Some things are definitely better taken out of the photo

You can see from this photo that if you want a picture of a horse and carriage with the bride and groom in the carriage then you get more horse than human. If you take the photo from the back then the view of the horse is not as attractive as this photo.

You have to take at least one photo like this as this, among many other things, is what the bride and groom will want to remember about their day.

I didn't think they would want to remember the double yellow lines so they have gone. I didn't think they would want to remember the deposits from the horses so they have gone too. I also took away some oil marks on the road. I think it looks neater and that's what people want to see.

Happy snapping

Favourite photo of the day

Here is my favourite photo from Saturday. When I take photos at a wedding I promise to hand over between 100 and 150 photos but the total number depends on the opportunities that I get to take them. Generally I am able to hand over more than 300 photos and these are only the ones that I think are really good photos. A lot more photos than this are taken on the day. I suppose I could double up on every photo and convert them to black and white or sepia but I only do this a few times to give some examples of how the photos may look. For this wedding I will hand over 404 photos which is a record for me.

I went with this couple to the venues a couple of weeks ago. I knew this lake was a fine background. On the day of the wedding I was able to tell them that this was a contender for my favourite photo of the day and it is my favourite, even though there are 403 other contenders!

Happy snapping

You can even see the groom's shoes

This photo is from what is now yesterday's wedding. I have taken photos when none were allowed during the ceremony. I have taken photos when the vicar has said anyone could take photos at any time. At this wedding I was asked not to use flash. The problem with this is that you need a tripod. That's not a great problem. To avoid camera shake you can put the timer on. My camera gives me a two second option which is fine except if you see a smile then it doesn't usually last two seconds. You can use no timer but then you may see camera shake from just pressing down on the camera because the church is dark and it is a long exposure.

An added complication is that if anyone moves they become blurred. Flash would have solved this problem but if the vicar thinks that it is a distraction then he is the person in charge. I took a lot more photos knowing that a lot would be blurred, alternating between timer and no timer. Ironically an SLR camera is not silent and the noise may be a distraction. Also ironically the vicar remains anonymous because he moved. the bride and groom didn't move so you can see them clearly. What is that on the sole of the groom's shoes?

Happy snapping

Prepare for the snaps

I have a wedding tomorrow in Glossop and I went to look at the venues a couple of weeks ago. I showed you two of the photos as it gives me a chance to know where I am going and what kind of choice we have for backgrounds .

It also gives me the chance to mention the sort of photos that I take. One that you may see on the website at www.gradwellphotography.co.uk is the bride and groom looking at a photo of themselves. It doesn't matter whether it is a mirror or a picture frame but if it is a mirror then they get an extra picture. Their reflection often turns out to be a fine photo on its own.

I am showing you the photo on the right simply because it was an added suggestion, and I do like added suggestions. The church in Glossop is a great place to take photos. The venue for the reception is perfect for the group photos and has many lovely backgrounds, but the photo on the right is an added bonus. It is on the route for the day.

I always finish a blog with 'happy snapping'. It sounds like no preparation has been made. Well it has but a 'snap' may be the best photo of the day.

Happy snapping.

The National Media Museum

If you have an interest in photography then you have to go to Bradford to the National Media Museum. If you have not seen an IMAX film then you have the opportunity to see one there. I have been to the museum a few times since it opened in 1983 and initially there were not that many IMAX cinemas around. There are quite a few more now, but it would be a convenient time to watch a film if you do get to Bradford.

The museum used to be called the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, but because they have added radio and the web they couldn't afford to make all their signs that long. In their adverts they say 'The Photography Collection is one of the finest and most extensive anywhere in the world'. It is worth going to support a national museum which is not based in London, it is worth going for all aspects of the media but it is also worth going for its photography collections.

Happy snapping

Right Place Right Time 2

I went to a family wedding reception yesterday (20th June). My daughter had her camera and took this photo. It is not an expensive camera. It doesn't have many megapixels which means that there is a good chance that the photo will pixelate when you enlarge it. In old terms you will see grain but often this is an effect that people look for. You see it on any greatly enlarged photograph, e.g. when you see photos printed as wallpaper.

It is the cutting of the cake. I cropped it to less than a quarter or less of its original size so there are less than a quarter of the megapixels. I am including it in the blog because it is about being at the right place at the right time as per yesterday's blog. Another second and the expression would have changed. They did have the normal smiles a second earlier but then decided to cut right through the cake.

The photo on the left has just been cropped. It is not difficult to see the pixels but that's alright as pixels are much less important than smiles. On the right you see even more pixels as the photo deteriorates with each manipulation. I have simply desaturated the photo and put in a white vignette. There are many times when better smiles can be photographed after the main photo has been taken so be ready for them.

Happy snapping

Right Place Right Time

The news from Iran is not good. Bombs, water cannon, tear gas and anti-riot police are all mentioned in reports based on Twitter or blogs but it is not based on photographs from the BBC. Foreign news organisations, including the BBC, have been subjected to strict controls which prevent reporters from leaving their offices.

On the news we are watching videos of protests that have been made by protestors holding up their mobile phones. They are getting the photos that are being published across the world. Although they are not professional, the phone owners have become photojournalists. Remember the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989? The images of the protestor stopping a tank in its tracks will remain in many memories.

It doesn't have to be photojournalism. It can be sport, holiday snaps, portraits and even landscapes, but the rule for the best photos is to be at the right place at the right time.

Happy snapping