Pure Mono

Neptunes armchair

Originally uploaded by HotshotsSR1

You can add a lot of things to a photograph digitally which can enhance the mood of a shot, in this one I used an ethereal glow which softens the light yet retains the sharpness. I called this one Neptune’s Armchair, it was taken at South Shields beach whilst driving past at about 40mph, luckily for me the sun was above it so it gave the edge of the stone work a rim light which in turn lifts it from the dark background. Although the ethereal glow in this one was added in CS2 it can also be done in other software.

Originally uploaded by HotshotsSR1

Well I’m sick now as I was going to be going down Bolton to watch Trevor’s first pro fight but Sunderland Hospital has decided to put my mothers hip operation forward by a week so I need to be here in Sunderland as she will be getting out on the day of the fight, I was really looking forward to it but my mother has to come first and I have to be there to help her home after the operation as she may not be able to walk properly and my dad won’t be able to manage her up the stairs on his own as he is 78 this year and doesn’t have enough strength to hold her if anything goes wrong. I feel like I have let Trevor down in a big way as it is his pro fight and I feel the more support he has the better, you should be there to support your friends at such an event as it is a big milestone in his boxing career but on this occasion I have to be there for my mother as after all she is my mother and she will need me more than Trevor will need my support. I was really hoping to catch the punch that knocks out his opponent in a photograph as it would not only be fantastic photograph but it would have been great for Trevor to keep as a record of the day, so now today I feel rotten but it is totally out of my hands.

Originally uploaded by HotshotsSR1

Well I’m very annoyed today as yesterday I found out that someone has stolen one of my photos of Trevor and done some photoshop work on it and passed it off as their own, they even added a watermark saying it was theirs, this is probably the worst thing that can happen to a photographer (apart from been arrested by the plastic police that is for taking photos in public) I’ve asked Trevor to get in touch with the person and asked him to tell them to remove it immediately and never to use my photos again, but when I checked this morning the image is still on a Facebook page, I’ll give it time as it is Easter weekend but once the long weekend is over if it hasn’t been removed I will have no option but to charge the person for using my photo, last time this happened to someone on my forum I advised them to charge £200 per image and they did get the requested amount, if I charge it will be much bigger than this amount as I feel it is an insult that they are passing it off as their own so I will charge in the region of £500 if it isn’t removed. I do feel it is harsh as the person probably doesn’t realise that they are been out of order as most people now haven’t a clue about copyright plus as it is Trevors mate I don’t want to be to harsh, now I know how recording artists feel as they have their stuff downloaded off the net all the time costing them millions, so in short from now on it is a huge ugly watermark on all of my images, yes they get on people nerves including mine as they spoil the photos but what else can I do?

Originally uploaded by HotshotsSR1

…and I’m quite pleased with the way this one has came out, you can’t tell on this web size one but the detail on the full version is amazing you can see every pore and and hair on Trevs skin, the Sigma 28-70mm F’2.8 is very good for studio work but it is very poor in harsh sunlight for flare. I wish I didn’t sell the 70-300mm APO as it was an amazingly sharp lens and made good in every situation, yes it starts at F/4 so isn’t the fastest lens in the world, but on the D700 it wouldn’t matter because of the superb handling of high ISO’s. I’m just in my Flickr account now and I’m going to allow blogging for friends and family of my photos so my wife Melanie can use my photos for her blog.

Originally uploaded by HotshotsSR1

Well it has taken about 30 minutes of searching help forums on Flickr and on Wordpress to link my blog to my Flickr account but I have finally managed it thanks to Gin Diaz if you click the link you will see her photos, not only is she great at this web malarky and a great photographer but she has also saved me from pulling my hair out lol, so a big thanks to you Ginger Diaz! The photograph on the right is of my beautiful wife Melanie, she is my best friend and also my best model she never complains when I stick my camera in her face and is always on hand to help me with any new techniques I may want to try. Oh and just in case you get confused on Flickr my screen name is HotshotsSR1, maybe I should change it to Studio SR1 or seeing as it is my photo hosting account I should go with the name of my photography business which is Iconic Portaits? any sugestions will be most welcome lol.

Just a test posting to show Trev how his blog will work as he is sitting here with me now…