![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Long weekend is long
Nov. 2nd, 2008 11:40 pmI'm shattered, but nevertheless...
Friday - work, then my 58mm lens arrived, then I had to head to Hawick. Got my articles done, chased advertising, bought more flash gear as mentioned (also, put a bid on a Sunpak GX8R ringflash for £20, turns out I won the auction, so that's a new toy for macro mucking about if nothing else).
Got to Hawick, no net access, tidied a little, picked up a few things, slept, spent the morning wandering around Hawick in the sun taking pictures (which I will sort and upload soon) in order to show how nice Hawick looks, then the viewers came over. Family, wants a big house, has one for sale currently and interested parties, if they sell, I sell, basically. The main thing is, no-one has looked at the house and gone "Eurgh, don't want it", they're all just suffering difficulties raising cash. This is a positive thing to me, though I'd rather they weren't ;)
Then went over to Kelso, loaded the car up with books (I have the entire "Great Artists" partwork, collected in the 80s and bound, plus I'd left some of my photobooks behind) and had a poke about the studio for useful bits. Did not get a lot of filters, though I'm rather thinking I need a couple of ND ones, but I do now have a filter carrier for Cromatek or similar. We've got loads of old art filters; vignetting and stuff, all totally useless now of course. With new background roll and reflectors from Hawick that I'd forgotten, then decided to head back down via Whitby - but it was nearly 6pm.
Got into Whitby around 9. Nowhere to park really, as per usual, and pubs doing the one-out one-in with big queues. Couldn't reach anyone at first, got fed up, then tried Jennie one last time and got through - so popped in an quickly camera-geeked with Stuart, before Siani called and said to come to the Elsi. Which involved much waiting outside, and I couldn't drink, and it was crowded and I was tired, but at least I saw people. Told MattP to buy a G1 instead of my N95 since he was due an upgrade! Since everyone else was in the Spa and therefore inaccessible in person or by phone, said "Guide To: Home" and pointed the car back towards Birmingham. Got back in at 2am, and collapsed, having stopped at Woolley Edge and been unable to get a nice overpriced snack served in the EDC bit but was also not allowed to eat a crap sandwich from Smiths in there either. At what point did anyone deem the phrase Service Station appropriate for these joyless and overpriced oasis on the damp and miserable A1
Today was not started until the afternoon, upon which I made a playlist for photography, hooked up the iPod in the studio, and got on with setting things up. Jen agreed to let me test out the lights and reflectors until I was happy with them, but I clearly need more boxes/stands and a room that doesn't slope!
After some faffing, some dinner, some TV and the discovery that I'd missed a new series of Top Gear, here's a portrait of Jennifer.
Next week is all about work, and waiting to see when I get the camera I want to test for portraits. Though I will be wanting to get practice in anyway and existing gear is hardly shabby, so taking pictures of people does not require the camera that inspired me to get my arse into gear to actually be present :) I've got a Calumet open day to go to in Birmingham, David's doing something in North Wales I should probably go see, and I think there's a product day or something on the 10th.
Also, I want a NIkon 135 f2 DC.
Friday - work, then my 58mm lens arrived, then I had to head to Hawick. Got my articles done, chased advertising, bought more flash gear as mentioned (also, put a bid on a Sunpak GX8R ringflash for £20, turns out I won the auction, so that's a new toy for macro mucking about if nothing else).
Got to Hawick, no net access, tidied a little, picked up a few things, slept, spent the morning wandering around Hawick in the sun taking pictures (which I will sort and upload soon) in order to show how nice Hawick looks, then the viewers came over. Family, wants a big house, has one for sale currently and interested parties, if they sell, I sell, basically. The main thing is, no-one has looked at the house and gone "Eurgh, don't want it", they're all just suffering difficulties raising cash. This is a positive thing to me, though I'd rather they weren't ;)
Then went over to Kelso, loaded the car up with books (I have the entire "Great Artists" partwork, collected in the 80s and bound, plus I'd left some of my photobooks behind) and had a poke about the studio for useful bits. Did not get a lot of filters, though I'm rather thinking I need a couple of ND ones, but I do now have a filter carrier for Cromatek or similar. We've got loads of old art filters; vignetting and stuff, all totally useless now of course. With new background roll and reflectors from Hawick that I'd forgotten, then decided to head back down via Whitby - but it was nearly 6pm.
Got into Whitby around 9. Nowhere to park really, as per usual, and pubs doing the one-out one-in with big queues. Couldn't reach anyone at first, got fed up, then tried Jennie one last time and got through - so popped in an quickly camera-geeked with Stuart, before Siani called and said to come to the Elsi. Which involved much waiting outside, and I couldn't drink, and it was crowded and I was tired, but at least I saw people. Told MattP to buy a G1 instead of my N95 since he was due an upgrade! Since everyone else was in the Spa and therefore inaccessible in person or by phone, said "Guide To: Home" and pointed the car back towards Birmingham. Got back in at 2am, and collapsed, having stopped at Woolley Edge and been unable to get a nice overpriced snack served in the EDC bit but was also not allowed to eat a crap sandwich from Smiths in there either. At what point did anyone deem the phrase Service Station appropriate for these joyless and overpriced oasis on the damp and miserable A1
Today was not started until the afternoon, upon which I made a playlist for photography, hooked up the iPod in the studio, and got on with setting things up. Jen agreed to let me test out the lights and reflectors until I was happy with them, but I clearly need more boxes/stands and a room that doesn't slope!
After some faffing, some dinner, some TV and the discovery that I'd missed a new series of Top Gear, here's a portrait of Jennifer.
Next week is all about work, and waiting to see when I get the camera I want to test for portraits. Though I will be wanting to get practice in anyway and existing gear is hardly shabby, so taking pictures of people does not require the camera that inspired me to get my arse into gear to actually be present :) I've got a Calumet open day to go to in Birmingham, David's doing something in North Wales I should probably go see, and I think there's a product day or something on the 10th.
Also, I want a NIkon 135 f2 DC.
 |
Studio Tests Jennifer suffers a few hours of me trying to get the flash/reflectors etc right upstairs. Need More Room; clearly a good portrait studio is 20ft long for any sensible lenses... |
