Whilst really busy with weddings and the like, it’s always nice to take a day off and head for the studio for a fun day of messing about and trying new ideas. I had recently seen a video shot by Lee Morris of fstoppers.com fame (a most excellent place to hang out for us photo geeks), that really got me thinking. Lee took the equipment he already had and set out to prove to himself that he could create great images using gear that at first thought may not be up to the task. He chose to shoot with his iPhone rather than his DSLR!

I loved the idea, and even as I was still watching the video I knew I had to try something similar myself. I already had the studio time and Mike, Stef, Cara and Lauren were all up for giving it a go. I’ve been using an LED Video Ring Light from eBay while working on VideoJunkie projects with Stef and thought that this could be a chance to use it in a new way with my spanking new iPhone 4. I also have the luxury of having a Profoto Proring available so I could shoot similar shots “with the proper gear” and see how they stack up.

On the left is the original iPhone image (just cropped a little) and on the right is the edited version, I’ve not done too much to these images, just basic Lightroom adjustments and a few tweaks in Photoshop.

This is one of my favourite shots out of the 80 or so we took. We only spent about 30 minutes on the day as we had other things we worked on, but I found shooting with the iPhone really easy, I was left wondering why I couldn’t do touch to focus on my 5D Mk II in video mode I have uploaded the full resolution untouched version of this picture, you can download it here. If you want to have a go at editing it yourself please feel free, post me back your images and I’ll put them up on here for all to see.

I found that sometimes the metering was a little slow in the uptake, but I like the effect that gave. Focus was very quick as Stef moved around. The images are lovely and sharp, I think I am right in saying the iPhone 4 is locked at f2.8 and doesn’t even have a traditional shutter mechanism, impressive stuff in such a tiny space.

So we moved on and shot with a similar setup but with Profoto gear and the 5D Mk II. I was using a fresnel lens off to one side as well as the ring. mainly at first for focus assist but I liked the effect so we kept it on. It was in place for the iPhone shots too, but the ring light is very bright even on it’s lowest setting so you don’t really see it as much.

So, can we all see the difference when shooting with the “proper gear” ??? Of course we can, I’d be bloody upset if I couldn’t !!! I don’t think I’ll be rushing out and shooting weddings with my iPhone, but it has been fun to see that you can get some amazing images from something you carry about in your pocket all the time. It has also taught me that I can manage with the gear I have, and no impressive purchase can hide the fact that it’s the concept, lighting and model that make the shot, not how much you paid for your gear. So I recommend that you get your camera phone or point and shoot out and give it a go.

Check out the video we shot for videojunkie.co.uk for all the low down…

For those of you interested in what I was doing with the iPad, I am using the WiFi grip for the 5D MkII to transfer the images to an app called ShutterSnitch. No other access point or PC/Mac is needed the file is transferred from the camera direct to the iPad, very cool! It’s something I’ll continue to use with commercial clients and kids photography, it worked flawlessly all day, the battery life on the iPad is immense. To edit the images on the day we used Photo fx Ultra, I can’t say I picked that for any other reason than it’s price point and the fact it was in the top ten when I was looking on the iPad apps store that day. It works really well for a quick and nasty edit.

I thought I’d share some more images taken during the day of Cara, quite new to modelling and certainly new to the Ring Flash, but I love the jumping shots we got…

So there you have it, our fun day in the studio. A massive thanks to the whole team, great effort guys

A couple of weeks ago Tanya asked me if I could come alone and shoot a wedding video for her. A few months back Rob Booker and I shot a video for Natalie & Dave but this time I went it alone! Shooting video is a totally different challenge to stills photography, I use a lot of the same equipment but the end goal is very different.

I took a different approach this time and left most of the gadgets in the car. I wanted a simple 5 minute film that would capture the feel of the day without being too stylised and funky. I knew from the moment I turned up and met Tanya that that was going to be a challenge, one of the first things she said was “Right, you need to be at the main gates at 12:35 to get the Knight in shining armour coming down the drive!” At that point I knew this wedding was going to be a treat and it didn’t disappoint. Fitting it all in was going to be a problem!

Rowton Castle is one of Shropshire’s best wedding venues and it was perfect for Tanya & Richard’s magical day. The end result is almost double the length I intended, mainly due to the extended speeches, first dance and band at the end. The speeches were particularly moving and left a good few people (myself included) with a lump in their throats. Check it out for yourself…

The Photographer in me couldn’t help take some pictures too. I had just 15 minutes to capture a few shots out the front of Rowton Castle while the other photographer took a short break…

Tanya is a very bubble and happy person, so it was great to capture some of that in camera.

Rowton Castle looks amazing at the best of times, but is extra special at night.

When trying something new it can always be difficult, you learn lessons each time you do it. Sending off your work can be a nervous time as you are never quite certain what the reaction is going to be. I was relieved when I got this text from Tanya… “Cris, it’s blown us away! Can’t phone you back because we are speechless. It’s fantastic, we are well impressed, it made me cry!” It was a good feeling to get feedback like that! While I really enjoy shooting videos, photography is my passion and what I think I am best at. But never say never!!!

Tanya runs the Vogue Hair Salon in Shrewsbury, and from how well she kept all the plates spinning at her own wedding I reckon she would be the perfect person to have at yours, so drop her a line!

Just in are the first of the new sample albums for 2010. I whipped out the camera this afternoon to give you a sneaky look.

They are timeless matte albums hand made by Jorgensen Albums Australia one of, if not the best manufacturers in the world. Taken from their new Studio range each album is unique in its design. They hold real photographs printed by myself at a top professional lab and is completely hand built with the greatest of care.

Surprisingly they are affordable too, bringing the traditionally high cost of a hand built album in line with a coffee table style digital book. They arrive complete with presentation box with a choice of mattes. Smaller parent albums are also available.

I am really happy with them, and can’t wait for the arrival of the digital print albums in a couple of weeks to complete the collection for 2010. If you are interested, please get in touch to discuss. And as an added incentive, if you mention you’ve seen this blog post I’ll knock 20% off the standard price for the next 5 album orders.

The world of Photography and Videography are slowly coming together, and as I have posted before Rob Booker and I shot our first full on video only wedding a few weeks back. The end result has taken me a little longer than I had originally planned but finally it’s ready.

We were lucky as Natalie & David had picked an amazing setting for their wedding. Allerton Castle provided a warm and welcoming backdrop to a very special day. We had two Canon 5D Mk II’s and a spanking new 7D in our camera bag along with a variety of new toys to try out. The new breed of DSLR camera do an amazing job of picking up the warmth in the low light of the main hall, check it out below…

I have chosen to go with a soundtrack of music I heard throughout the day. The Irish music at the beginning is played by two lovely girls from Folk’d Up Music, who were playing at the entrance to the church. The choir is an actual recording of them warming up beforehand. It seems such a shame to loose these details.

Natalie had picked a very classic and clean look for the wedding, so the edit is in a simple and elegant style, which does somewhat buck the current trend. I did try several different options, but it lost the feel of the day somewhat. I’d welcome any feedback or thoughts you might have

If you are interested in having us come and film your wedding, please get in touch.

This afternoon didn’t quite turn out as I had planned and I found myself with a few hours to play about with Final Cut Pro. There is a dark art to editing video and it is something I am very much still trying to learn.

About a month ago now I joined the 3B Media boys down at the Temple Works near Leeds centre for another day of flash experimentation and fun. I had a few new bits of kit to try out myself, some of which worked other that didn’t. Barnaby, Rob and Phil were joined by top hair & makeup artist Katy along with models Stef and Rachael. You can see some of the finished work at the Light Night exhibition in the Mill itself.

Let me know what you think about the video, it started out just as an experiment but I think it has earned it’s place on the blog…