For several months now I've been finding that for most of my work I have been using the 28mm wide angle lens. Also, due to my ageing eyes, using the rangefinder on the M9 has been tricky on occasions.  However, the image quality from shooting Full Frame and with the Leica lenses has been really impressive.  Earlier this year Leica launched a new model - The 'Q'.  This camera combines modern technology with traditional Leica aesthetics and build quality, and is a full frame camera with a fixed very fast f1.7 28mm lens.  So, taking very deep breaths, I decided to swap the M9 and two of my lenses for a new 'Q'.  There are may reviews online, and if you click the 'Q' image there is a link to one thats worth a read. ,  Whilst it's still early days and I'm getting used to the different handling, so far I'm loving it.    Future images will be available on my other website stevegaskinphotography.co.uk

Time and more so opportunity has been against me over the last couple of months but I've managed to add some more images to the Waters of The Forest of Dean Project.  Wit the onset of Autumn I particularly wanted to capture the changing season but have struggled to match my time with suitable light conditions. I maybe have a couple of weeks left to achieve this.   

I have also now decided to limit this portfolio to the most popular/prominent pools and ponds and have therefore chosen my favourite twelve.

Please check out the latest Forest of Dean images and the changed portfolio pages on my 'sister site' here: http://www.stevegaskinphotography.co.uk/waters-of-the-forest-of-dean.html

I have lived near The Forest of Dean now for eight years, it's a beautiful place steeped in history.  We have spent a lot of time walking around many of the popular ponds and lakes which originally were man made to service the mining and forestry industries and have now become local beauty spots, picnic areas and angling pools.   I thought it would be a nice idea to capture these watery treasures at different times and seasons, so I have set myself a project with the hope that perhaps I can produce enough interesting images to create a small exhibition reflecting the title of this article.

Whilst I knew a reasonable number of locations, following some research I was surprised at how many there are scattered throughout the general area know as The Forest of Dean.   
My list currently includes the following locations:

Soudley Ponds | Cannop Ponds | Mallards Pike | Wenchford | Speech House Lake | 
Woorgreens Lake | Lightmoor | Waterloo Screens | Wigpool | Lydney Harbour | 
Lydney Park Estate | Steam Mills Lake | Newnham | Meadowcliffe | Plump Hill | 
Marians Pool 

I will publish a portfolio of my images on the website once I have concluded the project, and I will update my progress with selected images in this Blog which I hope you will follow.

Successful wedding photography requires planning and preparation. Follow these guidelines for each phase of the process, and you’ll be sure to capture some unforgettable moments that the couple will be able to hold on to forever.  Click the image below to go to the article.

Shoot close to sunrise and sunset to achieve more balanced exposures. Shooting during the harsh daylight produces very contrasty light, and it’s difficult to capture details in both the shadow and highlight areas. If there’s one thing you take away from this guide it should be this!  Click the image below to go to the article.

Because you’re often working quickly and stealthily, the matter of focusing while doing street photography is important. Here are some tips.

Photo captured by alan Samuel

HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE TECHNIQUE
Hyperfocal distance is a popular technique used mostly with rangefinder cameras. If you are using a Leica or Contax manual focus rangefinder, you’ll find the lenses marked and easy to read the hyper focal distance.

Look at the lens and see foot and meter distance measurements for a given F-stop. Since most street photography is done between 7 and 15 feet you can easily set the lens so that everything that falls within this distance will be in focus for a given f-stop. It’s not what I’d call exact focus, but it’s close enough so that focus will seem fine. After that you can walk around and know that if your subject is within your hyper focal distance you’ll be fine. Obviously, you need to be able to judge distances, and it will not be possible if you are shooting “wide open” at say f/1.4. There just isn’t enough depth of field (DOF).

Modern SLR lenses don’t usually show the hyper focal distance (because they’re auto-focus). I like to have the foreground and/or background out-of-focus. In other words, even when I was shooting with a Leica M, I would tend to pre-focus and use a lower f-stop. In fact, I brought neutral density filters with me (since I usually shot a fast film) so that I could shoot at a wider, more-open f-stop if I wanted to.

PRE-FOCUSING TECHNIQUE
Pre-focusing, whether with a manual focus camera or an auto focus camera involves anticipation. You have decided what your shot is going to be and find an object that is at an equivalent distance to focus on. With a manual camera, once you’ve pre-focused the lens, just leave it as is, and point it at your subject and take the shot.

With an auto focus camera, you need to know how to lock focus. On the Canon line of digital cameras (both digital and film) you can move focus lock to a button on the back of the camera and keep your thumb on it to lock focus or even flip off the auto-focus once you know the general area you are aiming for.

You can also just work with the built in focus. I use the center spot only. I don’t want the camera to make the decision as to what is going to be in focus. Though the Canons also have an interesting Depth of Field setting that will attempt to emulate hyper focus, I haven’t used that much.

“Hoi An impression” captured by Thomas Jeppesen

If all of you were interested in shooting was street stuff, then I’d have to give the rangefinder a strong edge. If you’re (like me) a generalist, you could have two cameras. One for your scenic work and another for street work. But I have a problem with that; I like to stick to one camera at a time and let it become a part of me. I don’t want to have to think about what switch to hit or where such-and-such is buried in the menus. I set the camera up once, and that’s usually it.

There are other techniques for street focusing that can be used in combination with these focus techniques. One of these I’d call the street ballet.

THE STREET BALLET TECHNIQUE
You’re walking down the street and about 20 feet away you see someone approaching that you want to photograph. Just point the camera at a spot on the sidewalk where you’re planning to photograph them and lock focus. Then turn around with your back to the subject. If you hold the DSLR in the right position you can see the reflection of your subject approaching. You still have focus lock on. As they are approaching the spot you locked focus on, turn slowly with the camera already to your eye, as if you’re just looking through the camera at just about anything. If your timing is good you can take your shot and keep moving so that they’re puzzled by what you are doing.

Takes some practice, but works well. It’s sort of a street ballet.

Remember, as I’ve said before, never lower the camera from your eye after taking your shot because this is a dead giveaway.

Yes, it’s sneaky, but if you’re attempting to photograph people at a close distance without alerting them, this is a useful technique.

Another Caveat
The shot from the hip has been around forever. And there are times and places when you may need to do this. But as a general rule, I’m in favor of looking through the viewfinder. Especially when you’re starting out. You should get used to various techniques that allow you to take a quick shot with time to frame.

“paper vendor” captured by Steve Marshall

PRACTICE EXERCISE
Find a busy corner where you can practice this technique. You don’t need to stand in the same spot but can move around but try it about ten times to see if you can master it. It’s most useful on a deserted street where there’s only one person walking towards you. So once you think you’ve got it down, try it on a quiet street.

About the Author:
http://www.beckermanphoto.com (The black and white photography store)
http://dbeckerman.wordpress.com (My main photography blog)