Marks Wasted Time: My 2011 Challenge Checklist

Friday, February 11, 2011

My 2011 Challenge Checklist

Right, this year is going to be the year I finally get around to doing some of the photo techniques I always wanted to try out. Besides continuing my efforts to get a decent Kingfisher photo this year, here is my check-list:

- Star trails

- Light trail cityscape

- Daylight long exposures using my newly purchased 8 stop ND filter (a bargain off eBay for £6!)

- Possibly some motion shots whilst riding my motorcycle

All hopefully with an added twist to them if I can.

.. and with any luck lots of travel pics from my trip to France-Spain-Morocco-Portugal in September! We also have a few more weddings to do this year following on from the success of last years wedding - which reminds me I need to blog some of those! Also a family portrait request which should be fun and challenging and possibly a local hotel website to design & photograph for.. turning into a bit of a mini-sideline career it seems!

Off to the New Forest Wildlife Centre this weekend, so with any luck I should well and truly get my shutter finger back working again for the year ahead..

3 comments:

John said...: I like star trails too - I guess you need some kind of filter though?; 10:21 am
Mark said...: No filter required, just patience/money*, a sturdy tripod, some motivation, a scene with low un-natural light* and clear skies.

* - Depending on technique. Multiple image stacking or one long exposure.; 1:05 pm
Unknown said...: what kinds of techniques are there? im trying to find new things to try with my camera! any suggestions?; 7:10 pm

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Whos wasted time?

My name is Mark Coombes, I live in the South of England, near the City of Bath. I'm 42 and have a deep passion for all things photographic. I always had some artistic talent, but never had the patience for most art forms, so digital photography suits me down to the ground.

I was given a Canon 1000F for my 18th birthday with some old Sigma lenses, but really only got serious in 2006 when I bought a 350D. My equipment went from 17-85mm, 100-300mm IS and Sigma 105mm Macro, to a 16-35mm II L and 100-400mm L thanks to some serious saving and in 2010 I upgraded to a Canon 50D, before finally investing in a Canon 5D mark III in 2013. Since then I've added various flashes, flash modifiers, filters, polarisers, tripods and a Canon 135mm f/2 lens.

I tend to photograph anything and everything that I find photogenic, combined with my passion for adventure and exploration most of my photos are happy coincidences, rather than the odd planned or staged effort. If I was to pick one specific area to specialise in it would be wildlife photography, especially now I'm getting out for less sunrise landscapes. Only time will tell where it leads and if anything productive ever comes out of it, or if I am just wasting time..