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Camera Cafe London – Strobist / off camera flash photography workshop
Posted on July 20, 2010
I worked and socialised for nearly 10 years around the London Bridge / Borough Market part of SE1 so it was great to be photographing there and seeing how things had changed a bit. Our brief was to work with a couple of Canon EX580II flash guns, mix gels and white balance, compare TTL with manual, overcome the ambient and play with flare. Thanks to our model Chloe and great hair and styling from MUA Nikki Milina (nikkimilina:gmail.com). If you’d like more information on digital photography training – fashion, studio, portrait or wedding – in Kent, London or the South East do get in touch or also go to www.timstubbings.co.uk, TRAINING.
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Camera Skills Course Canterbury – location portraits – a great success!
Posted on July 6, 2010
Budding photographers spent a fun and sun-filled day at Tim Stubbings’ recent camera skills workshop at Iffin House.
Eight amateur photographers from East Kent joined Tim for a day of hands-on tuition. “It’s been a great workshop” said Elaine Hopkins from Broadstairs “I had a number of penny dropping moments and learnt loads. I’m on the mailing list for future events!”. “I learnt a hell of a lot in one day” said Mark Downing from Herne Bay “and it’s always good to meet people with the same interest.”
Tim was delighted with the day. “The venue, the group and the model – it all came together perfectly. These workshops are a great way to spend a bit more time learning at a slower pace than the Camera Cafes but still making it a sociable and relaxing way to learn. Offering choice, flexibility and use of social media, it’s a real alternative to the idea of a traditional camera club”.
To learn more about Camera Cafe and Tim’s training courses go to www.thecameracafe.co.uk
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Off-camera flash – why use it in sunlight?
Posted on May 26, 2010
I’ve added a couple of pictures below all taken in the last few days with off-camera flash. I was asked by is flash used on a sunny day? Well, with the group shots and the shots of the guy with the football, flash allows us to use the sun to back-light, control the lighting levels and keep contrast. When the sun is where we don’t want it, we either have to over power it with flash or move our subject somewhere else. I had to get the group away from the sun hitting their faces – so it became a powerful backlight with flash filling at the front. I could have relied on reflected light – but it can wash out the colours a bit. Off-camera flash on a sunny day can also add a bit of drama. If you’d like to learn more about lighting techniques why not come on one of my photography and camera skills training courses?
Camera Skills Workshop : Photography training : Iffin House, Canterbury 21st March
Posted on February 22, 2010
Join us for a full day of small group tuition in the beautiful surroundings of Iffin House, Canterbury.
The course will help you to understand your camera functions and the basic building blocks of photography. We will use plenty of practical exercises so that you can the camera’s menu systems to help you achieve better photographs. You will also be photographing outdoor portraiture using a model.
Full Day – 15 places maximum, £145.00
Overview: This is a unique opportunity to spend time not just learning about the camera but putting the theory straight into practice. It’s a great way of not being afraid to master your camera to free you to take more creative pictures.
• the nature and behaviour of light
• how light is captured
• exposure – shutter speed, aperture
• depth of field
• the effect of lenses
• responding to light – composition
• using technique to order your environment – metering and focus points
• Fill-in light
You will require a digital SLR* with manual as well as automatic controls. *An SLR is not a point and shoot camera – it has the ability to take different lenses and accessories. Please ask if you are unsure.
Camera skills training course – Canterbury
Posted on January 25, 2010
I ran a short residential course recently in Canterbury, Kent for owners of compact or basic function cameras that wanted to improve their camera skills in composition and technical understanding. I had to limit myself to both an old Canon S70 point and shoot and an equally old Canon 20D with a Tokina 28-70 lens (the point being that for under £100.00 you could be up and running). I will always find the restrictions of the point and shoot cameras frustrating – the lag between the focus time and the problems with image quality -but I was determined to get what I could out of the under £100 DSLR combination. The images below were mainly ISO 800 in very low light, aperture at 2.8 and a shutter speed of between 1/50 and 1/60. Low light can create beautiful, soft cushioning to the human face. The final picture of Canterbury Cathedral was taken on the point-and-shoot S70, a timed exposure at F8.
If you would like to know more about camera courses and digital photography training do take a look at either www.timstubbings.co.uk or timstubbingsphotography.com
Whitstable in the snow – Kent photography out in the cold
Posted on January 11, 2010
Ok, so the novelty wore off after the first 5 days of cancelled appointments and being stuck in traffic! I did have a chance to sneak out in sub-zero temperatures with an old Canon 20D to take some shots. Without gloves, my fingers seized up and started to stick to the camera after about 15 minutes…
Photographing snow can be tricky because the camera’s inbuilt light meter is fooled by all of the white reflection and panics into thinking there’s too much light getting into the camera. So, you have to manually tell it to ignore this and let more in by using the exposure compenation function by say +1. In challenging lighting conditions (low winter sunlight) you might need to experiment and season to taste. If you would like to know more about camera courses and digital photography training do take a look at either www.timstubbings.co.uk or timstubbingsphotography.com
Winter wedding musings by a Kent wedding photographer
Posted on November 20, 2009
I was asked to write a piece recently for a wedding magazine for brides worried about getting married in winter when there isn’t brilliant sunshine. Without wishing to make wedding photographers sound miserable, direct bright sunlight is not good for photographs which is why we tend to put people straight into the shade. If we don’t then you get screwed up eyes and perspiring faces (and that’s just the photographer…).
Winter light is softer and less intense, although when it’s low in the sky at the start and end of the day it can be strong. More often than not it is cloudy and it just means seeking out pockets of light or photographing indoors if it is too cold. In fact I have a wedding tomorrow in Kent where it’s a late kick off and I know it will be too cold to shoot the couple outdoors. Winter weddings can be just as rewarding as those photographed in the summer. Although based as a photographer in Kent I cover weddings, portrait and commercial photography across the UK. If you would like to know more do take a look at either www.timstubbings.co.uk or timstubbingsphotography.com
Urban Location Portrait Workshop – London – for Canon UK
Posted on October 29, 2009
Monday was perfect shooting weather for running an urban portrait workshop on behalf of Canon UK for one of their competition winners. We were near to London Bridge and has the cover of railway arches, the reflective surfaces or nearby office buildings and even a small amount of greenery! With 3 models, a hair stylist, make up artists and an assistant we created a number of location portrait setups to allow the winner to put his Canon 1000D to good use.
We started off with natural light and then moving onto off-camera flash (Canon 580EX II plus ST-E2 trigger). Do get in touch if you would like to know more about coming on a workshop or buying a voucher for friends and family. Although based as a photographer in Kent I cover weddings, portrait and commercial photography across the UK (please see www.timstubbings.co.uk or timstubbingsphotography.com).
Natural Light Workshop – Photography Training at Canterbury Christchurch
Posted on October 19, 2009
I’ve uploaded some images taken today at one of the photography workshops at Canterbury Christchurch (Jason Dodd and I are guest lecturers on the degree course there). Today we spent some time with the students on natural light shots. The images below are straight out of my 1D2n, 400 ISO mainly F4 or 5.6 at 1/200 or 1/250th. The indoor pictures are 800 iso F4 1/15 or 1/20.
The conditions were grey and overcast and the background “busy” – benches, people, architecture and I wanted to show how you can get a variety of pictures quickly from one location by changing your viewpoint.
F4 is a great working aperture for shallow depth of field and getting both of a subject’s eyes in focus. By looking for plain backgrounds and shooting a little into the light, you can seek out opportunities where you know that a back-lit subject with 1-2 stops difference between it and the model’s face means that when we expose for the face, the background will be vibrant.
For a couple of images I was able to place the model deliberately under a doorway canopy so that the dominant light source is forced into the face, not down from above (which causes what I call “panda” eyes).
The indoor pictures – in absence of a monopod – were on a tripod with the legs closed up, again seeking out a backlit area where the back light was stronger than the side light. This made for a great place – a potentially boring stairwell – to take some shots.
Do get in touch if you’d like to come on a portrait or wedding photography course.
The 1st Prize is, er a day with me…
Posted on September 5, 2009
Those lovely people at Canon UK & Ireland had just finishing running a photo competition with CD Discount where you can win a number of prizes including a day of 1-2-1 tuition with me at London Zoo (photography tuition rather than how to look after animals)…I’ll keep you posted about the winner once it’s all finalised.
My brother commented that second prize was two days with me…
