Hi. It's been a while since I last blogged, due to family and work commitments. My daughter is off to Uni, so have spent the last month ferrying her around to various parts of the country. Work-wise I've mentioned I was being retained by the Architect for the Barber Rooms to produce some architectural images of the Rooms. Basically what was wanted were images of extreme clarity, with walls which do not bend out (or in) because of using long, or short, focal lengths. They must be in proportion too - quite difficult when working in enclosed spaces where you also want to capture as much of the room as possible. To ensure a steady camera, and therefore a clear image, I used a tripod and locked the mirror up into the camera. What I mean here is that as you look through the viewfinder of a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, you see exactly what is coming through the lens. When you then take a photograph, the mirror clicks up out of the way and the light then falls onto the sensor (or film if not a digital camera). This movement of the mirror can cause a tiny vibration which may cause a slight blur of the image. Locking the mirror up stops this. What the sensor see is then displayed on the rear viewer. Together with a remote control unit attached to the camera this ensures that, as far as possible, I have removed as much vibration as possible. Mind you, a big help is having professional Canon lenses with IS (Image Stabilisation) built in. This stops a lot of vibration. You also need to ensure that you have Manual Focus set to 'on' - the last thing you want is the camera re-focussing just as you take that picture you have just spent 10 minutes setting up!! Another particular challenge was the less that perfect light in November - and it was an overcast day as well! Never mind, half the fun is overcoming the challenges. The finished results needed a little bit of work in Photoshop and then they were ready for the client. Until next time ...

Hi. Take up for the Summer Ball photos has been good. If you haven't got your yet, please take a look and see if you are interested. Remember, I make a contribution to the Barber Rooms for every picture I sell. I've also been asked to produce some architectural images for the Barber Rooms. This entails a lot of patience, ensuring you get crystal clear pictures with a depth of field that covers as much of the subject as possible, with all lines being straight and upright - especially difficult in a room, where you need to go wide angle to get the whole room in! Until next time ...

Hi. The photos from the Barber Rooms Summer Ball are now ready and can be viewed at www.faringdonphotography.co.uk/brsummerball. remember there is a donation being given to the Barber Rooms Appeal for every print purchased. It was an excellent event which raised much needed monies for the outfitting of the Barber Rooms. Until next time ...