AHB PHOTOBLOG

dogs now welcome on EQUI-PIX!!

2010-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

dogs now welcome as part of our service at EQUI-PIX due to a significant increase in demand for dog portraits, I will now be including a gallery, and packages tailor suited for dog and horse alike. Keep an eye on future posts for updates, or stop by EQUI-PIX to make a booking!

Labrador's and Ice

2010-02-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

Anyone who know's me, or has seen me out taking photos, you may know that my dog comes with me 80% of the time. It's win win, as he gets exercise by going out a walk, and I get the benefit of having someone watch my kit bag when I leave it lying around! Anyway, taking a dog for a walk, while trying to take photos, does not always work out well, as they have an uncanny ability to walk right into the picture at the crucial moment. Either that or you don't find out until you get back home to check out your 'award winning shot' just has a tail or a nose creeping in the side of the image!

On this occasion however, the damage was done before the shutter was even released. Labrador's, by nature are water dogs, they are built for it, a double coat, waterproof, webbed feet, and an otter like tail, everything about them lends themselves to water. So it should have came to no surprise that after spotting this partially frozen snow covered burn sitting perfectly, that Mactavish would take it upon himself to create a perfectly Labrador shaped hole in the ice by leaping from the banking. After the partial disappointment, I kind of got to like the shape that was unexpectedly created, as it showed the burn running below which provided a bit of movement and contrast to the white surrounding it.

For a change, I was working in Aperture priority, something I never really do as I never felt I was in total control! Untrue... You are in total control, and it is a quicker way of working in cold conditions, when you don't particularly want fingers exposed for too long! In this case, I knew that the camera would underexpose the shot due to the large amount of white in the image. A test shot confirmed suspicions, a quick flick of the wheel dialled up +0.7 exposure compensation, and the exposure was spot on. 3 or 4 shots taken, and then I was packing up and moving on, hands in pockets!

For now, the dog will continue to come with me on my travels, sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't!

Solo Exhibition

2010-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

2 years down the line, and i have finally completed all the shooting, printing and framing for my solo exhibition. I have a collection of 17 or so images taken locally and further afield in Scotland. The majority of work is made up of black and white images, with a few colour thrown in for variety.

Each of the images are framed in black, with a white mount. This displays the black and white images to their best and does not distract from the image itself. On display are a collection of landscapes, panoramic images, and some contemporary square seascape images. All the images are available to buy direct at the restaurant, or can be ordered in different sizes (without frames) from my ONLINE SHOP.

The actual exhibition is located in the restaurant section of THE OLD CASTLE BAR AND RESTAURANT, Dundonald, South Ayrshire. The restaurant offers fantastic food in the traditional pub food style. The contact details for the restaurant can be found here: The Old Castle.

So if you enjoy fine food and drink, pop in to the old castle bar, and check out some of my images of Scotland, and even pick yourself up a nice piece of art!!

Fine Art Horse Portraiture

2010-01-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

I dont exactly know what kind of work you have to produce in order to get the 'fine art' status, however for these horse portraits, I feel that anything more than a snapshot that shows the horse off in its best form is good enough for me!

So i was asked before Christmas by a good friend of mine if I could take a picture of his girlfriends horse as a special xmas prezzie. Of course I said yes, without really thinking about what I was getting into. So I started my research into horse portraiture, and among all the sources out there, the two that stuck out were books by, Jann Arthus Bertrand, and Tim Flach. Tim Flach's book shows off the horses in their natural environment, which results in some stunning imagery. particularly of the Icelandic ponies. Bertrand's book displays just about every breed of horse there is on the planet, taken simply against a canvas backdrop. These pictures work really well, and i was drawn to the simplicity.

So I decided I would try to aim somewhere down the middle, so as not to rip off either of the artists who have been here before me. I decided on a simple black background, with the horse appearing from the darkness. I felt this could be achievable on location without the need for backdrops or disruption to the horse.

My set-up for these portraits is pretty simple. I use 2 flashes fired into shoot through umbrellas at 45 degrees either side of the horse. This provides, soft even lighting which has the benefit of a wrap around effect. I set my camera to its highest sync speed (1/250th sec) which plunges the already dark stables into total blackness. (no backdrop needed remember) All thats left to do is to bring the flash up, until we get a nice exposure on the horse. With the set up complete, I can begin taking photos with one hand while clicking, waving and bribing the horse with food in the other!

The success of the first portrait I done for my friend, has led me to do more portraits for other equestrian enthusiasts. As such I am taking bookings, and providing a service at the cost of £45 per horse, which includes a high quality 10x8" print. (soon to be provided in a display mount.)

For bookings or more information, contact me at bookings@equi-pix.co.uk or using the contact form at
EQUI-PIX

www.equi-pix.co.uk

Charity Pole Dancing Event

2009-12-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

When I was asked to take photographs at a charity ball dancing event, I jumped at the chance, always looking for something different to add to my portfolio, and challenge my skills as a photographer. However on a follow up confirmation call, I was slightly surprised to find out that I had completely misheard the initial invitation. I was soon to learn that I would in fact be covering a charity POLE dancing event. I then thought 'great' and diplomatically approached my better half for clearance!

As it turned out however, the night was to be a great success, and a chance to meet lots of great people, judges, organiser's and erm.. 'athlete's' alike. With the visions of sleazy connotations associated with pole dancing out of my head, I was free to go about my usual ritual of slight panic, and head scratching about how to successfully capture fast moving rubber people on poles in low light.

Even with my ISO cranked up to the max, with my fastest lens/aperture combination, I still did not have a workable shutter speed to capture the action. So I looked to my bag and considered flash, this introduced a whole new problem in the shape of 12x3 metre mirror running the length of the gym!

The picture (above left) shows the room without any flash, f3.2, 1/125sec. Dead. My thinking was to kill the ambient light, then build the light back up with controllable strobe lighting. 2 strobes were positioned at the far sides of the hall facing the poll, with the light stands positioned high enough to allow the light beams to flash above the heads of the audience, so as not to lose any light, and control unwanted shadows. The flash heads were zoomed in to concentrate the beam on the pole, and not fill the whole room with light.

The second picture, shows the effect the strobes are having on the scene. I decided to cross light the scene, as it would minimise any reflections of flash from the mirror, and probably light the dancers in a flattering way, using hair lighting, to outline the shape of the dancers. Once the lights were set up it was just a case of fine tuning the shutter speed and aperture, to get the right mix of ambient and flash lighting. Then it was on to the competition....

Overall the night was a great success, with the tickets, and raffle raising over £600 for charity. The music was good, the buffet was amazing, and the staff were very appreciative of my efforts. The dancers done a great job of entertaining the crowd and managed to avoid potential skull smashing injury!

The picture to the right, displays the acrobatic ability of these dancers!

and for the ladies...

I would like to add, that the above photographs, are all RAW straight from camera. This kind of job requires me to work fast, and get the images correct in camera. This allows me to transfer the images immediately to the customer, without the need for any lengthy Photoshop sessions. Without doubt, these images could be enhanced and cleaned up in Photoshop, but lately, ive been more inclined to get the job right and move on.

Next up, studio style horse portrait...

Masked Ball Menzies Hotel Event

2009-12-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

I was asked to cover a masquerade ball at the end of November, this was pretty much my first social event (bar weddings) that i have been asked to cover. I thoroughly enjoyed the night, as it was a great chance to experience working in a sector which i intend to branch into in 2010. (equipment check list all made up!) I met lots of great guests at this party, not to mention some fantastic masks!

Setting up my lighting for this event threw up some of problems due to a number of factors. 1. the allocated space i had been given (draughty entrance tucked in beside the bar, which the bar staff were determined to take from me) 2. My lack of big lights and no power supply. This proved not to be as big a problem as the flash guns took up less space, and saved on trailing wires across the floor creating a potential tripping hazard. I was however left at the mercy of the battery life in both the flashes and their respective wireless triggers.

In order to flatter the guests that had their pictures taken (around 90% of them) I set up 2 flashguns firing into umbrellas at 45 degrees left and right of the guests. The umbrellas give a flattering effect, and minimise shadows on the faces and behind the guests. Thankfully the batteries (rechargeable) lasted for the entire night. The same batteries were also used for the Belmont Academy school show earlier the same day. Photo sales were done online, via my online shop www.ahbphotography.com/shop with a unique password in order to view the pictures. In 2010, I intend to purchase a dedicated printer with WIFI link in order to sell prints on the night, when guests are more likely to be in the mood to buy photos. This will give the guests the option to buy prints on the night, or at a later date online.

Once the guests had all arrived it was time for the band to start up and get the party started. I could not have asked for a better band providing better music while i worked! They were absolutely fantastic. The bar staff could now finally claim their space and see the back of me! Umbrellas and light stands dismantled, it was now time to get the flash on beside the camera and get close to the action.

In order to capture the essence of a party atmosphere, and capture the energy of the party, I decided to include as much of the ambient light as possible which was provided mainly by the disco lights coming from the music, and selected tungsten lights left on around the room. I selected a wide aperture f2.8 if memory serves? and a shutter speed of around 1/2 a second, which is usually a recipe for extremely out of focus, blurry images. However add a splash of flash, (rhyme not intended!) off camera, to eliminate red eye, and your subject becomes frozen, whilst the background becomes an energetic flurry of light and movement. A cool technique to remember when shooting any party! On another note... you only need a tiny bit of flash, due to the aperture being wide open!! This has the added bonus of not blinding your subjects, and giving you fast recycling times from the flash. In order to create the energetic feel from the long exposure/flash technique, it is advised to move the camera during exposure, either by tilting, swinging, or zooming IN not out on your lens.

Here are a selection of images from the rest of the party.

Evita, Belmont Academy School Show

2009-12-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

First of all, what a show! what can i say? The show was full of great singers, great dancers, the band was fantastic, and the sound/lighting crew were faultless! With such an array of talent it was very difficult for anything to go wrong! I suppose that's where i could come in.

My job was to take images from the show which would be shown in a slide show towards the end of the show. The slide show would represent a flash back of Evita's life. This in itself was not a problem, as i just had to move around getting pictures as the show was in progress. No set ups or positioning needed here, that saves on exploiting my dodgy organisational skills!

The problem however, lay within lighting the scene. Problem is, this is a theatrical production and there are lights changing colour and intensity every 20 seconds it seems! It is also dark. Very dark by digital camera standards. Ambient light would have been the most natural way to record the scene, letting the stage lights do their jobs. Even with a high ISO and my aperture set to f2.8, my camera is still reading something crazy like 1/15th of a second. That is no where near fast enough to freeze the action of enthusiastic students prancing around the stage!

The solution was to set up 2 flash guns on stands at either side of the stage, using a low power setting allows the ambient lighting to be captured using a slow shutter speed, while the flashes effectively freeze anything they hit.

Here is a set up shot of the stage, taken from the top of the bleachers. The flashes can just about be seen illuminating the stage from either side.

So with the flashes set in position, all that was left to do was to capture the action. I would like to add at this point, just to add some pressure, due to time constraints there was not enough time for photoshopping. The images were burned straight to disk after the rehearsal. So the images you see here are straight from camera, in their barest state! No tweeks, no enhancements.

Here are a few more shots from the show:

Kick starting the blog!

2009-12-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since i have posted anything to this blog, however that is because I have spent a lot of time building my new website However, now that the website is up and running, I feel i can return to blogging regularly in order to provide insight into my latest work and projects.

During the absence of this blog, i have built up a significant body of work. I will aim to display some of this work on the blog, along with details of the job/project and some images along with some gripes and failed efforts!

Creating my new website has been a fun experience, and a worthwhile one due to the increase I have received as a result. With this blog however, I feel more connected with the viewers as it allows for feedback and general chit chat!

If you have not yet seen the new website you can do so by clicking here

recently I have not been....

2009-06-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

Recently i have not been keeping my blog up to date! The rare marvel that is sunshine in Scotland has lured me outdoors for the last few weeks, enabling me to top up my tan, and scout out possible locations for photo shoots etc.

on top of that I have been confirming my availability to couples who have asked me to shoot there wedding. Much looking forward to that. The first comes in June, so i am gradually building up my equipment and constantly looking for inspiration and shooting ideas.

in order to stay creative over the summer break, I have taken a leaf out of Chase Jarvis book. He has cleverly mentioned that the best camera, is one that is on you all the time. That makes sense as we all carry one everyday. in the form of a mobile phone. Chase has a portfolio on his website which is entirely made up of images made on his iphone. I intend to keep a similar bank of images, shot on my new Nokia e63. The Nokia sports a 2 megapixel camera (nothing impressive there) but that is not the point. This is just another way to prove that a camera is just a tool, and the photographer makes the images. So bare that in mind all who are trying to keep up in the pixel race!

I will include a couple of pics taken with the Nokia, which also allows you to see what i have been doing with my spare time... Yes those are croquet mallets!

NEW WEBSITE!!!!!

2009-06-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

just a quick post to let you all know I have a new website in the pipeline! the site is still under construction and requires some images to bulk it up a bit, i will work as fast as i can to get this up and running. Obviously a dedicated website is a good thing, bad thing... need to renew the business cards again!!

the website is powered by MoonFruit which is a great site builder, for people not far off ape like abilities like me. no knowledge of HTML etc are required, it really is as simple as you like.

the new site will simply be named AHB PHOTOGRAPHY and will be found in my links. Also there will be a link to this blog and to my shop from the website. Go and check it out!

sneak peek at exhibition

2009-06-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

just a quick set of pictures and a video i managed to take while setting up the exhibition for tonights opening. the pictures all look great, and im proud to have my pictures on display! The abbey is a fantastic venue, and promises to bring in alot of visitors. the pictures will be on display for three weeks after tonights opening evening, before being passed on to an empty shop for display in Braehead shopping centre, Glasgow. more on that to come...

worth noting, these pictures were taken on my new nokia e63, which is a great phone for internet and access to email etc, however i havnt quite checked its picture taking abilities yet!

New Photobox Development!

2009-06-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just wandered on to Photobox.co.uk to check for any progress on the previously mentioned "password protected" galleries. To my surprise, this feature is up and running as of today. This is good news for customers as it means i can now upload your wedding images onto a secure site which is of course, password protected. Once i have uploaded your wedding images, i will send you a password, which will allow you to view all the images taken from the big day and make any additional purchases at any time. Of course you can choose to give out the password to whoever you like (or trust!!) for them to also purchase some images of themselves, kids, grannies etc....

all in all, this is a good thing for myself and customers alike!

for a direct link to my photobox gallery, click here:

my gallery

Picture in paper!

2009-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to inform you that one of my images 'ben arthur' has made it into 'The Scotsman' Scotland's national newspaper! the image appears in the 'recommends' supplement, alongside 3 other Scotland themed images.Il try to find an online version of the page, or scan the page in at a later date. www.thescotsman.co.uk

Official Exhibition Invites!!

2009-05-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the official invititation (complete with details) for the end of year exhibition! The front of the invitation has a a picture from Sharon, and displays all the info you need for the exhibition. On the reverse is my picture, of Ben Arthur, which i am almost sick of looking at! However also very honoured to have plastered on the back of the flyers!

Promises to be a good exhibition, so if you find yourself in the Paisley area, be sure to pop into the Abbey, between 10am and 3:30pm, Mon - Fri, from the 5th to the 26th June.

Video preview of book.

2009-05-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Couldnt resist adding a wee video preview of my book.

My Scotland project about to go to print!

2009-05-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

After finally gathering all of my images of Scotland together, i managed to whittle the selection down to around 20 images, to make a pretty nifty looking book/portfolio. Some of the images have been displayed on this blog, but you will have to get the book to see the others!

stay posted for other sizes and options for the book, at the moment its only the large hardcover version available, costing rouhgly £30

follow the link to get a copy of my book!

SCOTLAND

By ANDREW BLACK

Book Preview

Scotland character portrait

2009-05-19T09:34:00.001-07:00

So... following up the Scotland theme, i felt the need to add in some character portraits, and what better character than your old man! Chicken under arm and dawned with a flat cap, much to my mothers entertainment, he was a champ and provided a good set of pictures! I felt the pictures were ok on the camera back, however it was in post processing the pictures came to life, the black and white conversion tool is quite powerful, allowing you to tweek each colour to bring out the best tonal range. I also discovered the contrast/brightness control, which i have been quick to dismiss in the past in favour of levels or curves. But hey, think i came away with a couple of good snaps without touching the levels or curves tools! Worth noting... these may not be the final edits of the images, may be tempted to crop in tighter to a square format!

flash up high to camera right, set to 1/4 power, ambient light dropped 2 stops.

HND Exhibition.

2009-05-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Just found out that one of my images has made it onto the official invitations for the end of the year college exhibition. Each student will dsiplay 3 of there best images at the exhibition. A huge variety of images is guaranteed,from architecture, fashion, landscapes and everything inbetween! The picture in question is 'the cobbler' from my Scotland series, and will be printed on the rear side of the invitation (hey its better than nothing!)and will go to print very soon. Il post the official invite here, with more info on the exhibition also.

picture ideas for exhibition anyone!?

2009-05-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well today at college we were given the task of coming up with a picture to put up at our end of year exhibition. We already had a picture, which i thought was fine! however one of the lecturers felt that it wasnt 'witty' enough!! So equiped with a couple of picture frames, we headed for Paisley Abbey, where the exhibition will take place of course. (more info on that soon) as i was the only one with a camera, it was down to me to set the camera up on tripod, set the self timer and sprint into the shot. With my cameras battery meter flashing, we managed to rattle off a couple of stupid pictures, which will hopefully be suitably cheesey for Mags and the crew!!

Oh! couldnt resist circling the tiny wee man, who felt the need to creep into the top shot!!

My First Wedding!

2009-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

I experienced the stress and pressures of shooting a wedding for the first time on Friday. Fortunately i was working as a second shooter, and didnt have to worry too much about setting up the group shots etc. I spent most of the day recording the details and candid shots, allowing Fraser to concentrate on the bride, groom and groups. The weather eventually changed for the better about 15 minutes before the arrival of the bride. Overall it was a great experience, and gave me a good idea of what to expect over the next year! (hopefully)______________________________________________________________________

Sample photos below!

2009-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

some sample images from my first wedding

Official Berlin/Glasgow exhibition poster!!!

2009-05-01T03:36:00.001-07:00

2009-04-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

a sample of my images you can expect to see at the exhibition.

Berlin/Glasgow Architecture Exhibition!

2009-04-30T11:57:00.001-07:00

I will be exhibiting a couple of images alongside a number of other photographers at the Goethe Institute in Park Circus Glasgow. The exhibition will disaply a number of images celebrating the architecture of Berlin and Glasgow. The images show a diverse range of styles and are presneted to the highest standard and should make a great exhibition.

The exhibition will hold an open evening on Thursday the 7th of May at the Goethe Institute.
the exhibition will run for a number of weeks after the opening date.

2009-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

another couple of shots to which form part of my Scotland project. Top shot of sand dunes taken at Troon beach. The second shot was taken from the top of Ben Arthur, aka The Cobbler. It was pretty windy at the top, and I wasnt even sure if i left with a sharp shot. This was the best of the bunch.

latest Scotland shots

2009-04-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Shooting the theme of Scotland has seen me cross the country in search of typically Scottish photos. This week i have been shooting some fashion and location shots in Loch Doon.

image info for those interested: ambient light knocked down 2 stops, vivitar 283 fired into silver umbrella camera right for key light.