JOHN ALEXANDER PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

Hand-made, custom frames from old doors, fences, cupboards... etc.

2012-01-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

If you read my blog on my 'John-Made-Frames - how they are made' last year, you may (or may not) be interested to read about the most recent and the upcoming frames to be made.

Since I posted that blog a few months back I have had a lot of interested from individuals with a spare, plain wall in their house which they would like to fill up with one of my photographs, super-sized and complimented by a custom-made, very original frame.

I have made frames out of old cupboard doors, window frames, retired fences, former gates, drift wood, reclaimed beams from demolished houses and old door frames. Basically anything with an aperture in it, I will make a frame out of it! If you have any ideas, please send them my way!

The latest photograph and frame is a beach scene in Mexico completed with old oak beams.

Since those whom I have shown the photos and frames to didn't realise how big they are from the blog post in December, I have regrettably decided to put myself in the photographs to illustrate their size.

The ones in the photographs have already been sold but I am able to make similar styles:

The Mexico Print - Story behind the image:

Nun's Cross Farm: The story behind the image:

Corfe Castle: The story behind the image:

I apologise for the poor photography in this post - as you can see I had no part in the process. I hope you can still get the idea.

Please email me on info@johnalexander.me.uk if you are interested - We can then design the photo/frame combination of your choice!

John

The Calligrapher, Wan Chai, Hong Kong - John Alexander Travel Photography

2012-01-23T03:42:00.000-08:00

John Alexander Travel Photography - The Calligrapher, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

After roaming the food markets in Wan Chai for an hour or so I hadn't found anything of particular interest. It is hard to take any more than quick snapshots of the vendors in market stands as it is too fast paced and I always feel I am getting in the way of their potential customers.

On the way back, feeling a little deflated about how the morning had turned out, I headed to Central for a spot of Dim Sum.

Just as I was about to hail a cab, I noticed an old man setting up a small stool and fold-away table across the street in front of an un-opened shop front. He began un-ravelling some of the red paper inscribed with chinese poetry, typically to be hung on doorways throughout the Chinese New Year celebrations for good luck.

Brushes and inks were laid out systematically and previous inscriptions were hung up on the absent shop-keepers real estate (you snooze you lose).

I approached him and asked if he would prepare some calligraphy for my brother, my girlfriend and myself and asked his permission to photograph him. He obliged.

He asked me for my chinese name and I replied "Teen Ying" which means Heavenly Eagle (of course).

My brothers: Teen Yat (first son or something similar)

CE-LI-A for Celia (She doesn't have a chinese name).

As he carefully dipped his brush into the pot of black ink and dabbed it to get rid of the excess, I took a series of photographs hoping to capture a bit of his personality as well.

This is how I prefer to take my travel portraits - It is mutually beneficial, not just to photograph him unawares like the paparazzi. We both feel more comfortable and I always take better pictures this way.

Each time he had finished an inscription he pulled his brush back and took a brief moment to admire his creation.

As the ink was drying, he told me the meaning of each inscription he had hung up and gave me a brief calligraphy lesson - he was less than impressed with my version of "The Year of the Dragon". As I have been told I write like a 6 year old dyslexic child and am unable to draw even a slight resemblance to a stick man, chinese calligraphy was hardly going to be my forte was it?

I later found out, over Dim Sum with my family, that my brother's 'Teen Yat' I had asked him to write actually turned out to mean 'Green Day' instead of "Heavenly First Born". Apparently I said 'Tsing Yat' instead of 'Teen Yat' - Hey ho, close enough.

Kung Hei Fat Choy "Happy New Year", I hope you have a prosperous Year of the Dragon.

John

John Alexander Photography

www.johnalexander.me.uk

The Balinese Fisherman - The ordeal/how I took the shot

2012-01-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

The light surf lapped against my feet as I contemplated photographing a fisherman I could see about 1/2 mile out, casting his net into the surf from the knee-deep shallows of the warm Balinese waters.

The sunset in the distance had already begun, the oranges and reds fading into a blueish hue as the sun dipped well below the horizon. In my hand I held my Canon 5D with a wide-angle 24mm f1.4 lens attached to it.

As I waded chest high with my Camera held high over my head, I slowly drew nearer to the fisherman. The current was stronger than I first thought and I soon became increasingly aware that what I was attempting was actually quite dim. I had waded almost 100 metres out, each incoming wave splashing salt water into my face. Soon, the water became more and more shallow as the sand was replaced by a plateau of the volcanic rock.

Standing on the rock plateau next to the fisherman resembled that sharp feeling of agony when you step on a piece of LEGO by accident. It was excruciating. The fisherman, however, stood casually in the waves in bare feet, clutching his net and carried a yellow basket with an array of different creatures flapping and wriggling inside it as he moved. I asked his permission to take some photographs of him. He smiled with a hint of confusion and waited for the right time to cast his net.

I had my 24mm lens on which means I had to be around 0.5m away from the fisherman for him to fill the frame. While I hunted for a less painful shard of rock to stand on, the fisherman cast his net into the incoming surf. I missed this of course but as he pulled the net back towards him, I was presented with a more unique shot as he 'fished' his hand into the net, just below the surface, to inspect his potential catch - I raised my camera and took the shot.

I managed to reel off two more shots before the fisherman walked casually along the the rock plateau to another casting spot. On the verge of tears, I bravely began retreating to the beach, by which time the tide had come in, to the amusement of the on-looking beach-goers. I had to make a slight detour but managed to survive with my camera and my dignity intact.

I finally reached the beach and began picking the fragments of rock out of my feet - As I write this in Oxfordshire, UK I still have a little piece of that Balinese, igneous rock embedded in my right sole.

JOHN ALEXANDER BEST GAME-SHOOTING, DRIVEN PHEASANT SHOOTING PHOTOGRAPHY 2011 - RURAL SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER - WWW.JOHNALEXANDER.ME.UK

2011-12-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

If you would like any more information about the images or would like me to follow your shoot - See my website www.http://www.johnalexander.me.uk

Thank You and "like" it below if you like it!

John

John Alexander Driven Pheasant Shooting Photography

2011-12-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

A lovely day with Eddie in Oxfordshire on Saturday - Blue skies in the morning complimented by hideous rain, sleet, hail, snow and wind in the afternoon - Provided some unique and dramatic shots which made up for the drenched individuals involved...and dogs

My link to my game-shooting Photography if you would like me to cover your shoot -

John Alexander Game-Shooting Photography

John Alexander Game-Shooting Photography 06.02.12

2011-12-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

John Alexander Game-Shooting/Pheasant Shooting Photography

2011-12-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

A recent game-shoot in Buckinghamshire in lovely but freezing weather

To view my Game-shooting packages see my website:

http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/Sport/Rural%20Sports/Game-shooting.html

My turn - Textures

2011-11-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

After seeing my guests at my recent workshops photographing textures and getting some great images doing it (link), I felt the urge to take some of my own.

Today I saw faces everywhere - I promise I didn't go looking for faces. That would be a little sad. Look! I even saw Elmo on a water tanker. Its getting weird. My friend Anna and I laughed as soon as I pointed it out.

Donald Duck?

A Weird Bear or something. It freaked me out. Please someone help!

Shall I do a face exhibition? That would be fun wouldn't it? Everyone who enters a good face (not set-up) can exhibit?

Lets do it!

John

John Alexander Photography - Workshops

2011-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

Having just finished 3 weekends of workshops from the Jurassic Coast of Dorset to the hustle and bustle of London to the traditional farm of Oxfordshire I feel so excited to add new dates next February!

It was so much fun and I believe everyone had a great time learning the fundamentals of photography in some beautiful locations. Click here to see some behind-the-scenes photographs.

I was staggered by how quickly everyone picked it up and produced some amazing photographs - Have a look here at some guests favourite photographs of the day and some kind words about their experience.

If you would like to improve your photography, I have just put some new dates up for February next year. The aim of the course is to make you see with "photographers eyes" in a very relaxed atmosphere in some great locations around the UK.

Click on the link and find out which location you would like and what date suits you best!

http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/workshops.html

Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you

John

www.johnalexander.me.uk
info@johnalexander.me.uk
07828135696

Passers-by - London

2011-11-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

When scouting out for my London Workshops which take place in February next year, I noticed this homeless man right in the middle of the path. This view of St. Pauls is not a unique one. I often see photographers with their tripods in this position. However, this homeless man with his dog transformed the scene from a landscape photograph into a portrait. I initially attempted to use a long shutter-speed of 30 seconds but noticed it was completely completely blur! Apparently Millennium Bridge is constantly moving plus the passing footsteps jolted my tripod as they walked passed. So I opted for a slower shutter-speed to keep everything sharper. I also knew that these relatively slower shutter-speeds would blur the commuters as they move past me. I had to take a few shots as the man and his dog moved in some exposures. Eventually the shot came together when the man and his dog remained stationary momentarily and the sudden influx of commuters brought more drama to the image. Can you have a portrait photographs and not show their face? I think you can!

Custom-made Frames, The history and the making behind the creation.

2011-11-08T03:30:00.001-08:00

Its hinges ripped off from its now naked, weathered frame. They took them purely for their scrap value. The hinges were sitting motionless, when I found them, crammed in a cob-web infested, cardboard box stowed away from eyes view with similar others who had met the same fate.

When dragged out onto the floor into the light, it was only too easy to see the harsh reality of the world we live in. The clanging of iron against iron resonated around the room as I sieved through the corroded box of metal, some bits flaking off in my hand.

I finally found the pair of rusty hinges which matched the door I had picked out from the others, like a scene from CSI. The old bolt hung loosely from the hinges, which once connected the two together giving its door-like qualities. I re-kindled the hinges back to their original door-frame for the first time since they were torn apart from each other nearly 20 years ago.

I left with the old door and its hinges bouncing around in the back of my car ready for their transformation.

I "scooped" out the middle with hammers and saws to leave just the outside frame

Wax with a matt finish to give it back its old, gnarled looks again.

Hinges placed back on the door-frame to give it back its character and to show its history.

Some poor photography with my camera phone

Finished off with non-reflective glass, white mount and Nun's Cross Farm print.

Overall size is 2 metres.

NEXT!

Olde Tractor & Why Cameras are Rubbish!

2011-10-20T04:15:00.000-07:00

While scouting out possible locations for my future Oxfordshire workshops I came accross this old farm. I knocked on the door and asked permission from the owner to photograph some of the barns - Rex, the owner, slightly bemused, gave me the nod.

This is finally the shot I was looking for. I have been back and forth to this same position 6 times in the last 3 days.

This 1974 Ford tractor sits in the old hay barn waiting for its turn to shine again - Rex told me that the cylinders are shot, and the exhaust system is broken as well. It used to get let out once a year to cart the hay out to the lambs for winter bedding in the barns on the hill. Now it stays in situ for 11 months of the year. It reminded me of Brum.

I walked around the barn, thinking of how I would compose the picture. Eventually I pulled the tripod legs out and found this spot - I looked down as one of the tripod's legs wasn't sitting on the ground properly. I looked down in the dark corner and discovered that I had put my tripod leg entirely through the semi-rotted body of a rat the size of a beaver. I let out a subtle yet masculine-ish yelp and hit my head on the wooden beams above me.

After removing the corpse, I realised why this scene was so difficult to photograph.

Why Cameras are rubbish!

CONTRAST

Very simply, the contrast is the range of brightness in the scene. A high contrast, as in this photograph, shows there are very bright parts of the image (entrance of the barn on the left) and very dark parts of the image (the roof or parts of the beams).

When looking through our eyes, we can see the detail in the brightest part of the image AND in the darkest shadow but the camera cannot. Without getting too technical - our eyes have a higher dynamic range than the camera - Our eyes are able to pick up a larger range of brightness than cameras can.

Here is an example:

Here is the finished shot of Moreton Forest in Dorset. You can see that it is a high contrast scene. This is how I saw it with my eyes.

This is how the camera sees it.

This is the first image I took - See how the foreground is well exposed but the trees at the top are completely white and overexposed. This is because cameras can not see the amount of brightness as our eyes can.

This is the second shot I took - I made the shutter-speed faster to let less light, giving a darker image than the previous.

You can see now that the foreground is under-exposed but the trees are well exposed.

This scene had a too high contrast for the camera to deal with... so what do I do?

GRADUATED FILTERs

For any landscape photographer, in fact, any photographer, these are a must. Graduated filters reduce the range of brightness (dynamic range) of the image. By placing them over the brightest part of the photograph (usually the sky) the camera is now able to cope with the amount of brightness of the scene.

I placed this filter over the trees until half way down the image and the camera produced this photograph.

Piece of cake!

John

John-made-frames

2011-10-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make my own frames. Friends and family have nudged me towards framing courses, however I don't want to make standard frames, I want to make frames that are different. I am bored of thin black frames.

So today I went on a mission, I found this beat-up old window frame and loved the rusty handle and broken hinges on the sides, giving the frame its individual charm and character. This is something that most frames lack in my opinion.

I got it re-glazed and removed the wildlife from the corners and I was ready...sort of.

Now I have this frame, what image do I put in it? Scroll through my images on my website www.johnalexander.me.uk and you will find pretty much zero vertical images, let alone a panoramic vertical image that was needed for this frame. I had to shoot a new image.

I went to scout out my Oxfordshire workshop location as I knew there are some great textures there - rusty door handles, latches, peeling paint that would look great in this frame.

I found this old school tractor I thought was might work - gnarled beams, bales, clapped-out old Ford Tractor. Seemed like a pretty good recipe to me.

I would love to know what you think of the frame? Shall I do another one?

John

Andalucia - Spain - Textures & Patterns

2011-10-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure that I was the only person on the plane who looked up at the sky when stepping out of the plane and hoped billowing clouds would appear.

Clear blue skies are great for holidays but not so great for landscape photographers as there is no drama in the shots. I want stormy skies, colourful sunrises and big waves.

Due to terrible weather (for landscape photographers!) and perfect heavenly weather for everyone else, I changed my mindset, and instead of looking for the usual big sweeping scenes, I aimed for TEXTURES and PATTERNS.

Look for bold colours, simple patterns, and textures. It is hard to convey it on the web but when these photographs are printed they will look sharp and as if you can peel off the paint with your finger!

Peely Paint - My favourite.

Abandoned buildings scatter the landscape around Almeria. When most people lie by the pool, gradually tanning themselves until burnt, I found myself climbing through collapsed roofs of abandoned farmhouses and treading on their dodgy floors with rotten beams.

I asked this fisherman in my perfect GCSE standard Spanish if I could take some photographs of him repairing his fishing lines. I thanked him and as I left he asked to be interviewed! I didn't think my Spanish would stretch as far as hooks, fishing lines, and species of fish, so instead I smiled and ran away before he thought I was more gifted at Spanish than I actually am.

Moreton Forest - Composition Tips

2011-09-30T03:01:00.000-07:00

Forests can be notoriously messy. Trying to find a simple composition is difficult as the forest floor is usually full of twigs and dead branches which makes the photograph chaotic. In my photography I try to make my photograph as simple as possible. This simplicity makes the viewer's eyes look straight at the intended object/view and does not distract them from other elements in the photograph.

The low lying mist that hangs on the forest floor helps to simplify this image. There is now no distracting background and the viewer is directed straight at the pine sapling dwarfed in the midst of its elder brothers.(photo above)

I have ranted about lead-in-lines on many a blog post. I use them in the majority of my landscape photographs. A lead-in-line creates the perception of a 3D image because it adds depth to the photograph. You can use paths, railings, stairs, basically anything that invites the viewer into the photograph from the foreground right through to the background.

Again, the image is simple and neat. There was a blur of a disobedient border terrier in a couple though.

I hope you like them.

John

London Vehicle Management - James Alexander

2011-09-29T07:56:00.001-07:00

My Brother's new website:

http://www.londonvehiclemanagement.co.uk/

"London Vehicle Management is a personal vehicle management service. It has been designed to minimise time and hassle spent buying, selling, insuring and maintaining your vehicle. We are focused on getting you the best deals possible - aiming to save you money without compromising on quality".

2011-09-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

At 5 o'clock I hit the road to Corfe Castle. There is almost always some sort of issue before my dawn shoots. I am rarely prepared because I genuinely roll up in the covers the night before convinced I will be too lazy to get up in the morning at 5am.

However, this morning, the sound of what seemed to be a screaming child resonated around the room forcing me to get out of bed. Thank you Mr. Fox.

How do I know if the weather is going to be good?

It is vital to look at the weather forecast. You do not want to plan for mist and get there only to find it is raining. Hot days and clear, cold nights are ideal conditions for mist. I checked the weather outside and on-line before setting the alarm for the following morning. The weather forecast is usually fairly accurate 24 hours in advance, if you check any earlier, the weather will probably have changed so check it as late as you can.

How will I know where the best shot will be?

Scout out your location before heading out. I knew exactly where I was going to place myself on the hill before I took this shot. Heading out to a new location and trying to find a composition there and then is going to make you rush and in turn your shot will look rushed.

Be there before sun-rise. I walked up the hill to take this shot 45 minutes before sunrise. I knew that when the sun rose I would be looking straight into it, causing camera flare issues so I wanted to take a photo before the sun had fully risen.

Corfe Castle - How I took the shot.

This was literally the first shot I took of the day. I was there for a further two hours but this was the best shot. I arrived as the mist swirled around the castle and the village. The reds and oranges were already appearing on the horizon, increasing in their intensity every second. The colour arrives first before the sun rises, so it is important to get into place before the sunrise time.

My camera's white balance is set to daylight, not AWB (auto). I am in Manual mode. Usually I work in Aperture-priority mode but when creating a panoramic from 3 photographs stitched together you must have the same exposure for all shots before merging them in Photoshop.

For Camera Geeks:

Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Shutter-speed: 30secs

Aperture: f/11

Iso: 50

Black Labs - John Alexander Pet Portraiture

2011-09-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

This is Ruby the Runt ( I think).

Couldn't decide which one I liked more!

If you would like your puppies or your other pets photographed, (for a Christmas present to a family member for example). Yes, Christmas advice in September! Give me an email info@johnalexander.me.uk. It is terrible part of my job, but someone has got to do it!

John

The Cotswolds - Landscape Photography

2011-09-17T03:36:00.000-07:00

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

I was on my way to Broadway Tower and spotted this undulating field by the side of the road to Broadway. Rolling hills don't usually exist in Oxfordshire but I managed to find the only one. What drew me to the scene, in a split second whilst driving, was the dark, atmospheric sky from the rain storm, the meandering graphic lines and the gentle slope which obscures the horizon. Graphic, bold shapes and lines added to side-lighting mixed in with a dark sky is the perfect recipe for a landscape shot (sorry for the cooking analogy).

I looked over my left shoulder, I knew the sun would light the scene as there was a patch of blue sky through which the sun would eventually shine. Filters, tripod, camera in hand, I ran out of my car and set-up while the afternoon sun side-lit the bales. A few minutes afterwards the rain started again and the scene was lost.

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

I spotted this tractor in the adjacent field to the Bales shot above. Taken with a portrait lens which blurred the background. I placed the tractor in the corner as it frames the image. I noticed the primary colours of the blue sky, yellow tractor, and red wheels and plough which work in harmony. Yes... I know art...however this is about as complex as I get.

(Click on image for 1200 pixels)

The winds gusted around Broadway, at the top of the Cotswolds. A quick set-up was needed as the gap in the clouds lasted just a few seconds. I partially obscured the sun with Broadway Tower to achieve the sun-star. I particularly like the back-lit reeds swaying in the breeze in the foreground.

Dunstanburgh Castle, Alnwick

2011-08-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

"When bales bail" - King Sutton, Oxfordshire.

2011-08-12T02:06:00.001-07:00

Photographers out there who are dedicated to capturing great landscape photographs will know that driving around aimlessly, hoping to find a nice location before the sun goes down won't work. You must have found your location, composition and the angle of the sun on your subject before setting out on a shoot. You can't just drive around and hope to stumble on the perfect scene. I have done my fair share of this, before realising it is very stressful and un-rewarding. However, saying this, I found myself in this situation yesterday.

The previous afternoon I had attempted to take a shot of King Sutton, Oxfordshire from the top of a hill (standing on top of a hay bale - see photo).

Taken with Camera Phone

That afternoon I waited, like a true landscape photographer, for the sun to break through the clouds, bathing the scene in front of me with the warm, golden, late afternoon light. Of course I was also willing on the clouds to part and the sun to beam across the landscape. This didn't happen.

The sun never reached the foreground bales so the shot was a write-off instantly. I waited until after sunset, when the blue light of twilight contrasted with the artificial light of King Sutton church and this is the scene that presented itself.

Shutter-speed: 30secs
Aperture: f13
Iso: 200
0.6 graduated filter

I was fairly happy but I wanted the golden sunlight to side-light the trees and bales. I asked the farmer of the field how long the bales would be there for. He replied "oh....they'll be there for a while yet". The next day I went back only to find they had been removed and my chance had gone. Great. I had abandoned my chances for a steak in the pub for this and now I will go completely steak-less AND not get the shot. The light was becoming better and better as the sun neared the horizon. I had no location to shoot.

I then drove around King Sutton attempting to stumble across the perfect scene, preferably containing bales. I drove into this field on the other side of King Sutton and asked the farmer who was baling round bales if I could take some photographs on his field.

After shutting his door to the tractor I literally ran around the field trying to find a composition that would work before the sun merged into the grey skies on the western horizon. I found this track, made from a tractor, which acted as a great lead-in-line to the photograph.

As I say on my landscape workshops, "Remove the clutter, anything un-deserving in the picture, and "keep it simple, stupid". Leonardo Da Vinci coined the phrase "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" but I like the other one better!

Shutter-speed: 2secs

Aperture: f11

Iso: 50

0.9 graduated filter + Polariser.
Shot with red filter to convert blue sky into black when converted into black & white.

Simple lines, dramatic sky. Job done...just.

John

Nurbergring, Germany

2011-08-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

Every year My dad, my brother and I go to the Nurburgring, Germany.

It is a public racetrack where you pitch up, pay 24 Euros and drive as fast as you can around 137 corners.

I thought I would post on my blog as it is vaguely photography related.

(Click on photograph for larger version)

My brother watches a sequence of BMW M5s being tested on the track before the track opened.

(Click on photograph for larger version)

Panning gives a great impression of speed. I used a shutter-speed of 1/40 of a second and followed the car as it screeched around the alpine roads surrounding the race track.

(Click on photograph for larger version)

The trick to panning is to use a slow shutter-speed and follow your subject throughout the exposure. In this instance, I used a 1/40 second

Houses of Parliament - London

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Houses of Parliament - London

(Click on photograph for larger version)

I waited for the sun to dip below the horizon when the natural blue twilight complements perfectly the artificial light of The Houses of Parliament. There is about a 5 minute window when the light is at its best. If you are too late, the sky renders completely black and the photograph loses its impact and colour; too early and the blue will not be vivid enough.

You are probably thinking... 5 minutes? That is loads of time to take a photograph. 'Its a very piece of cake', as my French skiing instructor used to say.

However, with the hustle and bustle of London and a popular spot with photographers, couples, and the Spanish out in force, there was a very small window when there was nothing obstructing my view. In fact, even in this photograph people were walking past my camera. Why can't you see them? As long as they keep moving they have been registered as non-existent. Unfortunately it seems to be impossible to make someone disappear in real life in 30 seconds unless you are Houdini.

"Pot of Gold" - Oxfordshire near Chipping Norton

2011-07-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Nr Chipping Norton

As I left home, the rain was torrential. The last time I felt rain like this I was stuck in a monsoon on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam. Forrest Gump would have called it "fat rain".

I waited in my car just outside this field for around 2 hours in the "fat rain" until it finally stopped intermittently 15 minutes before sunset. I waded through the soaking wheat field in my waterproof.....jeans with an umbrella in one hand, shutter-release in the other.

After finding a composition I was happy with I set-up and waited for the sun to dip into the clear band of sky on the horizon. As soon as it did the sun bathed the Oxfordshire countryside in an impressive orange hue. If that wasn't enough, a faint rainbow appeared on the horizon. It began to get more and more impressive, eventually I could see every colour in the spectrum. I took the shot when I could see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Lottie the Black Lab - Pet Portraiture

2011-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lottie, a 9 week old Black Lab.

If you have a pet you want photographing, please give me an email info@johnalexander.me.uk

Dunstanburgh Castle

2011-05-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

(Click on image for larger version)

After missing the amazing sunset light I decided to take the plunge and get up for sunrise. I clambered over some drunks who would never had known I'd left, if I hadn't have dropped my phone from the top bunk, swear, tread on numerous body parts of another human who slept below me and tripped as I left the room. Once waking everyone up, a short walk to the castle was needed.

I had slightly mis-calculated the sunrise time so I was there a good hour early. This meant I was able to negotiate the wet, volcanic rocks in complete darkness until I found a spot that looked promising. I waited for the sun to rise left of shot, with the half moon still present in the sky.

I waited for a big wave and clicked the shutter when the sunlight through the wave could be seen.

In my landscape workshops I always say to use "lead-in-lines". In the majority of my landscape images I use this technique to subtly direct the eye towards the main focal point of the image. In this case, I positioned myself so that the breaking waves in the foreground would create an imaginary line up to the castle (the main focal point). The barrelling wave on the left also produces a line from outside the frame leading into the castle.

I had my tripod's legs wedged between the rocks hoping it would stay stable enough as the waves crashed against it. In order to get this shot I had to be thigh deep in the North Sea. Luckily, I selflessly decided to wear my best friend's favourite pair of jeans (sorry Oli) so it worked out nicely...for me.

Nun's Cross - Dartmoor

2011-05-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

(Click on image for larger version)

A shot I found in my archives from last December.

This abandoned farmhouse is, in my books, the most inhospitable place in the UK. It is constantly wet, it is always windy and it never fails to rain/hail when I visit. However, I keep finding myself driving back whenever I get the chance.

This location favours a winter sunrise which is at a fairly inoffensive time of around 8am. A 45 minute drive and a 20 minute walk is needed to get in position before the sun rises.

I skidded down the ice covered lanes and reached the car-park, ready for the short walk to the farm. It registered -2 degrees from the temperature gauge in the car, however with the wind-chill factor it felt around -15 degrees, ever so slightly warmer than my girlfriends damp, student bedroom.

I placed my camera about a foot away from the old gate so that the farmhouse fitted in-between the slates and took 3 shots from left to right to form a panoramic format.

As the sun rose, the low contrast, winter light shone briefly onto the farmhouse which made it stand out from the dark, moody sky.

Spring Lambs

2011-04-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

This lamb thought I was its mother for a few seconds. It came right up to my lens as you see here. A second or so afterwards you could see the panic in her eyes as she realised she'd been a bit gormless.

I have seen my fair share of lambs this season. These lambs were in a neighbouring field, I spent an afternoon commando crawling through their excrement to capture these up and personal shots.

I found that in the afternoon sun the sheep became very lazy and not as skittish. If I walked towards them they would run away as soon as they saw me, but if I crawled on my stomach, they didn't flinch. I could photograph a lamb and give it a stroke afterwards. A few of the younger ones would come and investigate to see what I was doing, knowing that a human wouldn't dream of lying down in the poo they just created. When they confirmed that I was doing just that they scampered away.

How can we eat these? They are so cute and inquisitive, each has their own little personality.

After the sun went down and I was told to wash as dinner was served. Lamb chops, my favourite!

John Alexander Wildlife Photography - KENYA - EL KARAMA

2011-02-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

To be a good wildlife photographer one must have an in-depth knowledge of the subjects which are to be photographed, their physiology, their psychology. Ones bookshelf must contain many books on various animal behavioural models by leading theorists. My bookshelf happens to be predominately littered with mini-stories by Jeremy Clarkson. I, however was not to be phased by this and hired a big zoom lens which on inspection could easily be used as a murder weapon, and hopped on a flight to Nairobi.

I was adamant that I wanted to achieve more than just a record photograph of the animal but to produce a dramatic portrait using different lighting techniques. I have put underneath each image how I have used the light.

I hope you enjoy the images!

(Click on an image to view larger)

Four Ostrich underexposed with their feathers backlit by the late evening light. The dust helped too to give the overall scene a more orange hue.

A grazing Zebra backlit by the setting sun. I used the foliage to frame the image and to give depth to the image.

Sunrise over Mt. Kenya - I scouted out this shot the previous day. I climbed onto the roof of the Land-cruiser in order to have a clear view over Mt. Kenya. The muted colours lasted just seconds as the sun rose left of shot. Simplicity is the key to landscape images: Mountain and sky, with few silhouetted Bosquia trees breaking the horizon.

Side-lighting - A Giraffe looking in to the low morning sun.

Back-lit and underexposed Grant Gazelles grazing on the plains. Odd numbers always work better in photographs. I waited for them to produce a pleasing shape then took the photograph.

Front-lighting - The warm colour temperature of the car headlights contrasts nicely with the cool twilight sky. When the sun goes down, doesn't mean photography isn't possible!

Front-lighting - Two Giraffe graze near the water-hole. Love his tongue!

I have completely fallen in love with El Karama. Thank you so much Sophie and Murray for having me to stay.

Also a big thank you to my sister, Claire, for driving me and putting me into position for all the shots you see here!

John

John Alexander Game-Shooting Photography - Favourites of the 2010 season

2011-01-30T06:24:00.001-08:00

PETER & STELLA

2011-01-29T07:56:00.001-08:00

Thank You Peter & Stella. I'm really excited about seeing which photographs you choose for your albums!

To see the entire slideshow:

http://www.jeaphotography.co.uk/WEDDINGS/PETER&STELLA/PETER&STELLA.html

John

MEXICO - TULUM & ISLA MUJERES

2011-01-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

Tableau of Mexico

LOST - Series 7

Most English holiday-makers search for that pristine, flour-like sandy beach in which to nestle their toes. They are then able to lay down their beach towel and wait for their skin pigment to kick into gear, so when they arrive back into the grey skies of Heathrow friends will comment on their likeness to that of Eddie Murphy and Naomi Campbell.

On the footsteps of the house beckoned the weathered, volcanic, rock platform which stretched out towards the incoming crashing waves. Reef shoes were a must in order to navigate the angular igneous rocks and dead brain coral that replaced the sand.

I didn't want the cliche sand, sun, blue skies and turquoise sea. Of course, non-photography-wise I did, but as a landscape photographer I wanted something original. I noticed two wooden structures on the beach which resembled a reconstruction of the 5th November with Guy Fawkes being the honoured guest for the evening.

The sun set over my right shoulder but was stuck behind a large storm cloud. I was hoping that it would re-appear before the sun set. I wanted that warm directional light to blend with the cool blue hue of the shadowed areas of the shot. The clouds in the distance were perfect, exactly what I look for in a landscape shot. The waves added a raw, wild quality to the image with the addition of some movement which makes the shot I think. After a half an hour wait, the sun finally shined through a tiny gap in the cloud for 30 seconds or so before dipping below the horizon. This was just enough time to take 4 x one second exposures which are then blended together in photoshop to make a panoramic format. I couldn't have had better light for this scene if I tried!

VW Beetle

Morton Forest

2010-12-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Click on photograph for bigger version!

Earlier on this year I got lost in this forest by choosing to venture "off-road" in the attempt to cut the duration of a dog walk. I was getting bored and it was almost pitch black. I fell over many branches and holes in doing so. After one of my stumbles I looked behind me and even though it was almost dark when I saw it, I knew at the right time of day this view would be worth a shot.

Last weekend I scrambled back to this spot. The low winter sun crept below the high-growing branches of Morton Forest, back-lighting the wilting bracken that dominates the forest floor. The brown wilting bracken is given new life as the sun's rays transform the dull brown into a rich golden hue. The incoming light filtered its way through the trees, diminishing every inch as strives deeper into the forest.

Usually I arrive at a location for sunrise or sunset but because the sun is so low in the sky in December the light is pretty good for almost the entire day. I arrived here at 2pm and fine tuned my composition so that the foreground trees framed the image and there wasn't a tree right down the middle of the frame.

Next...The sun-star.

Sun-stars are quite difficult to get right. You need to fine-tune your position so that the sun is partially obscured by an object so you get a small flare of light coming into the lens. If you have too much light coming in there will be coloured specks all over the screen, too little and the sun-star loses its dramatic effect. After moving the tripod many times within the bracken I finally found the sun-star needed to make this shot work.

When taking the shot I had to hold my breath as it steamed up my lenses and filters clouding the shot. This is 5 shots stitched together, each 10 seconds long. I didn't want to wait in between shots because if the sun moves slightly my sun-star will change so I opted to hold my breath through all exposures until the last one had finished. The shots were done and I was knackered.

Equestrian Photography

2010-12-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

My knowledge of horses is frankly... embarrassing. However, learning... I am.

Next year I am hoping to cover equestrian photography in a reportage style much like my wedding photography. Yesterday was my first experience in this genre of photography, and frankly the lack of knowledge was rock bottom.

What position does the horse look its best when it is jumping?

What kind of shots would you like of your horse?

What makes a good picture and what makes a bad picture?

What is the routine before an event?

All these questions, however simple they are, need to be answered. Any photographer will tell you how important it is to know the subject you are shooting, whether it is landscape photography, wildlife photography, wedding photography or sport photography you need to be able to predict what is going to happen before it does.

This is why I asked Annabel if I could take some photos of her practicing with her horse, in hope of finding the answers to some of these questions.

When I set-up this side of my business I am hoping to cover an individual client through their day of eventing, starting from the "prepping of the horse",through to the event itself with "jumping shots"...(haven't quite got the lingo!). I will then provide the client with a personalised luxury album. I wanted a more personal approach than receiving one photograph of a client clearing a jump at an event. This way the whole story is told plus some great informal images of the client and their horse.

I am still in the very early stages of this side of my business however I thought I would post this in case any of you are interested in the idea.

I arrived and met Annabel at 7:20am. For those of you who like bed, at this time of year the sun doesn't rise until around 8 o'clock. I had very little light to work with and what light there was was the steely blue light of early dawn.

I saw this circular window of the stable with the horse eating its hay inside. The blue light of twilight contrasted with the warm light of the artificial lighting in the stable.

Annabel brought 6 horses to be exercised, when they were being saddled up I took some reportage type images as you see here.

When told that Annabel was going to a school with her horse, images of multi-coloured Biros, blotting paper and protractors immediately came to mind. The extent of my horse lingo is again embarrassing and is the reason why I need to learn A LOT before proceeding into this side of the business.

However when faced with the "school" it turned out to be a empty warehouse with close to no lighting at all. A room that would make a photographer begin to cry inside. However I had little pressure as this was just for practice I tried a few techniques to see what would work. In order to capture the action, I tried slow-shutter speeds by panning: Blurring the background but keeping the subject relatively sharp to project speed

And Flash to freeze the subject.

I had a great time, I got some fun photos but with more practice hopefully I will reach the standard I am happy with, then I will start up this new side of my business that I am very excited about.

If anyone would like me to take some photos of them and their horses please give me a ring, I would love to come over and practice....free of charge of course!

Thanks Annabel!

Cabo de Gata - Spain

2010-11-23T12:37:00.000-08:00

Am improved shot of Mojacar at night with a few more clouds in the sky

The full moon brought high tides to the shores of southern Spain. As I wait for the sun to lower towards the westerly horizon, I seemed to be consuming my daily allowance of salt intake from the constant spray from the winter waves. The amount of salt managed to turn my blue, wobbly wheeled Vauxhall Corsa hire car into a shade of white almost witnessing the corrosion in action. My new Camera and filters did not like this.

I had set-up next to this old, weathered fishing boat with lens caps on and filters in pockets ready to pounce for when the sun became ideal for the photograph. The cloudless sky was cloudless, I usually like a few clouds in my shots to give the scene more atmosphere and interest, however no such luck. I decided to use the setting sun to my advantage and give a warm Mediterranean vibe to the image, even though it was freezing, my fingers were numb and my nose was running quite badly. It had been 20 degrees in the middle of the day but as soon as the sun lost its punch it had plummeted to 7 degrees with a wind chill factor of... a lot.

I usually do not point my camera directly at the sun as flaring becomes an issue can ruin the photograph. However in this case I think it really adds to the image. In my landscape photography I try to convey the atmosphere so that the viewer feels as if they are standing right beside me as I am taking the image.
In this image I used a 1 second exposure to blur the waves a touch to give them a painterly feel which I always look for when shooting rough seas.

This image will feature my 2011 calendar. Order now! Email me info@johnalexander.me.uk if you want one! Last order 5th December.

Take a look at some samples http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/

John

Back to England!

East Sussex Shoot

2010-11-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

Dartmoor National Park

2010-11-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

An image to appear in my 2011 Calendar.

http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/2011-Calendar.html

After narrowly avoiding some suicidal sheep, driving on the meandering roads near Postbridge in Dartmoor National Park, I parked up and began my walk to the top of the Tor.
I have been up this Tor three times in the past and still have not learnt that loafers with holes in the toes are not the shoes for the job. There is no path as such up to the Tor, only what seems to be a ankle deep floodplain to wade through, complete with an alarming array of different types of faeces to step in. I successfully stepped in all types available.
After I squelched through the marshland surrounding the Tor I arrived at the top. These outcrops of granite are scattered all over Dartmoor, each presenting a dominating panorama over the barren autumnal landscape.
Tripod, Camera, Remote-release and a 0.9 + 0.6 graduated filter in order to balance the brightness of the foreground with that of the sky, and I was ready. Your compact camera or a SLR without a graduated filter will expose for the sky or the foreground giving you either a well exposed foreground and a white sky or a great sky and black foreground, to stop this happening get a graduated filter! On this occasion I used two graduated filters to darken the sky down sufficiently to match the brightness of the foreground sky. Boring bit over!

I took this shot with a 10 second exposure which gave a little movement in the clouds. The subtle orange hue of the setting sun over the west horizon made it all worthwhile.

The Cobb - Lyme Regis

2010-10-30T01:37:00.000-07:00

There was an almost deafening whistling sound as the south-westerly wind howled through the masts of the moored boats to my right. The waves crashed with a loud bass note as they made contact with the old harbour wall, followed by the glistening sound of the sea spray as it attempted to demolish any camera equipment that got in its way.

After a few long exposures looking east towards the Dorset border, I gave up hope of there being any other colour than the cool blue light of dusk, as the sun began to dip below the horizon. I turned around and decided to take a shot of The Cobb towards the un-impressive sunset in the distance. In a matter of seconds the sky turned from cool blue to a fire- like red and illuminated the entire landscape like a red flare on the battlefield. The walkers around me just stopped and stared in awe at what they were seeing, so blown away in fact they decided to gaze gormlessly up at the sky directly in front of my camera. I did not intend to miss this moment as I probably would have given up photography then and there and I guided the gormless old couple behind my camera and began taking the shot.

I had to change lenses and filters twice as the sea spray covered my first lens, I wasn't going to miss this shot!
After taking the shot, the preview screen from my camera illuminated the people's faces who huddled behind my tripod and all we could say was....Wow!

P.S There has been no computer manipulation in this shot.... I promise!

Autumn Colours in Dartmoor

2010-10-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

River Dart - Dartmoor National Park

John Alexander Photography 2011 Calendars

2010-10-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

John Alexander Photography 2011 Calendars

Premium Quality A3 Wall Calendar - CONTAINING UNSEEN IMAGES!

Get Organised! - A Perfect Christmas Present for Friends and Family!

- Printed on Thick 250gsm Premium Card

Here's a Sneaky Peak at the Design and Layout.

However, To See the Rest of the Images, You Must Pre-Order Yours Now!

£14.99 incl. P & P (additional posting costs for shipping outside the Uk).

Last order is the 5th December

- Orders Dispatched on the 10th December

Email me: info@johnalexander.me.uk

Payment by Cheque or Paypal or Internet Transfer

WILD PONIES OF DARTMOOR

2010-10-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

There are wild ponies in Dartmoor, however this was not one of them.

I commando crawled up to this pony as if stalking a deer, but instead of the crosshairs fixed onto its heart, my focus-point was tracked in between its eyes like a hunter poised for the perfect time to attack. However, unlike a hunter I looked for the striking shadows and best directional light to show off the subject. On this occasion the hunter became the hunted.

He ate his way closer and closer until my vision became dominated by a set of nasal passages. In my attempt to be get the shot I kept my finger on the shutter. Unknown to me this particular vegetarian also dabbles as a carnivore, I know this because he sunk his teeth into the back of my arm. It hurt like hell, and I ran away before the rest of his mates chose the same lifestyle choice.
When I got into the safety of the car, against which the other ponies were rubbing their various body parts, I checked my camera and got the dramatic scene I had hoped for and only a complete set of dental impressions on the back of my arm for my troubles.

JOHN ALEXANDER WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-10-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

FINISHED MY NEW WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE!

http://www.jeaphotography.co.uk/

A DAY IN THE SMOKE - LONDON PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-10-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

"After hitting a small child and her mother with my tripod, I came to conclusion that London isn't made for a photographer".

The Tube/Underground/Subway

The empty train stopped at Oxford Circus. There, every working man and woman in London clambered onto the train shoving as many people as possible. Within the waves of pushes, I managed to turn around and inadvertently hit both the mother and her once beautiful daughter in the face with the head of my tripod. I felt terrible at first and apologised profusely, but was shortly comforted by the extended space I gained as fellow Tube go-ers backed away not wanting their eyes to be impaled by a Manfrotto Swivel Head Tripod.

After an uncomfortable few stops for both the inflicted and myself I headed towards Embankment to shoot The Houses of Parliament. You may think this as a straight forward shot, but the "Tripod Police" arrive as soon as your tripod is mounted up, telling you to kindly bugger off, as they claim it can be used as a weapon of some sort? In the past I have ridiculed them at such an idea but after today's Tube incident I thought it was fairly close to the mark.

So...I set-up under a bridge out of the way of the tripod police and positioned myself so the entrance of the tunnel would frame The Houses of Parliament in the background. After some waiting for a clean picture without a gormless tourist in the photograph, I decided to use them to my advantage. I waited until some cyclists came into my picture and used a 1/2 second shutter speed to give the photograph some movement.

St. Pauls and the Millennium bridge

It had rained all day. One speck of rain on the lens can ruin an entire photograph. I set up on the "beach" of the Thames and with a little help from my friend James Hodgson and a rusty, diseased ridden umbrella found in the "surf" we managed to get a rain-free image.

Two more images of the day

Game-shooting Photography, Pheasant-Shooting Photography, Rural Sport Photography by John Alexander Photography

2010-10-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

John Alexander Rural Shoot photography is becoming the fashion!

Capture yourself in action with John Alexander Photography

My Photographs have been published in several shooting magazines with clients all over the country and is rapidly becoming more and more popular as this idea hits the shooting world.

I photograph unobtrusively and take great action shots of you and your colleagues/friends.

These are just some of the images I take but please click on the link to see my whole portfolio

http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/Sport/Rural%20Sports/Rural%20Sports.html.

Order Framed prints, photobooks, canvases!

£500 a day for 8 guns. That is approximately the cost of 1 bird per gun!

An Estate Manager?

Stand out from the Crowd and have your own official photographer to capture the day's action. Give your clients personalised photobooks and framed prints of their day at your estate!

If you are interested, please contact me info@johnalexander.me.uk

Want to use my images for a publication?

Please contact me stating the size and the use of the photograph/s

Thanks

John

3RD VIEW OF CORFE CASTLE

2010-09-25T10:50:00.001-07:00

7:20am

2010-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Corfe Castle - Dorset - 7:05am

Portland - Dorset

2010-09-24T02:11:00.000-07:00

Portland - Dorset

I am collecting a wide range of subjects for my calendar this year. I will be taking orders in late November but if you would like to purchase one Please contact me on info@johnalexander.me.uk and I will place you down for an order.

I decided to get some shots of Portland on Dorset's Jurassic coast. I arrived late, I had approximately 10 minutes until the sun dipped below the horizon. After paying the car park my entire life's savings, I ran to position myself in hoping to capture the last golden rays of the setting sun side-lighting the Portland Limetone of Pulpit Rock. As I caught sight of the English Channel, the wind immediately nearly knocked me off my feet, the sea spray aslo made it difficult as one speck of spray on the lens compromises the entire photograph (not forgetting the life of my camera)!

The hardest shots to get are always the best, I said this to myself, as I clambered down the cliff, tripod and camera over my shoulder. I needed to get as close to the action as possible to deliver the most impact in the image. I huddled behind a boulder attempting to shade myself from the howling wind and spray to get a clean, blur free image. Tripod, remote release, and camera in position. I took off the lens cap at the last moment. I managed to take this photograph and as soon as the 1/2 second exposure ended, a tsunami of all waves smashed the rocks in front of me and drenched my camera, filters, lenses, tripod and of least importantly, myself.

This part of taking photographs I really love. The excitement of climbing on slippery rocks, the gamble of having thousands of pounds worth of equipment on my shoulder and having the possibility of destroying it by just one wave makes it all the more exciting. There is a time for waiting for the light to come over the horizon on a misty morning, the spectacle provides you with that excitement, but then there is that other dimension of adrenaline that also makes my landscape photography really exciting to shoot.

I quickly took off my jacket, and rubbed my camera, filters and lenses with my jumper attempting to get as much of the salt and water off the camera. For the next few minutes the camera didn't turn on but eventually after drying it with every layer of clothing I had on my body it came back to life.

The night shot of Portland Bill lighthouse doesn't have such a dramatic story, but hopefully the images does! The shot is a 10 minutes exposure with still a little light in the sky. The foreground was pitch black, so I used my flash gun to illuminate the foreground during the exposure.

CORFE CASTLE - DORSET

2010-09-22T03:05:00.000-07:00

CLICK ON PHOTOGRAPH TO SEE BIGGER VERSION

JOHN ALEXANDER LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY - Sully Sur Loire en France

2010-09-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

In the last few months, or even the last year I have neglected my landscape photography. Most of my work now involves weddings and rural sports photography, portraiture with a few parties in the mix. I find this sad, and thought I would blog of why landscape photography is one of my favourite aspects of my business.

Yes, one contemplates suicide as the alarm sounds, which you have set on the highest volume so you definitely wake-up, even though you have woken up intermittently every hour worrying that you won't. With blurred eyes you see the clock reads 03:45. You are reminded that a 45 minute drive, half an hour walk in the dark, and an hour wait for that perfect light, which most likely will never appear, is on the cards and it's probably a lot easier to stay where you are. These negative thoughts always run through my mind as I read the minuscule numbers presented on my alarm clock.

I constantly have to force myself to think positive and in the words of Nike "just do it". To personalise it, I recommend adding a selection of strong adjectives within the phrase somewhere. Then, when your alarm sounds at 4am, shout it, while leaping up out of bed in an offensive manner. It really works (if your single that is), it also works if you want to become single!

Once some sort of un-nutritous item of consumption has been semi-digested, I get in the car drive towards my destination. In this case 'Sully sur Loire' en France.

I reached the exact position of where I thought the photograph should be taken from, which I had decided the previous afternoon. I varied it slightly as there was a little wind, blurring the reflection of the castle. I moved until the castle was reflected in the sheltered part of the river where the reflection was near perfect. A couple of otters swam past me as I was setting up my tripod, unfortunately it was still too dark to take any convincing photographs of them, I tried of course with my wide angle lens on manual focus but a blue blur with 2 blobs couldn't even pass as an abstract.

I waited for the first of the sun's rays to cast a subtle orange hue onto the east side of Sully Chateau, using the linear perspective of the trees running along the river to lead the viewer into the photograph. As the sun's rays began to get stronger and more contrasty, the clouds had moved and it had lost the atmosphere of earlier in the morning, after taking a few more compositions I packed up pour manger une baguette.

2010-07-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

Centre, double paged spread in the Fourshires magazine featuring my portfolio.

2010-06-21T02:24:00.000-07:00

John Alexander Portrait Photography

2010-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I am constantly glancing through other photographers' portfolios, from landscape photographers to portrait photographers. This time it was portrait photographers. I have not done much location model shooting before and thought I would have a go to see if I could handle it if a situation were ever to arise. So...I typed into my facebook status "Anyone in Exeter up for a portrait session today?" and see if anyone wanted to be my guinea pig.

All I had to do is wait for the string of emails from beautiful girls pleading to have their photograph taken. This did not happen.

Minutes later I received two emails from my friends, Dom (male) and James (male) excited to have a portrait done of themselves. Dom was to go first. I mean, I'd much rather photograph a tall, northern bloke from Derby than a blond, Swedish girl in her bikini anyway. So...Dom and I went to town (literally) to look for some portrait locations.

We searched around Exeter and I realised then how, being a photographer, I see the world a bit differently than the casual passer-by. A good example of this is this row of blue garage doors somewhere in the dodgy part of Exeter that people try and avoid (see image). Although looking like the the side-streets of Tunisia, it really wasn't. Most wouldn't give it a second glance, however (without sounding arty farty) noticed the vibrant colours of the red wall behind contrasting the newly painted blue garage doors which gave a perfect simple back-drop for a portrait image. The colours are bold, but they are simple, and its this continual simplicity throughout the image that doesn't distract from the model (yes Dom, you are a model!).

Throughout this shoot I used my Canon 50mm f1.4 portrait lens. I try to use a very high aperture, (something like f1.6) in order to get some good background blur or bokeh to isolate the subject from the distracting backgrounds. I love the effect it gives and would love to know if you like the photos as this is a new thing for me and don't know if they are good or not!

Thanks Dom for being a great model. You were brilliant! Your the best etc. etc.

John

John Alexander Wildlife Photography

2010-05-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have realised today why I cannot be a wildlife photographer. Firstly I do not own a lens that is heavier than I am, secondly I seem to lack any patience at all with wildlife and thirdly my knowledge does not exceed that of David Attenborough's documentaries. I have done some wildlife photography in my time, certain child portraits spring to mind, but unlike people (most people) you can usually direct them to achieve the photo you envisage. Tell a damselfly to do a 'looking into the distance pose' and you will find that it will turn the opposite way round and fumble into the undergrowth. This annoys me.

It had just been raining and I dressed appropriately for the task in hand - jeans with a hole in the knee, loafers with a hole in the toe and a t-shirt...with a hole in. I saw a damselfly hovering around the stems of grass and I thought I would find out if I was any good at wildlife photography. 6-7 minutes later I was getting pretty angry and quickly came to the conclusion it was impossible and it couldn't be done. The wind blew the alien-like insect in and out of my viewfinder and was practically impossible to focus on its eye.

I put my macro lens into manual focus, and waited for the dulls in the wind in order to take the shot. Eventually I managed to get these shots when it fell further down the stem where less wind affected it.

I would love to know what you think, if you like them I may consider doing more, however I may upgrade to some proper animals which don't blew in the wind.

John

John Alexander Theatre Photography

2010-05-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of shooting Atlas Theatre's production called 'The House of Cards' a few days ago. I had a really great time and I think we got some great results to put into their portfolio.

Photography-wise it was hugely difficult and very challenging. I was shooting around 1/30 of a second and as you will see in the photos there was not much light to play with. I had to use my slow-shutter technique whereby I use various parts of my body to act as a tripod to achieve an acceptably sharp shot- adopting a lot of them from my rifle shooting days.

Even with these 'Heath Robinson' techniques it was very difficult to get a sharp shot. Even if I could manage to have zero movement when taking the photograph, the movement of the actors within that 1/30 of a second would blur the shot. Therefore I had to be very particular about the timing of my shots to capture the action, expressions and atmosphere but when they were more static.

Why not Flash? - It wouldn't have been feasible to use flash as it would compromise the dark atmosphere created by the stage-lighting. Therefore I was using the very VERY low ambient light available at the scene.

Thanks to my 50mm f1.4 and my 85mm f1.8 lenses I was able to shoot at these shutter-speeds otherwise I really don't know what I would have done. The only other option would have been a tripod which would have been too cumbersome and slow.

I hope you think we have been successful and got some shots that capture the dark atmosphere of the play.

Enjoy the shots!

2010-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

My Spring Lambs photograph was chosen for the front cover of Fourshires magazine!

2010-03-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

www.fourshires.co.uk/spring-lambs-are-here.html My Photograph is on the front page of Fourshires magazine, and also on the front page of the online magazine.

2010-03-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

WWW.SHOTGUN.ME.UK/PAGE22.HTM - TWO OF MY PHOTOS CAN NOW BE FOUND ON HERE

2010-03-18T06:57:00.001-07:00

WWW.GAMEBIRDSPORTINGAGENCY.CO.UK (All my photographs feature on their website).

2010-03-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

I have come third in a photo competition on game shooting!
www.gunsonpegs.com/pages/game/photo_competition.php?PHPSESSID=7b5e690667178ebb69ec70a39f76dbbd

John Alexander Game Shooting Photography

2010-01-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

John Alexander Game Shooting Photography

Throughout your day, I aim to capture all the action in a 'reportage' style, spending time with each gun and ensuring that I do not disrupt the shoot in any way. I aim to tell the story of your day by varying the composition, angles and lenses used to give a unique and wide-ranging selection of shots.

This approach produces natural, unposed shots that each gun can take away as a memorable record of their day. I am able to take more formal shots if required and I am happy for any other photographic ideas you may have!

I will give a CD of the images to each gun plus access to an online album on my website for you and your friends to enjoy.

My prices start at £400 (based on a party of 8). I am also able to produce a photobook, canvases or enlarged prints (prices depend on size of print).

For my whole Portfolio please click on the link to my main site John Alexander Photography

http://www.johnalexander.me.uk/Sport/Rural%20Sports/Game-shooting.html

2010-01-08T10:43:00.001-08:00

John Alexander Pet Photography - Jan 09 -

2009-12-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

LAW SOCIETY BALL 09

2009-11-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

Calendar orders need to be submitted by the 4th December!
please contact jealexander1000@hotmail.co.uk

2009-11-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to be the event photographer for the Exeter Law Society ball in Bovey Castle

2009-11-10T09:29:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I can now update my site directly, so the newest photos I take will be in the latest images folder.

Recent Activity:

A new Panoramic Gallery
New photos in all galleries.

2009-11-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Man-o-war Cove - Dorset

2009-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Budleigh Salterton - Devon

2009-10-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Dartmoor Pony - Postbridge - Dartmoor - Devon

Looks cute, doesn't she? I lay down in the frosty bog (not frozen) and was taking some photos of her as she came towards me. She came so close she licked my lens, ate my camera bag and I think still has some of my leg in her teeth. Vicious animal! The photo doesn't show it though!
I used a wide angle lens, with a polariser to saturate the blue of the sky and greens of the trees and a graduated filter to even out the bright sky and the foreground.

2009-10-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Broughton Castle - Oxfordshire

These photos were taken for the Broughton Castle website. I took this shot a few minutes after the panoramic. I used the two trees to frame the image.

2009-10-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

(Please click on photo to view larger).

Broughton Castle - Oxfordshire

A panoramic view of Broughton Castle just before sunset. A gap in the clouds gave a 2 minute window of late afternoon light, side-lighting the autumnal trees. The sun stayed for just enough time to get the photograph!

The 30 second exposure with a little help from the wind blurred the foliage of the trees, giving the photograph some movement.

I couldn't have hoped for better light.

John

2009-10-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

Ladram Bay - Jurassic Coast - Devon

I waited for the sun to rise up over the hazy horizon. I was at right angles to the sun so I used a polariser to enhance the blues of the sky. A 1 second shutterspeed was needed to blur the receding waves.

2009-10-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Brentor - Dartmoor - Devon

2009-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Nr Two Bridges - Dartmoor - Devon

2009-10-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Castle Cornet - Guernsey

(Click on photo to see larger)

I set up my camera on the slipway waiting for the sun to rise. The sun never appeared due to the overcast conditions. So I opted for a black and white shot, with a long exposure blurring the water lapping on the slipway.

2009-10-06T08:27:00.001-07:00

Slipway into the Sunset - Guernsey

I was riding home on my scooter when I noticed this slipway disappearing into the crashing waves on the west coast of Guernsey. I used a 15 second exposure to achieve the blurred effect of the waves.

2009-10-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

2009-09-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

2009-09-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

2009-09-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

Elan Valley - Ceredigion - Wales

I used a polariser lens for the landscape shot I was taking. Suddenly a sheep appeared over the ridge of the mountain. The polariser enhanced the blues and greens in the shot. It is very rare to use a polariser when doing wildflife photography. I might use it more often

Elan Valley - Ceredigion - Wales

The late afternoon sun spilling over the glaciated valley.

2009-09-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

2009-09-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

2009-09-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

2009-09-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Clay pigeon shooting - Snowdonia - Wales

2009-09-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

Snowdonia - Wales

Timing was the key, got it right the third time!

2009-09-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Clay pigeon shooting - Snowdonia - Wales

2009-09-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Cruglas Farm - Ceredigion - Wales

Taken an hour after sunrise.

2009-09-17T01:22:00.002-07:00

Elan Valley - Ceredigion - Wales

An abandoned workhouse for the silver mines. I spotted this abandoned house next to the silver mines. The dry stone wall and gate gave me the perfect lead-in-line into the photo. The late afternoon sun lighting up the house and background was a bonus.

2009-09-17T01:22:00.001-07:00

Cruglas Farm - Ceredigion - Wales

2009-09-17T01:21:00.002-07:00

Water ripples on the pond on the farm. A bit modern arty maybe.

2009-09-17T01:21:00.001-07:00

I spotted this Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on the wall at the sheep market. Again a bit arty. A marmite shot.

2009-09-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

Cruglas Farm - Ceredigion - Wales

2009-09-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sheep Market - Devil's Bridge - Ceredigion - Wales

This sheep market is one of the oldest in the Uk. This is John selling his lambs in the auction ring.

2009-09-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

John selling his Sheep in Devil's Bridge

2009-09-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

Sheep Market - Devil's Bridge - Wales

2009-09-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Jamie Oliver's Chinese Cousin in Wales

This is Mum Alexander in Wales. This wall is very similar to the background against which Jamie Oliver posed for his photo in the last book.

2009-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Sheep Market - Devil's Bridge - Ceredigion - Wales

Buyers inspecting the lambs. This shot looks a bit different, this is due to the

2009-09-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

2009-09-16T11:55:00.002-07:00

2009-09-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

2009-09-16T02:04:00.000-07:00

Elan Valley - Ceredigion - Wales

A glaciated valley in west Wales. The late afternoon light scattered accross the valley floor. I underexposed so that the bright river became the most prominant feature of the photograph, with the less intense light only just registering around the river banks. A high contrast black and white conversion gives it the most impact.