Tag Archives: Travel

Rain Gear

by in photography and tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

Along with my self-confessed obsession with lightweight camera gear goes my, borderline paranoia about keeping everything, including myself, dry in inclement weather. Okay so I guess my motto could be “be prepared” although I was never a Scout which says considerably more about me than the Scouting movement, as Groucho Marx famously said “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member” 🙂 but, moving on. Rain protection is one of those things that you either have with you and the weather turns out beautiful and you’re stuck with carrying around all day or you trust to luck and leave at home and end up cursing having done so,

One doesn’t live in the UK without possessing at least one rainproof garment and, in my case, currently, three and last Winter and this Spring have been so wet it seems like it’s rained at some stage every day since about last October. Here comes the proverbial dilemma, unless it’s raining heavily when I set off I don’t want to be stuck wearing a bulky and, should the weather turn out to become nicer, uncomfortably hot rainproof jacket. Bare in mind that I’ll be on foot most of the time and therefore there’s nowhere else to store it but on my person or in my camera bag and, however small the compact pack-a-mac type things are they’re always somewhat bulky and hard to accommodate.

So here’s my solution, some while back I bought a pack of five of those disposable plastic rain ponchos. They’re sleeved with a draw string hood and elasticated cuffs so I don’t know why they describe them as ponchos. They certainly don’t bare the slightest resemblance to the kind worn by Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Western films. I can keep one of them in my camera bag along with my camera and bag rain covers and it doesn’t take up any appreciable space nor add any weight. That way I have everything with me to keep myself and my gear dry if caught out by the weather, The only downside is that they make one look like a real complete and utter prat but, when it comes to such things, I have no shame! and my trendy clothing days are, I’m sorry to say, well and truly behind me so I’d rather look like a dry prat than a drowned rat, 🙂

Papa’s got a brand new (camera) bag :)

by in Leigh Kemp, photography, Photography equipment, Travel and tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Hi everyone,

Apologies to the late and great James Brown, I couldn’t resist it 🙂 . For my next trip I was looking for another small, lightweight bag with an extra bit of storage when compared to my older Manfrotto bags. I like the Manfrotto bags as they’re lightweight, compact, well designed, well padded and rugged. Another good thing about their bags is that they do a mind-boggling range which seems to be continually changing so one can pickup their previous generation designs at a fraction of their original price, I paid £19.99 UK for my new bag. The model number is Manfrotto Compact 1 Advanced Shoulder Bag for CSC – Black (MB MA-SB-C1). Outer dimensions – ‎26 W x 12 D x 18 H centimetres. weight – 0.54 Kilograms according to manufacturer’s specifications. Important to note that the 18cm height includes the top compartment. I’m happy to say that, unlike one of my other Manfrotto bags, they have included a rain cover that doesn’t require having to detach the bag strap to fit/remove it every time one wants to use it, nice touch! as everything can get very wet very quickly whilst faffing around detaching the strap, threading the cover through and re-attaching it if one’s caught out in a sudden heavy downpour as has happened to me on occasions. I also noted that the bag’s fabric is smooth and not coarse like my older bags so water should run off it and it should be fine in all but heavy rain.

Here’s a few pictures, the first a size comparison with one of my older, smaller bags, a shot of the back of the new bag and, lastly, a shot of the bag’s main compartment. It has a top zipped compartment in which I’m stowing two rain covers, the one supplied with the bag and another for my camera with enough room left for my mobile phone and case. The main compartment comes with two dividers and I’ve packed my OM-D E-M5 MK II camera with Lumix 12-60mm f/3.5-f/5.6 zoom lens and hood fitted on its side, my Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens and hood. two JJC battery/SDHC card boxes, each of which contains one spare camera battery and two SDHC cards and lastly one of my dual USB camera battery chargers and one of my Anker 6700 mAh USB power banks. There are also two small velcro-fastening pockets in which I put a microfibre cloth, several Zeiss lens wipe sachets, an extra filter and USB charge cable. Lastly as shown in the shot of the back of the bag, there’s one additional shallow zip-up pocket big enough to store my very small table top tripod and a lens pen. All the zip pockets open from the back so, when the bag is hanging from one’s shoulder or crossbody, (my preferred method as it’s less easy to snatch), they’re against one’s body, a nice feature to help prevent pickpockets gaining access to the bag contents, the main compartment opens outwards away from one’s body. The supplied shoulder strap has a nicely padded shoulder pad and not the rigid plastic/rubber type which cuts into one’s neck when wearing lightweight summer clothing and I like having a grab handle on the bag. I always like to try and accommodate a USB camera battery charging solution in addition to the charging gear I pack in my hold-luggage as, if the latter goes walkabout, I can still charge camera batteries or my mobile phone at least for a while and also as a backup camera battery charger should the other one fail or get damaged.

All-in-all another nicely designed Manfrotto bag that accommodates all the gear that I want/am restricted to having to take with me as hand luggage eg. rechargeable batteries and still small enough to fit under the seat on an aircraft. Also worth noting that, if you register your purchase online it comes with a 60 months warranty. Whether it’ll be my go-to travel bag in five years time only time will tell but for now, it ticks all the boxes.

Kind regards

Leigh

Long time, no see.

by in Corfu, Leigh Kemp, photography, Photography equipment, Travel and tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Hi everyone, hope you’re keeping well,

Well, it’s been quite a while since my last post. I just haven’t been able to get out and get any shots. Firstly my health hasn’t been that good, then there’s the weather which, with relatively few exceptions, seems like its been raining every day for months. We’ve also had and are still repeatedly having very high winds and we’ve had local flooding. I’m also reliant on public transport which is few and far between in this part of the World and financially it’s been a tough time. So, putting it all together, there have been very few days when I’m feeling up to it, the weather’s been sufficiently favourable and I’ve had the funds, usually one, the other, but rarely all at the same time. Notwithstanding all of this, we’ve booked a much-needed short holiday return visit to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu which we’re both very much looking forward to after last year’s disastrous week-long trip to Malaga Spain which saw me confined to our hotel room for days on end with a nasty bout of food poisoning resulting in very few opportunities to get any shots or, for that matter, do pretty much anything else.

Pontikonisi, Corfu – Olympus OM-D E-M1 I and M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 lens.

Naturally my thoughts have recently turned to which gear to pack. I considered taking my smallest, lightest camera, my PEN E-PL8 but decided that, for a few extra ounces I’ll take my much-loved, much-travelled and much-trusted OM-D E-M5 II camera principally for it’s weather-sealing, faster maximum shutter speed (particularly useful in very bright conditions and when shooting HDR) and electronic shutter. The large eyepiece I fitted some years ago after my laser ops in both eyes that resulted in halos in bright light. Regarding lenses, I’m typically going to travel light with only two lenses, my Lumix 12-60mm f/3.5-f/5.6 (24mm to 120mm equivalent) weather-sealed lens for general shooting and my Lumix 20mm f/1.7 for low light/interior and evening use. Both of these lenses have great image quality and have travelled with me on several previous trips abroad as well as in the UK particularly my Lumix 12-60mm which has the useful bonus of extra telephoto reach, punches well above it’s cost and weight and is significantly lighter when compared to my other “standard” zooms. All of this along with a few small accessories: spare battery/s, rain cover, lens wipes and CPL filter in one of my very small Manfrotto camera bags, another of my best buys at £8.00 UK each. 🙂

I’ve only splashed out on one new item a new camera strap by Tarion (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0194X71JQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) for which I paid the less than princely sum of £9.00 UK 🙂 seen here attached to my E-M5 II. The strap is pretty wide at approx. 1 3/4 inches, nicely made, it’s classic styling is esthetically pleasing and, most importantly of all, it should spread the weight and prove comfortable in usage. I’ve fitted my Peak Design type connectors and buckles to the strap enabling quick release. Worth noting that the strap does come with triangle rings which is a nice touch if one requires them. It’s funny how one’s tastes/needs in straps change over the years as one’s age, gear and physical condition changes, think neck and back pain 😦 . I did notice that they show a less secure method of attaching the strap than I’ve been using for years. For anyone wanting to adopt a more secure strap fastening method, if they don’t already, I suggest looking at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_paXysiGsxs&ab_channel=ShotKit I did contact their support and, to their credit, they responded quickly and positively,

I have so many different types of straps and for that matter camera bags, which have worked well for me at one time or another but not so now. I’m thinking I should have a stall in the local market selling used camera straps and bags. 🙂

Olympus OM-D E-M5 II camera, bottom-opening leather-like half case, Tarion strap, Panasonic Lumix 12-60mm and 20mm lenses. The 20mm has a 46mm to 58mm step up ring fitted to act as a lens hood and also allow my 58mm CPL filter to be fitted without adding very much bulk to a very small, compact, pancake design lens.

Take care, best wises,

Leigh

New work: “Down by the riverside”

by in art, digital art, Fine Art, photography and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hi folks,

My first new work for a while, a painterly view of the River Thames at Twickenham.

33804526071_70bb3ea493_z

Hope everyone is doing well,

Kind regards

leigh sig 2

 

My competition entries – Voting deadline extended until 21st November.

by in art, digital art, Fine Art, photo, photography, soft furnishings, Travel and tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hi everyone hope you’re all keeping happy and well,

I’ve been a bit quiet recently and taking a short break. I’ve entered three of my works into a competition. I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a sec. to click on the photos below and like them on the Facebook like buttons on their website as it helps me with a chance in the competition or even better you might like to share the links and one of your friends might even like to buy one :).

I’ve never won anything in my life so maybe I’m in with a small chance in this one. One of my works did get shortlisted for the British Life Photography Awards earlier this year but that’s as far is it got.

Many thanks and kind regards

leigh sig 2leighkemp_autumnalleaves_cushion_grandeleighkemp_highestcolourstouchingothers_cushion_grandeleighkemp_plainandsimplelandscape_cushion_grande

New work: “Relics of a bygone age”

by in digital art, Fine Art, photography, Travel and tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Telephone box and post box, Valletta, Malta.

Relics of a bygone age for blog

New work: “Valletta” (from Silema)

by in art, digital art, Fine Art, photography and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another new Maltese landscape work a view of Valletta across the bay from Silema.

Valletta from Silema for Blog

 

Photographic travels in Malta, Gozo and Comino

by in digital art, photography, Photography equipment and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

As regular visitors to my blog will know I’ve been itching to get away to somewhere hotter and more photographically interesting for a  considerable while, eleven years actually!. After a very heavy year fraught with all kinds of problems and worries we set off for one of my most favourite countries, Malta and its sister islands of Gozo and Comino. I’ve been there several times over the years but it has been more than twenty years since my last visit. I love Malta, the Maltese people and the climate so I’ve been looking forward to our visit ever since we decided on visiting.

Below is map showing some of our travels around the island recorded on a great little GPS data logger from Holux. This thing is about the size of a match box and worked brilliantly. It’s so small and light and has storage for 200,000 track points. I bought it prior to our visit to record our travels and to geotag my shots on returning home. I took nearly 2,500 shots during our visit and I knew that my poor old memory wouldn’t remember where some of them were taken. I set up the logger to record the position every three seconds and switched it on before going out and off again on return. The internal rechargeable battery lasted very well. They claim 20 hours per charge, I don’t know if that’s correct but I know that it certainly kept recording for at least 12 hours on one of our longer trips. Another nice thing about this device is that it has bluetooth and can simultaneously provide offline cost-free GPS navigation to a compatible hand-held portable tablet device. I won’t pay data roaming charges :).

Malta Tracks

Holux_RCV-3000

I’ve never considered myself to be a zoom guy and I love my M.Zuiko prime lenses but I really didn’t fancy carrying a range of lenses around in that heat. I also didn’t want to miss shots changing lenses all the time and I wanted a weather-proof lens to compliment my Olympus OM-D E-M5 body and offer some protection from dust and water splashes on beaches and boat trips. I did a lot of research before investing in an M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm 1:2.8 zoom lens. It weighs about the same as the combined weight of my most frequently used 12mm, 17mm and 45mm M.Zuiko primes. I am very impressed with the performance of this lens and I can see it getting a good bit of use. Whilst on the subject of optics I took my small, lightweight pair of binoculars with me as they are so very useful in spotting interesting landscapes and views and saving the old legs and dehydration from walking in the heat.

Two things that I did was to change the lens cap for a cheap center-pinch one as loosing the original Olympus cap is a very costly replacement exercise and I wasn’t overly happy with the looseness of fit of the Olympus one. I don’t care what name is written on my lens cap, or for that matter if there’s a name on it at all, it’s the lens quality that matters. I also changed the lens hood for a cheap after-market one from JJC. This hood has the advantage of having a small removable sliding “window” allowing the rotation of filters much more easily as I knew that I’d be using my circular polarising filter a fair bit and of course it’s also better to loose this than have to buy a costly replacement from Olympus.

On a humorous note it’s amazing the number of people that you see taking photographs in blazing sunshine with the lens hood fitted in the reversed position, maybe they don’t care about lens flair!. :). I remember seeing one guy walking around with a big, heavy DSLR fitted with the sort of huge zoom lens that you usually see being used by sports and wildlife photographers happily taking shots with the lens hood in the reversed position, ho hum, made me smile. 🙂

M.Zuiko 12-40

Lastly I bought a few new USB travel chargers to keep all my gear charged up. I stumbled across two very reasonably priced and well-designed chargers from Anker,the Astro E1 5200mAh Portable Charger which is great for charging and powering the GPS logger, mobile phone, ipod etc. on the go. The second Anker product is a small solid brick of a charger the 40W 5-Port USB Charging Hub. This is a great product which can simultaneously charge a total of 5 USB devices, including the portable charger, at the same time and was a real space saver and very useful back at base for charging up the gear at the end of the day. I didn’t want to take my Olympus charger as it is quite big and bulky and ties up another wall power outlet, something that usually comes at premium in hotel rooms, so I bought a cheap Newer USB charger from Amazon so that I could charge up my Olympus batteries from the Anker hub or even the Anker portable charger on the go!. All of these chargers performed extremely well and I particularly liked the ability to charge and or power USB-powered devices on the go.

USB chargers

I’ll be working my way through my shots and posting them here and to my Flickr page over the coming weeks.

Kind regards

leigh sig 2

PS. If I could change one thing from experience it’s that I probably should have bought a portable USB charger with more than one USB output as there were a few times when I could have done with the facility to simultaneously power/charge up more than one USB device on the go. So for future trips I’d definitely consider getting another model from Anker with two outputs like this one. The amperage capacity of the charger was more than adequate for my requirements but another USB output would come in handy.