A Scottish road trip
Having had a really busy couple of months in the gallery, I decided to have a few days off over Christmas and have a photographic trip up the north west side of Scotland. So plans made and accomodation booked, my partner Trudy and I eventually made it out of our village, and a snow covered Derbyshire and headed up the M6. I had been constantly checking webcams and weather reports for Glencoe, Skye and Wester Ross. The weather looked awful, I was banking on a clear spell for a few days whilst we were up there. The weather gods did not let us down, we had some fantastic light to shoot in. The one downside to our journey was that I forgot my tripod, and was cursing my rush to get away. So no slow shutter work for me.
So the gear in my shootsac was Fuji Xt1, X pro 1, 14mm 35mm 18-55mm and the trusty 55-200mm and of course a plethora of batteries and chargers. I also took along my often used Epson p300 for backing up my images on.
The Buachaille Etive Mor is possibly the Uk's finest looking mountain apart from maybe Tryfan, Its no soft looking hillside thats for sure, and the dusting of snow gave it even more presence. The light and timing of our arrival could not have been better. We spent an hour in and around Glencoe.
Then onward to our overnight stop at Onich on Loch Linnie. Dawn broke to the most fantastic view of the loch and the snow capped peaks of the highlands.
The drive to the Isle of Skye took us through a very quiet Fort William and a cloud covered Ben Nevis through Glen Shiel and on to the Kyle of Lochalsh.
On the way out of the Glen not 100 feet from the road was a rocky outcrop on which was a 12 pointed stag, had I missed the shot of the championship. We couldn't stop safely and nowhere nearby to park, but even today I am gutted in missing this a chance to capture an iconic iimage.
Once on Skye we turned off left at Broadford and went along the narrow but pretty road to the little village of Elgol, where by miracle of miracles the late afternoon light was epic, and only a couple of other photographers. The foreshore was full of image potential with fantastic rock formations, to detail shots of kelp and huge pebbles, I wish I could have had a whole day to explore the varoious viewpoints.
Having enjoyed a lovely nights rest and food at our hotel north of Portree, the following morning saw us once more on the road, going up to see the Old Man of Storr, however the light was awful, I had a terribel cold and felt quite miserable so we decided to head of up to Wester Ross for the final leg of our journey. As we journeyed northwards the weather started to change, became much cloudier and the forecast was for rain.
So our last stop was on Loch Maree, which I have wanted to photograph for awhile, the light whilst not perfect was interesting, trying to find the right composition via soggy and deep boggy moorland was a trial, but I think I satisfied myself with the images I shot.
Looking forward to spending a full day on and around the Loch, we enjoyed a lovely meal and an enjoyable stay at our B & B at Gairloch, alas the weather the following day was miserable with rain and low cloud hanging over the hills, we therefore decided to call it a day, and head home.
Looking back over the whistle stop tour, I was glad that I had got my planning and timings right, every stop we made was a photographic treat, yes the stops were short, but in a way it meant more focus on getting the best i could, rather than relying on a re shoot. However the key to this trip was the change in the weather, something a photographer has no control over. The only downside was leaving the tripod at home. We covered over 1200 miles in 4 days, and marvelled at some of the most iconic scenery imaginable.
UK Landscape Photographer of the year 2014
Absolutely delighted to have one of my images chosen as a finalist in this years awards. Getting an image commended is really nice. it will be featured in an exhibition at Waterloo station held on the mezzanine. I am really looking forward to going to the opening night. The image will also appear in the yearbook. Congratulations to the winners of this years award, and all the finalists, some truly spectacular images of our beautiful land. My commended image, was taken near to the hamlet of Sparrowpit in Derbyshire.
Fuji Xt1 six months on
Six months into using the Fuji Xt1, I thought I would update my initital review. Over the years I have used nearly every Nikon model from film through to digital, my last Nikon was the D3, a truly superb bit of engineering, and a very well thought out camera. After 4 years of ownership I was becoming tired of it, not only down to the weight of the beast and attached glass, but because I felt the camera was owning me and not the other way around. I felt my photography was being done by the camera, with very little input from me. I wanted to be inspired again, remove myself somewhat from the electronics. Hard to believe this camera appeared in the Uk late 2007.
So my journey of re discovering my photography came through the purchase of the Fuji x100, yes that bloody quirky camera !, that little camera delivered superb images, set me on the Fuji path. Given my photographic needs I followed up that purchase with the Fuji X pro 1, and started to aquire some lenses. The 55-200, and the 14mm, along with some legacy glass from Olympus zuiko. Still I felt for some professional assignments where speed was required the Fuji's were a little lacking. Though image quality had never been an issue. So when the Xt1 was announced I jumped for joy, no more carrying the D3 around for that moment when a little action occurred. I can now honestly shoot a portrait session or wedding day without worry.
Since owning the Xt1 I have had so much shooting pleasure from it, yes it has the electronics and all the gizmos, most of which I rarely use. I feel I am in control again. The pleasure of the analogue dials, the shooting film again experience. What Fuji have done for me is to give me my soul back.
One thing I do feel though is that the Xt1 is a much different shooting experience to the X pro 1, although the fuji quirkiness is still present, it feels more refined in it operation, and thats where I feel Fuji need to beware. By packing more and more into the body, in terms of buttons and bells and whistles, it may, and I say may lose the appeal of so many fans. As it stands the Fuji Xt1 is a fine small camera, that delivers great images, while still retaining that user experience. Fuji have established a superb collection of Cameras, and a selection of lenses which are sharp and contrasty, but the pressure to add stuff needs to be controlled. So for me the biggest changes that I have appreciated are file quality, af performance, shooting speed, build quality, the retro dials and overall appearance. Everything else thay could have left off, nice to have on occasion but for everyday use, think I've maybe used the swivel screen once or twice.
For me the camera has some weaknesses, the lack of a decent flash system, and I can only refer to the Nikon's system which is brilliant. The battery management indicator, and general battery strength though, are woeful. I know we can buy extra batteries, and i have several, but shooting all day requires these, but then it starts to negate the weight saving aspects. The flash system for me is not that much of a put off as I shoot available light for the most part, still a pro camera, deserves a pro system and to me Fuji need to deliver on this.
Many have commented on the image quality differences between the X pro and the Xt1, yes they are different, but to me and I shoot for print, I genuinly have not been able to see that much difference between the two, sure the Xt1 has some NR going on but you can turn that down, overall the image quality is pretty similar and still has that Fuji look to its files. AWB is very good, most lighting situations are handled very well. The big difference for me is when using larger lenses, whereas the X pro felt unbalanced and compromised, the Xt1 feels great. When I'm shooting weddings I rig the X pro 1 with the 35 1.4 and leave it on all day, the Xt1 carries the bigger lenses.
Quick focus aquisition even with the slow 55-200 is not an issue, as the above image of a red grouse i was stalking shows, the Xt1 is a capable camera able to deal with most situations when you understand it.
So to wrap up this review and I apologise if I've waffled anywhere. The little Fuji Xt1 is a grown up camera, not without its quirks and oddities, but they can be easily overcome. Brings speed and image quality over the earlier models, retains the same form factor and aesthetics unique to Fuji. The sensor is sublime, and at 16mp prints very large. Trust me I have gone 4 feet with images from the camera. I feel personally for me this camera along with the X pro1 is ideally suited for most of my needs. Its doubtful I will need to upgrade again for awhile unless it breaks.
The Gritstone Edges
If you ever visit the Peak, then you should spend time walking some of the Gritstone Escarpments that abound in the area of the dark peak. These edges sometimes run for miles, and offer some of the most scenic views anywhere in Derbyshire. Stanage, Bamford, Curber, and Froggat edges are my favourites.
Given the right weather these places are fantastic for photography, especailly now as the moorlands are full of purple hues from the heathers that are in full bloom. I ventured out yesterday on a very blustery day, the odd heavy shower certainly spiced things up a bit. However the light was exceptional, scudding clouds allowed bursts of sunlight through to highlight the landscape. On top of Curber walking to Froggat, the winds over the top were super strong, and battered you into submission, so that you had to find shelter on the leeward side of the edge.
The only lens I used yesterday was the 14mm combined with a couple of Lee nd grad filters just to balance the exposure. The Fuji Xt is such a nice camera to have about when out hill walking, as usual it delivered superb images.
Whats most unusual for me is shooting images for the colour impact alone, how could it be any other way.
The Swallow Ballet
This is an update to my earlier post.
I have the pleasure of watching these 2 swallow chicks being fed quite close to our house. With some ninja tactics I managed to get a position which allowed me to witness the feeding ballet between parent and chicks. Problem for me was the pair of younsters were quite far apart, I never knew which one she would pick to deliver the goodies to. Concentrate on the left chick, she would feed the right one. All this flight and feed, happened in the blink of an eye.
Even at 1/4000 of a second on high speed drive, I didn't get all the action, they are just so quick. The images were shot with the Fuji Xt1 and 55-200 mm lens. The best reults came from having the lens set on A/F C (continuous focus) set to focus priority release. That means the camera will only fire when the subjects are in focus. I think the sharpness and IQ from the 55-200 are fantastic, its a great lens. Sadly the family have all taken to the wing, after a few short days they are now zooming about like daft things. Not be too much longer before they make the long trip south to Africa for the winter.
