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Home Portraiture Session by Alec Kirkham
I did a home portraiture photo session for the Armstrong family at the weekend. The 2 children Alistair (almost 2yrs) and Rose (3 months) were to be the main focus however we also made time for some family shots also. As these pictures were taken in the clients own home I had some setup to do before hand.
I thought it would be useful to list the equipment used and set-up for this shoot.
Angry Birds by Alec Kirkham
I went along to a family falconry day recently, where we all got an opportunity to learn about lots of different birds of pray as well as handle and fly them. Everyone had a great day and as ever I took a camera along to capture a few images of the family and the birds. The included slide show is made up from some of the pictures taken. Some of you may recognise the backing track as it was quite appropriate.
Studio Session by Alec Kirkham
Here is a mixed selection of images taken during my last studio session. I you would be interested in attending a studio photo session please get in contact.
The Bow Fiddle Rock, Portknockie by Alec Kirkham
I just got back from doing some work close to Elgin in the North of Scotland. As I was away for a few days I took my camera with me. Having never visited this area of the country before I had done a little bit of research and had seen a few pictures of this rock, know as the bow fiddle rock which is just off the coast of Portknockie. I arrived at this location just in the nick of time and once again found myself running from the car to find a good vantage point. There was only 15 minutes till sunset and I could see that the late evening sun was perfectly illuminating the rock. So with only minutes to spare I took a few different shots.
The Bow Fiddle Rock
The image above was my favourite and is actually a composite of 2 different images.
Image number 1 (the rock) 24-105mm Lee circ. polarizer plus a 2 stop Lee ND hard grad
(35mm, F16, ISO 100, 1 sec)
Image number 2 (the sky, sea and foreground) 24-105mm Lee circ. polarizer plus a 2 stop Lee ND hard grad and a 10 step Lee big stopper
(35mm, F8, ISO 400, 65 sec)
I then used photoshop layers and masks to reveal the rock only on the long exposure layer. I liked the way the blue tones from using the big stopper made the oranges/yellows tones of the rock pop within the image.
Suzanne & Stephen’s Wedding Day by Alec Kirkham
Suzanne and Stephen have been planning this day for a long time so when it eventually arrived you could see the excitement in everyone’s faces. The venue chosen for the wedding was the Burgh Hall in Pollokshaws Glasgow. This unique location within leafy Maxwell Park and the beautiful interior makes the Burgh Hall an extremely special venue for any event. Once again the weather was a concern on the day, we wanted to take advantage of the Maxwell park gardens however the forecast was for heavy rain in the afternoon. Thankfully we managed to get a nice selection of pictures outside before the rain eventually arrived. The whole day went very smoothly and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Below are a few of the images captures during the day.
Turnberry Lighthouse – By Alec Kirkham
I was doing some work this week for a company based in Girvan. As I was staying over night I thought it would be a good opportunity to get out and take some pictures. Here is an image of the Turnberry lighthouse.
My Children in the Studio by Alec Kirkham
I was in the studio last weekend photographing a few different families; however I also wanted to get some new picture of my 3 children, one of the most feared and challenging scenario, having to photograph your own children. As it transpired they were all well behaved and I managed to get some pretty good shots. The attached slide show is made up from just a few of the images taken during this session.
Best viewed in HD at full screen and with Scaling turned OFF.
This slideshow was produced using Proshow Producer.
Skye Trip Journal – Skye As Seen Through An Infra-Red Camera by Alec Kirkham
One of the challenges of a landscape photographer is the mid day sun which tends to bring harsh lighting conditions with strong shadows not ideal for this type of photography. These conditions however are a plus if you have an infra-red camera. I had one of my older digital SLR camera converted to only detect infra-red light by a company called ACS. You can take infra-red images with the use of filters on a standard camera however this involved long exposures (no hand held shots) and makes composition difficult and you can see nothing through the lens with the filter attached.
Skye Trip Journal – Sunrise 2 – The Old Man of Storr by Alec Kirkham
For my final day on Skye I planned on photographing the sunrise from a vantage point that included the Old Man of Storr.
The Storr is a rocky hill on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye. The hill presents a steep rocky eastern face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, contrasting with gentler grassy slopes to the west. The Storr is prime example of the Trotternish landslip, the longest such feature in Great Britain. The area in front of the cliffs of the Storr is known as the Sanctuary. This has a number of weirdly shaped rock pinnacles, the remnants of ancient landslips. One of the most famous of these is known as the Old Man of Storr.