This is in sharp contrast to my very first Beauty Pageant I covered over the weekend. I loved it because of my wedding experience. I had to think on my feet, plan with very short notice and adapt very quickly all while remaining calm, professional and being able to complete the task at hand!

Check out my photos on my portrait website, WWW.FRAMEDSERENITY.COM

I would never give up Wedding Photography, I love THAT day too much to surrender that enjoyment, but like most people my interests are diverse and one of those interests is fashion photography. In my spare time, usually into the wee late hours, I plan and build a team together so we can use a studio to be in a very experimental and creative environment. The photos below are the results of weeks of planning, meetings, research and negotiations to get these images which I am very proud of.

Fashion photography has always intrigued me. Truth be told I don’t understand fashion as an industry but I “get it” as an art form. With that in mind, I setup a subsidiary business concentrating on portraits called FRAMEDSERENITY.

I enlisted my photography partner Kelly Bond and together we are charging forward into 2010 to turn this passion into a business without compromising my established Wedding Photography business. But that just comes with audacity and a single minded drive to succeed, trust me… at a party I’m not that interesting to talk to because I have a one track mind… but if you want a photographer who loves his job so much that he would not compromise anything, then I’m your man.

Are you an aspiring makeup artist, model, a stylish and all round fashion guru who has a wardrobe bigger than Victoria Beckham? Then get in touch, we want to work with you!!

A recent addition to my camera set, this is affectionately called the “Wrist Breaker” by me. Since it arrived over a month ago I have used it on many projects and it has out performed my expectations.

Pushed at High ISO.
First project was a gig with 4 bands. I had the D3 with the 70-200mm attached. I went straight in with an ISO of 6400, 1/200 and the results were amazing! Click to see a sample shot, unedited. As the evening got on I started to feel the combined weight of D3 and big lens. The shots just got better as i was becoming more famliar with the layout of the buttons which have noticeable differences to the D300′s buttons; the most obvious are the ISO, Quality and White Balance are at the bottom of the back panel below the 3 Inch viewer. Click to see what I mean.

Use with SB-800 Flash
The following day was taking photos of a birthday party. The lightin levels were low so I took out my flash unit and attached it to the D3. I can lower the ISO levels because the light will come from the flash. Again the D3′s fast focusing and 51 point focal targeting meant I rarely miss a shot. It adapted well to the changing light conditions and even managed to get great shots of the fireworks!

This will is main camera body because of it’s speed, quality, performance and ease of use. It allows me to shoot without thinking and let me be creative without having to fumble around technology. It truly is the best DSLR ever made.

NIKON D300

This Nikon D300 is my workhorse. It offers unbelievable performance with the rapid 51 point focusing in any lighting conditions; it’s focusing speed was made very apparent when using a D80 and a D40x in recent shoots; those body’s just cannot adjust quick enough to the action. The ISO delivery has only been surpassed by Nikon’s flagship D3 and the recently released D700. ISO is crucial when shooting in low light conditions. A flash is great when you need to control light, but it is ALWAYS preferable to capture the natural light wherever you are. The D300 allows me to shoot up to a useable 1600. Some of my peers believe ISO 3200 is usable but I would not use it even in desperate conditions. i would prefer to lower decrease my shutter speed.

In terms of Nikon’s DX class, this is the best you can get. The FX class, which is a full framed 35mm sensor, is only available on the D3 and the D700. The most noticeable side effect is some cropping when using none DX lenses, but this really will not effect you unless you are looking for the crop.

If you notch down the quality to High quality JPG then you can shoot the machine gun rate of 7fps. I often go to this mode when I’m shooting bands that are very animated. I sacrifice NEF quality (Nikon’s RAW mode) by doing this but it is more than worth it to get the right pose from the bands.One final comment has to go to the D300′s weight and usability. The menu system is faultless if you consider just how many options there are.

NIKON D40X

Now as a professional you may be wondering why I am using this baby camera; I bought it as a travel camera while I was backpacking around South East Asia & Australia. Since then I have kept it because having two cameras is far better than having one.

I use it to attach one of my fast lenses on it. This is a perfect example of why it is the lens that you should be investing in more than the camera bodies. When I put my fast F2.8 lenses on this very simple SLR I can get some stunning shots. The D40x makes you work harder for sure; the focusing is slower, the ISO noise is unusable over 800 and it you have to use the slower SD Card format which means you have a smaller shooting buffer as well as a slower frame per second. BUT after all this gives me the flexibility to have two lenses at a shoot without having to swap halfway through.

NIKON 24-70mm F2.8

This is my lens of choice for gig photography. It has the focal range which is perfect for group shots and dramatic stage angles during gigs, but then it rapidly becomes a tight facial or instrument shot. For weddings, the speed and range becomes apparently when trying to fit in large groups and crowds, and then it is an lens for the intimate close ups for smiles, eyes, joy and the details that only a wedding can bring.

NIKON 70-200mm F2.8

It may sound strange, but the reason why the 24-70mm is so good is because I have this 70-200mm in my arsenal as well. This lens by itself would not be flexible enough to capture a wedding or gig because of the limited wide angle range, but by leaving the wide business to the 24-70 it means I can use it as a powerful zoom lens and not worry about positioning for wide shots. The detail this lens can capture is simply stunning. it is a formidable piece of equipment in both weight and size. it will make your hands ache after a few hours of use! Also because of its VR capabilities, I can shoot a few stops lower or a lower shutter step which gives me a whole new set of options when shooting in low light conditions.

Lowepro Slingshot 300 bag

I cannot come up with a better description to beat the manufacturers own description.

“Perfect for photojournalists, the SlingShot 300 AW uses a unique sling design to go from “carry mode” to “ready mode” in just seconds. Carried comfortably on the back, it easily rotates to the front to get to your camera quickly”

NIKON 50mm F1.8

I had not noticed this lens before until it was brought to my attention by a photography friend. I did some research and bought it a few hours later. it is incredibly fast, very light (so it can fit in most pockets) and it is DAMN cheap! I love this lens because it makes you work much harder; it’s fixed focused so it means YOU have to move into the right position and distances from the subject, the F1.8 gives an incredible shallow focusing field so you need to work hard to make sure the subject you are capturing is sharp and finally because it has no internal focusing motor it won’t work with the D40 range of SLRs so you have to manually focus. HOWEVER, this is the lens that is the most fun to use. The F1.8 is so fast that you will almost never need a flash with this attached, the Depth of Field gives you some creative shots which are harder to achieve on the bigger lenses and did I mention it is very cheap. A quick check with Amazon.co.uk brings up a price of £80 ($140US)

NIKON 10.5mm Fisheye F2.8

The fisheye was a hard purchase to justify for me. Because it is such a niche lens I did not know how often i would use it. My purchase is more than justified. it allows me shots that I would NEVER achieve with any other type of lens, and used properly in crowd, group, landscapes and even detailed shots it really opens up a world of creativity that is completely unique to this lens.

NIKON 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 DX

I had not heard of this lens until I was looking through a store in Sydney. The focal range in incredible; to go from super wide to a tight zoom in one lens was new to me. As a travel lens I do not believe there is anything better. While backpacking day to day you could be in any situation that is almost impossible to plan for photographically, so by having this utility lens you have maximum freedom to shot what I want. For darker situations in a professional job I would be reluctant to use it because of the slow glass inside. A F3.5 simply is not fast enough for indoor shooting or gigs without using a flash. i would rather use my F2.8 lens in those circumstances.

Nikon SB-800 Flash Units (x2)

Very useful to have. Do not believe for a second that you do not need to invest in Flash units. I only use them 30-40% of the time but when i do use them I am always thankful they can bale me out of a badly lit situation. They also give you creative options as well. This shot of Rob from Slashed Seat Affair was achieved by placing a SB-800 to one side of him an triggering the flash remotely using a Pocket Wizard.

Memory Cards

I have 2 CF (compact flash) cards for my D300; a 16gb and 4gb Sandisk Extreme 3. These are more expensive than standard cards because they allow the camera to write files much quicker. Without these i would be waiting constantly for the camera to record the shots onto card. I shoot fast, so I need my equipment to keep up.

Charismatic and very photogenic are obvious traits of Ms Parsons. What was also interesting was the amount of male attention she got. I swear a saw a lot of men just stop talking she was walking near them. Unfortunately I never got the chance to say hello other than to ask her to look my way during shoots. Another time, perhaps when I am more established, I hope to work with her properly. I am always scouting for locations, ideas and explore the depths of people through the lens.

I do not know what contenders for Miss UK do when they are not competing. Do they look out for more beuaty competitions or do they just go back to their normal daily life? I felt it there was a miss opportunity to get more photos of Ms Parsons. I was already committed to taking photos of Hobble and the bands I have an association with like Slashed Seat Affair and Red Bullets.

It is a realy shame, I would have liked to spoken to her and get more photos. I had never seen a Miss UK contender close up before and from the short moments with her she was simply stunning. Love at first sight? Nah, but I know the camera certainly loves her. It would be easy to be enamoured with Ms Parsons however I had a job to do and no matter how gorgeous she is I was not going to be distracted… ok… I was a little distracted!

More photos to come very soon. So many photos to sort.

The lads performed in front of a pretty packed King’s Head courtyard. The lighting was simply amazing and Bob the sound guy was working hard. Everything was in place for some great photos and these unmodified ones are just a few of my favourites.

What you can see above is an actual photograph from the Slashed Seat Affair video shoot; I really want to show you them but alas this is the best I can do…for now.

I am really putting my photo application Lightroom through it’s paces!! There are so many fantastic photos of the Slashed Seat Affair photoshoot that I don’t know how to stop! I have to cut them down and choose the best 30; it would be eaiser to cut my arm off!

Shot after shot gives me tingles, I just cannot believe how well the images came out. The band just look smoking hot and I am so glad I said to all of them they really gave so much of themselves. When photographing Slashed Seat Affair it’s too easy!

If you’re a Slashed Seat Affair fan, then subscribe to my blog (simply enter your email in at the top right of this blog page) or my RSS feed so you won’t miss it! Because when they’re released they’ll blow you away!

The weather last night here in Aylesbury was terrible and set the tone for the beginning of the evening; gray, low and there was a weight over the town but that all changed when the band Micawber came on. It was whispered boldly that this was to be their last ever performance together; what a crime! They really lifted the place and trust me when I say the place really needed lifting; the gathering was huddled under 2 make shift tents, the rain was not heavy but it was relentless but Micawber played on as if well… as if it were their last performance. They gave it their all, they mix set of ballads, a cover and guitar led anthems raised the place.

There was something special about their performance, every song seemed like a farewell and even though I had never noticed them before until now, I noticed them too late.

An end of a 4 year era, but with musicians this talented I’m sure they will appear somewhere down the road just not as Micawber.

Visit their MySpace and hear their songs, give them a chance; before you know it you’ll warm to them.

Official Micawber Site