Hidden Treasure

I'm always scoping out good spots for shooting when visiting new cities and have been doing a lot of reading on the best spot in San Francisco to get a great cityscape photograph. I'd shot from Baker Beach, the Marin headlands and this shot from the Oakland Hills in the East Bay but wanted something that showed more of the downtown area and the bay in its entirety.

I had gone backwards and forwards over the Bay Bridge a number of times passing Treasure Island but, had never thought to stop there as had always been in a rush to get to the East Bay or back to the City. The artificial island was originally a military base and only has a tiny exit off the I80 freeway when crossing the bridge - it's very easy to miss!!  Here's a screeenshot so you you locate it - the grey pin is where I eventually ended up standing to shoot a panorama: 

However, I cannot recommend visiting the Island highly enough. It offers spectacular views back onto the city spanning all the way from the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Downtown and the Bay Bridge - you can literally see everything! Unlike many scenic spots similar in other cities I've visited, at Treasure Island it's easy to park right at the sea front and seemed relatively safe. I was able to wander up and down the shoreline with my tripod, unobstructed and not bothered by any pesky security guards.

I arrived about half an hour before sunset and captured a few frames as the sun spectacularly went down behind the Golden Gate Bridge. However, what I really wanted to capture was 'blue hour' - that magical time about twenty minutes after the sun sets; by far and away my favourite time to shoot a city - as the lights begin to come on, illuminating the city and creating a great contrast. Below is a 12 stitch photo panoramic I created which shows a view stretching from the Bay Bridge, across the Financial District and includes The Ferry Building and Coit Tower. 

With San Francisco's constantly changing weather conditions, I would encourage multiple trips as everytime you visit, you will get a different set of shots. This really is a hidden treasure!

Californian Light in Black and White

I have been blown away by the quality of light in California on my trip here. Yesterday, I took a short trip out of San Francisco to Ocean Beach and spent a hours just observing people wandering along the beach as beautiful light refracted, reflected and bounced off the ocean casting all kinds of shadows and interesting shapes and lines. 

These three images were some of the favorite that I shot with the figures showing the scale of the beach and the ocean; this is especially noticeable in the photograph of a sole man wading in the Pacific (the middle one) which is perhaps favorites . Black and white conversion helped accentuate the strong highlights and shadows and really bring out the dynamic range in these images; I just can't get enough of those rich, velvety blacks. 

Using Manfrotto's Xume System

I've had a lot of fun the last few months experimenting with Manfrotto's new lens filter suite which works with the Xume system. Essentially, the system means that you can attach filters to your lenses much faster and more efficiently using magnets rather than having to waste time screwing them on, risking breakages or damaging equipment as with conventional systems. Take a look at this video I made below: 

Here's an article I also wrote explaining a little bit more in depth on the system and how it can be used practically in the field to help you take better photos and not miss that perfect shot...just click on the photo below! 

Gateway to the West Coast - Golden Gate Bridge

What better a way to start a trip to California than by photographing this iconic landmark at twilight from the Marin headlands...

Photographing Venice at Midnight

During a recent trip to visit the HQ of Manfrotto in Bassono Del Grappo in Italy, I was fortunate enough to have an evening free to explore Venice. Giorgio, who looks after all of Manfrotto's ambassadors globally, kindly agreed to be my guide for the evening and it was fantastic to have a local show me around the winding streets and canals of this historic, beautiful and unique city.

We braved temperatures of about -3C and spent around four hours traversing the streets and discovering the beauty of Venice by night under a clear, starry sky. The cold worked to our advantage as the city was deserted adding to its mystery and charm - Giorgio explained the history of this unique place and showed me some beautiful hidden gems that you would never find as a tourist. I still can't quite believe Venice has managed to remain so unique with it only being accessible by boat, having no road names, and maintaining a charm that is unrivaled in no other place I've been to. The advantage of photographing Venice at night is that you do not have to deal with the hoards of tourists and it is so easy to get lost amongst the winding canals, bridges and streets as you discover hidden gem after gem to shoot. Below are just a couple of my favourite photos from our walk. 

P.s. If you're going to shoot Venice at night a sturdy and light tripod is essential. Firstly, there is not much ambient light so you are going to want to use long shutter speeds and secondly you are going to have to a lot of walking...I'd carry as light weight a tripod as you can and think about how much gear you want to take before heading out...your legs, shoulders and back will thank you later! 

UK Abandoned Spaces

After spending time documenting Abandoned Spaces across the United States, I have been finally devoted some time to shooting some of these dilapidated places closer to home in the UK. I've already shot a plethora of photographs from some amazing sites but what better place to start than with the largest abandoned site in London - it's 62 acres and as you can imagine is going to take some time to do it fully justice!! However, here's a black and white fine art image from inside one of the old factories on the site which I particularly like - even though it was a relatively cloudy day the light infiltrated through the girders and huge windows just enough to give some gorgeous dappled light which I think juxtaposes beautifully with the old Victorian checked floor. 

Honoured By Former University

It was an honour to recently be highlighted as an outstanding alma matter for my photographic work by my former university, The University of Nottingham. You can see the article written on me by clicking the image below:

Photographing England Rugby Coach Eddie Jones

It was a pleasure to recently be commissioned to shoot England Rugby coach Eddie Jones. An Aussie originally (which led to a bit of banter on set), Jones led England to the Grand Slam at last year's Six Nations. This followed on from an already impressive coaching CV which included when he led Japan to a victory against South Africa during the 2015 Rugby World Cup  in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sport.

The shoot was part of a promo for Natwest/RBS/Coutts who all sit under the same umbrella and took place in the Twickenham changing rooms. I can't show you photos of these but, trust me these are far from the one's you remember from your days at playing sport at school; they look more like a five star hotel and are equipped with plenty of high tech gadgets and facilities to ensure that players can perform at their maximum capabilities. 

I chose to shoot Eddie away from all of the mod-cons though and found a quiet spot in the coaches area. I asked him to sit on a simple red cushion where instead of shirts hanging in lockers or fancy wall decals as a backdrop there was simply bare white walls. This gave me more of a canvass to work with. As I began taking some test shots for both composition light, I noticed some strong vertical red lines had been painted at one end of the room on the wall....perfect!! I could frame Eddie within these as if he was at the centre of the flag of St George. Eddie who, by the way was an absolute pleasure to work, with kindly scooted over a few cushions until he was just in the right place between these strong compositional lines. This hopefully imbues the end frame with some patriotism.... "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" which is the traditional and historical song that echoes around Twickenham to support the English Rugby Team was the only thing missing as I shouted wrap. 

p.s. there was even time for a quick impromptu snap of Eddie Jones and the Six Nations trophy! 

It's always so humbling to have such great feedback and lovely write ups. Click here or below to take a look at the article. 

Using CP Filters in Yosemite

Take a look at an article just published that I wrote as I took a journey through Yosemite. In it I explain how to use Manfrotto's Circular Polarizing filters to improve your images.