Houses of Parliament - London

Houses of Parliament - London

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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

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

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

(Click on image for larger version)

(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

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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

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

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

PETER & STELLA

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

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

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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

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!