I’m breaking my self-imposed holiday social media lock down to mention that episode 12 of The Circle of Confusion went live last week, with episode 13 to follow at the end of this week.
If you missed it, you can listen to episode 12 by clicking on the player below or you can go to the podcast website.
The Circle of Confusion Podcast #12 by The Circle Of Confusion
Filed under Podcast
Father Christmas at home in the Polar Circle, photographed in November during a visit to Lapland © Roger Overall 2011
That’s it for this year on the blog. I’m taking an extended leave from it, so there won’t be any new content here until Monday, 9th January.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your life to read, watch, listen to and comment on what was posted here in 2011.
I sincerely hope you are able to enjoy lots of food, family, friends and fun over the holiday period. To get you in the mood, my daughter explains why Santa doesn’t come every week:
See you in 2012.
I think this is terrific value:
I have to admit, though, that I directed it. I also have an equal share in the production company that made it. So, you know, you might want to take any comment I provide about it with a pinch of salt the size of a sand dune.
That said, where else are you going to get first-rate instruction from two top landscape photographers and watch them duel it out at dawn using tripods? Dynamic Range Episode 1, the first installment of an irreverent educational series under the Circle of Confusion umbrella, is that kind of video.
The underlying philosophy is that the best learning comes from a combination of education and humour. Surely that’s worth the price of admission alone? (If you agree, you can purchase a download by clicking here: Dynamic Range Episode 1).
The return of the podcast
Meanwhile, there is news about The Circle of Confusion podcast that Peter Cox and I produced for much of last year. It is back. And we have Neil McShane, the third partner in our video production company, on board.
Another change is that it is going to be a weekly podcast of around 20 minutes, released every Thursday.
You can listen to our relaunch episode by clicking here: The Circle of Confusion Episode 11.
It’s a rough-and-ready affair recorded yesterday to celebrate the release of Dynamic Range Episode 1. We’re looking to refine it in the weeks ahead.
Filed under Dynamic Range, Podcast, Videos
Vanguard Skyborne 51 - the reverse Tardis. It carries less than you'd think. But it does so in style © Roger Overall 2011
There are certain milestones in your online career as a photographer.
For instance, the first time someone other than you reads one of your blog posts.
The first time someone you don’t know leaves a comment.
The first time someone you don’t know leaves a nice comment.
The first time a gear manufacturer, usually a bag company, asks whether you’d like to review one of its products.
I have arrived at the latter. In my case, the bag manufacturer is Vanguard, who appear to have been on a bit of a mission during 2011. Some research showed that, in recent months, lots of bloggers have written about the bag I was offered: the Skyborne 51 backpack.
Fota Island Resort is one of those clients you have to cherish when they come along*. They are capable of some really original ideas**. When did you see a hotel do anything like this?
Doesn’t mean you can’t ride on their coattails, though.
*I’m biased.
**I’m biased.
Filed under Corporate Documentary Photography
Ideally, any new endeavours would have a link with photography. That isn’t always possible. As a professional photographer, the important thing is to get yourself into a position where you are still able to produce photography, even if it is on a much reduced scale. The worst thing you can do is cling to a sinking ship without taking some form of action.
For me, the sinking ship is wedding photography. Note that I say “for me”. While I don’t see wedding photography as a viable business for me to be in beyond 2012, that doesn’t mean others with different circumstances and skillsets can’t make a sensible and fulfilling living from it.
I’ve been looking at a range of alternatives that will allow me to continue to provide professional photography. Video is an obvious one.
Filed under Circle of Confusion, Dynamic Range, Videos
I can say with certainty that I won’t win any prizes in the 2012 Irish Professional Photographers Association (IPPA) National Photographic Awards.
The reason is simple.
I didn’t enter.
Instead, I was asked to participate in the final judging as a stand-in judge. A real honour.
It was a terrific experience and gave me a real insight into the judging process.
You can read about it here: Judging the 2012 IPPA National Photographic Awards.
Filed under Awards
Rachid Zaouia At Work © Roger Overall 2011
This evening, Fota Island Resort’s executive pastry chef, Rachid Zaouia, will launch his recipe book Simply Pastry. I’ve written before that this excites me greatly. He asked me to do the photography.
It was one of the best commissions I’ve had. Top Five, easily. Rachid is a tremendous pastry chef, passionate about what he does and appreciative of photography. Working with him was amazing. Not least because I got to eat every single dessert we photographed.
One of my resolutions for 2012 is to produce as much useful content as I can across my blogs. Instead of waiting until 1st January, let me start now by telling you how the photographs in Rachid’s book were lit. (If you’re not a photographer, or find off-camera flash a snooze, this post is about to lose all appeal for you – maybe today’s Dilbert will be consolation).
Filed under Dessert, Food, Food Photography, Photographs
A still from the first episode of the new Circle of Confusion Ltd video series © The Circle of Confusion Ltd 2011
Editing a video is a very time-consuming process. That much I’ve learned over the past two weeks.
It wasn’t a surprise. I knew from the short films I’ve produced on my own that the editing process is very involved. On a project as ambitious as the first hour-long episode of a new photography series I’m working on with Peter Cox and Neil McShane, the post-production becomes exponentially more complex.
So far, we have spent around 96 man hours working on the edit, or 12 eight-hour days. And the end still isn’t in sight.
Late last Saturday evening, we thought we were there. We were wrong. Watching the episode back, we realized it was unbalanced. More tweaking was needed. Another day’s work for two of us later this week.
That doesn’t include the time our sound engineer will spend ironing out the audio track when we’re done.
The strain you put on others
This is all of our choosing, so there are no complaints. The mental and physical drain are part of the deal.
That’s fine for us. What about our families? The project has kept all of us away from our wives and children more than we intended.
I can only speak for myself, but I couldn’t contribute to the project (or undertake any endeavour, for that matter) without the unwavering support of my wife. She shoulders the burden of keeping the home front straight on her own – a mammoth undertaking at the moment for reasons I won’t go into here.
She does this because she cares about me and has faith in me. Peter and Neil’s wives feel the same about their husbands, I’m sure.
Priceless and unpaid
Take a second to think about that. That is wonderful trust to have. It is priceless support, based on nothing more than a hunch Peter, Neil and I have that we can produce a great product that will be successful. We can’t prove that to our wives. Nevertheless, they have met the disruption that the production of the first episode has brought to our households with incredible understanding and grace. They look for nothing in return.
If the project is a success, it will be as much theirs as ours.
We all need the support of other people when pursuing our dreams. Largely, they go unnoticed and unremarked. They are our silent support.
Who is yours?
Filed under Business, Home Life, Personal, Videos, Where I'm coming from
I own two tripods. They rarely get an outing. Certainly, I didn’t travel to Lapland with one. I did wonder whether I’d regret it if the northern lights appeared. In the end, like the snow, they stayed away.
There are more ways to keep a camera rock steady than putting it on a tripod. Any stable surface will do. A bar, for instance. That has the added advantage of also being able to accommodate a drink.
ISO125, 3.2 seconds at f/4.0. Canon 1Ds Mark 2, 24mm f/1.4 L. Just add a bar © Roger Overall 2011
Filed under Wedding Photography
