We had a busy weekend. We photographed three corporate events in London, a christening, four portrait sessions, and ran our stall on Northcote Road.

The corporate events were good fun. Novotel, the hotel group, hosted a fancy dress party for its staff. It was actually their Christmas party. They are so busy during December that there isn’t time to throw a party for the staff so they all dress up and have their end of year blow out in January.
My assistant, Jimmy and I set up a portrait studio in the ballroom where the party was held to photograph the guests in their fancy dress. While Jimmy photographed the guests I produced 7″x5″ prints for them which they were able to pick up shortly after the photographs were taken. This was a huge hit and is always very popular. So much so that they asked us to stay for another hour.

Producing prints on the night and staging ‘real time’ slideshows is great for the guests as they don’t have to wait to see the results. Also from the host’s point of view, particularly if is is a staff or corporate event it is a great opportuninty to give something fun away. There is also an opportunity to associate your brand or corporate image with the fun event by printing your logo discretely somewhere on the photo, all good stuff for you, your staff, and your clients.

We also photographed Stacy Solomon, the X factor contestant at an event this weekend. I have to admit I didn’t know who she was as I’ve only watched X factor a few times but my eight year old daughter thinks she’s the greatest and I managed to get an autograph for her.

We can generally produce finished photographs from an event between 24 and 48hrs which means that you can use the images to your advantage while the event is still fresh in everyone’s minds. We generally produce two sets of images supplied on DVD; a high res set for prints, and a low res set for web and email use. Go to our events and party photography page for more details.

The market in photo printers is huge and rather than suggest a particular brand or model there are a number of things to consider before handing over your money.

Photo Printers use either Dye based Inks or Pigment Inks.
Epson was the first company to ship a printer based that used pigment inks, which are made up of tiny, encapsulated particles that sit on top of the paper, instead of being absorbed into a paper’s fibers, which is what happens with dyes.
The most important reasons for using pigment inks are archival print life and color stability. The dye inks used in most early inkjet printers exhibited signs of fading or shifts in color after a short period of time (as quickly as days, in some cases). As a result, the graphic art and fine art markets turned to pigment inks. Pigment inks are much more stable and can last more than 200 years on some paper types under ideal (museum-quality lighting and framing) conditions.

The Paper you use is as important as the ink in measuring print life. Glossy papers, with their slick finishes, are usually the worst offenders in terms of print life, but any paper with so-called optical brighteners—used to make a paper’s finish bright, bright white—will have some issues with either ultraviolet light or atmospheric pollutants , like ozone, which can quickly break down dye inks on unprotected prints. It’s usually best to use paper produced by the same company that manufactured the printer. Remember printer companies make their money from selling you the ink and paper rather than the printer itself. You may think the printer is cheap but you’ll be surprised how expensive running it is.


Pigment inks aren’t perfect—they’re generally more expensive than dye inks, and they don’t have the brightness and broad color range (or gamut) that dye inks have. And, most printer manufacturers continue to push the print longevity of dye inks. Many dye-based prints, kept under glass and away from direct light, can last for up to 25 or 30 years, which is more than adequate for most of us. But some tests show that some dye/paper combinations show archival life of nearly 100 years, that’s the primary reason why dye printers aren’t going away any time soon.

Another problem that some early pigment inks had was a phenomenon called metamerism, which is essentially the human eye detecting a shift in color when viewing a print under different light sources. For example, an image might look normal under fluorescent light, but exhibit a greenish color cast when viewed outside in bright daylight or under a reading lamp. Metamerism plagued the first generation of pigment inks, but Epson, who pioneered pigment inks as a mainstream technology, worked extensively to reduce this (through more chemistry than I need to know about), and companies like Canon and HP are reaping the benefits of Epson’s initial forays into this market.

Custom inks

In addition to the big three printer manufacturers, a small cottage industry composed of third-party vendors has arisen that provides custom ink sets. I’m not talking about the low-cost cartridge-refilling companies; I’m referring to companies who have created a wide range of pigment ink sets that work in commercial printers and provide even greater tonal range for specific printing needs, most commonly (but not limited to) black and white images, especially some of the split-toning methods that originated in the darkroom. Cone, for example were one of the first companies to use quadtone black inks, four black inks of varying densities that produced truly neutral (or custom-toned) monochrome prints of stunning quality.

The bottom line

When thinking about why you would want a more expensive, pigment-based printer and specialized papers, there is one compelling reason: money. If you are a photographer or an artist looking to sell your work, the stability and longevity of pigment-ink-based prints means that you can do so without worrying about a buyer coming back in a year complaining that your print has yellowed or turned green. Remember also to choose good quality paper.
I’ve used printers from all the big manufacturers over the years but having spent many years producing traditional wet process prints I have to say I’ve always been disappointed with the results from a desktop printer. I use my local pro lab for all my printing, I find that you still can’t beat a print produced in a lab or print produced using traditional wet process techniques, particularly with black and white. Short runs of colour prints (under 5) are cheaper to do at home than at your local pro lab. But I think it’s cheaper to do a run of 20 A4 prints at your local pro lab than it is to do it at home.

This year in the run up to Christmas we will be running our free portrait photography at our stall in the Northcote Road Market. We’ll be there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in November and every day of the week in December right up until Christmas eve. The last photography session at the stall before Christmas will be the 21st Dec.

Photographs of you and/or the children are great Christmas present for relatives. We can frame the prints, produce canvases, supply them in mounts or just as prints. We take the photographs inside the stall using a white background and studio lighting. It’s fun, relaxed, and contemporary.

The session is free, you pay for the prints if you want to order. I’ve found over the years with children particularly that studio sessions sometimes just don’t work. The children may be tired, somebody bursts into tears (not just the children!), the youngest has just been punched by the eldest, etc, etc, you know what it’s like!

So, as we are at the stall anyway why not do it for free and if it works well you get some fantastic photographs, and if it doesn’t nobody is out of pocket. If you want to buy a 7″x5″ prints costs £19.50, 12″ x 8″ £25.00, up to a large wall print for £375.00. They can be ordered online, by phone, and at the stall the following weekend.

Last year we got very busy in December so if you can, or are very well organised please come in November or as early in December as you can.

I was extremely flattered to be asked by Anita, who organises the annual Grandison Road Camera Club competition, to help judge the competition and award the prizes. The children who entered ranged in ages from 6 to 13 years old and the standard of work was exceptional.

The children were all given a disposable film camera, yes a film camera, and were asked to take photographs covering the following themes: Common Life, City and Town, Animals, Scenic/Landscape, Humour, Family Group, Portrait, and That’s Life.

Anita not only spent hours of her time on the competition she also paid for the cameras and the prize money. She also gave up most of the table space in her house for a number of weeks so that the photographs could be displayed. So from the children and parents who participated, and myself, many thanks to Anita.

Here are the prize winners and the photos that they took. 1st prize category winners were awarded £5, second £2.00
COMMON LIFE:
1st Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10
2nd Prize: Emma Whyte aged 13

CITY/TOWN:
1st Prize: Robbie Whyte aged 11
2nd Prize: Amy Smith aged 6

ANIMALS:
1st Prize: Tom Sheldon aged 8
2nd Prize: Emily Sheldon aged 9

SCENIC/LANDSCAPE:
1st Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10
2nd Prize: Bella Stevens aged 6

HUMOUR:
1st Prize: Dan Smith aged 9

FAMILY GROUP:
1st Prize: Amy Smith-Cornfield aged 6
2nd Prize: Nicholas Legget aged 8

PORTRAITS:
1st Prize: Emma Whyte aged 13
2nd Prize: Madelaine Leggett aged 10

THAT’S LIFE:
1st Prize: Nicholas Whyte aged 8
2nd Prize: Robbie Whyte aged 11
THE MAJOR PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE: £20.00
Dan Smith aged 9

SECOND PRIZE: £10.00
Bella Stevens aged 6

THE JUDGE’S FAVOURITE:£5.00
Emily Sheldon aged 9

THE SPONSOR’S FAVOURITE: £5.00
Robbie Whyte aged 11

Merits (£1.00) were also awarded to: Emma Whyte, Tom Sheldon, Madelaine Leggett, Nico Whyte, Bella Stevens, and San Smith.
Overall Effort Prizes (disposable cameras) were awarded to: Amy Amith and Robbie Whyte.

I get a lot of questions about how to take great photographs of sunsets. The truth is, it’s easy. The hard part is finding a great sunset and being ready at the right time. If you follow the following tips you’ll be ready when you find the perfect sunset.
The sun sets every day, but to get a perfect sunset picture you need the right conditions of dust and clouds.
The dusky-red of the setting sun is the result of dust in the air. Wind blows lots of dust from the ground up into the air, and smoke and industrial pollution provide dust too (it’s one of the few benefits of air pollution). So do forest fires. The biggest contributor of all is volcanic eruptions. There’s nothing like a volcano to launch a huge payload of dust and smoke into the upper atmosphere from which it circles the globe. In recent years, beautiful sunsets have been credited to the eruption of Mount St.Helens in Washington, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, and most recently, Mt. Etna in Italy.
Clouds help too. Whether it is thick clouds that obscure portions of the sky or wispy clouds that take on colors of their own, the most dramatic sunset pictures almost always include clouds. The main reason we associate beaches with sunsets is that they give us an unobstructed view of the setting sun on the horizon. No mountains in the way. No buildings. No city lights. Just a flat horizon and the setting sun. Plus a smooth expanse of water to reflect the colors!
Also, if you’re hanging around on the beach, you’re probably relaxed and in the mood to enjoy a great sunset. You have time to watch the sun go down and savor the changes that take place over time.

What exposure should I use? The answer is that there are a range of correct exposures. If you use your camera’s built-in meter, you will usually be way off because the sky is still relatively bright, and the meter will underexpose the image. If you have a separate light meter, your best approach is to try to meter the ambient level of light. To do this either take an incident-light reading, or take a gray-card reading. Either approach will usually give a proper exposure. However, to be on the safe side, we suggest you take a number of bracketed shots.
Bracketing is a technique used by professional photographers to get the best exposure. To bracket, if your meter tells you to expose the scene at 1/60 of a second at f/8, then make the photograph and then take another frame at 1/60th at f/5.6 (one stop more exposure)and another at 1/60th at f/11 (one stop less exposure). This way, you have taken frames with more and less exposure than that which the meter indicates. You may find that a slightly lighter or darker version of the scene may give a more pleasing overall exposure.
What if you don’t have a separate meter or a way to control your camera’s aperture and shutter speed? As long as your camera has auto-exposure lock, you can still bracket…only you’ll do so by “fooling” the camera. Here’s how… First, point your camera at the sunset and take the indicated exposure. Second, point your camera at the ground where it’s darker, lock the exposure, recompose on the sunset, and take another exposure. Third, point the camera at the sky, lock the exposure, recompose on the sunset, and take another photograph. You should now have three different exposure settings for the sunset!
There’s another aspect of exposure for a sunset — timing. Sunsets aren’t static. They happen over time. When you prepare to take those sunset pictures, plan to spend at least half an hour, so you can photograph the scene every five minutes or so. Clouds move, colors deepen and change, and the image you record a little later as the sunset unfolds may have more drama and richer colors than you saw fifteen minutes before. Take lots of pictures, and choose the best of them later when you see the results.

What about composition?
Even the most spectacular sunset will look like abstract wallpaper if you don’t provide some context. Silhouetted trees or other objects in the foreground give a sense of scale and location to the scene. A great sunset will have a different feeling if it’s taken at the beach with a few palm trees in the foreground.
Of course, dramatic sunsets, despite what I’ve said about beaches and islands, can be seen in other places too. Wherever, see if you can place an interesting object in the foreground What about mountains? They make wonderful images, but they often present a problem when it comes to sunsets. If the mountain is tall, the sun will set behind it while still glowing a bright yellow. The mountain may rise too far above the dust-laden horizon for you to see the deep red hue of the setting sun.

What focal length should you use for a great sunset? The longer the lens, the larger the sun will appear in the picture. The surprising fact is that the sun in reality is only one-half a degree in diameter. What this means is that, if you shoot with a “normal” lens — say a 50mm — the sun will be less than 1/80th the width of the frame! You want the red globe of the sun to be a lot more significant than this. To achieve this, use a very long lens — 200mm is the minimum…400mm or longer is even better. One point, however: With such long lenses, be sure to support the camera on a tripod, monopod, or convenient flat surface since the exposure will be relatively long and you want to prevent camera shake.

WARNING: It is dangerous to your eyes to look directly at the shining yellow sun. Don’t look directly at it until it is low enough in the sky to have turned red. If you’re using a long lens, this is especially important. The lens is like a telescope. It magnifies the intensity of the sunlight. Don’t look at the sun through the lens until the flaming yellow glow has turned a dark red.
If you use film, what should you use for sunset photos? Almost any film will do. Some pros want the “grainless” look of Kodachrome. Others will use their regular ISO 800 film, and see no difference. My recommendation: ISO 200 or 400 will be fine. These ISO are good settings for use with a digital camera as well.

White Balance
White balance refers to the correctness of color in a photographic scene. The white balance feature in most digital cameras ensures that color appears correct regardless of the lighting conditions. Theoretically, if the white balance is correct, then all of the colors in the scene are correct too.
The first and perhaps easiest method is to shoot RAW files in the “Auto” white balance mode. The camera will automatically select the white balance for you, and allow you to focus your efforts on composing a great image. However, you will most certainly need to correct the white balance later in the digital darkroom during the RAW conversion process. For sunsets, you will likely find that the “cloudy” or “shady” presets will more closely resemble the actual look of the scene. While this is a useful method, I believe in getting it right in the camera the first time.

Sun Can Damage CCDs
It’s never a good idea to point a digital camera directly at any intensely bright light-source. Direct exposure to the sun while it is high in the sky can damage the delicate image sensor found in most digital cameras, the CCD. Fortunately as the sun approaches the sunset its intensity will diminish greatly. That’s primarily because the light rays become scattered as they pass through atmospheric haze and pollutants that surrounds the earth. The closer the sun gets to the horizon, the safer it will be to point a digital camera at it. Never stare at the sun. You will cause damage to your eyes.

Auto-Focus
Very bright objects in the center of the frame can confuse the Auto-Focus feature found on most digital cameras. You can avoid the problem altogether by switching to Landscape mode. Landscape mode sets the camera lens to Infinity ensuring sharply focused sunsets.

Turn around!
Many times we get so caught up in photographing the sunset itself that we forget about the beautiful light that is being produced by this modified light source. Turn around and take notice of the golden light a sunset provides.

Golden Light
Don’t stop shooting after the sun has dropped below the horizon. The light levels may be low but the quality of the light is pure beauty. Try shooting a portrait in this light and you’ll be amazed at the rich golden tones you’ll get.
Why is the quality of light so special? With the sun below the horizon, the sky essentially becomes a huge soft box, spreading reflected light through the atmosphere without the harshness and shadows of a point source such as the direct light of the sun.
The bottom line is digital cameras will perform better under soft reflected light conditions. Take advantage of this golden light, it doesn’t last long.

Use a Tripod
Because of low light levels, shooting sunsets may require long exposure times, so you’ll need a tripod. Exposure times of one or two seconds are common when shooting sunsets. Many digital cameras have replaced the cable release with a remote control. If your camera has one, bring it. This will reduce the possibility of camera shake during exposure times.

Include Foreground elements
Consider including foreground elements such as an interesting a tree or house into your scene. Just because you are shooting a sunset doesn’t mean you only have to include the sun. Because of the direction of the light, foreground elements will almost ertainly be reproduced as silhouette, which can help to build visual drama in a sunset image.

I hope you find this useful and you are able to apply some of this to get great sunset pictures. As I said at the head of this article, the problem is to get to a place that has great sunsets. The rest is easy!