I did a Workshop in Oxford at PhotoHubs

A couple of weeks back I was in Oxford at PhotoHubs on behalf of the Guild of Photographers who asked if I would do a workshop for some of their members.

I've not done 'in person' workshops for a few years now but this was so much fun with such a great group of folks.

I went through how I take portraits in the style of my veterans project but also other equally simple set ups that can create some great results. It was so good to see everyone active , chatting and enjoying the time we spent together. THE most important part of the time together though was showing how important 'talking / conversation' is in making your subject more comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera.

At the end I couldn't resist grabbing a quick portrait myself using just one light and one reflector ... I mean when one of the attendees has such a great look, how could I not??? 😃

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Thanks so much to everyone who came along and especially the folks at The Guild for inviting me in and for looking after me so incredibly well ❤️

KIT / SETTINGS:
Sony A7RIV (1/250 , ISO 100 , f/8.0)
Sony 85mm GM
Westcott FJ400 Strobe
Westcott Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish
Westcott Silver Reflector
Westcott X-Drop Pro with my new material Glyn Dewis Vintage Grey Background

You can see all of this kit over on my GEAR page ( LINK )

Cheers
Glyn

📷 I REALLY WISH my SONY camera had this ... but NIKON DOES!!! 🤷‍♂️

It's not often I find myself wishing my camera could do something that it currently can't , but FOCUS SHIFT in Sony is definitely HIGH on my WISH LIST!

In this video I explain all about Focus Stacking, why it would be so good to have Nikon Focus Shift in my Sony Camera AND how to stack and blend images together in Photoshop to end up with a tack sharp image!

Photographing The Joker

Looking through some files in my Lightroom Catalogue the other day and I noticed a series of images that I took when presenting for Sony at their Roadshow last year showcasing the new Sony A7IV.

I put together a video giving my feedback on the new camera that I only got my hands on the day before the Roadshow started, and in that video you can see snippets of when I was photographing my friend Graham Currey who was dressed as The Joker..

As for the set up, I used just the one light which was positioned above Graham, slightly forward of him and angled directly down to the floor so that I could also bounce some light into his face using a silver reflector.

The resulted in a version of what is commonly called horror lighting or up lighting, and which I thought would work great for the Joker character and give the pictures a much more dramatic look.

Kit:

• Camera: Sony A7IV

• Lens: Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master

• Lighting: Westcott FJ400 + Silver Reflector

Settings:

f/5.6 , 85mm , 1/160sec , ISO 200

Hope you like the results, and as alway, if you have any questions / comments, please do make use of the comments section below and I’ll be sure to respond.

Cheers,
Glyn

My Desktop Set Up: Kit I use EVERY Day

I’m often asked about kit…

What camera do I use for doing LIVE broadcasts?
What microphone do I use?
What's that ‘thing’ on your desk?

So, I thought I’d put together a post to list everything on my desk and that I use pretty much every single day. This will change over time as since my iMac died (LINK) I need a 2nd monitor and I’m undecided whether to go for the iPad Pro OR a new MacBook Air???

There are other things I use around my office such as my imagePROGRAF Pro 300 A3+ Printer but I’ll do another post later to show that and what typically take with me on a photoshoot or when out filming.

Anyway, here’s the current kit list on my desk as of today…

1. Westcott Flex Cine Bi-Color 1’ x 1’ - LINK

2. RØDE PSA-1+ Boom Arm - LINK
   (So much better than the original PSA1)

3. Lewitt LCT 440 Pure XLR Microphone - LINK
   (Best microphone I’ve EVER owned)

4. Zoom H6 Recorder - LINK
   (I plug my Lewitt microphone into this)

5. Elgato Camlink 4K - LINK
   (Superb plug and play gadget to use your camera as a webcam)

6. Sony A6400 - LINK
   (The video quality from this when I’m recording or LIVE, always gets a comment)

7. Xencelabs Pen for use with my Xencelabs Pen Tablet - LINK
   (Loving the Xencelabs Pen Tablet! So much better than my Wacom ever was!)

8. LaCie Rugged Mini 1TB 2.5” Hard Drive - LINK
   (I use this as a Time Machine Backup for my Mac Studio)

9. Elgato Streamdeck - LINK
   (Fantastic gadget for making LIVE streaming so much easier. Does a lot more though)

10. Apple Magic Keyboard with Numerical Keypad and Touch ID - LINK

11. Xencelabs Pen Case - LINK

12. Xencelabs Quick Keys - LINK

13. Apple Magic Touch Pad - LINK

14. Xencelabs Medium Pen Tablet - LINK

15. Sandisk Professional 1TB G-Drive SSD - LINK
    (Plugged into my Mac Studio for additional FAST storage)

16. Apple Mac Studio M1 MAX
    (A BEAST of a machine. So happy with this!)

17. BenQ SW321 4K Monitor - LINK
    (I LOVE this monitor! Great size. Great Colours. Matt Screen so no reflections…)

18. Sound Panel
    (I have a few of these dotted around on the ceiling and walls to improve sound)

I’ll be doing a video shortly on my new Xencelabs Pen Tablet as quite a few people have been asking about it since they too have had issues with their current Wacom tablet, so I’ll make sure to share that here and on my YouTube Channel.

As always, any questions about any of this kit, just drop me a message in the comments section and I’ll be sure to get back to you.

Cheers,
Glyn

Bolton Photography Session Days Roadshow

Last weekend I was up in Bolton, North West England presenting on behalf of Sony UK at the Bolton Photography Session Days Roadshow.

Founded and hosted by Emma Finch and Graham Currey, the Photography Session Days are generally half day events purely focused on giving photographers of all experience levels, a fun time photographing many and varied models in varying locations ranging from Old Theatres, Nuclear Bunker, Lighthouse, Tudor Mansion, Spitfire Hangars, former Cotton Mills (as was the case in Bolton) and more…

With Photography Sessions Days Founders: Emma Finch and Graham Currey

All the photographers need do is to bring along their camera and enthusiasm as everything else is provided such as lighting equipment, backgrounds, smoke machines and so it goes on…

This was my first time seeing a Photography Session Day in action and wow … very impressive. Although run with military precision when it comes timings and organisation, the atmosphere is incredibly uplifting. There’s no rushing around, there’s no feeling of people not getting long enough at each ‘station’ … in fact all I could see for the entire day were the smiling faces of like-minded people clearly having a great time.

At no point did I sense any egos; quite the opposite in fact. All I saw was a group of like-minded people chatting, laughing and taking photographs

Present on the day were hobbyists, keen enthusiasts and working photographers and all in it together helping each other out to make sure everyone walked away happy. It really was quite something to see.

Ordinarily ½ day events, this full day Roadshow was made possible because of the support from Sony UK, Mark Baber (Event and Content Manager for Sony UK Photo Channel) and Mark Preston, and consequently was the largest event to date.

Mark Baber gave a couple of presentations during the day covering the Sony range and some of the technologies such as Eye Auto Focus, and also showcasing a large range of lenses and camera bodies that attendees were able to try during the day.

Rob Fenlon (Atlas Studios), Graham Currey, Me, Emma Finch, Mark Preston (Sony) , Mark Baber (Sony)

The Roadshow was held at the amazing Atlas Studios in Bolton; a former cotton mill that is owned and run by Rob Fenlon and his great team who I must say were top rate! Nothing was too much trouble to ensure that the day ran smoothly, but wow…talk about a great location / venue; so many possibilities for photo and video, you can see why their clients range from companies such as Netflix, Levi, Nike, BBC Sport (and so it goes on…)

If you’re in the UK and looking for a location for photo / video of any scale be it to hire a shooting space for a day / ½ day, a workshop to full scale film crew, I’d highly recommend checking them out:

https://www.atlas-studios.co.uk

I was there having been invited along by Mark Baber from Sony UK and the hosts Emma and Graham, to present a talk that I titled “Portrait to Landscape: How to Keep Creative” which I’m really pleased to say got lots of great feedback and questions.

I did also take my camera along on the off-chance I could dive in during a change-over to grab some photographs of a couple of the models without interfering with the attendees shooting time.

Here’s a couple of natural light shots I grabbed of Pip the Gentleman and Stan & Ollie; both taken with my Sony A7RIV but I borrowed the new 50mm G-Master from Mark … which was probably a mistake because now I want one 😳

There is so much more I could say about the day; not only about all of the photography opportunities that had been created for attendees with such a variety of models but also how well looked after everyone was.

Atlas Studios offer great facilities but also throughout the day Emma and Graham ensured that refreshments were always available, be it Tea and Coffee, bottles of water, snacks and then at lunch time fresh sandwiches being delivered. Everything had been thought of to ensure a smooth running, fun packed, successful day.

My thanks to Emma and Graham, to Rob and the team from Atlas Studios and of course to Mark Baber from Sony UK for inviting me along to present.

I must also mention the models. First class every one of them but not just that…the thing that stood out and was so impressive was how, despite modelling and performing all day, the effort they gave to each and every photographer was as if it was their first of the day. Where they got their energy from I don’t know…maybe it was the buzz of the day, but each and every one of them deserves high praise indeed.

If you’re looking for inspiration and a great time out with your camera to photograph content you may not normally get the opportunity to, I’d recommend Photography Session Days in a heart beat; you need to be quick though because they sell out FAST!

https://sessiondays.co.uk

DOING THIS made a BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER: Tethering HOW and WHY

If there's one thing that has made me a better photographer more than anything else, it's tethering!

In this video I explain WHY and HOW including HOW to Tether using Sony, PLUS an extra tip at the end about HOW to help people become more CONFIDENT in-front of the camera…

In addition to the software and a cable, there’s lots of additional kit made by TetherTools that is designed to make tethering, either indoors or outdoors, as simple and as convenient as possible.

Over on my GEAR PAGE I’ve listed the kit that I use on a very regular basis; you can check that out using this LINK or just clicking on the GEAR link at the top of this page.

Cheers,
Glyn

Touring with Sony and the NEW Sony A7IV

Soooo looking forward to this...

I'll be with Sony at the St Pierre Marriott Hotel in Chepstow for 2 days (12th and 13th November) showing the NEW Sony A7IV in use during a series of different photo shoots.

If you're around and fancy coming along to get a first look and hands-on, at the new camera, it's FREE and there's various time slots throughout both days as well as other dates at different locations throughout the month, including London, Chepstow, Manchester and Edinburgh

For dates, locations and more details click on the link below: