Archive for December, 2010


Posted on December 29, 2010 - by

Radiant Star during freezing fog

The Radiant Star LK71

(click on image to enlarge)

Another image from my series in and around Scalloway Harbour.  Pictured above is The Radiant Star LK71 surrounded by freezing fog.  I took a night exposure of the same boat which can be viewed at http://www.benmullay.com/blog/2010/12/24/the-radiant-star-lk71/.

-Ben


Posted on December 24, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 24

Merry Christmas

Well folks, we’ve reached the finale of my Digital Advent Calendar 2010 series.  I’ve certainly enjoyed putting all the tips together and hope that you’ve taken learned something along the way.

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone.  I’d like to thank all my customers and everyone who has taken time out to look at my website/blog.  It’s been a busy and enjoyable year at Ben Mullay Photography so stay tuned in 2011 for my latest news and developments.

I’m going to leave you with a song synonymous with Christmas which I’m sure will get you in the spirit for tomorrow.  Enjoy!  I hope to see you back in the New Year and remember to take lots of photos over the festive period.

All the best

Ben


Posted on December 24, 2010 - by

The Radiant Star LK71

The Radiant Star - LK71

(click on image to enlarge)

One Burra fisherman definitely appears to have embraced Christmas this year!  Pictured above is the Radiant Star LK71 whose skipper is Victor Laurenson.  The boat is an impressive sight from East Voe with the decor reflecting on the water and Scalloway Castle in the background.

To purchase this image please visit http://www.benmullay.com/gallery/index.gallery.php?gid=1&img=1

-Ben


Posted on December 23, 2010 - by

Freezing Fog at Scalloway Harbour

(click on image to enlarge)

This photograph was taken in Scalloway.  The low frozen fog was very dramatic which is visible in the image.

-Ben


Posted on December 23, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 23

Calibrate your monitor

I’ve had numerous people ask me why the colours on their monitor look different to their finished print or on the back of their digital camera.

Digital photography colour management is quite involved but the first step in improving your workflow is to calibrate your monitor which will help you achieve consistent and accurate colours.

There are several calibration tools available but the one I use is the Spyder system from Datacolor.

The process is very simple.  Install the software included with the device and then follow the on-screen instructions connecting the Spyder when prompted.  The device will go through the calibration process which takes approximately five minutes.  On completion you will be shown a ‘before and ‘after’ image on your screen to show the effect the calibration has had.

This is the first step in your journey to ensuring accurate colours but remember to recalibrate your monitor at regular intervals as the colours can shift over time.  Repeating the process once a month would be my suggestion.

-Ben


Posted on December 22, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 22

Macro Mode

Today’s tip is based on getting the most out of macro mode on your digital camera.

By setting your camera to the macro mode you are telling the camera to give you the nearest possible focusing distance available which is great for photos of small objects like flowers, coins etc.  Macro capabilities can vary between cameras/lenses but my tip is applicable to all cameras/lenses with a macro mode.

What you need to know is that the minimum focusing point of your lens is better at the wide-angle end than the telephoto end.  Below is the focusing distance specification taken from a typical digital camera:

Macro: Wide: Approx. 8cm – 80cm  * Telephoto: Approx. 60cm

As you can see, the closest focusing distance at the telephoto end of your zoom is 60cm; however, zoom your lens back to the wide-angle setting and your closest focusing distance is now 8cm.

So, if you’re doing close-up photography I suggest you get closer to your subject rather than racking your lens out to the telephoto end.

-Ben


Posted on December 21, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 21

Photographing Snow

We’ve been having a lot of snow recently so I thought I’d share a tip on how to ensure that the snow in your pictures is white rather than a dull grey.


The problem with snow, or any white subject, is that the light meter of your camera is fooled due to its reflectiveness.  What you need to do is to override your camera’s light meter and tell it to overexpose the base exposure.  This overexposure is necessary because a camera’s built-in light meter views neutral grey as the optimum exposure, so it will try and expose a scene to get the overall photo to equal neutral grey. So, when you have bright white, the camera will expose the scene to make the white grey by underexposing the photo.

If you have a compact digital camera, I suggest you search through the scene mode settings to see if you have a dedicated ‘Snow Mode’ which will adjust the settings automatically for you.  If you have an advanced digital compact, digital bridge or digital SLR camera you can dial in a +2/3 to +2 setting using the exposure compensation facility.  Just remember to adjust the compensation dial back to zero again once you’ve finished in the snow.

-Ben


Posted on December 20, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 20 (Guest tip from David Gifford)

Guest Tip by David Gifford

When Ben asked if I would write a wildlife photography tip for the advent calendar, my first thoughts were of technical settings or to recommend some fantastic (and probably expensive) camera equipment.  But to photograph wildlife you often need something more important – a bit of luck.


Photographing wildlife differs from the likes of studio or portrait photography, in that there are many things outwith your control.  But, as Bobby Tulloch once wrote, luck can be expressed as ‘being in the right place at the right time’.  And that being the case, you can greatly improve your luck with some knowledge: research and explore the best wildlife locations, observe and read about animal behaviour, check out the latest sightings on www.nature-shetland.co.uk, think about what to photograph at different times of the year, and, depending on the subject, think about the position of the sun, the direction of the wind and the state of the tide.

The more time you spend in the field, the better your chances of making great wildlife photos.

www.davegifford.co.uk


Posted on December 19, 2010 - by

Studio Portrait Session – Lewis Umphray

Despite the snowy weather, Dawn and her son Lewis made it safely to the studio for an enjoyable photo session.  Pictured below are a few of my favourites.


Posted on December 19, 2010 - by

Digital Advent Calendar 2010 – Day 19

Sensor Cleaning

Today’s tip is a follow up to my entry on Day 8.

If you own a Digital SLR and end up with dark spots on your photographs then it’s more than likely that your sensor needs cleaning (see figure 1).  You have two options:

1. Get your local camera store to clean it for you

2. Do It Yourself

Figure 1 - Before and After Sensor Cleaning

If you are going to undertake the cleaning yourself you’ll need specialist equipment to undertake this.  DO NOT clean your digital camera sensor unless you have the correct cleaning equipment and are confident in what you’re doing.  A damaged sensor will be extremely expensive to replace.

I’ve seen a few different sensor cleaning systems but the one I recommend is the Delkin Sensorscope System.

To see a brief demonstration on how to clean your digital with the Delkin Sensorscope System please watch the video below.

The Delkin Sensorscope System is available to purchase here.  If you know someone who owns a Digital SLR and you’re stuck for Christmas gift ideas you may wish to consider this product.

BONUS TIP 1

I think it’s important to differentiate between dust in and around your camera’s viewfinder compared to actually having a dirty sensor.  My test is to take a photo of a blank piece of white A4 paper and then look at the image on your computer monitor.  If you look around the image and see any black spots then that is sensor dust.  If you see no black spots then you have nothing to worry about.

BONUS TIP 2

To access the sensor on your Digital SLR then you need to use the ‘Mirror Lock Up’ facility on your camera.  If this function is shaded and cannot be accessed the chances are your camera battery is not fully charged.  You can only use the ‘Mirror Lock Up’ facility if your battery is at 100 per cent.

-Ben


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