gavin martin

Hi Matt

Don't completely discount those early mornings. Having been on a lot of cruise ships for various events you'll get some lovely seascapes and coastal shots early in the morning!

Sunsets at sea are also to die for.

Tripods are optional onboard as most ship builders kindly put guardrails all around the decks that double up as a handy camera steady!

Enjoy

Gavin

Hi All

I'm off to Sri Lanka in a couple of weeks, staying in Bentota for a

week.

Has anyone been there before? Any recommendations of some good spots

to visit whilst there? Found any great mountain views or ancient

temples that should not be missed?

Thanks

Gavin

Hi all.

I recently tried a canon 24-70mm L lens (new and fresh from the box)

on my 10d in a local shop. Whilst the lens is a little on the heavy

side the quality is obviously worthwhile.

The issue I found is that it didn't have a great time findin focus.

When it did focus it was lightning quick but on many occasions it

could not focus on objects 5-10 metres away.

The guys in the store (a pro shop, not consumer), along with myself,

were rather suprised by this to say the least!

Has anyone else found this issue with the 24-70L and a 10d?

Many thanks

Gavin

I only skimmed the other replies so my apologies if I have duplicated anything here.

I've not climbed to that height but I have done a lot of snowboarding at high altitudes and sub-zero temperatures.

Digital kit usually just cannot hack it. You'll find that your batteries drain in minutes not hours due to the extreme temperature drop. If you do take digi gear then keep the batteries on the inside of your jacket, near your armpits to keep them warm & only pop them in the camera when you need to use them.

My experience is that my digi gear dies very quickly but my manual gear just goes & goes (Hasselblad or canon 35mm). A good pointer is to have thin gloves under your normal gloves to handle the camera with - I know that you can't set a camera for love nor money in snowboarding gloves!!

Another tip is to watch our for exposed metal parts on camera's if you handle them without gloves.... fingers can stick to metal as I'm sure you know.

A handy item would also be a couple of ND grad filters to take the sky down a few stops as the strength of the light up there can be too much for many films/cameras.

All the best

Gavin

You lucky thing. I was there last November and have a wonderfull couple of weeks. I only spent 3days in Havana before moving on (that's probably enough formost people).

Most places worth a visit have already been mentioned. On the tourist trail you'll get some nice pictures of musicians in the Bodegita del Medio or the Havana Club bar. You'll find even better if you stray from the tourist trail and dead into the back streets, follow your senses and you'll find something. Around the Capitol you'll find some great streets to wander and head over there to start an evening off too. Head over to the art markets and the backstreets there too. You'll find very talented artists selling really cheap canvases in their front rooms. Most of the artists will be happy to offer you a coffee and talk with you a while as you wander through.

One solid piece of advice is forget the warnings about film restrictions - take as much as you want - and make sure you take everything you need. You'll not easily lay your hands on photographic materials or batteries there.

When it comes to crime, just be smart. I wandered across Havana late in the evening, passing through the poorest of areas, with plenty of canon digital gear adorning my shoulders without any hassle or issues... I can be an imposing figure though.

I have heard from fellow travellers of theft and the odd bit of violence. Generally I always give the same advice in any part of the world. A brand new camera bag and everything on show attracts attention. Use a bag that's less obvious to contain kit and don't have valuables on display if you don't need too.

Most of all, enjoy the sun, the rum and the culture. Write us a quick account when you get back and post a picture or two.

You can see some of my cuban shots on my site www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

All the best

Gavin

I've flown with a tripod as hand luggage before - in a tripod bag. I was careful to remove the head, tool, etc first though.

Best thing to do is call the airline beforehand to check with them as all airlines have a different policy on handluggage and what's allowed.

All the best

Gavin

The lab I use and have done for many years is Metro in soho I think you can get details on www.metroimaging.co.uk. Their prices are alright and the quality and service are excellent. I've also used Bayeux in Newman street many times - cheaper and great for B+W.

You'll generally be fine taking photographs anywhere on the tube aslong as you don't look like a pro, shooting for profit, or use a tripod. You may be asked to move on but no film will be taken or police called. You are supposed to have a permit to shoot images anywhere on the london underground but these are site specific and expensive. They are for commercial purposes. Having dealt with this before they are generally happy for a traveller to take a few snaps.

Other nice place to see in London are some of the parks. Try Speakers Corner in Hyde park or the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park. You may also enjoy a walk along the South Bank of the Thames. Start from Westminster and follow the river along to Blackfriars, there's plenty to see. You should also take in the Tate Modern and the surrounding area - St Pauls cathedral is just over the bridge from there. Covent Garden (not actually a garden but an old market place) is also a very good spot to visit on a sunny afternoon.

All the best and enjoy your visit

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Rule of thumb:

So I have been told by those in the know (Airport Security at various cities)....

Always keep film in your hand baggage. From personal experience, even the faster films will withstand a many passes through an x-ray check without any noticable fogging of the emulsion. I'va had rolls that must have done 15+ x-rays without issue. Admittedly they weren't 3200. More like 100, 400 & a few 800's. Some sfx 200 too.

Never use your hold baggage to transport film as the scanners there are stronger and are potentially capable of fogging faster films. They will also re-scan bags automatically under a higher power x-ray if the machine's not sure first time.

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Hi Igor.

I'm a fan of your stuff as you know. I will get around to sending you that print soon too!

The only issue that I have with these photo's is that the Black & White is too flat. It looks like an over developed print would. I think that the de-saturated areas need more punch to them, I would up the brightness & a little more contrast to give more of a high key look.

Just one mans's view.

Gavin

Hi All

Can anyone recommend some suppliers for some luxurious wedding

albums or alternative albums. UK sources ideally.

The couple I am looking for are not the type to go for a traditional

white embossed album & want something different.

Thanks

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

There are some areas of Europe that are trouble spots . . . generally your rarely risking much by walking around though. If you look like a tourist then you're probably carrying something worth having, like a large sum of cash.

When travelling, try to blend in. Keep the strap of your camera around your wrist. Avoid bad areas & dark alleyways. Never get bigmaps out in public places (show's you're not awareof your surroundings) and when you don't need the camera put it away. You could get a lowepro backpack and keep the camera in that on your partners back - that way it's always within reach.

Alternatively befriend some locals to guard you, the bigger the better.

Gavin

Very nice work again. I like the strong colours of the first image.

The door is a little distracting but it's not a huge problem as the well lit model holds your eye.

Nice stuff, keep up the good work.

Gavin

P.S. I'll pop that print in the post for you this week

I have both a full Hasselblad kit & a Canon 10d kit. Both are great camera kits & both have their merits.

The bulk of my work is corporate stock, brochure bits & creative odds & ends for my agency . . . my hasselblad's getting dusty now. I would honestly say that unless you have a specific need for medium format's enlargement powers for print then buy the 10d & a Canon 'L' lens. Don't skimp on a cheap lens as it really makes the difference (voice of experience). You'll easily get a single page spread from the 10d & could just about stretch to a double page spread depending on the content.

Before people start sending me hate mail, I'm not anti-medium format, I've sung it's virtues for years, and always been anti 35mm & previously digital. I just get more, day-to-day out of digital because of its instant shoot & deliver ability & the costs saved.

I did a office rental companies brochure shoot for 2 properties on my 10d in under 2 hours last week, inside & out with a small lowepro pack's worh of kit & not once did I get Polaroid gunk on my fingers & then rub my eye - usually followed by copious swearing. I do still however use my Hassy for certain work - I just can't fail too. If I didn't own one I would just hire a kit for the day/week as needed as the costs are negligable against a job.

Feel free to email me questions.

Regards

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Use a slide duplicator for your hasselblad & shoot onto Scala (B+W transparency film). You could use a colour tranny film, just ensure that your lightsource is balanced well to avoid colour casts. You could even bodge it with a lightbox but I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise digital transfer & image back to E6 film or take it to a pro lab & they'll interneg it.

Gavin

Rollei or Yashicamat 124G would be the best choice on a TLR (speaking from experience). Build quality & particularly lens quality are far superior. Not to mention that it's easy to get spares, accessories (both mainly bay 1)& repairs done on both.

Mamiya's nice & extra lenses are easily found but you wouldn't want to lug it around too much - it's more of a studio workhorse.

Gavin

It is true that whilst there is no copyright on the Eiffel Tower itself. The lights are protected by Copyright however. If it's just snaps for yourself then that's fine. If it's commercial work then you need permission to photograph the tower when the lights are on.

Daft I know but very much true.

Otherwise, usually museums don't let you use a tripod, or insist that you get a permit - usually a small fee. Churches & cathedrals can be the same. Anywhere on the open street you're in the public domain so you should be fine. It's also true that most 3rd world security will ask you for baksheesh if they see that you want a photo in a restricted area such as a temple, etc.

Best thing to do . . . take it with you & remember that upmost, you should relax & enjoy yourself :)

Regards

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

Have fun.

I use photoguard.co.uk

Gavin

Hi all.

Has anyone experienced any problems with the film restrictions

imposed when entering Cuba? I'm heading there shortly & plan to take

about 100 rolls of 120 film with me. I have a slight concern that the

amount of film may cause problems at the airport when I arrive?

Thanks for any feedback on this.

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk

You can also use the Rollei Bay 1 filters which you will probably find more of in circulation. I've still got my 124G - didn't have the heart to sell it in the big camera clearout.

Stick with it, it's a great camera indeed, mine was eventually passed over for a hasselblad system but it still enjoy an outing & the results are always as good as I would want. That meter on the top's not as rough as some might say either.

Gavin

P.S. If you have questions on the 124G, let me know as I'll be glad to help out. I might even have a PDF of the manual on my website too (shockingly bad memory).

Thanks Rajesh for the advice & the comments & also to Jeff for the film recommendation.

One thing Rajesh, if I expose for the lightest skin then I would expect the darkest skin to be underexposed (appear darker). I was going to average the readings of lightest & darkest & then bracket either way to give me some choices. Working manually so it's very quick to do.

As for the traditional dress, I've already been informed, the family (all 24 of them!) will be getting dressed up for the photos as it's a formal portrait as a gift so I'm looking forward to the colours.

Traditionally I'm a transparency fan so I was thinking astia or provia for film but I will try some negative colour film too, then also load black & white in one of the backs for some single portraits.

Hi All.

Eric was right.

Will be using incident metering from my sekonic (as stated). Just wanted to know if those in the know (read, have experience of this) usually under/over expose from a skintone reading to get the scene correct or give bias to the skin tones. Seems not so I'll just bracket slightly to be safe.

Regarding reading my manual . . . No point. the SLR's a Hasselblad - they're to simple to warrant reading of the manual! :)

Thanks again & bye for now.

Gavin

Hi All.

I'd like some advice from you guys. I've been asked to shoot some

family pictures for an indian friend & would like advice from those

in the know on exposing for the correct skin tones.

I'll be metering handheld with a sekonic.

Many Thanks

Gavin.

mixed bag of answers here but you can see a common thread running throughout.

A medium format tranny will give you much higher res from a drum scan & give a hell of a lot more detail vs a digital SLR.

You need to assess what you will be shooting & how large you will need to reproduce the shots. If it's Over 10x8 (roughly A4) then go for medium format. If it's not then DSLR is a serious consideration, especially when you consider the savings on film & printing

Gavin

First off, thanks to all of you. You've given me much to think about here All of your replies have been well detailed which was just what I was after. I can see that the Canon FD crowd are clearly a better class of photographers.

For those non-believers out there ;) I am often found high in the Alps snowboarding & travelling with work can take me to some pretty extreme climates to. Then there's the holidays . . . never was much of a beach bunny :)

For that reason the F1 sounds like the better option. Not bothered about a motor drive though, happy with manual advancing. It's what I'm used to with medium format anyway. The T90 sounds like ther perfect all-rounder I was after though with the spot metering, etc already in the camera. SO really I'm not much closer to the decision, but, at least I can now make an educated decision . . . . I know, I'll just buy both!

Now for the joy of cheap lens shopping!! Woo hoo!

Speak to you all again in the near future.

Gavin

www.urban-landscapes.co.uk