to give you the low down on salt intake. And this year the focus of the campaign is on salt reduction - "Less salt please".

It's all about taking control of the salt you use during food preparation and ensuring that you use less salt. Of course, it's easy when you are the person in control in the kitchen. That's why organisers of the campaign will be speaking to chefs, fast food establishments and takeaways to ensure that they are made aware of the implications of a high salt diet.

Did you know that stroke is the third biggest killer in the UK. Salt is the major factor that raises blood pressure and high blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke. Reducing average salt intake by just 1g/day can prevent at least 2,600 deaths from stroke every year, plus the additional thousands of events that do not result in death.

You may think a sprinkle of salt on your food might not do much damage, but eating food high in salt can result in a whole host of health problems.

Organised in association with the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), the week aims to get you thinking and realise that a high salt diet can affect anyone, not just those with problems like obesity, which people often think.

When you think of salt-related conditions, the first thing that crosses your mind might be heart disease, but salt can also cause problems like osteoporosis, kidney disease, and even stomach cancer. NAtional Salt Awareness Week 1 Each year the awareness week works with great charities like the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK to raise awareness.

Throughout the week you can get involved by visiting the official National Salt Awareness Week website.

I lit the image from the right slightly above the salt to create a slight shadow and to help define the letters.

Project 365 Day 70

Playing around with candles again, I wanted to capture the different colours that make up the flame. I like the depth in this photo and the bokeh created by the flames in the background with the contrast of the sharp flame at the front. Again I have used a cloudy setting on the white balance to create the warmth in the colour of the wax. I used a 10x macro filter to allow me to get in close without burning my camera.

Project 365 Day 69

Happy Mothers Day. I love black and white especially for portraits, I haven't done much in monochrome lately so I thought today would be a good day for a mono portrait of my wonderful wife on mothers day.
Happy Mothers Day to all the Mums out there.

Project 365 day 68

The power of three.

I love candle light, the feeling it creates when you look at the candles, the warmth and the coziness combine for a romantic atmosphere even from a few simple tea lights.

 I shot this with an aperture of f/4 to create the depth and I used a cloudy white balance to create the warmth of the white wax.  I used a 10x marco filter to help get in close.

Project 365 Day 67

Endometriosis Awareness Week and International Women's Day

Hi ya all, I am ‘the wife’ and I am here to say a few words about endometriosis. It’s a condition where the lining of the womb migrates out of the womb and attaches itself to any organ with in your body. I had a very common case where I had endometriosis on the back of my womb (between the bowel and womb), over my fallopian tubes and both ovaries. Every month like the lining inside the womb, endometriosis thickens and when menstruation occurs it bleeds, but it has nowhere to go. The pain can be agony and soul destroying but the thing that hurts even more is the lack of understanding from friends, family and even health care professionals. I went through 10 years of this pain, it started only being when I was bleeding but gradually starting to get where I was in pain most days of each month, not to mention the bowel problems. Friends and family got mad with me, “Why are you always ill” “go lose some weight and you will feel better” “you just need to walk it off” I didn’t go out or socialise and a lot of people walked away. Then to make a bad situation even worse my doctors didn’t even take me serious. I had a number of operations to see what was wrong, I had several different pills, coil, implant to help but these only made it worse. I would go and see my doctors who would imply it was all in my head. I did start to doubt myself. However, I had a very supportive husband and two children I had to get well for. After 6 different gynaecologists and many hospital stays, I found my current gynaecologist. Within 6 weeks of our first meeting he had me in for exploration surgery and he found endometriosis. He destroyed what he could but it sadly made no difference to the pain. So on the 10th January 2013, at 30 years old I had a full hysterectomy. I now have no womb, fallopian tubes or cervix but had to keep my ovaries to prevent me going into menopause. It was a mess inside my abdomen. The pathology report also stated I had adenomyosis which is like endometriosis but inside the muscles of the womb. I will continue my fight against the endometriosis as it will probably grow back on my ovaries until I hit menopause. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me or say how strong I am because I am not, I am just like everyone else, but I want people to realise that someone you know could be suffering like me who needs a friend. Read up on endometriosis, understand that they have physical pain but also emotional, they might be suffering with infertility or the prospect of surgery, and understand if they are not their normal bubbly self. Understanding goes a long way, ignorance only leads to hurt. Spread awareness!

http://www.endometriosis-uk.org/index.html

The aim of Endometriosis Awareness Week is to draw awareness to a condition that often goes unrecognised and therefore untreated in women. So what is it exactly?
The problem arises when the tissue that usually grows inside the womb starts growing in other places in the body. While the tissue in the womb falls away with a period, this tissue remaining on the outside can lead to cysts and scar tissue. For more information and endometriosis support visit the website.
Do you want to help women with endometriosis? Well, you can and in so many different ways! All you have to do is ask for a fundraising pack online and get planning your own event. Host a dinner party for your friends and ask for a donation - or do some spring cleaning and hold a jumble sale! We all have stuff that we don't use or wear hidden away and I bet if you got other people to band together and do the same you'd soon have a great event!
From a Lapland Husky Trail to cycling round India - Endometriosis UK have done it all.
Now it's time to show what you can do!

I chose this shot to raise awareness of Endometriosis Awareness Week and thought it fitting to use the Marilyn Monroe Lego figure as she was just one of the many women who have suffered this debilitating condition. I chose to wait till today for this shot as it is also International Women's Day and the most inspirational women I have ever known is my wife who has batted through thick and thin with this condition as well as others.

Project 365 Day 66

World Book Day. I set this shot up to promote awareness for World Book Day today 7th March 2013. This is a small selection of my families favorite books, especially my children's. My son (my eldest) at 5 has just started to read on his own and both he and my daughter (4 years) love books and having mummy and daddy read to them.

World Book Day now that's my idea of the perfect awareness day! I love to read and that love is shared by people all over the planet. The main idea is to encourage children to start enjoying reading at an early age, so that they carry on this enjoyment into adulthood!

What's so great about reading anyway? For a start, reading and writing are at the heart of learning and communication - essential for raising smart kids! There can be a more serious side because we read newspapers to find out about important world affairs.

But we can also escape, find excitement, love, and adventure in fiction. A good book can take us to a different place altogether, and is basically just a lot of fun!

So, National Book Tokens is sponsoring the day and encouraging schools everywhere to take part! A schools' pack will be mailed out from mid January onwards with your £1 book tokens. Bookshops all over the UK will happily accept them!

The pack will also contain ideas about fun events and activites you can arrange for your pupils on the day. You could suggest holding a world book day assembly in advance, so everyone is in the know about this great day!

Make a huge transformation to kids lives with your raised funds by donating them to a sponsor charity. Book Aid International sends 500,000 books to libraries in sub-Saharan African and Palestine to make sure everyone has the same access to good quality books.

World Book Day also supports Readathon, the UK's national sponsored reading event, which gets children actively reading. As well as raising money to help seriously ill children, participating schools get free books from Scholastic Book Clubs. 

Project 365 Day 65

World Maths Day. I set this shot up to raise awareness of World Maths Day today 6th march 2013.

World Maths Day 2013 wants to give pupils a change from their usual maths lessons and ask them to compete in live maths games! The bigger the number the better!

Each student will move up through 5 levels and can play a maximum of 500 games. But, if you're a bit of a potential Einstein you can play more games if you want! The extra points won't be added to your personal score but will get added to the Mathometer.

Schools everywhere are encouraged to get involved. The games will improve arithmetic and help kids see maths as more of a fun activity. This way, children who have a bit of trouble might see it as more of a doable challenge! All you have to do is register your class and wait for your simple instructions!

It's not just schools that can take part either. Students at school and home are encouraged to take part as long as they have internet access. The event is aimed at 5-18 years, but we bet there will be teachers and parents sneakily having a shot too!

If you or your class do really well, there are plenty of prizes up for grabs! Gold medals, trophies and certificates are all open to you. Find out all the information you need to take part at the official World Maths Day website.

Do you have an iPhone? You can easily play the games from that too!

The day was first launched on 13 March 2007. In 48 hours over 287,000 students from 98 countries participated to crush the world record and answer 38,904,275 questions correctly.

In March 2012, World Maths Day became an even bigger event, by becoming part of The World Education Games. This is a global education event, where all students and schools from around the world are invited to unite to set a new world record for the numbers of questions correctly answered in maths, spelling, and science.

Project 365 Day 64

World Spelling Day. I took this shot to highlight world spelling day today.
Students everywhere will be participating in World Spelling Day! Spelling is such a key part of literacy - we need to be literate to be educated and go on to get a good job or to do something as basic as write our name, or enjoy a great book.

There are so many reasons why literacy is so important and unfortunately many people in poorer countries won't get the chance to learn. Why? There is a lack of trained teachers, not nearly enough textbooks and not enough involvement in children's learning. So how can you help?

To take part, teachers, parents or pupils themselves just need to register for free online. It's as simple as that. The games are designed for students aged 4-18, in school and at home and any adults that want to take part too!

On the day students will get to play in up to 100 word games and earn points for the right answer. Pupils that come top in the word puzzles will also win a prize!

To help UNESCO make a difference to countries like Vietnam and Africa all you have to do is make sure you're sponsored in March. To download the fundraising pack and find out more information visit the official World Spelling Day website.

Project 365 Day 63

Which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Project 365 Day 62

Freshly cut. Home made fruit tea-loaf with figs, apricots, sultanas and cherries. I took this shot after one of my wife's bake sessions. I lit the shot with a macro led ring light held to the right hand side and shot with an aperture of f/8 to get most of the loaf in focus while slightly blurring the tiles in the background. I like the textures in the shot but especially like the crumbs and cut marks in the board from cutting this loaf. Lovely tasting while fresh and when it starts to stale it will go into bread and butter pudding.

Project 365 Day 61

Abandoned cauliflower. I spotted this cauliflower sitting on a wall while out for a walk this morning, I couldn't resist taking a picture because of all the textures and colours of the cauliflower and the moss on the wall. I took the shot with an aperture of f/4 to blur the trees and the graveyard in the background while keeping the moss on the wall in focus. I got loads of shots while on the walk but this one stood out the most as it seems so out of place, the graveyard backs onto farmers fields which probably explains why it ended up there rather than someone buying it and leaving it there.

Project 365 Day 60

Macro pencil. Shot in manual mode with an aperture of f/11 to give a strong focus throughout and an exposure of 1.5sec. I used natural light to light this shot and was battling with the sun disappearing behind clouds at the worst time. I liked this shot because it highlighted the grooves in the graphite caused by sharpening with a knife.

Project 365 Day 59

DVDs. I shot this picture to try out shooting from different angles, I like the way your eyes seem to be drawn into the picture looking along the line of titles, I shot this with an aperture of f/4 to give a sense of depth along the shelf. I also liked the varying array of colours.

Project 365 Day 58

Good old fashioned toys. I love old fashioned toys like this wooden train-set that we got my children, we first bought a small set when my son was just over a year old and have added to it over the years, both my children have played with it since a young age. it has taken many knocks, drops, chewing, bashing and still continues to outlast any of the newer style toys they have. It has bought many hours of enjoyment and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come.

Project 365 Day 57

Happy Birthday. A cake for my wife's birthday today.

Project 365 Day 56

All spiced up. Raiding the kitchen for inspiration, garlic, shallots, rock salt, bay leaves, mixed peppercorns, cloves, star anise, cardamon, coriander, mustard seeds, rosemary and cumin. I keep trying food photography and ingredient photography, i think I'm getting better but know there is still some way to go before I am truly happy. 

Project 365 Day 55

Rock star. Lego mini-figure from series 7, I set up this photo using a sheet of white paper to make a continuous backdrop and a usb strip light to light the figure from the front and create the multiple shadows in the background, like stage spotlights.

Project 365 Day 54

Roll of the dice. I set this image up using a tray with some paper on it for the background and to try and contain the dice, (a bit unsuccessfully). I used my macro led light to light the shot from the left and a usb led lamp to light from above. I used my camera's inbuilt flash to help with light as well, the camera was set to f/4 with 1/200sec shutter.