tromotion and Twixtor testing using a single piece of footage. The purpose was to increase my working knowledge of Twixtor/AE in this area and to examine “usability” and settings both on PC and in camera. View on Vimeo in HD for best quality.

You either love it or you hate it. 6×6 (square) photographs force you to look at the shapes, the graphic lines created and how they interact with the frame. The symmetry (or asymmetry) and composition are vital aspects of this format and are ones often accentuated by being in monochrome. I won’t suggest that this was shot on my Bronica SQ-Ai with film because it wasn’t. However, the thought of using film again is very appealing especially in that square format that forces you to work hard visually. So watch this space!

Monitor calibration varies considerably so, to view these images at their best, check that you can see the graduations from light to dark here:

For best quality view this video in HD on Vimeo


n experimental video motivated by being drawn to a seaside resort in off-season. What storyline? Initially it was shoot and see what happens. A creative exercise. As time drew on, I realised the weather (variable to say the least) was the narrative – the rain driving me away from the town but leaving with memories of better days – which pretty much summed-up the filming of this piece. The draw was the idea of seaside resorts with fading splendour deserted in the winter but, as I discovered, there wasn’t much in the way of faded splendour – more an active out-of-season resort with always something going on and, more often than not, a sandy paradise for dogs and their owners.

TECHNICAL

One of the greatest issues to counter and overcome was, unsurprisingly perhaps, the awful weather or more accurately, the constant battering wind. A 1.4X converter was used on the 200mm f2.8 lens for most shots to give cinematic throw to the image and reduced depth of field. However, even the slightest wind-induced camera shake rendered the footage unusable (except for one or two clips After Effects managed to stabilise sufficiently). And there was a lot of wind. Did I mention the wind? The film was edited in Premiere Pro and graded in PP and Magic Bullet Looks. Magic Lantern was used during the recording achieving an average bit rate of 50mbps which definitely helped during the grading.

View video on Vimeo here

hooting stock photography is always made easier by years of (sometimes hard-learned) experience in the market and knowledge of those market trends. It’s always a delight to see when one of those stock photography shoots pays off. Normally, for perhaps broader media use, one would shoot against white. This would give publishers, often using white page backgrounds, more options in the use of the image – or to use it as a cut-out. Here the decision was to shoot against black to emphasis the deep red of the strawberry. The image was licensed from Getty Images by the publishers Wiley for their book ‘Nutrition: Science and Applications, 3rd Editon’.

The tempting strawberry is a home-grown Fragaria × ananassa ‘Florence’.

easons greetings and a successful, happy & healthy New Year 2013 to clients and friends worldwide from Damian Davies & Lightworks Commercial Photography & Video.

Part of a local community project involving councillors and activists in Crediton, Devon. While all images were originally in colour, they were photographed with the intention of producing a final monochrome image. The intention being to focus solely on the people involved, reducing any colour distractions from the images while, in a small way, paying homage some of the great chiaroscuro monochrome newsprint images.

Monitor calibration varies considerably so, to view these images at their best, check that you can see the graduations from light to dark here:

These images, shot for Exeter University, show the exterior of the University’s Forum – a new £48 million centrepiece at the heart of the Streatham Campus. The flowing, arching design by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.

ongratulations to JTL, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (above far right in his 2011 Rapha Condor Sharp colours), for his success in the Tour of Britain 2012, the first British rider to win in 19 years.

The chance to follow in the tracks of the cycling greats including this year’s Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is not one many cyclists would turn down. The opportunity to tackle the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees and photograph at the same time – who would refuse? Let’s just say it seemed a great idea at the time…

Hors catégorie (HC) is a term used in cycle races most notably the Tour de France to designate a climb that is “beyond categorisation” i.e. an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs in cycling are designated from Category 1 (hardest) to Category 4 (easiest), based on both steepness and length. A climb that is harder than Category 1 is designated as hors catégorie…and that includes the Tourmalet.

The climb from Luz Saint Sauveur is 18km – the gradient averaging 8%. Just when your energy is almost totally sapped, your legs dead and the air thin from the altitude, the Tourmalet winds it up – the last few hundred meters being the steepest.

The forecast was for a sunny 25 degrees Celsius day. The reality was somewhat different, nice and cool for the ascent but fog hanging over the upper stretches of the climb brought the temperature down to single digits. What I didn’t plan for was that the sheer effort of the climb pretty much precluded photography; every ounce of energy and concentration going into making it to the top.

Having taken-up cycling only 10 months before, an HC Tour ascent may have been slightly optimistic. Despite that I summited, enjoyed lunch at the restaurant/bar at the top, descending slowly in the freezing fog while stopping frequently to warm-up and photograph cyclists still to make it to the top. The whole experience was amazing and, hopefully, will be done again. Next time it would be great to be able to see the view from the summit! A little payback for all that hard work.

There was a real sense that some of the cyclists do the climb regularly. One, speaking a dialect of French I didn’t understand, insisted we form a peloton with him as lead while he, talking away, presumably instructed me about cadence and gearing for mountain climbing. Great camaraderie but he was far fitter and, sadly, soon zipped off into the fog banks above.

It’s said you only need one gear for the ride – a low one. To do the ride in what might be termed a “reasonable” time, you also need to be exceptionally fit and experienced. On reaching the summit I was astounded to see touring cyclists, laden with heavy panniers, that had also reached the top (how?) and two men enjoying a summit cigarette who were doing a week of Col climbing in the area. Perhaps the greatest motivation for me comes from the two, small-framed, 60+ year old Italians enjoying some sustenance in the restaurant at the top. After about half an hour two women in cycling gear joined them. They had perfect tans, were dripping with jewellery, hardly a hair out of place and had just done the same climb except from the other side. Tourmelet 2, the fitter sequel, beckons…

ometimes after the completion of a video and stills project there is spare footage at the end; footage that would be a shame to waste but that doesn’t, in itself, make a whole video. This is where a bit of creativity comes into play…and this compilation is really just to say thank you to those people that helped the shoot.

This was shot in the ski resorts of Pragelato and Sestriere, Italy, with a 5D Mark II and GoPro HD. The superb skiing was by Christopher Bilsland.

Due to the temporary absence of my favourite editing program, Adobe Premiere Pro, this had to be cut in Final Cut Pro X…which I hope I never have to use again – see video below!

Also see End of Season video here

View video on Vimeo here