adrian_stone1

<p>Hello Keith<br>

Thanks for your tips. We're hoping to visit the Hntingdon gardens, so a visit to Pasadena seems very doable. I've heard quite a few positive things about that area.</p>

<p>The Crust bakery sounds great - the USA do wonderful baked goods. I reckon on gaining about 7 pounds over the course of the month's trip. I used to worry about it, but it comes off after a while back home with human sized portions of food.</p>

<p>All the Best. Adrian</p>

<p>Hello Craig<br>

<br /> I thoroughly enjoyed your message, thank you.<br /> <br /> My wife and I are swapping houses with two academics from Claremont, and I think the cultural feel of Claremont, as you describe it, will suit us well.<br /> <br /> Your historical insights are fascinating. I believe much of the greater LA area was at one point covered in citrus groves and it will fun to discover any remaining artefacts from that period.<br /> <br /> I'll contact Pilgrim Place. Whereas Christianity is alive and well in the US, organised religion has been on the wane in the UK for decades. Recently there has been a faint rekindling, mainly from islamic immigrants and Catholics from Eastern Europe. I've been in touch with Claremont Heritage and the've been really supportive.<br /> <br /> No slice of any city is really representative of the whole country, particularly the USA, but I'm hoping a few iconic images will help to generate some of the moods and feelings in the US at present.<br /> <br /> Thanks again.<br /> <br /> Adrian</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Hello John<br /> <br /> I've not been to Claremont before, although I have visited the LA area quite a few times. My wife is originally from Topanga Canyon. I'm sure my project will be a challenge, but LA's stark difference to UK cities helps to tell my story. There's a lot I like about LA, other elements are more of a challenge.The education theme in Claremont is a helpful tip. <br /> I'll press on with my project. Maybe it needs fresh eyes to pick up on quinessentially LA artefacts.</p>

<p>Any advice from other photographers would be really helpful.</p>

<p><strong>Photographing Claremont and Los Angeles</strong></p>

<p>I am looking for some advice with my current photography project. I am a keen amateur photographer and a photographic judge and lecturer with the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies here in the UK. I judge competitions and present lectures at about 80 clubs and societies per year. I also teach a little at our local college and mentor photographic beginners.<br>

I want to produce a lecture which highlights the similarities and differences of lifestyles in the UK and the USA. I spent the bulk of June this year photographing our city of Bath. I was lucky in gaining the support and encouragement of the Bath Tourist Board, they provided me with a lot of local contacts. My aim was to look beyond the usual tourist locations; to photograph workplaces, leisure facilities, parks and gardens, shops, and how the city is organised, both physically and socially.<br>

I will be staying in Claremont, Los Angeles for most of November 2011, where I would like to complete the second part of my lecture. Aside from the main tourist attractions, Los Angeles isn’t explored much by UK visitors and would be of interest to them. My wife is originally from Topanga Canyon, and we have visited LA regularly over the years. I think it would be interesting to contrast it with the City of Bath. I am thinking I could combine images of everyday life in Claremont with other places of interest in the surrounding area.<br>

I am hoping to gain the support of people representing institutions and organisations in Claremont, and in the surrounding area. I would appreciate any thoughts you have regarding possible contacts, and potential photographic locations. <br>

Thank you very much.<br>

Adrian Stone</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for your advice. It's great to be able to benefit from expert knowledge so easily. I've followed Charles' link and looked at detail at their recommendations and product reviews. As it stands I think I'll go for the Optoma HD20, unless anyone feels I should reconsider. Many thanks, Adrian</p>

<p>Thanks very much both of you for your help. It's a complicated subject but I'm much better equiped to make an informed decision, thanks to your advice.<br>

All the best. Adrian</p>

<p>Thanks very much both of you for your help. It's a complicated subject but I'm much better equiped to make an informed decision, thanks to your advice.<br>

All the best. Adrian</p>

<p>Thanbks for your help Frank. In fact it doesn't need to be switchable, I will only be using it in the uk, where sadly electronic equipment is more expensive.</p>

<p>Regards</p>

<p>Adrian</p>

<p>I'll wil be using an Acer Aspire Timeline 4610TZG 1.3GHz with 14inch display, running Windows 7 Home Premium. It has 4 GB ram and a 500 GB hard drive.</p>

<p>Adrian</p>

<p>I would be very grateful for any advice regarding my planned purchase.<br />I need a digital projector to present photographic lectures to camera clubs with an attendance of up to 50 people per night. The room will be dark. I can determine the projector's distance from the screen, which will be 7 feet square maximum. I believe lots of lumens are important . I've heard that multimedia projectors are too contrasty, better to go for a home theatre projector. It needs to be portable (size and weight is an issue). It needs to be switchable to UK power supply, 240v and 50 hertz. I believe high resolution is a real benefit. I've also had Canon recommended. I can spend up to US$900.00. Any recommendations?<br>

Adrian</p>

<p>I would be very grateful for any advice regarding my planned purchase.<br>

I need a digital projector to present photographic lectures to camera clubs with an attendance of up to 50 people per night. The room will be dark. I can determine the projector's distance from the screen, which will be 7 feet square maximum. I believe lots of lumens are important . I've heard that multimedia projectors are too contrasty, better to go for a home theatre projector. It needs to be portable (size and weight is an issue). It needs to be switchable to UK power supply, 240v and 50 hertz. I believe high resolution is a real benefit. I've also had Canon recommended. I can spend up to US$900.00. Any recommendations?<br>

Adrian</p>

 

<p>I'm planning a club motorcycle/photographic tour around the Balkans and former Eastern Bloc countries, west to east from Croatia to Moldova, and north to south from Hungary to Bulgaria. I would like to purchase a stout road map for each country, and I need multiple copies of each map.<br>

Does anyone know a good brand to go for, and perhaps a supplier who would discount for volume?<br>

Many thanks,</p>

<p>Adrian</p>

Thanks Richard. I think we'll have a great trip, no small part due to all,the helpful advice I had.

 

Thanks Guys. Adrian

Thanks everybody for all your great advice. I think Ive got the message that I need to plan for inclement weather. We may check out the underground tour, and Victoria sounds interesting. It sounds like there's a lot of photogenic stusff in Seattle itself, and we need to be sensible regarding where we go at night. I'm nuts on boats, so the ferries will feature for sure.

 

If everyone we meet in Seattle is as helpul as you guys we're in for a great trip. Thanks for giving up your time to get me up to speed.

 

All the best.

 

Adrian

<p>Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions. Regards Adrian.</p>

Hello Hector. Thanks for your advice. Yes the transport options are still under review. We have driven a lot in the USs, and i'm very comfortable with it.

 

We had a rather negative experience of hiring a Ford Galaxy from Alamo for three weeks in 2007 in California. It's price when booked in the UK was about US$ 650.00, yet with various additional charges on collecting it, including additional insurance, it cost US$ 1200.00, which we thought was excessive. To add insult to injury they charged us double the cost of a full fuel tank on returning it as we hadn't filled the tank, yet I had filled it to the brim immediately before checking the vehicle in. It may be that UK licence holders without a US insurance record pay more than locals. Arguably they must constitute more of a risk.

 

 

Anyway I've had a lot of advice suggesting that the flexibility of having a vehicle on hand is a real bonus, so I'll give it some more thought.

 

Will best wishes. Adrian

<p>Thanks for your tips Mike. Your photos are exquisite. What more can I say? Thanks for taking the time to share your stunning images with me.</p>

<p>All the best.</p>

<p>Adrian</p>

Thanks for your suggestion Ricardo. Other threads suggest it is now closed to the general public; access is limited to those with relatives buried there. I assume there is a limit to how much photographing can be done too.

 

Anyone else know if there is a way to photograph the interior without causing offence?

<p>Thanks everyone for your great suggestions. The rose garden will be a favourite of my wife's, and I'll enjoy the market and the Chess. There's a wealth of ideas in your flickr links.<br>

I'm thinking i need to be being realistic about my transport options, a combination of public and private transport probaly makes sense.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your ideas.</p>

<p>Thanks very much for all your responses. It's very encouraging to hear from photographers with local knowledge.<br>

Colin: thanks for the link to Wilson's work. He demonstraes real flair in introducing vibrant colours and movement to architectural shots.<br>

Stephen: Your images are very strking. You capture the energy and of the city. The intimacy you have captured reminds me of Bresson's work. Great tonal range, and bold vantage points. Is your preference for monochrome influenced by the weather? I could make a strong case with your work of the importance of the photographer's character and personality in creating photographic images. Thank you for sharing them with me.<br>

Ralf and Mark: Thanks for your email addresses. I'll be in touch shortly.</p>

 

<p>Thanks very much for all your responses. It's very encouraging to hear from photographers with local knowledge.<br />Colin: thanks for the link to Wilson's work. He demonstraes real flair in introducing vibrant colours and movement to architectural shots.<br />Stephen: Your images are very strking. You capture the energy and of the city. The intimacy you have captured reminds me of Bresson's work. Great tonal range, and bold vantage points. Is your preference for monochrome influenced by the weather? I could make a strong case with your work of the importance of the photographer's character and personality in creating photographic images. Thank you for sharing them with me.<br />Ralf and Mark: Thanks for your email addresses. I'll be in touch shortly.</p>

<p >I am a keen British photographer and I will be staying in Seattle in June and July this year. I am a photographic judge and lecturer with the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies here in the UK. I judge competitions and also select images for annual exhibitions for about 80 clubs and societies throughout the year. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I hope to produce a travel lecture on the Pacific Northwest during the course of this trip. My aim is to go beyond a standard portrayal of tourist destinations. In the past I've tried to capture the spirit of the area I'm visiting. It will include landscapes, candid street scenes, portraiture, and images which display the daily life of the residents, including workplaces. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I would like to make contact with photographers in Seattle beforehand as I imagine their experience and advice would be invaluable to me. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Any advice regarding unusual photographic subjects would be just great. I will be using public transport. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Many thanks for reading this message.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Adrian Stone</p>

<p >I am a keen British photographer and I will be staying in Portland in June and July this year. I am a photographic judge and lecturer with the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies here in the UK. I judge competitions and also select images for annual exhibitions for about 80 clubs and societies throughout the year. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I hope to produce a travel lecture on the Pacific Northwest during the course of this trip. My aim is to go beyond a standard portrayal of tourist destinations. In the past I've tried to capture the spirit of the area I'm visiting. It will include landscapes, candid street scenes, portraiture, and images which display the daily life of the residents, including workplaces. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I would like to make contact with photographers in the Portland area beforehand as I imagine their experience and advice would be invaluable to me. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Any advice regarding unusual photographic subjects would be just great. I will be using public transport. </p>

<p ></p>

<p >Many thanks for reading this message.</p>

<p ></p>

<p >Adrian Stone</p>

Thanks everyone for taking the time to help me out. I've decided to go ahead and purchase the D300 and get a super wide zoom to make up for the impact of the sensor size. Do you have any preferences - Nikon, Tamron or Sigma?

 

I'll try out the pop up flash and after think about the SB800. Most of you think a tripod is still necessary despite being able to vary the ISO with each shot. My tripod legs aren't so heavy, it's the monoball and the self levelling base which packs a pound or two. I'm sure I could get a lighter ballhead for when I've got a lot of walking to do. I'll keep the Gitzo and Araca Swiss setup though - sometimes you need a Hummer rather than a Jeep.

 

I'll stay with my other lenses for the time being although I fancy having the VR function. Do any of you think the replacement for the D300 will have a full frame sensor(as per the D3)?

 

I guess I need a card reader and a couple of 4GB SDHC cards as a minimum. Any idea how many raw images I would get on a 4GB card? In the short term I'm thinking I could burn the images to DVDs at the end of the day.

 

This spec. will of course change completely if I recieve a large inheritance. Unfortunately I don't antipate one.

 

All comments will be gratefully received.

 

Adrian

It's official. I have now actually acknowledged that digital cameras have

something to offer. I'm going to upgrade and I'd welcome some advice and

encouragement.

 

My current Nikon kit is:

 

2x F100;... AF 50mm F1.4;... AFS 18-35mm F2.8;... AFS 80-200mm F2.8; .... AFS

TC-20E II 2x;... AF Micro 105mm F2.8;.... Speedlight SB 28. All my Nikon

lenses are pre-digital but otherwise faultless. The AFS zoom lenses are heavy

though.

 

Plus:

 

Sigma 24-135mm F2.8;.... Gitzo Tripod G1325; .... Self levelling base Gitzo

1321;.... Arca Swiss Monoball; .... Really Right Stuff clamp and plates.

 

I've been carrying all this kit around with me and my back's playing up. Who

would have thought that would happen??? So I need to lighten up and get with

the new technology. I'm keen on travel, landscape and candid photography Street

scenes. I will be creating digital lectures and printing at A3 size (16" x

12").

 

I think I'll buy a D300. Here are my questions.

 

I'm assuming my existing lenses will be broadly compatible. What about the

macro lens? Will I need a new wide angle?

 

Will my capacity to change the ISO rating for each shot mean less reliance on

the tripod?

 

Does the D300 built in flash cope reasonably well with indoor shots and fill in

flash?

 

In addition to the D300, what other items /accessories / backup do I need?

When travelling I'm away from home for about a month.

 

In India I discovered that F100's don't bounce. Ever since I've carried a

spare body. Any thoughts?