photography – T E Shepherd

Repair not replace. Shop local not national.

Thomas — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 12:15:35 +0000

I have two digital cameras. My big SLR which I use for wildlife photography, and my little Nikon Coolpix S9900 which actually has as big a zoom lens as my SLR buy fits in my bag for carrying around. Yes, I’m still of the mind that even though I admit my phone takes great photos, a camera is for taking pictures with and a phone is for phoning people on^†.

I have a problem at the moment. Sometime in the summer my camera developed a weird fault where I would get some vignetting to the lefthand corners of the pictures when zoomed out all the way. It has since got worse. I’m pretty sure that it’s just an alignment issue with the lens tracking but as so often with these things in the modern world I feared that this was a terminal issue for my beloved camera.

In Bicester we are fortunate to still have a really good independent camera shop in Imagex. Famously the first ex-Jessops shop to reopen after it went under it has had some ups and downs but has recently reopened under the original new management of Robert Peckham. When I explained the problem he was very keen to try and help and resolve the problem for me. He explained how he could send it off to the engineers and that this bit is actually free. He’d been up to visit the lab where they go off to and are so experienced that that they are able to report yes it’s likely to be fixable and it will cost this just by looking at the symptons. He also seemed to think that this might be a no-part necessary type of repair so it could just be £50/£60 of an engineers time (one hour) to realign the lens and you get a full service thrown in for that too.

From my afternoon at Evenley Wood Gardens taking snowdrop pictures I knew that in all other respects my camera was delivering good results, so I figured it was worth a shot. This way, I’ll either get it back in a week or so as it is and I carry on, or I get it back in a week all fixed, so a win-win all round.

We are lucky to still have an independent camera shop, and they are about to get back into onsite film processing too when he collects the lab from Devon next week. Boots in town have closed theres, and they are moving out of town anyway where there won’t be one, and Banbury has nowhere. In Oxford, the Boots lab is closing, and Snappysnaps are apparently not very good, so I reckon imagex could really stand to clean up in the now film business which is in resurgence.^‡

^†I realise that this makes me something of a dinosaur.

^‡Welcome to the Analogue Future!

#Repost @thinkhumanfest • • • Our photography competition is open for entries! On the subject of relationships, challenges and changing society we are inviting submissions on one of four themes: #Identity, #Empowerment, #Provocation, and #Empathy. . See the link in our bio for full details. Entries close 31 March 2018! . #photography #photocontest #photographycompetition #competition #contest #thinkhuman @oxfordbrookes #oxfordbrookes

Thomas — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 15:57:23 +0000

#Repost @thinkhumanfest
• • •
Our photography competition is open for entries! On the subject of relationships, challenges and changing society we are inviting submissions on one of four themes: #Identity, #Empowerment, #Provocation, and #Empathy.
.
See the link in our bio for full details. Entries close 31 March 2018!
.
#photography #photocontest #photographycompetition #competition #contest #thinkhuman @oxfordbrookes #oxfordbrookes

Back to Basics

Thomas — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 17:34:55 +0000

Back in the day I learnt my photography on a secondhand Practica 35mm SLR camera. About the only automatic function that I had was a little lever to check the exposure, other than that it was all manual. I’m not saying that I ever completely grasped the business of f-stops and ISO settings but I at least was able to fiddle with them and see the difference happening actually inside the camera before my clicking my shutter to a shot that I had some degree of certainty in.

Digital is a different kind of skill, but related (or at least related in a forgotten kind of way). I want to not forget. I want to be able to learn how to use my DSLR camera in a way that means I can fiddle quickly with manual settings have more chance of getting the shot that was in my mind’s eye.

And there’s the thing. Anyone with a half-decent digital camera can, come up with picture-perfect, stunning shots – the kind of shots that most of us would, year’s ago have dreamed of getting. But year’s ago (and by year’s, I mean actually, not that many years – 15 years maybe, tops, which is actually not that long…) film and developing were expensive and unless you were a photoholic like me you would only take one or maybe two shots of a subject.

Even so, now, if you have an idea in mind for a project – an illustration, brochure, or poster – and you need some source material to work from (and you can’t go and take it yourself) you’d be surprised at just how often when you look at the various online galleries and stockphoto websites there are lots and lots and lots of images that are all very much the same. Only the very few capture the idea that you dreamed up in your mind.

Which leaves me to think that whilst anyone, given some good kit and the opportunity can take a very, very, good photograph of something, only a very few can take a truly unique photograph. Because that skill is in the mind, not the camera. That skill would be very nice, very nice indeed, to have.

When a photographer is not a photographer

Thomas — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:16:53 +0000

There was an interesting discussion on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row tonight about a new exhibition of photographs…

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013

The four artists shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 are the artist duo Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Mishka Henner, Chris Killip and Cristina De Middel.

A selection of the shortlisted artists’ work is on exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery from 19th April – 30th June.

One of the photographs was displaying “images” that he had “taken” from Google StreetView. much of the discussion focused on whether you could call yourself a photographer of you didn’t actually take the photographs yourself. My instinctive reaction is no. But then I started to think about it…

In this particular case the exhibition consisted of old photographs of street scenes put together with and alongside the same scenes but from Google StreetView. Why, I began to wonder is this any different to the writer who borrows and takes from and references old stories and retellings and then weaving together to make something new. Why are they still a writer but the photographer isn’t? I don’t have an answer for it… in my mind they are still unquestionably an artist but that a photographer does need to take photographs.

( listen to the episode )

When a photographer is not a photographer

Thomas — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:16:00 +0000

There was an interesting discussion on BBC Radio 4′s Front Row tonight about a new exhibition of photographs…

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013

The four artists shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2013 are the artist duo Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Mishka Henner, Chris Killip and Cristina De Middel.

A selection of the shortlisted artists’ work is on exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery from 19th April – 30th June.

( listen to the episode )

Originally published at shepline: the journal“>shepline: the journal. You can comment here or camera retailer Jessops has entered administration comes the much touted reason that it is because “the amateur market collapsed because people who once bought cameras found that they had these things on their smartphones and they used those instead, and the professionals found that they could use online niche specialists who were cheaper and often had more extensive ranges”.

I’m not sure if this is the case but maybe that’s because although I find the camera on my smartphone fun and convenient it is no replacement for even my small compact camera. That said I do have friends who never carry their cameras with them, even on holidays to foreign countries (!!), in favour of just recording memories on their phones. I can’t understand this – okay for a phone they are good quality but only in good light conditions…

If this is true, that people are rejecting their cameras for their phones, I find it very sad. Digital cameras really opened up photography for people because compared to film it was relatively cheap to be involved with at a big level. But if only serious photographers are going for cameras then the smartphone is a backward step.

A fondness for film

Thomas — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:19:00 +0000

A few years ago, after Kodak announced it was pulling out of making 35mm cameras I did feel a bit of a tinge of sadness, until veeb pointed out that whilst Kodak were famed for their film (Kodak: the colours, the colours, the colours are calling me…), who seriously used Kodak cameras. Canon, Nikon, Praktica, Pentax, Minolta yes, but Kodak…?

The news that Kodak have now filed for bankruptcy protection though, does make me feel a bit sad. I love digital photography, even more now that I have a Digital SLR that shoots in RAW format (the equivalent of an old-fashioned negative) with all the manual settings and adjustments that means that you can enter the digital darkroom and process your photographs. Up until then, I had always shied away from image manipulation of JPEGs in Photoshop because invariably you would end up ruining the photo that you composed and exposed in the camera. Even so, I do still find that given a good roll of film and a decent camera, the quality and depth of picture that you can get from a 35mm camera (and even an automatic one at that!) can be so much more special.

I feel now that I want to go out and get a film for my camera, and take my old camera for a jaunt around the countryside in some agreeable winter light.

On the sixth day of advent: better than I could have dreamed…

Thomas — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:32:00 +0000

~ Our honeymoon album arrived today. It’s only a year and a half for me to compile. Well, I started compiling it shortly before our first wedding anniversary, then my hard drive went boom and took all my work with me and it took me another six months and a sparklely new computer to get started on it again, but I finished it last week and today it arrived. It’s of the modern, book sort from blurb.com, and its brilliant – all 92 pages of it. For most of the photos is like seeing them completely afresh in crisp, clear, high resolution print. I can’t stop looking at it now.

~ I was worried that I wasn’t going to have enough when I was cutting up oranges yesterday, but my marmalade making has surpassed expectations. I now have 13lbs of the stuff sitting on the side in the kitchen. If I buy some more sugar then, with the rest of the oranges in the freezer I will be able to make the same again. Should see through in any snow-ins we get this winter!

Surreal Shopping

Thomas — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:48:00 +0000

With our move a month away (and one week of that taken out for our Snowdonia holiday) Em and I decided that we really ought to get a move on with doing some preliminary research for house-type purchases. To this end we headed out to John Lewis on the Handy Cross roundabout and therein had a slightly surreal time wandering round trying out beds and sofas and looking at kitchens with the knowledge that its not just idle dreaming but that we can actually buy stuff (my mum and dad announced recently that they wanted to buy us a new bed and three-piece suite as a wedding/house-warming present).

But we are sensible. We have a list of things to look for, and then regroup in the canteen over tea and cake to add up our potential purchases to make sure weâre not overspending. Weâre not, even by going for the expensive but very comfortable Vi-Spring mattress with the Touch of ~~Pine~~Oak bed.

Choosing a sofa became a bit more complicated â having to move backwards and forwards across the shop to try and try again, in turn our shortlist of two sofas before finally, definitely, settling on the Indiana range … maybe.

We browsed some new shades for my lamps (they needed to be replaced anyway) and indulged ourselves in some cute new bedside lanterns reduced to half-price before we got to the real indulgence.

If we are to go to Namibia on honeymoon next year then we want to make sure we capture some good photographs of the time there. Iâve also long wanted one of these, and with Grandpaâs money I have the funds, and since he had a love of photography and his own developing it would also be appropriate, and so I visited the camera department, chatted to a very helpful person there, and bought (for both Emma and I) a Nikon D80 DSLR camera with 18-135mm lens. Very nice!

Not a bad week, so far…

Thomas — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:11:00 +0000

The sun has been shining and Spring is definitely sprunging all around, and so far a number of good things have happened.

1. Yesterday I sent an en-masse email invite around just about everyone who I’ve ever worked with inviting them to my leaving drinks/meal two weeks yesterday. Using the Microsoft Outlook voting buttons I cunningly provided them with two ways of saying Yes and no ways of No. *grins* I also provided them with five reasons why they should come along:

You want to wish me well in whatever direction my career takes me
You want to try and ensure you get an invite to that book launch
Itâs a Monday and nobody ever has plans for a Monday
Itâs payday, so about the only day of the month when there actually is cash in the bank
You want a really good reason to stay in Oxford until the May Day celebrations in Oxford the following morning

2. With all that’s happening in my life at the moment I decided that I needed a little treat. So I have now ordered myself the sleek and elegant and rather beautiful Fuji FinePix Z5 – in silver rather than ~~raspberry~~pink. This is not a replacement to my SLR-style camera but a purely indulgent addition along the lines of something ultra-thin I can carry with me always (and it comes with some pretty fine reviews too!)

3. I have another job interview. It’s this Thursday at Sophos (you know the Anti-Virusy folk) in Abingdon – sandwiched between my favourite swimming pool and Waitrose. I say job interview but actually it’s more like job interviews. I applied for a Website Administrator role, but they want to also interview me a Content Editor position. What’s more, they certainly take their interviews seriously. I have a pre-interview assignment to do, and then on the day a proof-reading test and an essay-style question to do before I even get into the interview chair. Keep your fingers crossed for me, it really would be nice not to have to dig into my redundancy money.

Sunday Snowdrops

Thomas — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:23:00 +0000

It was a gloriously sunny, winter morning today – you know, the kind that makes you really feel alive, so I headed out to Stowe Landscape Gardens and my pilgrimage to snowdrops(my favourite flower)…

Snowdrops
Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 Jan ’07, 5.12pm GMT PST.

Snowdrops
Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 Jan ’07, 5.11pm GMT PST.

Snowdrops
Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 Jan ’07, 5.08pm GMT PST.

Snowdrops
Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 Jan ’07, 5.09pm GMT PST.

Five golden rings: the sea, the sand, and the blustery day

Thomas — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:12:00 +0000

We went to the seaside today, down at Christchurch, and Ben had a ride on the train down through the estuary to the beach huts. Fleeing from the rain a couple of hours later, we came home to hibernate in the warm.

Pebble Study
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.17pm GMT PST.

Ben an the tank engine
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.16pm GMT PST.

Lizzard in the leaves
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.16pm GMT PST.

Around the estuary
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.15pm GMT PST.

Egret
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.14pm GMT PST.

Ben
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.17pm GMT PST.

Egret
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 3.15pm GMT PST.

The last piece of cake
Originally uploaded by shepline on 30 Dec ’06, 6.24pm GMT PST.

Managed to get the admins at Critiquique Circle to delete chapter four from my submission, as I fear the 6000 odd words were what were putting people off critiquing it. Now it’s a much more reasonable half that number!

Addendum (nativity)

Thomas — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 23:56:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, a BBC producer emailed me to ask my permission to use some of my images in a photo gallery on their website. I said yes, but thought that it was just one or two photos amongst many photos. It turns out it’s a whole gallery just devoted to me! J And they’ve got links to me and everything! Check it out…

( Salisbury Cathedral Nativity )

The Seventh Day of Advent

Thomas — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 22:43:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, Radio 4’s PM programme asked listeners to send in photos of what they were doing at 5pm on Tuesday 5 December 2006. The results are quite interesting…

( window on the world )

Amongst the predictable mixture of kitchens, offices, and commuting, there are some interesting and intriguing viewpoints…

From Venice to Alpago (in pictures)

Thomas — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 23:48:00 +0000

I’ve still got a lot of sorting to do to get the number that I want to have printed, but the Italian photogallery is now complete, and awaiting viewing. Although there are rather a lot of them…

( from Venice to Alpago (in pictures) )

Enjoy!

Returneth

Thomas — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:57:00 +0000

Last night I returned, tired from my excellent and v. enjoyable holiday in Italy. Photos and travelogues to come on the subject, but first, a poll, not entirely unrelated…

Postcard From Italy

Thomas — Wed, 24 May 2006 23:30:00 +0000

Last year, I asked for suggestions of postcards to send back from Romania. On Midsummer’s day I fly out to Venice, and from their, after three days of seeing the sinking city, two weeks in the dolomites. I now have 2GBs of memory space on my camera. Hopefully I will come back with a multitude of good pictures.

This is another chance for You to put your finger on the shutter and direct my eye.

All you have to do is give me…

[ if you feel the need, explain your challenge in comments ]

Bluebells and Orchids in May

Thomas — Sun, 14 May 2006 16:08:00 +0000

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.31pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.37pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.36pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.38pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.30pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.29pm BST PST.

Originally uploaded by shepline on 14 May ’06, 3.30pm BST PST.

( more )

New galleries launched

Thomas — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 15:15:00 +0000

My new iRiver H10 has a photo viewing function, and whilst loading up holiday photos onto it, I realised that shepline.com was lacking any galleries from my various trips to Iceland.

Today I rectify this error, and can launch galleries from 2001, 2002, and 2004…

( Skaftafell 2001 – the original, inspirational journey )

( Jökulsárgljufur 2002 – into the north and beyond )

( Reykjavik and the Western Fjörds 2004 – city life and road trips )

Holiday Tuesday Morning

Thomas — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 12:25:00 +0000

Holiday Tuesday Morning
Originally uploaded by shepline on 27 Dec ’05, 12.17pm PST.

Cold and frosty mornings

Thomas — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 14:21:00 +0000

Across the fence
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 2.01pm PST.

Into the morning
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 2.01pm PST.

Misty tree
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 2.01pm PST.

Lonely Tree
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 2.00pm PST.

Underfoot
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.58pm PST.

Crispy edges
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.57pm PST.

Autumn colours #1
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.56pm PST.

The Oak in Autumn
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.54pm PST.

White
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.54pm PST.

Bracken, etched in white
Originally uploaded by shepline on 20 Nov ’05, 1.53pm PST.

( more )

You win some, you lose some

Thomas — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 23:03:00 +0000

Last night, I’m not sure how or why, but I ended up on the BBC Oxford site. There was a competition there to win tickets to see Rory Bremner at the New Theatre, Oxford next Monday. It was one of those really easy questions, so I entered. This morning I got a email to say that I had won a pair of tickets. Maybe they don’t get that many people visit the BBC Oxford site…!

In other news, I cursed myself at both ends of the day today for not having my camera with me. Not only did we have the first major frost of the season last night and a spectacularly hauntingly beautiful sunrise over misty, frost covered fields, but the golden sunset this evening was awe-inspiring. I could of kicked myself for forgetting my camera. Actually, I think I did…

November sunset over the forest

Thomas — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 18:44:00 +0000

Sunset #6
Originally uploaded by shepline on 12 Nov ’05, 6.14pm PST.

Moonrise
Originally uploaded by shepline on 12 Nov ’05, 6.16pm PST.

Remember, remember the fifth of November

Thomas — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 22:13:00 +0000

Fireworks #21
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.04pm PST.

Fireworks #23
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.03pm PST.

Fireworks #39
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.02pm PST.

Fireworks #28
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.03pm PST.

Fireworks #24
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.03pm PST.

Fireworks #2
Originally uploaded by shepline on 5 Nov ’05, 10.05pm PST.

Reclusive Travel Writer

Thomas — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 21:08:00 +0000

Your friendly neighbourhood RTW posing for the camera…

For all of you who are tired of reading many long and beautifully worded posts…

Thomas — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 23:44:00 +0000

The being that is Thomas, presents to you…

( !!!! PICTURES !!!! )

Lots and lots and lots of pictures from my holidaying in Romania. The words, and lots of ’em, will follow shortly (I promise)…

Romanian Postcard

Thomas — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 17:48:00 +0000

I’ve got some good suggestions so far, but I need more.

If you missed it before, there’s still time to take part in this (hopefully) exciting new art project.

Come on Sonja, Helen and Kelly – you know you want to…

Don’t dilly-dally, just do it!

Not just vampires

Thomas — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 22:50:00 +0000

In just five days time I will be flying out to Romania – Transylvania to be precise – to see the country, speak to the natives and try and conserve something or other. Whilst I’m there, I will of course have my camera with me and will be taking a multitude of (I hope) good pictures.

This is Your chance to put your finger on the shutter and direct my eye.

All you have to do is give me…

[ if you feel the need, explain your challenge in comments ]

Edwig The Hedgehog

Thomas — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 21:53:00 +0000

Edwig The Hedgehog
Originally uploaded by shepline on 21 Jun ’05, 1.50pm PST.

Meet my little friend. Twice now he’s turned up to sit at my back door and watch Wimbledon highlights. Bring on those slugs and snails, I need to feed the little fella… *grins*

Pin-hole Pepper

Thomas — Sun, 07 Mar 2004 12:08:00 +0000

After the distress of having to hear me sing, Pepper seems to enjoy posing for the camera – maybe he was intrigued by, and wondering as to where the lens had got to – still he looks relaxed, no?

Pin-hole is getting there, still too big though. It’s sunny today, so I think I shall try making a smaller hole still and shooting off another film. 15-20 seconds still seems to be optimal exposure… ^__^

I like this one, it has double exposure feeling taken through the railings, although it wasn’t a double exposure – interesting…

Pin-hole Pepper

Thomas — Sun, 07 Mar 2004 12:08:00 +0000

After the distress of having to hear me sing, Pepper seems to enjoy posing for the camera – maybe he was intrigued by, and wondering as to where the lens had got to – still he looks relaxed, no?

I like this one, it has double exposure feeling taken through the railings, although it wasn’t a double exposure – interesting…

A first look through the (pin) hole – for veeb

Thomas — Sat, 28 Feb 2004 19:10:00 +0000

My first attempts at pin-hole photography are, err … interesting (and can be seen here…

This one was taken on platform two of Bicester railway station – I think for about 15 seconds directly into the light. I think it kind of has the feel of those early photographic efforts a century or more ago…

A first look through the (pin) hole – for veeb

Thomas — Sat, 28 Feb 2004 19:10:00 +0000

My first attempts at pin-hole photography are, err … interesting (and can be seen here…

Estonian Photographs online…

Thomas — Tue, 26 Aug 2003 22:49:00 +0000

A selection of photographs culled from the mammoth collection I have (thanks sorrowthorn and Alice) are now available in the Estonian section of visuals … so head on over and enjoy!

Adventures in Estonia: Now In Technicolour!!

Thomas — Sun, 17 Aug 2003 23:48:00 +0000

Enjoy days 1 to 6 of my recent adventures in the Baltic State, now illustrated from the archive 572 photographs…

…days 7 and beyond appearing in a web browser near you soon!