South Drain

This is a location I have photographed many times over the years South Drain Nr Burtle on the Somerset Levels.
The view up the river is halted by the iconic Glastonbury Tor (too small to view in this image) rising above the Somerset Levels.On this occasion I was simply enjoying a weekly drive across the levels with my dear old mum.I often take her here as it’s not only a favorite spot for her too but a great place to show my youngest daughter the many Swans and Dragonfly’s that occupy that stretch of river.
On this occasion I saw something I’ve never seen before and that was The National Rivers Authority (or someone) cutting the reeds on the riverbank.I’m not sure what this machine was but it seemed to be collecting any cuttings that where floating on the water.It was very graceful and had Tank like tracks which meant it simply drove up the side of the riverbank when it had finished.
Here is an image from my trusty iPhone to record the scene.

 

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Photography Location “Preparation” for successful Landscape Photography

 

Photography Location “Preparation” for successful Landscape Photography

I don’t normally post any kind of tutorials here they are normally posted on my Digital Photography site but I’ve been asked a couple of times how I approach some of the work in my Travel Photography Portfolio so thought I’d add a short post here.
A Photography Location is not always the easiest of subjects to capture unless you do a little bit of pre-planning.

That’s not to say I don’t sometimes just stumble across a well-lit scene or just head out and explore an area without any planning because sometimes I do.
However, a professional vacation photographer will almost always do some scouting before shooting.

Weather can be unpredictable especially in the U.K where it changes very quickly and of course, we can’t be prepared for that!

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Rotterdam Traffic On A Misty Morning

I’ll often research the area via good old Google and Google Earth to get ideas of the locations terrain and possible shooting angles.

I’ll also phone local tourist offices who can often be invaluable in recommending good vantage points or even specific times of the year they believe are best to visit although they are rarely photographers themselves and their idea for a chocolate box image/vantage point will rarely be yours!

Looking at books or local postcards can also help show the more popular spots and this can be a good starting point but I’ll always search out a new angle where I can and try to make the image my own.
If you are out scouting locations consider using a compass or better still a smartphone app like Focalware.
I use Focalware on my iPhone and it tells you the sun/moon angle during various times of the year which can be extremely handy especially in hilly areas where parts of your scene could fall into shade.

Another way to find out what time the sun rises and sets for the chance to create some creative travel photography is a site like Time & Date and of course, check the weather forecast while you are online too!
Even after viewing forecasts the weather can be unpredictable so be prepared to have to wait around for the light so perhaps pack a good book or a laptop to entertain yourself.

Travel and landscape photography can mean early starts or a late finish so a flask and a snack are other items I never leave home without especially when I’m out shooting at dawn.

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Rowing To Market, Couple Rowing Small Boat In Canal Venice

Stay close to your chosen viewpoint and be prepared (especially if the wind is up and clouds are moving quickly) to grab the unexpected change in the light.
Early morning and dusk can also mean unexpected wildlife too so again be prepared for a few grab shots.
Landscape photography is not the hardest subject technically to capture but sometimes does take a bit of planning to get the best images that the location has to offer.
Be patient and be willing to cut your losses and return another time (if that’s possible) if the light or weather is too poor for the image you want.

 

Gill’s Allotment

I was asked a few weeks ago if I could produce & present a training video on shooting Environmental Portraiture for Envato Tuts Plus Network in Australia.
Over the last few years I have produced many training videos for Envato’s PhotoTuts’s premium content so this was not a particularly unusual request to receive.
For this shoot I decided to photograph Gill who I’ve captured before and is not only a great character to shoot but also happens to be my father in law !
The location is Gill’s allotment located in the beautiful South Somerset landscape and was perfect to demonstrate photographing people in their personal spaces.

 

Banking Above The Crops, P51D Mustang

Hot off the screen today is this image that I started and competed retouching this afternoon (gotta be a record ! )
The plane was captured a couple of years ago during a shoot at the Airbus family air day display and is an historic WW2 P51D Mustang called Ferocious Frankie.
I had two ideas for the final image the first was to have the plane flying above the ocean and cliffs or the English countryside.After seeing several fields in my village bearing some rather lovely golden coloured crops I decided to go with the countryside idea.
From here my idea grew another step further and I decided to have someone in the image working the land and my son was suitably bribed for the job ! The shot was completed very quickly as it started to spit with rain and was very simply lit with just a little fill in flash to aid the slightly flat ambient lighting.

Bums Or Ballet ! . . Waiting To Dance

Like most parents having young children means a fair amount of time is spent transporting them to various places for one event or another.For my son it’s Football training or matches and for my two girls it’s currently Ballet.
Also like most parents I take a lot of photographs & video of them BUT rarely nevermore than quick snaps and mostly with my iPhone.
It’s not that I don’t want to take images that are more than quick snaps but more the fact that they usually kill any moment I’m not quick enough to capture by doing something like the image posted below !

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No Respect !

However I’m a very determined chap (you need to be to pursue a career in photography !) especially when the scene/moment is looking too promising to give up on like the one below.
The image is of my two daughters at Ballet waiting patiently (that’s a new one!) in line for their turn to dance.
The image is probably not an award winner but that is not an issue, for me as a parent it captures a beautiful quiet moment (as is my photographic style ) in my daughters lives where they are not aware of me or the camera.
At the end of the day when we are old and grey (don’t say it !) what will be of more worth a personal image like the one below or all the wonderful commercial images we shoot to earn our living ?

Ava-gracie-at-ballet-merriott

A Paddle With Grandad

Im currently away on an annual family holiday in St Ives Cornwall.
St Ives is very familiar to me as I have been coming here since a child and also lived here for a short period.
This means photographing something fresh can be quite a challenge to do but an enjoyable challenge none the less.
Also a challenge is shooting on the iPhone but again it can be an enjoyable task as i find myself devoid of camera functions and allowing myself to rely only on my eye to create something interesting.
Below is an image shot yesterday and may well be part of one of my iPhone projects once I return.

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New Cgi Automotive Images For Honda Accord

Just added two new Automotive CGI images to my book & website.
The background and HDR images where shot a few years ago in Hamburg while at a Cgi conference and used here by Honda to promote their V6 Accord.

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Location Photography & HDR Imaging Simon Plant

Cgi-car-image-honda-accord-v6

Location Photography & HDR Imaging Simon Plant

Lucky Bastards !

I love the sea especially the Mediterranean around Greece & Turkey and despite not being a sailor I have always lived on the coast and love boats.
I put this attraction down to my father who also loved the ocean and served on the Aircraft Carrier HMS Indomitable during WW2 in the Pacific.
So it’s no surprise really that over the years lots of my images feature the ocean and the people who work on it.

It was while in Majorca that I came across the coastal town of Porto Cristo one morning and decided I had to return later that week to shoot the beautiful cliffs and bay when the light was more sympathetic to the location. The finished image shown here represents my vision/interpretation of Porto Cristo and despite not all the elements existing in the scene at the time it sums up the place quite nicely in my opinion.
Am I the only one who struggles naming new images I have produced ? Im guessing not and it can drive me nuts.
When it came to naming this one I was tempted to name  it after my initial reaction to seeing such an idyllic scene and beautiful craft
..”Lucky Bastards !” but I’ve since decided on a more polite naming of  “Living The Dream”

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Living The Dream

Graceful Killers

A while ago I was asked by a client if I could shoot some promotional images and video at the Airbus family day in Bristol.Although only open to Airbus employees and their families the event is huge and hosts a variety of great aircrafts.
I love planes probably because they generally take you somewhere nice 🙂 and not being one to miss an opportunity to add some shots to my compositing archive to save for a rainy day I shot till I could shoot no more.
Having some unexpected spare time this week I decided to trawl through my archives and create the image posted here titled “Graceful Killers”.
At the time of writing I’m still researching with help from some kind fellow photographers on Pro Imaging to what these WW1 fighter planes actually are, of course if you know feel free to post below.

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fútbol

This is my final image from my recent Football themed shoot I completed a few weeks ago.
I was somehow drawn to this slightly unusual capture which normally I perhaps would have dismissed as a reject.
I left it for a few weeks before retouching thinking I may change my mind and bin the idea but somehow I really liked the fact that the models face was hidden (sorry Dan !) and found the image quite graceful.
It inspired me into visions of South America (really don’t know why he had a Holland kit on !) so I added one of my beautiful skies I have in my archive and also added some mountains too add some weight to the bottom of the frame.

Fútbol