Pwllheli Market

As a part of my long term project of the people and place of Pwllheli I wanted to start photographic the Market.  Its history is as old as the town stretching back more than 600 years. This was my first trip and will be going back over the summer to take more images to build up a record of each of the stall holders and the people who shop there.  I will also put in a few detailed shots of the goods.

Just a little series to keep the blog updated!

Old Garage at Llanrug

I was travelling back from the North Wales Photographic Award ceremony yesterday when I noticed that the garage door at Llanrug was open. You may wonder why that was important? Simply the garage is unique  in that it is relatively unchanged after a 100 years.  It has been photographed many times, including myself and indeed I met Paul Miller from a camera club in Birmingham who was also taking pictures of the building. What was significant to me was that I hoped to meet the owner! I did, who is Dylwyn Parry Jones and is the third generation of the family to own and work in the garage.  He told me that his grandfather was there during the great war serving petrol even before there were pumps.  It was a real pleasure to meet him and talk about such a famous landmark.  He was kind enough to allow me to do a mini photoshoot of him in his garage.

But before we get into the shoot I just wanted to show you why this place is important to me. The image above used his garage as a backdrop and has been my most successful to date and has been accepted into the 155th Royal Photographic Society print exhibition. I have found that my objectives and motivations in photography are evolving all the time and I find that I am moving away from competition photography and more toward documenting people and places in North Wales.

Dylwyn stands outside his garage context shot that connects him to the building.

Then I wanted to get a sequence with him in a more prominent position. I particularly like this mono version standing next to his pumps.

I then wanted to do something a little different with the flashgun. I was looking for a subdued background with a fill flash to make him more prominent. The standard pose with Dylwyn slightly turned toward me with his right hand shoulder turned away and leading the viewer towards the building.  He stands well forward and cuts the horizon making him the focal point.  I like the crossed arms.

We then moved inside the garage and what a fascinating place it was.  The clutter had built up over years and it was great to see that it is still a working garage. I simply wanted to capture him in his working environment.  We then moved into his workshop and that was a treat.

I loved it in there with the accumulation of mechanical bits and bobs over the workbench.  Once again he was happy to work with me.  He even chuckled to himself at the state of the workshop. I then wanted to get a closer portrait shot of Dylwyn himself.

This final image focuses on the person and a little less on the environment.  As I was taking it I noticed the Ted Baker t-shirt and asked if he had any overalls as that would be more relevant to his work.  Ironically he told me that he did not work in them and wore whatever was clean.  The images document him as he  was and I kind of like the branded t-shirt.  I was really pleased to get this little sequence and to find out a little bit of the history of the garage and his family.  This is what I enjoy about photography, the ability to meet interesting people and attempt to capture them in their place.

  

Thoughts on Capturing Motion

I have thought about this one and wanted to do a couple of little projects as I have not really explored motion that much.  When I consider this it appears to me from a simplistic level you can capture this in two ways.  The first is a hard capture with a high shutter speed that essentially freezes the motion.  This can be effective with subjects that you may not see unaided such such as a kingfisher diving into the water or with dynamic elements in sport images.  But you can be creative with your shutter control to give a better sense of motion by using slower shutter speeds.

The image above was captured with a shutter setting that was faster than the movement of the subjects.   This has the effect of freezing the moment and makes it look static. While the composition might be pleasing as the children are walking across the frame in order of height and the little girl has seen something inside the cafe it does not give a great sense of motion.

This image was taken at the Pageant of Power and is an example of an image which gives a sense of motion. The tonal range is limited as it does not have a great deal of separation between the subject and foreground/background but you can see motion blur while the subject remains sharp. Closer inspection will reveal that mud is kicking up from the track, the wheels are also blurred as they are rotating at a higher speed than the shutter. What adds to that sense of speed more importantly are the figures holding on for dear life.

I was inspired to explore motion by creating a series of images focusing on the Seagull. This first image was taken with a high shutter speed with the result that the subject was sharp through the frame. The eye of the bird is clear and the red ring helps to draw the attention of the viewer. The subjects position does not follow the rule of thirds and is a little central and is not wholly satisfying. The bird was gliding on the wind and was moving slowly and as such a shutter of 1/250th was sufficient to capture it.

The seagull in the image above was moving a little faster and shows the topside of the wings. It is not quite as sharp as the previous shot as the subject was moving a little too fast for a shutter speed of 1/250th. You must be aware of the ratio between the speed of the subject and the shutter speed in achieving your goal.

You can use the shutter to be more creative in giving a sense of motion as these three images hopefully demonstrate. Each was taken with a slow shutter of 1/15th of a second. I chose these images to include the seagulls head as I wanted the viewer to able to recognize the bird and the contrast between the relatively stationary body against the beating and blurred wings.

This final image is a little abstract as you have to work out that it is a seagull. Of course in this sequence you would work it out. The wing tips are very fluid and the subject is almost feather like in its presentation. It was shot at 1/15th of a second as above but of course it was moving far faster than the shutter. 

This composite image taken at the same location within 10 minutes and at different shutter speeds and aims show the effect of shutter on motion. The figure on the left is a hard capture at 1/500th of a second and is frozen. The second figure is almost ghost like with a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second. The final figure appears blurred and may not be the most effective capture of motion as it occupies that subtle space between the first and second figures at 1/100th.


The final sequence concentrates on sports.

1/1250th

1/1000th 

The above images capture the high speed motion of the wake boarders. But the slower the speed of the shutter the more surreal they become. The high shutter speed is more effective in capturing the subject whose facial concentration adds to the mood of the image as does the frozen wake of the water behind them.

1/250th 

1/50th

In the above examples the slower shutter speed is less effective in capturing the figure which looks blurred and surreal while the background is sharp. But a slow shutter pan can be used to achieve the opposite effect by tracking the subject through the viewfinder as you take the picture. The final image now gives a sense of the wake boarder zipping through the frame.

1/160th

The shutter can be used to capture motion in different ways. You can use high shutter speeds to freeze the action which is effective in dynamic sports or high speed subjects. Slower shutter times can be used to create abstract shapes from subjects moving at speed or blur the background while keeping the subject sharp as used with panning. The options are up to you as creativity is only bounded by your imagination and the limitations of the camera. It is just knowing how to use those limitations to your advantage in creating something different. 

Cleaning My Camera Sensor

Hi, well I decided to clean my own CCD (Sensor) after getting fed up of paying £25-£35 a pop for the privilege. I did some research and went for the Sensor Swab solution by Photographic Solutions Inc.

The items come separately or you can get them as a kit. I got mine from Amazon as it is a trusted e-retailer. I also got the rocket blower to remove the particles from the sensor which is know as a dry clean. You can also use the blower as a first step in cleaning your optics as you don't want to rub grit into your expensive glass! The lint free wipes are used to wipe your glass and with a drop  of the cleaning fluid you can get a good wet clean. It is the swabs and the solution which are actually used to clean the sensor. A point to note is the swabs come in different sizes as the sensors are different physically, i.e. DX vs FX. Mine are type 3 for the FX camera but I found out that this swab worked perfectly well on my DX camera by sweeping it vertically across the sensor as opposed to horizontally on the FX.

The first step in the process is to find out how dirty the sensor is. You do this by taking a picture of a clean white sheet of paper with the camera focus set to infinity and then open the image in photoshop. By using levels you can better see the offending particles that you are trying to remove. This picture can also be used to see how well we have cleaned the sensor. This is a test image of my D700 before cleaning:

The RAW image does not give much away so using levels is essential in seeing those sensor particles.

The sensor is pretty dirty and needs a clean so we start with the dry clean method with the rocket. But first it is worth cleaning the interior and mirror first to remove any particles that have built up in the compartment. The particle build up is a consequence of lens changes which is why many pros have multiple bodies with their favorite lenses attached so they rarely have to change them. Unfortunately I mostly use my D700 and do a lot of lens changes. Just remove the lens and clean the interior with the rocket.

I tend to tip the camera upside down to let the blown particles fall out of the camera.

I tried this method and got rid of the loose particles but the main blobs did not want to budge. You then need to open the shutter and mirror to expose the sensor so that you can inspect it and clean it. You do this through the camera menus but make sure your battery is fully charged before you start as you don't want the shutter to close when you have the swab inside the camera body. This is of course a Nikon camera other makes will be different.

Once the mirror is up you can see and inspect the sensor by eye. There are products that you can use to magnify and illuminate the sensor surface for better viewing called a sensor loupe. I have not purchased one of these as I expect to do a wet clean of the sensor most of the time. You can always take another image of the white surface to check how good a job you have done in cleaning the sensor. This does not mean that I will not buy it later as I get more experience.

Once the mirror is up attempt a dry clean and take a test shot after you have finished to inspect your work . Obviously you need to put the lens back on to take the picture. Of course owning the sensor loupe would let you know if you missed any particles as you progress. When you use this method ensure the tip of the rocket does not touch the sensor just in case you mark it.

To begin the wet clean process you need to take the swab out from its protective bag. Remember it was manufactured in a clean-room environment and immediately sealed. Once you have used it throw it away as you don't want to re-pollute your clean sensor with a dirty swab.

Once out of the bag put some of the cleaning solution on the tip of the swab.

Carefully place the swab into the camera against one end of the senor while being careful not to hit the sides of the sensor chamber as you put it in.

Then carefully but firmly sweep the swab across the sensor in a single motion while maintaining a constant pressure.

When you have swept across the surface you then need to reverse the direction but without lifting the swab from the sensor.  Simply pull it across in the opposite direction but use the clean trailing edge of the swab.

When you are done quickly inspect the sensor. Remember the longer you leave the shutter/mirror open the more the chances you will get more crud on it. If you are happy turn the camera off and the shutter will close.

Replace the lens and take another test picture of the white sheet. Open it in photoshop and adjust levels to see the particles. After my first attempt I didn't quite get it right as there were a few blobs and a smear. The smear was a consequence of my not putting the swab in cleanly and the edge caught the sensor,  This is no problem as it is a soft material and it is only a smear. I then had to repeat the process.

After the second attempt the sensor is as good as clean.  There are a few blobs in the very lower left had corner but nothing that phtoshop can't cure.

This final clean was good enough.  The price for cleaning it myself was £5 plus a few pence for the fluid.  This was due to the swabs costing £2.50 each which is still 1/10 of getting it done professionally. I wrote this blog after my first attempt on my D700 but I had a go cleaning my D2x last week and that was a doddle too.

I hope this has helped you and as long as you take your time and be gentle you will have no problem.