Rainbow Journeyman’s diary

Looking back on last year, 2006, I found it easy to see where photography has taken us over South West Devon and Cornwall. So as part of the process of producing photographs that you seem to like, I tried to analyze where our cameras should take us this year.

In some ways we are spoiled for choice. As the heading says “The Road goes forever on!
In the North of Devon and Cornwall we have rugged cliffs, craggy coves, and some incredibly deserted beaches. In the South subtle differences; tighter bays, and more people.

I suppose one of the benefits of living in this most beautiful area is to have the playground to ourselves, once the tourists have gone, so to speak. And out of season we do.

To park a car; releasing the dogs from their temporary captivity, watching them do a lightning recce of the area. then walking down to a deserted beach is magic even if it is raining, it is exhilarating.
To see the same when the sun tinges the top of the steep cliffs with shades of purple before flooding the beach with its soft diffused light is pure magic. Then the bonus. To follow the seasonal ebb and flow of the tides, watching the magical effects on the sand as the sea sculpts it on a whim, is the cream on the cake. I call these sea effect shots, “sand sprites”..
Everything can be done by the sea, from full blown emotive sculpting to twirling nodules of sand; to placing a ripple effect across a sand bar that would have taken us hours, as humans, to perform. Even down to minuscule detail like grading the colour in the sand. And whilst we ar eon that subject.

A colleague of mine, recently down from the big smoke, London, spent a little time down at St Ives. He wasn’t staying with us at the time and was using the time-honoured method travelers use of lodging in B&Bs. On his way back home to the big smoke he dropped in for coffee and a chat. It would be less than honest to say that the topic of conversation did not get round to photography. It did.
In previous years when Mike has made his passing visit, he was convinced that every photograph that we had taken was being computer tweaked for effect. On this visit, he had been enlightened and his tune was different.
Let me explain. Over the winter months because of the Atlantic air, which as you know is very pure, we are blessed with days where, in reminiscence of my being at sea many years ago, we would say “look at that, you can see forever”. And you can!
Mike had just experienced one of these days down at St Ives. He commented to me “The effect was unbelievable, everything was so clear. Now I see what you mean about the light down here. No wonder there are so many painters pursuing their art in various studios dotted all round St Ives”.
Eureka! I would’ve cried. But in my new role of being the more serious studious type, my comments were more mundane, something on the lines of “Smirk, smirk, now you see it, now you don’t”. So……… I am sure you don’t need me to tell you that many of the pictures, in fact most of the pictures you see on our site, are first Prints. That is, not tweaked at all. Not none, no how!

Yesterday, I was at a meeting in Launceston. I won’t tell you what the locals call it as it is nearly impossible to put it into print. Even D’rectly, that lovely Devonian saying when they are not sure when a job should start, means possibly a year later that Manyana. Anyway as I was saying.
My meeting was with a very professional photographer and friend. The well recognised and locally known, Philip Glew. Phil’s speciality is Bridal Art. Some people take photographs at weddings. Phil’s work behind the lens, leaves the family and the happy couple in total bliss, reminiscing for ages over the wonder and splendor on how a camera can produce such beautiful picture. Anyway, again I digress. Where was I! Oh yes.
It was no surprise, the conversation got round to talking about cameras and photography. Just to fill you in on a little bit of the background detail involved with this, I have to tell you that four years of controversy between the “Professionals” has surrounded the method of storing pictures on your camera’s memory prior to bring it back to base for studio work. Some people prefer RAW photography. Others JPEG. So, what’s the difference I hear you say? Well, tis easy. Pictures captured in raw store a huge amount of detail about the picture you have just taken but do not use any specific colour setting, contrast, or white balance correction. Leaving it to the professionals to load it into Photoshop, or one of the other professional programs, to do the business of twiddling the knobs, making a photograph look like a photograph etc Bells, whistles and all.
No, no we said! If you understand your camera, and most of us who use them in the field try to. We would take time to set the camera up to take the photograph correctly in the first place. After all, short of there being a complete change of weather within a few hours of leaving base and arriving at the shoot. There should be no need to tweak the camera to make it do the things that the camera is supposed to do.
Now the purists will climb out of the woodwork at this remark and baffle you with arguments about lossy files and so on. My only comment. As often put by a good friend of mine when he knew I was wrong was “I’m sure you are right.” But if you doubt oh faint and feeble reader, look at the A0 pictures that we produce from our prints. They are mind blowing. You will catch your breath. You will, you will!! They are really stunning. (Trumpet blowing done by author)
So, to continue. Arriving on site, my only interest is what the subject is, and whether to use depth of field focusing, to enhance or deny the background.
And for those of you who are caught out there with the same dilemma. Our advice for what it’s worth. If, you are unsure whether you want to shoot in RAW or J PEG. Take a positive decision initially………… and do both. In all probability, and speaking from our experience, you will probably dump the RAW within short while. The least point of the argument is RAW settings chew up disk space. And, anyway, most cameras today will do bracketing for you. (That’s where the camera would take three photographs in rapid succession. One on the setting you’ve given it, one under, and one over.)
If that doesn’t give you a good result there is always E-Bay.

More soon. Be Happy!

Mike Tyrrell for Rainbow Journeys South West

It was bought home to me by a very good friend who shall be nameless, but she lives in Spain with her husband and a dog called Patch that from time to time we all get caught out by forgetfulness.
Now this is not the sort of forgetfulness that heralds a thump round the ear, or a shunning in silence for about a week for forgetting an important Birthday. But the type that makes you go “Sugar! expletive deletive, when you pass a beautiful scene that nature has concocted just for the time that you travel through! And you know that you have left your camera back at base! Definitely, time for a large and vociferous “Sugar!”
I know, I know, you’re going to say “So what”. Well the “so what” is a very important “what” if you take camera work seriously. Last Friday was a special Birthday and I’d booked a pub meal for us down at a little place called The Port William at Trebarwith Strand. Now for those of you that know the Strand you will know that it is a place of Cornish magic and a beautifully shaped tide swept beach. It’s a dreamers beach. Full of craggy rocky coves, caves, shells and sand bars. Not to forget the water course that cascades down the runnels in the rocks to challenge and lose its battle with the tide on a twice daily basis. As I said, a dreamers, or poets beach, full of enchantment.
No I did not forget my camera. I managed and got a few cerebral shots of the blue slate rocks near the cove entrance and of the pub. But the sea, the sea. The wind was doing magic things with the waves. Hurling them into the air with a whirling spinning drift, willowing them up the wind to land on the beach like fisherman’s beards after a Neptune ’s shave. (I did say it was a poets beach!)
So what was the problem. The problem was, even with the camera on the highest setting I could only achieve grainy pictures of the surf. The salt spray and the low light really defeated my ability to capture a good image. Other than those of the rocks which you should be able to view on line soon.
So………. back to the opening of this blog. Because, I carry a camera nearly (99%) of the time when I am out. I do not lose the opportunity to recover those lost pictures when nature favors us with an image in passing. Some of the best pictures I have taken have been on the hoof so to speak. I know it sounds like I am blowing my own trumpet here. (It’s my blog, so there!) but I have settled over the centuries to keeping two cameras. One full SLR and the other a Multi function camera, commonly called a bridge camera: ‘cept it isn’t! Or nearly isn’t. A bridge camera is a Multi purpose camera that is not an SLR (Single lens reflex) This one is. But then it isn’t. Confused? Yup I can understand that. What it is, is a camera that uses the principle of shooting through the lens (Avoids Parallax on close ups) but without the mirror. It uses electronics to imitate the mirror. But it does have a non removable zoom/close up lens. So it’s a bridge! Still confused?
Anyway cutting to the gravy and moving on. These two beasts serve me well for all sorts of situations. But the bridge camera, with its fixed lens travels with me 99% of the time. And I use it for those shots that nature throws at us when it feels we are really not paying attention. It’s the smaller of the two and can zoom to 300mm. It’s proposed as a true 35mm which is fairly unique among digital. And it is flexible for most things. Apart from those B***** waves. But there will be a next time!

People often say to me. Have you always taken photographs? I suppose in a way I have. But badly. I joke. I don’t think that I took bad photographs really. I think that sending then off to “Photoosit Prints Guaranteed” or whatever, was the mistake. In photography I use light, colour, and shape, shutter and aperture. And none of these “flash my photograph” company’s really cared about my creativity. It was in the bath, out the bath, in the bath, out the bath, fix, print, and bugger! My film came back with one of those red stickers that said..”We regret to advise you that next doors cat must have peed on your film. Or you used it to take photographs not in keeping with the camera being fully on automatic. It failed.
Being disappointed at the outcome didn’t help and not having a dark room of my own was a drawback. I knew nothing of the skills and culture of developing that could have turned at least one percent of my pictures into something viewable!!
So picture taking from my first Box Brownie up to the horizon of digital was a series of snap it and scrap it processes. In the passing I owned some good cameras. But today, it’s a living and a hobby.

The stupid thing is about the history of photographs; my photographs, is that I have recently recovered some of these failures from the mouldering suitcase in the loft and being of a mean mind that hates waste scanned them digitally. The results show that I was, plausibly, always a photographer. I just did not have the dedication or skills that some of the members of our Phoenix Camera Club, Holsworthy, show when it comes to developing film.
Now digital? Perhaps, what may have something to do with that is I grew up, in my formative years, within the computer industry. And if I may be so bold from my experience let me advise you. Computers are almost human. If you upset them they sulk!! No question about it. If you really upset your computer, you may as well have stuck you neck to the chopping block and told your wife that the dress she is wearing makes her look frumpy. You can hear the bell toll!!
And of course cameras, bless, are small computers. Even those with film in them. That is unless you are really older that me. and are still using the Kodak Box Browney.

More soon.
Mike Tyrrell for Rainbow Journey’s www.rjsw.co.uk

As Rainbow Journeymen, we have some interesting conversations with other “Photographers” who produce their cameras for a “look see”. Its an event that’s a bit like a Genie does when the lamp is rubbed. The camera is removed from its case and lovingly fondled. The pack of silica gell that falls to the floor, heralds the fact that this is only the first or second time that the camera has been out of its box. “It can photograph the left leg of a fly on the move at two hundred paces” You’ll hear them say. “Really” you’ll begin. “Photograph a Camels Hump in a coal mine at midnight” They’ll continue. “Wow” you say trying to wrest the camera from him to take a look. You will try to continue. Looking lovingly at the very, very expensive piece of kit that they’ve produced. But, no, they are not to be interupted, they are into their subject now….. and your speech will fail. That is until you manage to say. ” Have you printed any off yet?”

The camera you had almost got hold of will dissappear like a ferret after a rabbit back into it’s box. The manual, still in it little plastic wrapper, will get stuffed in after it. The lid forced down.

“Hmyer hm yer..notyet….nextholiday….when Mabel and I go to France.” He will splurt. Then change the subject “Did I tell you we got a Bargain deal on e-bay. Family of four an six kids and the budgie all in one hotel room for £800,00. If you do manage to get the subject back to the camera he will add. “I promised to get Mabel one too. One of those submarine cameras that will work hung upside down from a balloon suspended in a bucket of water with interchangeable lenses and a stabiliser. Young Robert want one too, he loves the camera and I’ve promised that he can take a few snaps. When we are away”

Now, let me ask you, but you can probably guess, why did I put the word “Photographers” in brackets?

OK, to answer that let’s get into this week’s subject. If you have been following our previous bloggs you will gather that we have a certain level of ongoing interests in what we do. And we take the odd picture in the process. In the last year this runs to about 1,500 plus pictures. That’s not many really when you think about it. Three rolls of film make over a hundred. About 10 to fifteen shoots if you are practical. And a lot of experimentation. So, that still doesn’t explain, why did I use the the brackets?

OK so its a fair cop govenor. Let me come clean. In my opinion, if you spend a lot of money on a beautiful precision made piece of machinery called a camera you should use it. Frisking it out of it’s box occasionally to show your friends that you have a camera: “I’ll show you mine as you have shown me yours” is a waste of talent.
The camera’s and yours. A total waste of the camera’s ability to take pictures and of your own skills to use the camera. You cannot perfect a style if you are pulling a camera out of it’s box only on special occasions! And you did buy a camera to take photographs, didn’t you?

Let me side track you. slightly. Cos there is another type of Photographer. He’ll start usually when you are trying to do some work, by chucking hundreds of minute postcard size pictures on the table in front of you. He will then pretend that he isn’t interested in the outcome of his efforts. That is, until you pick one up! Then he will shift up a gear, move into overdrive, plant his bum firmly on the corner of your desk and you get the life history of the pictures origin and nextdoors’ cats as well.
All good clean fun. Not one of the opictures has been planned. Please note I said planned. Not posed. (That’s another subject) And the pictures………………….are a mess of over and underexposed, out of focus, badly framed images that encompass all the no, noes of photography. This is one of the worst type of photgraphers as he has the kit, very expensive kit at that, but does not want to learn any of the basic rules that make a picture interesting.

Mercifully, for him, (And it could be a her,) Coronations are far apart. And for them there are no profits in Weddings/Funerals Christenings, unless they do them on a weekly basis for charity and free. How many people do you know like this? And what’s the point I hear you ask?

The point is.. (Deep breath here) a camera is a chameleon of devices, an intricate box of hidden skills. A Kalaidocscope of an ingenious magicianOs craft that bends profiles, subverts or enhances colours and uses light to make images that make others go wow! (Look at the Crackington Haven pictures on www.rjsw.co.uk) Yup, really go WOW!
We’ve proved it. By trial and torture. When we enlarge a picture up to A0 size for exhibitions. (That’s over a metre of picture.) It stops crowds. It does………we’ve done it. They all bump into each other going “sorry, sorry”. Jaws slack.
It also reduces footbools hooligans to daisy picking and zips the mouths of politicians. (Doesn’t do any thing for estate agents though. Sorry for that ommission we will try to do better!)
In a word. Or several as you have just read. The impact of a good photograph is magic in the making.

So what is it that makes this transformation? What is it that takes your camera and ability away from the the jaded yesteryear image from just a bit of kit that you show to you friends, to blag the fact that your kit is bigger, better, larger, than their kit, to become a useful item that you’d be proud of.

It’s simple really. It’s…..frequent unabashed use! Don’t be shy. Carry it in your car. In your bag or popcket. When you see something that you like. Think about it, study it, and them record it for later. Your capturing history. Then look at what you have done and look at other professional work that others can do. You don’t need a judge. Your not an idiot. You can see your faults. If you can’t…………. e-bays good!

Yup, that’s it use believe me so use it. You may even enjoy and get to like the idea of becoming a recorder of history and keeping images that you like.

Now take Shirley and Tony. (Don’t go there. Big lad is our Tony. Not to forget Patch the dog. Big smile for his friends. Gnashers for those that aren’t!) T & S are super couple who could not stand being neighbours of ours so they absconded to Spain! Before they went. Boo Hoo! Big party lots of incaholic drunks etc…….cries of kleep in touch ans..sho…on… Shirley looked at one of my camera’s. Poked it at a bowl of fruit (as you do) and took a photograph. Not just producing photograph but a really nice photograph. I still have it.

Now things for T & S, have deteriorated from then. The suns got to them. Gorn down hill, and now they have the bug for using their cameras big style. They now travel all over the remaining parts of the world sending back parcels of incredible picture to the annoyance of our Postman.

So what’s the point? The point is, Shirley, bless her, (Bright for a girl) saw the potential of the camera and learned how to us it. All I can add, and say is; from the results: Natiional Geographical, watch out.

So learn what you camera can do. It’s silly not to, now that digital is here. You can take a hundred shots…………… and scrap the lot if you like! You can set you camera for any setting that you choose and view the results. What does it cost………. a little bit of time. And believe me you will gain experience. You will, you will, you will.

And the bonus. The next time that someone drags their camera out on a………. “You show me yours” basis. You produce your album or CD/DVD of really stunning pictures. Then watch their jaw drop. Let them bump into other people..Hah. You win!

Bye now…More soon

Mike T