Spyder3 Elite calibration on Windows7/64

Calibration

When retouching, having a calibrated monitor is one of THE MOST important aspects of your workflow and setup and your monitor should go through the calibration process every so often. Every month for me but I wouldn't expect "every week" to be unreasonable. Calibration would also take place during any slack period that would allow an hour or so of computer time.

Calibration Woes

When you invest in a monitor calibration device such as the, Datacolor Spyder 3 Elite, you expect to get a few years use out of it. So, you will appreciate my dismay when, on an upgrade to Windows 7 64-bit, my Spyder just refused to work. A few days of technical "fiddling" came to no avail and so the Spyder was assigned to the "stuff" box and dust began to gather.

Calibration Revisit

During a boredom period this Christmas day (2015), the TV wasn't particularly good and nothing else was happening, I decided to have another go. Google presented two articles I hadn't seen before...

http://sabrent.com/support/knowledgebase.php?article=14

http://support.datacolor.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/619/0/windows7-does-not-install-spyder-driver

... that seemed to light a beacon of hope.

The Skinny

The main problem I had was Windows complaining that the Datacolor driver for the Spyder3 was not signed so, although you could install it fine, it would not load when you plugged in the Spyder3. I will now outline how I got past this and, although i cannot guarantee this will work for you, it worked fine for me.

As follows ....

AS ALWAYS, make sure you have installed the latest Spyder3 software from the Datacolor website. It is 4.0.2 at the time of the article.

Go to Start Menu and type "cmd.exe" in the Search Bar and press <Enter>. (Remember you must be logged on as Administrator)

OR you can go to "All Programs", then "Accessories", right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".

1. Now type the following and press <Enter> after each line:

bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS

bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON

2. Restart your computer

3. This will disable your Windows 7 driver signing.

You now need to re-assign the driver to the Spyder3. This may seem convoluted but it worsk so just follow along ....

Plug the Spyder3 into a USB port attached to the main body of your computer (NOT a USB hub, keyboard or monitor)

The message "Device driver software was not successfully installed" may appear. Then the Program Compatibility Assistant may appear and say:
"A recently installed program tried to install an unsigned driver"

Close these messages.

* Open Device Manager control panel
* "Datacolor Spyder3" will be listed under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" with yellow triangle badge
* Right-click and select "Uninstall"
* "Confirm Device Uninstall" dialog will appear
* Mark the checkbox "Delete the driver software for this device"
* OK

* Unplug the Spyder
* Plug the Spyder back in

* Driver Software Installation will run and fail
* "Datacolor Spyder3" will be listed under "Other devices" with yellow triangle badge

* Right-click and select "Update Driver Software"
* Click on "Browse my computer for driver software"
* Under "Search for driver software in this location" click "Browse"

* Navigate to
* Computer -> Local Disk (C:) -> Program Files (x86) -> Datacolor -> Spyder3 Driver
* Be sure that "Spyder3 Driver" is highlighted
* Do not highlight any folder inside "Spyder3 Driver"
* click OK
* click Next

* Driver software will install
* "Windows has successfully updated your driver software"



You should now be able to successfully start up the Datacolor calibration utility that will now find your Spyder3 calibration device. Hurrah!

One more thing, you probably noticed a "Test Mode" notice bottom left of your monitor, to get ris of this open up a command prompt, as you did at the beginning, as administrator and issue the following command ...

bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF

Now reboot your machine.

Happy calibrating.



(Note: if all of this still fails there is still another, less elegant but nonetheless workable technique to get your Spyder3 working with 3rd party Argyll drivers for the Spyder. I used this for a while. It is outlined here ....

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/50454217 )

Mastering the Exposure Triangle for Newbies

When I first got my digital camera, words like Aperture and ISO were foreign to me, and it took me a couple of weeks of reading and studying a lot before the lightbulb turned on in my head. You might be feeling a little confused, and you may even feel like you will never get your camera […]

Source: Mastering the Exposure Triangle for Newbies

TUTORIALS - FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - (en)VISIONOGRAPHY -Black and White Fine Art Photography | Julia Anna Gospodarou

You will find here a selection of my essential guides and tutorials - fine art black and white photography, (en)Visionography, architectural photography, long exposure photography, and my original black and white processing method Photography Drawing (PhtD) that introduces a new way of seeing and working with light and shapes, a new way of processing black and white photographs, based on techniques that are used in art and in classical artistic drawing. This space will be constantly updated and enriched, so keep an eye on it for new tutorials and useful tips and tricks for fine art photography.

Source: TUTORIALS - FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - (en)VISIONOGRAPHY - Black and White Fine Art Photography | Julia Anna Gospodarou

5 Steps to Rock the Brenizer Method

What is the Brenizer Method? The Brenizer Method is named after wedding photographer, Ryan Brenizer. He invented the method (but didn’t name it) and made it popular by using it with his wedding clients, and teaching others how to do it as well. For those who have been around photography for a while, you will […]

Source: 5 Steps to Rock the Brenizer Method

Digital Asset Workflows for Low-to High-Volume Studios with LaurinThienes - Behind the Shutter

“Digital asset workflow” is just a fancy way of describing how your files are managed. Whether you shoot one session a year or hundreds, this term needs to be in your vocabulary. Just because you are the best photographer in the world does not mean you know what to do with your images after the shoot, during the editing process or upon final archive. This article takes you through some proven workflows for small, medium and large studios, and gives some overall tips on best practices.

Source: Digital Asset Workflows for Low-to High-Volume Studios with Laurin Thienes - Behind the Shutter

Street Wanderings - urban photography

Curves

Winter is the right time for Street Photography

With the onset of wet wintry days I have become interested in a genre of photography I haven't really entered into before. Street.

I have seen many, many examples of cracking street imagery abounding on various social media streams and recently took the decision to "get into it" more seriously.

Inspiration

A lot of photographers will quote Henri Cartier-Bresson as an inspiration when entering into this arena of modern urban photography. I like his imagery, it seems to transcend the "street" label it was produced under and becomes, at a base level, high contrast "shapes" that just work.

To this end, Jill and I took a wander through Newcastle-upon-Tyne to see if we couldn't start to train our eye to look for street situations to photograph.

It was, indeed, raining but we managed to dodge in and out of the weather at various places (thank-you Starbucks, Costa etc). The good side is the weather had produced skies with character and sometimes wet pavements, things that add up to good mono shots.

A good day out was had and, by the end, we both felt we had picked up some sort of "eye" for an urban shot. It;s needs a lot of training and we missed many a shot where we found ourselves standing watching a situation instead of shooting it. For instance, two bar staff trying to fit a huge wicker reindeer into the back of a small van that really just WAS NOT going to fit.

We came back with a couple of hundred shots that we whittled down to 40-ish.

If you would like to browse the results check out our Flickr Album of Street Photography

The following images were a result...

The Prisoner

Cathedral

Ganesha Watches

Hops Religion

Steps

Sweep

Nests and Poo

Millennium Photo

Cheese

It's Giveaway Time! Win a Print!

Having problems finding affordable, quality prints for your wall?

Here's a chance to win one of our mono prints for free!

We're running a competition on our Northumberland Facebook page ...

... Like our Northumberland Facebook page then enter for your chance to win one of our most successful prints!

To enter, go to our Northumberland Facebook page, click "Like" and tell us in the comments why you'd like to win this beautiful, exquisitely printed, 20x16" mono print of the Craster coastline, in Northumberland.

Good Luck! Keith :-)

P.S. Feel free to share the post on Facebook and spread the word.











** The contest runs from 30th October 2015 until 23:59 12th November 2015 and the winner will be notified with a reply post/comment within 48 hours of the competition close date/time.

Full competition Rules can be viewed here - Facebook Like/Comment Competition Rules

Rules/Disclaimer: This promotion is open to Facebook users in the United Kingdom.  Void where prohibited.  By "Liking" and/or "Commenting" you enter and agree that this promotion is in no way associated with, administered by, or endorsed by Facebook; and acknowledge a complete release of Facebook by your participation. **

How to get to - Cathedral Cave, Lake District

Cathedral Cave, Little Langdale, Lake District

Following release of our Lake District Landscapes image, above, of Cathedral cave in the Lake District, we've been asked many, many times now - "How do I get to Cathedral Cavern"

"Cathedral Cavern" is available to purchase in our shop ...

So here's a short blog post to show you the way (as always there are many alternate routes)

How to get there ...

1. We parked just up the road from the Three Shires Inn in Little Langdale (post code LA22 9NZ). There is space to park on the bend opposite the 'T' junction for a few cars. Alternatively you could have a word with the staff at the Three Shires Inn, they may allow you to park there if you buy a drink or cake :-)


2. We then walked down the road for a couple of hundred metres until a sign posted footpath appeared on the right.


3. We followed the track to Slaters Bridge and stopped to take a few shots.


4. Cross the bridge and follow the track up to the main track


5. Through the gate, turn left and head along the track


6. A couple of hundred metres along the track a smaller track will fork right uphill, follow this for a short way and you're there!! :-)

Read the warning sign and in you go through the tunnel.

Enjoy!

Map ...

That was the way we did it, because we wanted to stop off at Slaters Bridge first, but this looks like the easiest route. You, basically, carry on down the road instead of turning off onto the footpath. It does miss out Slaters Bridge, though.

Lake District Landscapes - Catbells

View from Skelgill Bank down the Borrowdale Valley

Catbells

We were unsure as to where to go on the day after our hike\climb over Walla Crag, but the actual day on Walla Crag sorted that out. Beautiful views decided it, we were going up Catbells.

With any luck, not that it was needed, there would be ample opportunity to shoot some awesome landscapes during the trip.

Northumberland Landscapes - Roughting Linn

Roughting Linn waterfall on the Broomridgedean Burn, Northumberland

Roughting Linn

Travelling around in the countryside looking for viable Northumberland landscapes is an enjoyable pastime anyway but so much more so when you find a gem like Roughting Linn!!

This has got to be our best find to date and at times will leave you wondering whether your anywhere near it at all but persevere and you will be rewarded with a delightfull fairy-tale dell into which the Roughting Linn drops on the course of the Broomridgedean Burn.

Like kids in the sweet shop we explored every inch of this magical place, taking many shots, far more than we needed.

The water flow level was just enough to give us a nice effect but not too much to blanket everything in mist and prevent you getting closer. Blind luck!

Click.

There wasn't a coffee or cake shop here, sadly :-(

The Shot

The light levels were low enough in the dell to allow a slow enough exposure without filters, especially if you composed without the sky.

A quick behind-the-scenes shot, courtesy of Jill

More Info

While we were here another visitor appeared and asked us if we knew where the Neolithic rock art was. Funnily enough we did, it was on our route card for the visit, off he went. We checked it out later, 50 yards or so on the other side of the main path we descended from. They are definitely visible but there isn't much contrast between the art and the surrounding rock, may be better after rain.

Links

Go This Place - Roughting Linn

The Modern Antiquarian - Neolithic Rock Art

Getting There

Just on the crossroads there is a verge big enough for a few cars, park here, cross back to the other side and walk up the path towards the farm, if you are still on the main path by the time you hear the falls then you have gone too far. After 40 yards (ish) you will see a track heading down the hill on the left. Follow this track down the hill and around in a horseshoe until you enter the dell where the fall is. Be careful on the track, as of May 2015 a tree fall has destroyed part of the track and a little scrambling is required.

Northern Landscapes - Jesmond Dene Weir

A view upstream on the Ouseburn over a weir in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle

Jesmond Dene

We were back in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle for this outing. Followers will recognise the name as we're quite fond of Jesmond Dene for Northern landscapes, a jewel hidden away in the heart of Newcastle.

We decided to walk right up to the North end of the dene this time to get some water shots before heading back along the Ouseburn to the car.

On the way through the dene we stopped at a picnic area and "lunched".

The Ouseburn is very picturesque as it flow through the length of the dene and you are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking shots, especially when time is of the essence. However, we simply could not pass this weir as the water level was just right to give a nice effect to the water.

There was a bit of a scramble involved to get down to the river (be careful), and we still had to stand in the water to get a good view upstream, but it was worth it.

Click.

The Shot

A slower shutter speed of around half a second was selected here to try a capture the "flow" of the water rather that the "detail". It came out well.

Shot with a Canon FD 28mm on a Sony A7r.

Links

Jesmond Dene website

Wikipedia - Jesmond Dene

Trip Advisor - Jesmond Dene

Getting There

We parked on Benton Bank and crossed the Armstrong Bridge to entering Jesmond Dene Park at the southerly end.

Northumberland Landscapes - Kielder Woodland I

[caption id="attachment_5691" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Woodland on the shoreline of Kielder Reservoir (I)[/caption]

 

Kielder

On the hunt for Northumberland landscapes again, we headed out to Kielder Water in the Northumberland National Park.

It's a huge landscape consisting of the Kielder reservoir and surrounding forest park.

We had little time here, as it was an hours drive to get there, so it was more of a scouting mission for a later visit but it went quite well anyway.

We started off with the cake and coffee, first this time, in the Tower Knowe Visitors Centre. I know, I know, it's usually last as a kind of reward but we like to mix it up (rock 'n' roll baby).

After food we headed down to the shoreline, time was passing quickly so we only had a short while to explore before heading back to the dam to try and get something there as well. The woodland along the shore is very photogenic and we soon came across the scene you see in the main image.

Sort of "Lord of the Rings" style.

Click.

 

More Info

Kielder also hosts the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and was awarded Gold Tier Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark Skies Association (IDA) in December 2013 – the highest accolade the IDA can give. If astro photography is your thing you really can't miss this place.

Also, at the heart of the Dark Dky Park is the Kielder Observatory, astronomy facilities at there best.

 

The Shot

Still had to stand in the water for this one but the shot itself wasn't too technical. Shot with a Canon FD 28mm on a Sony A7r.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Kielder Water

Kielder Water website

Visit Northumberland - Kielder Water

 

Getting there ...

Northumberland Landscapes - Warkworth Weir

[caption id="attachment_4680" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Warkworth Castle over the weir on the River Coquet, Northumberland[/caption]

 

Warkworth

We've been to Warkworth, looking for Northumberland landscapes, a good few times, it has an iconic castle that's a magnet for photographers.

This time, however, something was different. The tide was just right to show off the weir whilst revealing a small patch of barely submerged land below it. The cogs started turning!

Wellies were in the car boot so out they came and into the water we went. Now then, I wouldn't recommend this as it was very slippy and the tide was coming in fast, on your own head be it (seriously)!

Getting below the weir afforded a nice view of the castle and village up the River Coquet. We took the shot and got out before the water came over the top of the wellies.

Click.

Drained the tripod then off into Warkworth for a bite to eat.

 

The Shot

As you can see, the water was very fast moving so it took a little while to get the tripod settled and stable and a short-ish shutter speed prevented any movement caused by the tide buffeting the tripod legs.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Warkworth

Visit Northumberland - Warkworth

Warkworth Website

 

Getting there ...

There is a layby off the A1068 (Beal bank)

Northumberland Landscapes - Morpeth Viaduct

[caption id="attachment_4669" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Morpeth viaduct crossing the River Wansbeck in Northumberland[/caption]

 

The Viaduct

A recent spell without transport allowed us the chance to find Northumberland landscapes in the more local area of Morpeth.

Following the River Wansbeck right through Morpeth we found a crossing just before the mill on the Whorral Bank, crossed over and kept going.

To our delight, there was a huge viaduct hidden along the valley. I had heard of the viaduct but was unsure of its location and wasn't expecting to run into it today.

The sun was providing dappled light through the trees and the river was lazy so the refelections were looking particularly good beneath the viaduct.

Click.

One of the more hidden Northumberland landscapes.

The Shot

It was very calm that day and there was little wind to upset the surface of the water. The River was lazy and the clouds were not moving so a long exposure would have provided no obvious benefit.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Morpeth

Northumberland Cam - Morpeth Viaduct

 

Getting there ...

You can park in Morpeth and follow the river or there is a layby on the main road, under the NHS Health Centre as you leave Morpeth, just before you start to climb up the Whorral Bank.

Canon FD Buyers Guide | Vintage Lenses For Video

I’m often asked about good lens options for M4/3 & Sony E-mount cameras. Most people are hoping to save quite a lot of money when building a vintage set, so this guide will concentrate on affordable lenses with a price tag no higher than $300 per lens (I’ll also share a full set option for under $500 at the end of this guide). It’s important to note that this guide is written with M4/3 & Sony E-mount users in mind (these lenses will not work well on Canon EF cameras without expensive mounts).

Source: Canon FD Buyers Guide | Vintage Lenses For Video

Northumberland Landscapes - Mortuary Chapel, Alnmouth

[caption id="attachment_4156" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Mortuary Chapel, Alnmouth, Northumberland[/caption]

 

Northumberland Landscapes - Alnmouth

We recently visited St.Cuthberts Cross, Alnmouth to grab a shot across the Aln Estuary and the cross itself along with other Northumberland landscapes.

On our way back down from the top of Church Hill we took a different path to shelter from the wind and came across this ruin on the shore. It is the Mortuary Chapel built in 1869 as part of a plan to re-open the cemetery on Church Hill.

Atmospheric place!

 

The Shot

It was very windy and a storm was coming so, to minimise camera shake, a fast exposure was selected. A long exposure was out of the question as ghosting and camera shake would probably occur to an unacceptable degree.

That said, a remote shutter release and tripod were still used. Live view was enabled so mirror lock-up was not necessary (in case you don't know, when you use live view to compose the mirror is already locked up so you don't need to worry about that, useful for landscapes)

 

Links

Derelict Places - Mortuary Chapel

Wikipedia - Alnmouth

 

Getting there ...

Scottish Seascapes - Wick Stack, Pettico Wick

 

[caption id="attachment_2974" align="aligncenter" width="633"] View across Broadhaven Bay, Pettico Wick, Scotland[/caption]

Seascapes

Returning home from a Scottish photography trip we decided to come down the A1 along the coastal route looking for seascapes.

As we neared St.Abbs towards sunset the sky began to colour and a fantastic sunset was in the offing. Racking our brains for a nearby location, we came up with Pettico Wick, Broadhaven Bay.

We had wanted to visit this one for a long time and hadn't really been able to justify it, but we had to move quickly.

Heading into St.Abbs we were disappointed to find the sought after location was not actually here, frantic googling got us the name "Pettico Wick" and more googling got us a map, off we went. We weren't too sure of the maps authenticity when it came to crossing farm land, avoiding livestock and driving along a narrow track but we persevered. Glad we did!

The jetty and stack were bathed in pink sunlight by now but the sun was really low and in danger of disappearing below the cliff tops as we ran down the path to the jetty and set up the camera.

Just in time. Darkened over within two minutes of the shot as the sun dipped behind the cliffs.

Back to St.Abbs for coffee and cake ..... as you do.

 

The Shot

The clouds weren't moving but the sea was a little choppy so a 10-stop filter was used to smooth it out a little (always useful with seascapes). With no time left to calculate the hyperfocal distance focussing a third into the frame got the shot.

 

Links

This print is available to buy in the seascapes section of our shop

Take a look at another seascapes blog entry - Longniddry Wreck

Wikipedia information on Pettico Wick

Getting there ...

Scottish Seascapes - Longniddry Wreck

[caption id="attachment_2957" align="aligncenter" width="950"] The wreck on the beach at Longniddry, Scotland[/caption]

 

Seascapes

So, we were aimlessy driving along the southern coastline of the Firth of Forth, Scotland, looking for promising seascapes.

Alright, alright, don't twist my arm! We were specifically heading to Longniddry where we knew a wreck on the beach would be revealed if the tide was right. You can't fail with seascapes if you have a wreck to include in the shot.

We were lucky, the tide was going out and the ribs of the wreck were just beginning to show above the water, not long to wait.

The sky was nice and moody and the clouds were moving quite fast.

We don't know much about the wreck, to be honest, so if you have any information please drop us an email or leave a comment.

 

The Shot

The tripod was jammed well down in the sand to dampen vibrations from the water arounf the legs. A 10-stop filter was used to give a long exposure to make the most of the receding tide and the fast moving clouds.

We took two or three exposures just to make sure one of them had captured the water and the clouds sufficiently well.

 

Links

This print is available to buy in the seascapes section of our shop

Take a look at another seascapes blog entry - Stag Rock

Tripadvisor - Longniddry

Wikipedia information on Longniddry

Visit Scotland - Longniddry

 

Getting there ...

We took the A198 from the eastbound A1, then along the B1348 Links Road to a carpark signposted "Bents No.1", a sandy path lead down to the beach from there, once on the beach turn left and walk a couple of hundred yards along the beach and around 100 yards out. If the tide isn't that far out yet, you'll just have to wait :-)

Lake District Landscapes - Loughrigg Tarn

[caption id="attachment_1485" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Late afternoon at Loughrigg Tarn[/caption]

Landscapes

On a more sedate landscapes photographic trip to the Lake District we visited Loughrigg Tarn.

Surely it must be one of the most picture-postcard, photogenic spots in the Lakes.

Followers of our landscapes work will know that we simply cannot pass up a "sun through the trees" shot, so when the opportunity presented itself late one afternoon we had to stop and set up the gear.

The sheep obligingly positioned themselves for foreground interest and the shot was in the bag.

As always, coffee next!

The Shot

Into the sun so the camera was positioned to hide the sun behind a branch whilst still capturing the landscape required, it can be fiddly ti set up but the effect is worth it. When the sun moves out slightly from the branch a flare will occur ..... click.

Wait a minute or so and, bingo!

Links

A walking route

Wikipedia information on Loughrigg Tarn

Visit Cumbria

Getting there ...

We turned off the A593 onto Ellers Brow, parked in the carpark at the top of Mill Brow Wood and walked to the Tarn. You can also drive up Foulstep from Skelwith Bridge to the same carpark.

Lake District Landscapes - Cockley Beck Bridge

[caption id="attachment_1480" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Under Cockley Beck Bridge[/caption]

Landscapes

Hunting for more Lake District landscapes again!

This place is a little more involved to get to than some of the other places we've been, in the Lake District, but is definitely worth the effort.

Landscape photography can be all consuming but you need to stay safe in remote areas so check for local advice before setting off, if it has been snowing or the weather is particularly bad as, I believe, the passes can be closed for safety. Also, if your clutch is "dodgy" be careful on the passes!!

Driving down from Wrynose Pass, where Wrynose Bottom meets the road to Hardknott Pass, will bring you to Cockley Beck.

A picturesque stone bridge crosses the River Duddon here. When the river is flowing well it produces a nice cascade right under the bridge that can't be seen from the road.

Feet wet for this one.

 

The Shot

We crossed the bridge and parked up, I climbed over the wall and down to the river to get this shot of the cascade.

The light was difficult on this one so this shot is a composite of three shots (brackets) to make the most of the landscapes beyond the bridge. It was hand-blended using luminosity masks and colour-range masks before being polished in Nik Color-Efex

 

Links

Wikipedia information on Cockley Beck

Info on walkthefells.net

Cockley Beck Farm & Cottage

Check out one of our other Lake District Posts from Birks Bridge

 

Getting there ...

Lake District Landscapes - Autumn Bridge

Landscapes

[caption id="attachment_1470" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Autumn crossing of Skelwith Bridge, Lake District[/caption]

The Story

A hiking trip, doubling as a landscapes photography trip to the Lake District brought us to the Skelwith Bridge area.

Parking in the National Trust carpark, we walked down through what I believe to be Bridge How Coppice (speak up if I'm wrong) and followed the River Brathay towards Skelwith Bridge.

About 300 yards from the main bridge and Chesters By The River we came across this amazing, contemporary, footbridge crossing the river. The camera had to come out!

It was Autumn and the trees were lovely colours so we spent a while here before heading down to Chesters for, guess what, yep, coffee and large pieces of cake.

 

The Shot

Used  a tripod here, low down, and hyperfocal focussing to keep everything nice and sharp. Had to wait for a clear period as there were a lot of tourists hiking past.

The Processing

The shot was processed in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Dfine, RAW Pre-sharperner, Nik Color Efex

 

Links

Check out our other landscapes post from Skelwith Bridge

Wikipedia information on Skelwith Bridge

Chesters By The River

 

Getting there ...

Yorkshire Landscapes - Ribblehead Rain

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Ribblehead Rain[/caption]

Ribblehead

Yorkshire is full of landscapes and landscape opportunities, particularly in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. One of the most iconic being the Ribblehead Viaduct.

A photography outing saw us park up in a large layby off the B6255 in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, within a few hundred yards of the Ribblehead Viaduct.

Rain was in the offing and a large storm cloud was approaching over Whernside ahead of us, promising good skies but a soaking.

Half way down the path we could hear a train approaching so ran a little further and set up in the hopes of a train in the shot before we got soaked.

Mission accomplished, landscapes captured, back to the car to dry off.

 

Landscapes

If you like landscapes, check out one of our previous landscapes trips to the Skelwith Bridge in the Lake District

 

Links

Wikipedia information on Ribblehead Viaduct

 

Getting there ...

Northumberland Landscapes - Gibside

[caption id="attachment_1353" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Gibside Sun[/caption]

Gibside

Took a photography trip with a good friend and fellow photographer to the National Trust property of Gibside in Rowlands Gill, North East UK. Not technically Northumberland Landscapes but landscapes galore there were.

It was rather cold and had been raining but we persevered, glad we did.

It's a fantastic place with ACRES of grounds to explore. As we found out when a fellow visitor suggested we hike to the farthest corner for a fantastic tree, which we could not find. It did allow us to see most of the grounds though.

The journey back down the hill brought us to the iconic avenue of trees leading up to the chapel.

It started raining so we sheltered under a tree, then the sun poked it's head out through the clouds above the chapel, serendipity! Camera out, quick!

Landscapes then coffee and cake in the cafe.

 

Landscapes

If you like landscapes, check out our previous Northumberland Landscapes post in Alnmouth.

 

Links

Wikipedia Information on Gibside

 

Getting there ...

Lake District Landscapes - Woodland Sun, Skelwith Bridge

[caption id="attachment_1344" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Woodland Sun[/caption]

Skelwith Bridge

Having photographed the footbridge over the River Brathay near Wikipedia - Skelwith Bridge we headed into the trees to explore and find landscapes.

We came across a lovely hollow, where the autumn trees were amazing shades and the sun was shining through the branches to leave pools of light in places.

Again, camera out.

Shortly after, down to Chesters By The River for coffee and cake ... chocolate.

 

Landscapes

If you like landscapes, check another of our previous Lake District posts

 

Links

Wikipedia information on Skelwith Bridge

 

Getting there ...

Tutorial - Expose To The Right (ETTR)

At wilson photographics we sometimes use a technique know as ETTR or Expose To The Right when shooting landscapes and seascapes in Northumberland. You may have heard this term and wondered what it was ..... read on, dear reader, read on ....

As with all my articles I will keep it simple and adopt a "just gimme the facts" approach, only introducing as little brain-melt as possible.

The Problem ...

A common held philosophy followed by photographers for a long time has been the technique of setting your exposure for the highlights in your scene and taking an, effectively, underexposed shot with a view to raising the shadows later in post-processing to reveal the detail in those areas. The main problem with this technique is, due to the lack of information in the shadow areas of the image, increasing the exposure to recover these areas will introduce noise into the shadow areas resulting in a poor end-image.

I'll try to explain ...

ETTR - Background info ...

The recording of the scene by the photo-cells on your cameras sensor depends on the sensors linear response to the light striking it. Generally speaking, it is not a linear response so if your camera's sensor has a dynamic range of, say, 5 stops then the brightest stop (at the far right of the histogram) will record one half of the available tonal values, the next stop down will record one half of the remaining tonal values, and so on, halving all the way to the darkest stop (at the far left of the histogram). This explains the halving or doubling of light entering the camera when you stop-down or stop-up.

ETTR - The Skinny ...

This may seem somewhat complex to take in so, in a nutshell, just accept that much more information is recorded at the far right of the histogram than at the far left. You can always read up why at a later date (if you need to).

So, to follow on from that little bombshell, it would seem common sense that, in order to record the maximum possible information about a scene to produce the best possible image you would do well to overexpose the image with a view to lowering the exposure later in post-processing. This is, indeed, a valid technique - welcome to ETTR.

The below image, of a chain in a harbour somewhere in Northumberland, was taken using ettr ...

 

[caption id="attachment_1335" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ETTR Before Processing[/caption]

... the histogram clearly show an over-exposed image, but with adjustment to exposure, contrast and saturation in post-processing it can be recovered ...

[caption id="attachment_1336" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ETTR After Processing[/caption]

... the histogram now shows a much more balanced image with detail covering the full range of tonal values.

Importantly no noise was introduced into the shadow areas, which would almost certainly have been the case if the shot had been under-exposed and then lightened in post.

All-in-all, ettr is a valuable technique to have in your arsenal (just to be clear, you may still have to use filters if the range of the scene is too great). It will take a little practice and experimentation to work out how much your equipment will let you get away with because, bear in mind, the histogram you see is not based based on the RAW file but is based on an in-camera jpeg representation of the RAW file. With this in mind your histogram may show a little clipping when that is not the case, you will need to try a few images to work this out for your own gear.

It took a few test images to work out how far we could push our own gear, when out shooting landscapes and seascapes in Northumberland, and we found we could allow the histogram to venture out of the top stop a little before it affected the end result.

ETTR - The Caveats ...

• You must shoot in RAW, to enable you to get the best results from post-processing later.


• You cannot allow the shot to leave the right hand side of the histogram, this would result in lost information and clipping, the skill is in exposing as far right as your particular camera will allow without clipping.

Relevant Links ...

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposing_to_the_right

 

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, do you care?

"POP"

Not the sound you want to hear from your Drobo NAS unit! Especially after a full days work.

"Disaster" has many levels but if you're a professional in any line of business that involves storing masses of digital data and you don't have even a minimal disaster recovery plan then when your luck runs out (and it will!) you're going to be in trouble!

I've seen companies reduced to administration procedures because they had no backup plan or disaster recovery plan. They just could not recover without their accounts system, their client data, their job register.

Maybe you don't care but , trust me, your clients will. Do not underestimate the amount of time and effort that's going to be required to get you back up and running if you lose your data.

[caption id="attachment_1306" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Drobo Stack[/caption]

Overview ...

To understand how our plan evolved you need a quick overview of why our system is the way it is.

We're photographers and retouchers. We keep masses of our own digital images for whatever use (prints, leasing, etc.). We also keep masses of client images for retouching (they probably don't have a backup).

When we first set up we needed a common network area for shared data storage, a full blown server was too much hassle and admin, enter the Drobo. Setup as a RAID5 array for data security and resilience. Note, RAID5 is not great for recovery, if the unit itself fails you cannot access the data on the disks but, as a first line of defence, amongst a larger plan it is fine.

There wasn't a job system available with the facilities we required so we created one based on MS Access. As former software developers it made sense (yeah, we know SQL is better but it's way overkill for our needs and we don't have a lot of "admin time"). It has check in/out facilities for moving jobs to/from the Drobo to a workstation. It is also separated into front-end and back-end, the back-end being on the Drobo.

For legal compliance, all of our emails are archived, indexed and searchable from the Drobo.

We run a digital accounts system, backed up to the Drobo.

Other, trivial, stuff happens around the Drobo but the previously described data we would describe as "a problem" if it went missing.

OK, you get the picture, we do a lot of network based activity dependent on the Drobo.

Our Current System ...

Our primary NAS, the Drobo, is our day-to-day working NAS. When we need to work on a customer job we check-out the job, via the job system, to our local workstation, work on it, the check it back in. (nutshell)

Daily, our workstations backup personal files and other workstation-based files to the Drobo (accounts, etc). Incremental backups Mon-Thur, Full backup Fri.

Weekly, the website is downloaded to the Drobo.

Daily, the Drobo is mirrored to a secondary NAS unit setup as a RAID1 array.

Weekly, the secondary NAS is backed up to removable HDD's.

Monthly, removable HDD's stored off site.

This may seem heavy handed and over-engineered but, believe me, at one point or another each part of this setup has had to be pressed into use in anger. Think "multiple redundancy", nothing is infallible.

Disaster Recovery ...

Our basic strategy ...

1) Any workstation fails - the work and necessary files are on the Drobo to be accessed from another machine to allow business to continue until the failed machine is replaced/fixed.

2) A Drobo drive fails - because of RAID5, the unit will rebuild and maintain data access until the failed drive has been replaced.

3) Drobo unit fails - the work and business critical data are mirrored to the secondary NAS unit. Remove the Drobo and setup the secondary as primary and carry on until the Drobo is replaced/fixed.

4) Secondary NAS unit fails - replace it quickly, not an immediate problem but needs to be addressed.

5) Drobo & Secondary fail - because of RAID1 setup on secondary there are two copies of the data. Remove either drive, put into workstation, setup workstation as primary network data source until system repaired.

6) Drobo fail, secondary fail, single secondary drive fail - there is a mirrired copy of the data on the other drive that is part of the RAID1 pair.

7) Drobo full fail, secondary full fail - there is an offsite copy.

We recently suffered a Drobo power supply failure and point (2) saved us!

We're not experts at disaster recovery, nor is it our primary concern but previous careers enabled us to see the critical importance in a business environment.

There are other ways to do it, other mechanisms, other systems but this is how we do it. It works. It's been tested.

Don't wait until your systems fail to, at least, set up something minimal (e.g. backup to external drive)

Northumberland Landscapes - Alnmouth

Welcome to our Northumberland Landscapes series of blog entries.

As the first in the Northumberland Landscapes series, our latest photographic escapade took us to Alnmouth in Northumberland. It is a site we've long wanted to visit. Despite driving past and through it many times we've never really had the chance to stop and take some time.

[caption id="attachment_1271" align="aligncenter" width="950"] St. Cuthberts Cross[/caption]

I've seen many shots of St.Cuthberts Cross on the hilltop on the southern side of the harbour, looking back to the town across the mouth of the River Aln and the Aln Estuary, but always wanted to nab one for myself and for the Northumberland Landscapes print range.

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St.Cuthberts Cross - Said to be the location where St Cuthbert agreed to become Bishop of Lindisfarne when petitioned by the King.

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Getting there ...

A bit of Google research beforehand revealed a track down to the dunes, on the south side of the estuary, from the A1068, NOT the turning going to Waterside House Farm if you're going North then it is the one before that. Turning onto the track you are greeted with a pothole strewn, rocky track that you really can't drive along at more than 5-10mph (if you value your suspension) but many vehicles travel this track so don't worry, just be careful. A slow drive down this track, avoiding the potholes and rocks, will bring you down to the dunes, crossing St.Oswalds Way and passing a warning sign about the track becoming flooded in places at high tides. PLEASE, check the Northumberland tide tables before you get there!!!



We parked up alongside the dunes and set off on one of the public footpaths heading North, we could see the cross and Alnmouth so navigation wasn't an issue. After crossing the flood plain area we stepped up onto what must be an island at high tide and headed up the hill towards the cross.

Taking the shot ...

It was VERY windy at the top, long exposures would be impractical as the tripod and camera would receive such a buffeting from the wind as to affect the shot so fast exposures were the order of the day, remote shutter release, weighted down tripod and standing to block the wind from the kit.

Jill went off to explore the lower part, towards the estuary, while I set up to get the shot I was after. I took a wide shot, a narrower shot and a bracket set to be sure I could produce something when back home. Then I repeated that sequence again, just to be sure. Belt and braces.

After taking in the view for a while we headed on back down the hill by a different path and came across an old stone ruin and some stumps so rattled off a few more shots for good measure. A quote from the Facebook page of Northumberland AONB clears up the ruin ...

[pullquote align=center]

Mortuary Chapel, Alnmouth:
This little Mortuary Chapel was built 1869-70 at a cost of £177.6s.3d. raised by public subscription, as part of a plan to re-open the cemetery on Church Hill (site of the ancient parish church of St. Waleric, the remains of which were destroyed by the 1806 flood). The roof of the chapel was deliberately removed by the National Trust in recent times to deter squatters and is now a grade II listed building.

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Some may consider it to now be a cliche shot. I've made my case for cliche shots many times in the past but I'll reiterate again for new visitors, these landscapes are only a cliche to the people that have been there before and taken the shot, until then it remains a landscape shot that YOU have not captured. Don't let the views of others put you off, photography is a personal pursuit, capture the images YOU want to capture.

Other Useful Links ...

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnmouth

Visit Northumberland - http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/historic-sites/st-cuthbert-s-cross

Wedding Albums for Professionals

Stunning Wedding Albums by Master Printer Paul Grundy, Owner of UKV Pro.


A re-blog from Steve Grogan Photography giving a fantastic review of a new Wedding Album service from Paul Grundy of UKV.

Some of my couples want a wedding album, some of them don’t. That’s why I don’t include albums in my packages as standard; I prefer to charge for my time and then an album can be ordered at a later date if desired. But I always encourage my couples to print their images, why spend good money on a luxury product such as Wedding Photography and then leave the photos lying dormant on your computer hard drive or compressed as low resolution 72 dpi images on Facebook?

A beautifully printed photograph is a sight to behold. I’m not talking about a quick 7×5 from one of those cheap photo machines in Asda, I’m referring to an image printed by a Master Printer on premium paper stock. Please print your photos, trust me, it’s beautiful!

All images shown are copyright of the very talented Craig Richards of Petite d'amour Photography

To view the full article on Steve's blog Click Here.

Why I use Canon mount DSLR lenses with Metabones smart adapter for my A7R Guest post by Dierk Topp. | sonyalpharumors

Why I use Canon mount DSLR lenses with Metabones smart adapter for my A7R Guest post by Dierk Topp. | sonyalpharumors.

New Wedding Album | UKV Fine Art Pigment Printing

I have finally finished the first wedding album. It has been a long journey and it has finished not entirely where I thought it would…. but I do like the finished result. One of many more to come I hope. In the coming months I will be adding other sizes including a square format version and a matte finish version printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching.

This one is printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta and contains 20 plates, sized 20×10 inches…. (follow the link for more info)

New Wedding Album | UKV Fine Art Pigment Printing.

Lake District Landscapes - Birks Bridge, Duddon Valley

Birks Bridge

[caption id="attachment_953" align="alignleft" width="200"] Birks Bridge[/caption]

We came across Birks Bridge, and the gorge it spans, purely by chance as we drove through the Duddon Valley hunting for landscapes, en-route to shoot at another location. It was raining and we'd been up early so we pulled over in the small "layby" next to the bridge to crack open the flask of coffee.

It had been raining all night and we could see the River Duddon was in full spate so, after coffee, we decided to take a look over the bridge. The water gushing through the gorge was much deeper than we had expected, a crystal blue colour in places, and the cascade from upstream was impressive.

Landscapes

So, out came the gear and we set up for a quick shot. I had convinced myself that I could climb down a small path to a ledge, on the upstream side, just under the bridge, for a dramatic angle. In reality it was probably just a fox track and would have been dangerous (and Jill wouldn't let me), so we settled for the safety of the bridge.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_954" align="alignleft" width="200"] Birks Bridge Mono[/caption]

 

A tight crop focussed on the upstream cascade just before it passed under the bridge and produced one of our favourite printed landscapes.

 

What's your favourite - Colour or Black 'n' White??

A7r, f11, ISO 125, 47mm, 0.5 secs

 

Colour and mono prints available in our shop

 

 

 

 

birks bridge, landscape, lakes, lake district, water, river, duddon valley, duddon, print

Links

National Trust - Birks Bridge

Wild Swimming - Birks Bridge

If you like our Lake District landscapes then check out another post - Lake District Landscapes - Skelwith Bridge

 

Getting there ...

Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year 2014

[caption id="attachment_917" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Tarbet Isle - The island of the drag boat or portage place[/caption]

Tarbet Isle - "The island of the drag boat or portage place"

We are very pleased to announce one of our images progressed through all judging rounds of Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year (SLPOTY) to achieve a "Commended" award in the Landscape category. One of only a few awarded from thousands of entries.

The image is available as a print from our shop

The shot was taken around the shores of Loch Lomond, Scotland in 2014. As we were scouting for shots around the Loch Jill spotted the Isle, looking magical, across the water, being backlit by the sun showing through some prevalent rain clouds. We could instantly see it would be perfect for a mono conversion. As luck would have it there was a layby nearby and we turned around and pulled over.

Anxious that the light would dissipate at any second and even more aware that a tourist ferry was approaching from the left that would destroy the still waters we needed to move fast. Jill grabbed the tripod, I grabbed the camera bag and we sprinted over the road and crossed the crash barrier, over a small fence, climbd down a wall then over the slippery remains of a collapsed section to the shore.

As we hurried along the shore Jill extended the tripod and I was fitting filters to the camera. All was ready to go by the time we reached the spot. The ferry was very close. There was just enough time for one 30 second shot before the ferry tore through the scene. In fact, it is only about a metre out out of camera-left in the image above.

A quick chimp at the image revealed a nice capture but we wouldn't be able to tell until we saw it on the big screen.

Then it rained, heavy.

Back home a little processing was done. Some dust spot removal, levels and curves were applied then a mono conversion.

What was produced, the image above, far exceeded what we were expecting.

Laughing to myself, when it's typed up it reads like an Indiana Jones movie!

Eqpt: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 10-22, Formatt-Hitech Firecrest 10 stop IRND, Lee 0.6 SE ND Grad

Exif: ISO 100, f8, 29 secs, 12mm

Wikipedia - "Tarbet Isle is an island in Loch Lomond, Scotland. It is off Tarbet on the mainland. It is 10 feet (3.0 m) at its highest point, and 80 metres (260 ft) long.^"

Visit Scotland - "The small Tarbet Island on Loch Lomond is situated just off Tarbet on the mainland from where its name derives.

The island is privately owned and is largely covered in pine woods and oak woodland. It is a little north east of the island where the deepest part of Loch Lomond is with depth reaching 630ft.

There is a lovely circular walk on the island which climbs gently and offers good views over Loch Lomond and the island itself."

island, landscape, loch lomond, scotland, scottish, slpoty, tarbet isle, water, loch, award