Astbury's Adventures in Photography

I can't remember when I made the move from shooting in camera jpg to shooting raw but it would probably be around ten years ago. At a similar time I started with Adobe Lightroom , the two going nicely hand in hand. Lightroom has scored for its overall combination of library and development modules, allowing convenient raw processing. Over the years I've gone for each major Lightroom release, the easy option of just buying an update license at around £50 every 18 months or so, and staying with the desktop version. Lightroom 6.13 splash screen However for some time it's been clear that Adobe's preference has been for monthly subscriptions and for cloud based options. Now with release 6.13 it's been the final update for the standalone version and it's missing some of the functionality of the 'Classic' version. The subscription model would work out more expensive and so it prompts me to review my options. Lightroom certainly has its shortcomings ;...

After spending a week in Ardnamurchan here is a condensed selection of my 'best' photographs taken. I'll start with my personal favourite, an image of Loch Shiel with the M.V. Sileas in the distance, I've used negative space to emphasise the cloud pattern as a reflection in the calm water, taken at the southern end of this popular loch (Glenfinnan and the 'Harry Potter' viaduct are located at the north end). Loch Shiel I never seem to be as satisfied with colour images but I did like this one which is shot slightly contre-jour to reveal the cold winter branches along with the warm colours of the old ferns in the foreground. Winter, Ariundle National Nature Reserve Having very carefully framed this image I found the resulting composition graphic but possibly a little too busy with this photograph of Loch Shiel, which proved my most popular on social media Loch Shiel with M.V. Sileas For EXIF data on these photographs and for other photographs...

Almost time to load the film and get started so I need to understand my options and have a practical approach to setting the exposures on the Nikon FE. Invariable The first thing I have to remember is that I can't change ISO . The old films I plan to use are ISO 200 so that will be my ISO value in all cases (let's ignore any options to pull and push the subsequent processing for the moment). Max Spielmann MX 200 colour print film The second thing I can't change is white balance . The film packaging doesn't appear to show any white balance recommendation so I'll assume they are daylight balanced (e.g. maybe 6000k). The traditional way of handling this would be to use warm up or cool down filters but for the more casual photographer they probably wouldn't bother. Like many (mostly) digital photographers I don't have a set of colour correction filters so won't worry. Ambient manual The simplest option is to set the camera manually. Aperture...

Along with the Nikon FE ( see earlier post: From Voigtlander to Nikon ) there was also a flashgun, the Nikon Speedlight SB-10 (factoid: Nikon use the term Speedlight but Canon use the term Speedlite ). NIKON SB-10, front NIKON SB-10, rear SB-10 mounted on NIKON FE, front SB-10 mounted on NIKON FE, rear When I opened up the battery compartment I was pleased to find the flashgun had been stored without batteries so no leakage. However when I put new batteries in I sadly found the unit was dead. I'm guessing maybe the electrolytic capacitor had failed sometime in the 36 years since the unit was manufactured. So what would make a good alternative to deliver a similar lighting effect to the original unit? Well the SB-10 worked as a manual unit (and also had a limited auto option). NIKON SB-10 Exposure Calculator disc The Guide Number was a very modest 25. My nearest equivalent is a Yongnuo YN560 which offers manual power setting with a max Guide Number of...

My first ever camera was my grandfather's, a Voigtlander VITO B, dating back to 1958. I put a number of films through this but have not used it recently. My grandfather's Voigtlander VITO B VITO B top panel and lens Note that in addition to ISO the Vito B also has a DIN setting, this refers to Standard 4512 of 1934,  by the Deutsches Institut für Normung. When I say 'setting' the camera is in fact entirely manual so really this just acts by way of a reminder. I now also have my late father's camera , a Nikon FE, it's nice to have them both. The FE dates back to 1981 and was a mid range camera of its day. Voigtlander, 1958 and Nikon, 1981 Nikon FE Nikon FE with Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens I find a 50mm a little tight, I prefer 35mm or maybe 40mm, however I'm expecting the Nikkor 50 1.8 to be a solid performing prime lens. I can see a number of dust spots but I wouldn't expect these to impact final image quality. The Nikon needed ...

My last blog post was April 2016, on my Advanced Photography Blog , which was dedicated to final studies for a photography degree. I graduated in the summer of 2016, here's me at the University of Creative Arts (UCA) graduation with Zandra Rhodes: UCA Graduation 2016 Since then there's been an absence of posts but not an absence of activity. I've been busy with a mass of things, new cameras, new software, getting up to speed with digital negatives, cyanotype processing and UV lights/meters. Currently I'm poised to make a return to film processing with a plan to run a film through my dad's old Nikon FE camera and so it seemed like a good moment to return to the world of blogging.