Out tomorrow, a photo walk in the sunshine.

Hi,

I’m off to a place called Pulborough in West Sussex tomorrow. I’ve passed through it on the train several times and there’s one shot in particular, a really nice scenic view that I really want to try and get. It might require something a bit wider than my 20mm so I’m taking either my tiny 12-32mm lens or my even tinier 14mm lens with me as well as from the vantage point I have in mind there will be little room for manoeuvre. It’s rare for me to plan a shot but I know exactly what I would like to get tomorrow. I’m also going to give my PEN-F camera an overdue airing as I haven’t used it for a while. Not running tomorrow but runs at the weekends, there’s also the South Downs Light Railway that I intend to check out with a view to a return visit. We’re currently enjoying a nice warm sunny spell here so the weather should be really pleasant. One small, lightweight camera, two small, lightweight lenses, a sunny day photo walk with a pit stop for light refreshments, what could be better?! πŸ™‚ , as Robin Wong calls it, “shutter therapy”. I’ve posted lots of images taken with the 20mm and 12-32mm lenses, In case you’re unfamiliar with the 14mm f/2.5 lens, here’s one that I took in a local shopping centre some years ago with this lens and a second shot taken with the 14mm lens and MCON-P02 Macro Converter attachment and diffused bounce flash.

Kind regards

Leigh

“Water Feature”

Hi,

Something a bit different. πŸ™‚

Kind regards

Leigh

“Fun in the park”

Hi,

“Fun in the park”, Hotham Park, Bognor Regis.

Have a great weekend.

Leigh

Sharpness, is it the holy grail?

Hi,

I recently saw a comment by a chap in which he mentioned that he had “broken the rules” by softening an image. I very often deliberately soften or diffuse my images in order to try and get a more atmospheric, dreamy look in my landscape work as I find that one gets a result bordering on the clinical when the images are tack sharp. Of course this is purely a personal thing and, for a lot of subjects/genres very sharp imagery is what’s desired. I’m not talking about “bokeh” here, that’s different, I’m talking about the image as a whole although one could argue that using bokeh has become a sort of rule in it’s own when it might be more interesting not to habitually isolate the subject and remove it from the context of the surroundings.

I’ve always believed that there aren’t any or, maybe better put as shouldn’t be any rules in creative arts, it seems to run contrary to the very nature of things and the antipathy of experimentation. In an age where advances in AI are causing such concern in general and, specifically in this context, in photography, if ever I get replaced by a robot landscape photographer, I can only hope that someone gives the thing an artistic soul and programs in that rules are very often made to be broken or, better still, there are no rules. πŸ™‚

Kind regards

Leigh

New work: “A walk in the woods”

Hi,

A woodland scene.

“Three boats, two ducks and a jetty”

Hi,

River Thames at East Molesey.

Best wishes,

Leigh

“Where did all the boats go?”

Hi,

“Where did all the boats go?”, deserted boating lake, Hotham Park, Bognor Regis

Cleaning accessories, past and present.

Hi,

Shown below my main camera and lens cleaning solutions, past and present, missing from the shot my large microfibre cloth.

My very first cleaning accessory, the small puffer brush, advantages, very small, light and compact, disadvantages, a pretty feeble “puff” but as they say, “any port in a storm” πŸ™‚ and better than nothing. Then there’s my “rocket” type blower, advantage, a more forceful “puff” but, for me, takes up too much room in a small camera bag. My Hama lens pen, I choose not to use the more abrasive end but the brush end is pretty effective at removing dust and it is quite soft. I prefer my, smaller, lipstick style Matin M-6328 Small Size Goat Hair Dust Brush, advantage verses the lens pen, very compact, lighter and easy to accommodate in my small bag, has a cap over the brush end to keep it clean when not in use and very soft bristles. I always have some Zeiss wet wipe sachets in my camera bag, my wallet and mobile phone case for the times when I require a wet cleaning solution and I’ve used these for years, I reckon that Zeiss know a thing or two about lenses πŸ™‚ .

If neither of my puffers would, as the saying goes, “knock the skin off of a rice pudding” then my next cleaning tool on its maximum setting certainly would!, although I’ve not so far been inclined to test this theory. πŸ™‚ So, lastly, my latest addition, my Nitecore BB2 USB rechargeable electronic air blower which I don’t habitually take out with me as it’s the heaviest of all but I use it back at base for thorough all round cleaning. “Puff” or more appropriately “blower” rating awesome and three-strength variable, really does work. It has a built in air filter and a detachable brush and I use it for cleaning camera bodies and lenses but I prefer to use either my lens pen or smaller lens brush for cleaning the lens glass/filters as I feel that they’re softer. Not an exhaustive cleaning accessory list but what I have and do use.

Totally unrelated but I heard on the radio that scientists are claiming that drinking two cups of tea a day helps one’s memory. I can’t remember how many cups I’ve had today but sounds good to me πŸ™‚ ,now where the blazes did I leave my cup? πŸ™‚

Kind regards

Leigh

New work : “Scenic”

Hi everyone,

“Scenic”, River Thames @ Richmond Upon Thames.

Best wishes,

Leigh

Keeping my lens pen clean.

Hi,

Occasionally I like to find an alternative use for something before it goes in the re-cycling bin. The retractable brush end of my lens pen doesn’t come with a cap and thus is open to a world of dust, the very last thing one wants on a lens brush!. I thought to myself, I wonder if it would fit inside an empty tube container that comes with my one-a-day soluble multi-vitamins to keep it clean?. I cut away the plastic spiral part of the cap and it fits perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not on a “my body is a temple” health drive. If it was it’d be one of those crumbling , dilapidated, well past their former glories ones that you see in TV documentaries about the lost Inca or Aztec civilisations but at my age my body needs all the help it can get. πŸ™‚ I did cover the tube with some black tape to cover the “Boots Multi-vitamins” writing as I thought this looked more professional unlike me of course. πŸ™‚

Best wishes,

Leigh