Do NOT Try This at Home! I’ve got huge dust problems with my 5D2, so was excited to find a Youtube clip which shows you how to get rid properly… I really don’t think this is the right way… see what you think! I actually use a little device called an Arctic Butterfly, which uses […]
How (not) To Clean Your Camera Sensor…? Read More »
Just having a look for some shots and came upon a sunset at Semerwater – which I photographed in January 2008…. 6.5 years ago. 2008 Workflow Back then my workflow was a little different :- Shoot RAW files Copy files onto hard drive after a shoot Import RAW files into Capture One – Version 3
Does your “editing” change over the years? Read More »
If TV Did “Popular” Photography In the wake of the deluge of “talent” shows, which has seen “talented” people battle, week in week out, to survive to the next round – including riveting subjects as:- Baking Cakes Cooking Food Modelling Being a Drag Queen Growing Vegetables oh – and singing… Here’s an idea for
“Britain’s got Photographers” – A new TV Format Read More »
Sleep Deprivation Up well before the lark, usually 2 hours before the sun rises, so they can drive an hour and walk 40 minutes to be in “that” position for the sunrise they’ve planned for the last 4 years. They say a prayer before bed – “Please god, let the light be good this year”
4 – Die Hard Landscaper Read More »
Or digital artists – these are very popular on all the photo sharing websites, their natural home is Deviant Art. Often young and female, with attractive friends who resemble extras from “Skins” – they take moodily posed photos, often with a bag, teddy bear or some other large prop, in woodlands or derelict buildings.
Photographer Type 2 – Floral and Lace Read More »
You’ll know these as they’ll ask you what camera you have before anything else. Then move on to whether you’ve heard about the new camera they’ve heard speculated about on the forums, and how it’s ISO performance “blows out of the water” your camera… He is in a state of “always craving more kit”, and
1 – Geek and Tech Addicts Read More »
It’s unique isn’t it – this photography thing. It appeals to retired men and teenage girls It’s used by bohemian artists and geeky computer programmers. It’s as slow and contemplative as fishing, or as fast and furious as grand prix racing. It’s a fun pastime, or a serious competitive sport. It can take hours of
Photography appeals to EVERYONE! Read More »
Just been asked to do one of these things… so thought I’d share! Q. What do you do for a living? I help add personality to businesses by replacing tired, generic “stock library images” with stunning photos of their people, place, products, suppliers… to make their website tell their story. Q. What makes
60 second interview…. Read More »
After running a workshop on Anglesey in the late Noughties, I got chatting to a professional photographer from Somerset. Great guy, had a few beers and his main comments on his 20 years in the photo business were stock photography wasn’t worth doing any more and assignment pay rates had dropped and not to even
So you want to be a pro photographer… what they don’t tell you Read More »
The answer is of course, yes. Give me a dentist’s drill and I’ll have a good go at it! Never done it before, but I used drills in Woodwork at school, and many times on the farm I worked as a kid. Would you let me do it – based on that experience? I’m
Can I Drill Your Teeth? Read More »
After a shoot with personal trainer, Victoria Wood, she made the comment:- “who knew that lighting was such a big thing!” And it go me thinking about this blog… All we do as photographers is use a device which records light – it’s called a camera. We use things called “lenses” to focus and manipulate
Its all about the lighting…. Read More »
Snow Blind? I’ve used the term “snow blind” a lot recently – it’s refers to that moment when you’ve been shooting the same thing over and over again, to try to get that “perfect” shot – usually for an art director or designer who’s looking on. You’ve tried all sorts, move the lights, changed the
Photographic Therapy Read More »
You don’t HAVE to have a boring profile shot these days…. Had a great time talking to fellow business people at BiY today – part of a creative “trio” with Rob and Andy of Plump Digital and Video Advert. Just thought I’d note down my main points from the talk… The world has changed –
Make Your “Online First Impression” Count – BiY Talk, June 2013 Read More »
Want some new kit? If you’re a “kit monkey” and have unlimited funds, you may as well stop reading this now. However, have financial limits, here are a few things to ask yourself when looking to buy a new gizmo for your collection. 1 – What “extra” will it enable me to do? This is
Which lens should I Buy? Read More »
Where in the Yorkshire Dales is Kingsdale? It’s that long valley which goes up the west side of Whernside, in the Yorkshire Dales. Why’ve I not heard of it? You’ve probably not heard of it, it’s not one of the main dales – it’s probably counted as part of the Ribblesdale region. What’s it like?
15 Photos of Kingsdale Read More »
Just had to share this on the blog GREAT INFOGRAPHIC A great piece on the differences you need to be aware of with Pro/Amateur photography
Pro Versus Amateur – Infographic Read More »
Grim Day… Day 1 of the summer series of workshops and we get a winter night…. in may…. It wasn’t raining too much when we got to the reservoir, so I showed a couple of new people how to expose using a meter. Here’s the shot I got – 4 seconds, histogram told me that
Lightroom Rescue in under 10 minutes… Read More »
5 Dales – Perfect Yorkshire Photo Locations I’d been in Northumberland for a few days and had nothing major planned for the last day, so journey back to Leeds became a 10 hour epic, taking in 5 great Yorkshire Photo Locations, rather than 2 hours down the A1(M). I’m obsessed with Yorkshire Dales pass roads, the
Yorkshire Photo Locations – 5 Great Dales Read More »
So you can do most things in Lightroom these days. I thought I’d meddle with this shot of the Royal Armouries to show a few things you can’t do in Lightroom…. yet! Start point So to get to this point, you could probably have used Lightroom. Its been through these steps… Capture – 1
How I did This…. 5 Photoshop Steps Read More »
Huge structures do it for me. Visually that is… I first saw Preston’s bus station in the 70’s, and it was probably the biggest thing I’d seen at that point – Clitheroe doesn’t have many huge buildings! Huge! It’s the shape and majesty of the thing – the curved edges, the ribbed reinforcement bars, the unchanging pattern
Save Preston Bus Station! Read More »
Automated Band Photography? The “ALL NEW” Chicago Blues Brothers came to Dubai and rocked the Manidat Theatre for 3 nights. Flying out on a freezing March Tuesday, we landed at Abu Dhabi in the warm Arabian evening, transferring to Dubai by bus. Here are a set of performance shots taken by Ade on the last gig, saturday
Band Photography – Chicago Blues Brothers – Dubai Read More »
Why McFade Splits Beginners Workshops To total beginners, photography is a new, exciting pastime – but with a learning-curve as steep as Hardknott Pass! Where do you start? You can boil photography down to 2 things:- Finding interesting stuff to photograph Using camera settings to get an interesting shot This is the philosophy behind my
The 2 Poles of Photography Read More »
The Lake District is famous for walking and it’s stunning views over hill and lakes, perfect for the active person. However, it’s possible to get great shots without and enjoy a relaxing, sedate day out – all of these shots were taken within 1/4 mile of the road. 1 – Haweswater The eastern side of the
5 Amazing Lake District Locations Read More »
Cropping a shot is a great exercise – you can find completely new images within an existing frame. Here’s a shot with lots going on, probably too much to be an effective shot on its own. We have a few rocks in the foreground and lots of lines and circles from the moving foamy water. It
5 Tips on Cropping Photos Read More »
Photographers fall into many camps, but one that really stands out is the “kit obsessive”. These tend to:- Talk incessantly about kit – above anything else Buy novelty items they rarely use Are never happy with their current kit Motivated by numbers and specifications Can compare and quote reviews of competing kit items More interested
The Photography “Kit Obsessive” Read More »
Love the Classic 5D… I’ve been shooting with the classic Canon 5D from 2006 to present, been perfectly happy and only once been short of pixels for a job (it was a colossal print… did a stitch of 9 images in the end). But my main body has now done way over its allotted 150,000
5D Mark 2 – First impressions Read More »
Night time means long exposures, things moving through your images, high contrast scenes, a new world of creativity with you camera, a change for your imagination to run wild. To most, the M62 is a car park they traverse every morning and evening, a place of wasted time and torture. To a photographer, it’s a
View from the M62 – Light Trails Read More »
Just a few shots from the first Night Photography session. We used Leeds as a base to learn the theory behind taking long exposures at night – how things like Aperture have more unusual effects than you’d think at night! We’ll be meeting to discuss each others images in a fortnight and share ideas on
Night Photography Programme Starts Read More »
10 Similarities Between Chefs and Photographers Everyone cooks, and everyone takes photos – so there must be some similarities between Professional Chefs and Professional Photographers… here are a few:- 1 – Everyone can use the tools I’m not a professional chef, but I can use a hob, oven, knife and many other things you see
Chefs and Photographers – 10 Things They All Do Read More »
Round and Round We Go Have you ever found yourself munching on your favourite steak and chips every night only to realise, somewhat sadly, that it’s lost a bit of its zing? That’s a bit how photography can feel sometimes. Day in, day out, same old stunning vistas, yet the thrill isn’t quite what it
Reframing the Familiar: Mastering the Creative Cycle Read More »
Just been asked to do a piece for Ephotozine, on Landscape Photography. Thought it worth sharing on here with you all. It’s just 3 questions, with my ramblings on each. How did you get into landscape photography? I’m from the countryside originally, rural Lancashire by Pendle Hill, so was always at home there. When affordable
Landscape Interview…. Read More »
What is HDR…. Love it or hate it, or have no idea what it is, HDR is a great solution to difficult exposure conditions, where the bright and dark areas of the shot are so contrasting, your camera just can’t capture it all in one shot. So we take a few shots at different exposures
HDR Batch Battle – Photomatix V Oloneo Read More »
Leeds Musician Photography Wind Farms are popular locations for landscape photographers – the moving turbine blades offer a dynamic feel to the shot, the rigid towers stand out of the ground like huge white trees…. but I’ve not really seen many musician photography shoots at them. So we went up with Sam, a professional saxophonist,
Leeds Musician Photography Shoot Read More »
What this Leeds Photographer does… Medding with smart phones takes you to some strange places…. ON this occasion I found an app which did little “mind map” type diagrams, which I thought would be fun for the website… I was white flag waving after 5 minutes of meddling on a little phone screen, so hit
What does McFade do anyway???? Read More »
Thought for the day…. The people who hate their photo being taken invariably have to stand in front of the camera for far longer than others…. (because they’re tense, look scared and take ages to get a half decent shot as a result) If you’re one of these, just relax, have fun and don’t get
Relax…. and escape faster! Read More »
Castlefield – Central Manchester A more imposing set for a northern city shoot is hard to find. Castlefield has a mix of huge bridges, canals, brick, steel, pagodas, bars, locks, tow paths and bars…. Add to that the imposing Beetham Tower looming over you constantly, you’ve got an incredible array of backgrounds to play with.
Castlefield – Manchester Read More »
Off Camera Flash Essentials Off camera flash is a popular technique at the moment, taking speedlite flashes off the camera, onto light stands and using radio transmitters to trigger them. It’s getting easier and cheaper – with budget brands bringing flash to the masses Technically, there and awful lot to understand to get fantastic results
5 ESSENTIALS every photographer MUST know before using Off Camera Flash Read More »
As part of the Lightroom 4 exploration, we’ve been editing our student’s shots for fun – using just Lightroom 4, no plugins or photoshop. Here’s one from the Lyric of Chris with his trombone on the stairs. Original Shot This shot seemed to suit mono, so started off with a black and white pre-set – went through
McFade Edits Phil Gledhill’s “Chris” playing Read More »
On Ilkley Moor Bah Tat A bright mid-morning trip up to the Cow and Calf is a lovely way to start a bank holiday Monday. Light breeze, nice patterned clouds and nice shadows were what we were greeted with. The ND Grad Problem Thing is, using ND Grad filters to keep detail in the sky would blacken
Ilkley Moor – Photographed in HDR Read More »
Gordale Scar…. Can you do it justice? Going around “that corner” for the first time and seeing inside Gordale Scar is breathtaking. It’s as near as we get to Yosemite Valley in Yorkshire! The pleasant, flat walk along side the burbling stream doesn’t really prepare you for cavernous geological marvel that awaits you. It’s a huge gouge
Yorkshire Landscape Photographers…. is Gordale Scar Impossible to Capture? Read More »
What’s Most Effective…. So many different websites for photographers these days… There are many varieties :- “Fun” social media – casual chat on facebook, twitter, foursquare etc. “Serious” social media – Facebook Business Pages and Linked IN Blogging – share your wisdom Website galleries – show those shots off! Photo community sites – 500px, ephotozine, flickr Youtube
Where Should Photographers Invest Time Online? Read More »
Near Leeds Morley is a large town in the shadow of near-by Leeds, yet had it’s day as a wealthy wool town in the past. This is illustrated by The Town Hall, it is very impressive, similar to Leeds Town Hall in style; it steals the lime light away from the rest of the centre.
Discovering Morley Read More »
Photography, when roughly translated from the original Greek, means “writing with light”. You may have known that already, but when you think about it, it doesn’t really mention “subject” or “composition”, or anything technical about the camera. It’s just the recording of “light”. One of the points we make on the “Discover” workshops is to
Leeds Iconic TETLEY BREWERY – Demolished! The Last Orders: A Photographic Farewell to Leeds’ Iconic Tetley Brewery The Tetley Brewery was more than just a building; it was a symbol of Leeds’ industrial heritage and a testament to nearly two centuries of brewing excellence. As the demolition cranes moved in, we took our cameras to
Tetley Brewery – The End of an Era Read More »
It’s true, here’s a FREE Street Photography Action… Here’s what it does Transforms a street candid from this… To this with one click… Street” is photography in one of the purest forms. We capture the environment as-is; people going about their business is the subject, rather than moody hills, the relentless sea, colourful birds or
Free “Street Photography” Action Read More »
McFade approach to Wedding Photography The McFade approach to wedding photography in 2011 was to create classic shots with off camera flash adding that extra bit of magic, leaving minimal processing in Photoshop. Actively been trying to avoid things that would look dated – there are enough “filters” out there which are in fashion for
What Award Winning Wedding Photographers do? Read More »
Should I be Shooting RAW? RAW is a Mystery RAW is a mystery to many, resulting in them using JPG when taking photos. There’s nothing wrong with JPG, but you are throwing much of the baby out with the bathwater each time you hit the shutter. RAW is your Digital Negative RAW is just the
Why should you shoot RAW? Read More »
Back to Cumbria – The Amazing Lake District Landscape I’ve not done that much “landscape” photography for a few years, concentrating more on developing styles with flash, architecture and cars. However, with it being Autumn, I decided to invest a few days in the wonderful Lake district and recapture my love of the place. It’s certainly the
McFade Returns to Cumbria Read More »
Photography in bright sun is a bad thing…. right ? Well it can be – it’s not ideal for landscapes, can make a wedding dress impossible to shoot without blinding your self and creates really harsh shadows. But like any light, it has its uses – so here are a series of shots from a few weeks
Top Tips – Sunny Day Cities Read More »
I’m not sure where my fascination with cooling towers came from – maybe the few around Padiham when I was a kid caught my eye? They’re just so incredibly huge and un-natural looking that I’m quite drawn to them. So when I got to Leeds and started discovering the county of West Yorkshire (andy
Past Power To the People… Read More »
