Haven't really thought about the lab today, but it has absorbed my head over the last 2 weeks, and to be honest has become an unhealthy obsession / project. I am still on it though, but this week I will pull back a little to let them make some firm decisions, after all its not my future at stake, its theirs.

This image was a chance moment, and it kind of just happened in front of me, however it is a crop and whilst I have brutally cropped this image, I think I'll post the un-cropped image tommorow as a comparison and let you decide which has more or less impact.....csj

UPDATE:

I have to apologise for not posting for nearly a week. But I simply havent had the time between work, and trying to to help re-brand the lab, and get them re-open with an internet cafe, and re-organising the layout of the retail space. That and my full-time job I just simply havent got out with my kit. Also i am migrating my workflow to Apple Mac from PC, purely from the fact that I fancied a change, and thought I'd see what all teh fuss is about, and to also comment on whether MAC truely is better than PC as a photo editing and workflow platform. After a week with the new MAC I have to say that I am enjoying it, the quality of the unit surpasses any laptop build that I have had in the last 5 years, but other than that I don't find it any different. The display is unique on this unit, and is probably the most outstanding feature, but generally I find the MAC experience slightly limiting in its platform and networking ability. For example I work on corporate networks, with firewalls in place, and as an engineer I sometimes need to hop the firewall rules by using a client on the WINDOWS platform which has been availalbe for a long time, but as yet have not found a simple way to use the same utility under the OSX operating system without serious firewall re-configuration. Anyway I'm sure I'll get it sorted but its out of the box things like video conferencing in MSN that arent available on the MAC unless you download another client like aMSN for exmaple, and small things like VPN configuration being hidden by default. Strange.

Anyway its about as far away from photography as I can be this week. Hopefully I will be back upto speed next week sometime, I apologise for the break in the normal flow on ID7, I am awaiting photoshop and lightroom for the MAC and once I have those in place I should be back up and running.... thanks....csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

19/04/2008 19:16 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/4 1/20 sec Manual 0 pattern 200 No RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

Anyway I'm going to sit back for a few days now, and wait to hear what their next move is before committing too much more of my time. It's over to them to make it right for now, it's ultimately their baby......

I know that the studio will work out, we just need the nod.....csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

19/04/2008 23:24 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 19mm f/7.1 1.61 sec Manual 0 pattern 400 Yes Metz45 CT4 RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

As a keen photographer I relied on being able to pop in and just chat to like minded people and get some enprints done. I was there for a while today working with an electrician friend, and as we were there people were coming into the lab who point blank refused to go elsewhere to get their work printed. Its a shame that these people no longer process 24 or 36 but instead selectively print 1 or 2 from a memory card instead.

I want there to be a future in it, I really do, but how do we encourage people back into the mindset of getting their snaps printed again. It seems like an impossibilty, but to be honest I still want to believe we can do it. Am I heading into oblivion with this idea? I dont' know, I'd welcome any thoughts on the matter. I don't want to lead my friends down the wrong route, the plan for the lab seemed like a good idea, and it still does. I love the idea of the studio upstairs, and I can't wait to get stuck into it, but there needs to be a lively and active business downstairs, not just off hte back of the studio.... csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

19/04/2008 21:11 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/5.6 1/2 sec Manual 0 pattern 400 Yes Metz45 CT4 RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

We have wrestled with several ideas, and have now got a scale plan of the new layout, it looks good, and we just have to turn this idea into reality. It sounds distant as I sit here, but to be honest we have a good team lined up to pull this off, and with some muscle and backbreaking work we can get the place buzzing in a month or so.

We have already produced some test shots and played with our proposed studio workflow, which all in all seems to work nicely. A few technical hitches that are now solved with the lighting, and a lick of white paint later we should be ready to go upstairs. Here is the floor plan of the proposed i-printroom and its changed layout downstairs, and here is a link to the test shots both myself and Paul produced to get a flavour for the lighting.... they aren't fully finished, but it was more too see on the timing of a shoot as well as output the quality we could expect to play with....... it was really good fun........ csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

21/04/2008 15:09 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/16 1/60 sec Manual 0 pattern 100 Yes Broncolor Impact RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

19/04/2008 22:43 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/4 1/60 sec Program 0 pattern 400 Yes f4 auto Metz CT4 RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

19/04/2008 21:40 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/6.7 1/6 sec Program 0 pattern 400 Yes f5.6 auto Metz CT4 RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2ish Yes

Today, the eve before my Birthday, we as a family endulged in Chinese, and fine wine, and chocolate cake.... jeez what hogs!!, it was lovely, and we all sat up at the table like a good family and enjoyed our nosh. Fantastic.

Exciting weekend this weekend, up to London for a quick visit, and will catch up with several friends, before shooting back down again, but its always nice to catch up every now and then, so a big thanks to Big Nick for hosting the event, and allowing us to come on board the boat, and for serving us all with the finest Fish and Chippies.... another hog out!....(mental note: need more exercise). Then its around to the lab next week, a big week for them, decisions will be made that will affect their future livelyhood, and my access to a good lab, the machines are leaving the premises on Wednesday..... chin up Jane and Peter, we'll make it through this rocky patch....

This image was a grab, a single frame, a moment I wanted to capture, the interaction (or should I say lack of) of the subjects. The guy in the foreground looking straight through me as I stood there and framed up, almost wanting to say something, but unable to because he was on the phone and the Jewish couple off to the left of frame, out for a walk, and the guy at the top right in a panic / 'can't find something' mode on the telephone.

Some images don't have a reason to exist, they just do, because they are a record of a moment in time. I haven't done anything to this frame apart from crop and tweak the tonality....There are lots of things that bother me in this image, but I like it for a reason I can't fully articulate that said I like looking at it. I still feel the urge to crop every now and then..... csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

18/04/2008 20:38 Canon EOS 20D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/10 1/200 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2ish Yes

People we need to print more, we need to 'go retro' and start printing again, the more I think about it the more I realise where I've gone wrong for the last few years.

I had a bunch of 12x18's printed last week, I laid them on the floor last weekend, and I loved every minute of it, digesting the images with my eyes, I will never tire of it. I feel like a preacher right here right now, and I don't mean to sound that way, but I am passionate about this. Nothing beats a good quality print, trust me, get one done, or two and tell me I'm wrong, be careful where you go though, please don't use a supermarket. Search out your Lab, the one with the closing down sign in the window, and give them a chance....

Oh and tonights' image, well the image was really a response to one of Daves' shots, and was my slightly crude attempt at this shot..... csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

30/03/2008 09:50 Canon EOS 20D 17 - 40mm L 25mm f/9 1/160 sec Program 0 pattern 200 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

13/04/2008 15:07 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/9.5 1/180 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

Its a notorious coast line, and whilst alone on the beach, I felt something that I hadn't felt before, and that it was the sea was trying to reach me, I know this sounds strange, and It might have been my paranoia, but I definately felt something, and it wasn't until I returned to the carpark, and got chatting to another passerby that I was told of the recent death of a man swept away by the sea at high tide. Well in hindsight had I known that I might have not gone, I had gone a little beyond my reach and turned round to sea that the tide had crept in, I'd watched the tide and thought it was going out, but it wasn't. Anyway I made it back ok, just a little wet (very wet) and with a few more frames to work on. And a little more appreciation for mother natures' power.

As promised above the view from my car window .....archives/290308.php

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

29/03/2008 15:42 Canon EOS 20D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/22 1/2 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

This picture, whilst a blatent crop, has a feeling of hope, well in my mind anyway. Good or bad, young or old, we all have to have a little hope to get through this quagmuire of life.

Oh and I did it, I finally found a way to get my grubby little mits on a new camera body, I haven't shouted about it too much, but it goes without saying, I am very very happy indeed....

Just need to find a window of opportunity to get out with it now! ;-) ho hum.....csj

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

06/04/2008 10:30 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/11 1/250 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 + Lightroom 1x1

This image is another from taking the kids out last weekend, and is in direct response to Daves' post tonight. Arghhhh those monkeys make you smile eh!.

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

04/04/2008 14:49 Canon EOS 20D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/5.6 1/60 sec Program 0 pattern 800 no RAW Photoshop CS2 + Photomatix 3x2

We commented on the likes of Scott Shelby and the markets that they cater for, and realised that for all the ins and outs, photography is and always will be subjective and each to their own. Who am I to say what makes a photo. It's always been the case that I like what I like, sometimes I can explain why, sometimes it might be sentimental, sometimes esthetic, sometimes unexplainable. I love photography, I guess I always will, but I love all genres, and branches of image making, which is why its so interesting. Scoping the images we find around us today on flickR etc makes it all the more interesting to debate.

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

04/04/2008 12:49 Canon EOS 20D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/14 1/400 sec Program 0 pattern 800 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

Sorry for the late post, but I've spent the evening helping other people out, and it left no time for me.

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

06/04/2008 10:29 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/11 1/250 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2

In fact it was last nights post on Chromasia that sprung an interesting thread, about where blogging has gone in the last 3 years. For me here on ID7 whilst having a busy home life with kids, and a full-time non-photographic job, I just want inspiration to get out there and use my kit.

I have been quoted as being a follower rather than any kind of leader in my image making, but to be honest I couldn't care less. For me photography has always been a part of life, since I was handed a 126 camera by my dad, since then some images have been better than others, some get comments , others don't get any, it really doesn't matter that much to be honest, lifes too short. I obviously enjoy the thought that people are looking, but for me its being inspired by the work of others, and to get out there and come back with something I am happy with.

And I guess at the end of the day, if I don't manage to finish a book, this will at least be a legacy for my youngest to enjoy, or laugh at! ;-)

capture date camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?

06/04/2008 10:31 Canon EOS 5D 17 - 40mm L 17mm f/11 1/250 sec Program 0 pattern 100 no RAW Photoshop CS2 3x2