Touching Base

December seems to have arrived without any warning, bringing with it the promise of a new year just around the corner.  I am starting to consider my forthcoming projects for 2010 which include a number of new book commissions to work on, alongside my own personal projects such as the Fungi image featured here.

The last couple of months have found me using my Canon EOS 50D more frequently than I ever expected when I purchased it as a back-up camera for my main workhorse, the EOS 5D.  I have being using it almost exclusively for my macro images alongside another relative new piece of equipment - A Canon Speedlite flash gun.  This partnership, combined with a lot of experimentation, has allowed me to start capturing images that look like they have been shot in the studio although they have been totally captured in the field. This shot here was captured by setting the 50D to ISO 100, with a shutter speed of 1/250 second and a aperture of f18. The fast shutter speed / small aperture combination allowed me to render the background black, whilst the subject was illuminated by the strobe placed to the rear and below.  A gold reflector was used to bounce the light back into the subject.

Whilst I enjoy the freedom to express myself through my artificially lit Fungi compositions, you just can't beat the feeling of standing on Scottish mountain, capturing the play of light on a distant peak.

This image again is testament to the image quality available with the 50D. Whilst the image quality is not as good as the 5D, and it really does need the finest quality lenses to get the best from the 15MP sensor, it does prove to be a relatively small camera to use hand held whilst hiking up the hills. I will still carry my 5D for the forthcoming work on my forthcoming Cairngorm Trilogy, although I fully expect that the 50D will be used to capture a number of shots, such as this one of storm clouds above the mountain known as Stac na h-Iolaire and the image below of the frost covered ferns, again within the Cairngorms National Park

In between these projects, I will also be sharing my knowledge of these techniques, alongside many others, during the forthcoming 2010 Photography Workshop schedule. Both the January and February dates are nearly fully booked, but there are a number of places left for later in the year - And I'm always available for private '1 on 1' photography workshops.

Finally, I now have a Facebook page and I'm also starting to Twitter, so hopefully I will be able to keep you posted on everything that is happening over the next few months - and also share some more of my favourite images!

Dunstanburgh Delights

We were blessed with some fantastic weather during the recent photography workshops held at Dunstanburgh Castle situated along the Northumberland Coast.

The 'sunrise shoot' on the Sunday morning provided all that attended with some great opportunities to capture a number of images of the spectacularly beautiful Embleton Bay. The ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle on the headland proved to be an atmospheric backdrop to all of our images.

I captured a number of frames, whilst trying to avoid getting wet feet, in order to capture the convey the movement of the tide. This really is one advantage of capturing images digitally - I couldn't help but recall in horror the days when I used to shoot roll after roll of film to capture the perfect wave.

Later in the day, the remaining members of the group workshop joined us as we explored the harbour of Craster and the coastline surrounding the castle. Blue skies and white clouds provided a perfect backdrop for our compositions throughout the day.

We have four places remaining for our forthcoming 'Allen Banks and Staward Gorge Estate' photography workshop on the 17th October. This will be our last workshop of the year... so if you fancy joining the group to capture some autumnal shots please do not delay booking your place!

Extra date - Dunstanburgh Castle Workshop

Due to overwhelming demand for the Dunstanburgh Castle workshop on the 20th September (which is now fully booked), we have decided to run an additional workshop at the same location on the 19th September.

We will meet at the harbour in Craster at 10AM, from where we will take a gentle walk north along the coast. We will capture images of the Castle from this southerly position before proceeding to within the grounds of the Castle. After a stop for lunch, we will continue onwards to Embleton Bay where we will explore the classic northern viewpoints of the Castle. We wil return to Craster via an alternative route slightly inland. The workshop will finish at 4PM.

This workshop will give you the opportunity to practice your architectural and landscape photography along the Northumberland Coast. The composition of images will be discussed in addition to the technical requirements for successful landscape photography such as the use of filters, the benefits and disadvantages of using a tripod and essential focusing techniques.

There are currently 4 places left for the workshop on the saturday. You can secure your place by clicking here.

Hadrian's Wall Workshop - Places left!

Why not join Jason Friend this friday, along a spectacular stretch of Hadrian's Wall within the Northumberland National Park. As a regular visitor to the region, Jason will be sharing some of his favourite viewpoints of this famous world heritage site as well as his experience of how to make successful images from the location.

We will meet at the Steel Rigg Car Park near Haltwhistle at noon, from where we will spend until 6.00 PM hiking along and photographing the roman wall and its surroundings.

There are a few places left for this workshop. If you wish to secure your place please either book online or by phone - 0800 954 0234.

Simplicity?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking a client on a private workshop near my hometown along the Tyneside Coast, where we photographed and explored the local landmark of the St Mary's Island & Lighthouse.

As you would imagine, I have captured numerous images of the lighthouse over the last few years although I have to be honest in admitting that I have not composed any images recently that I have felt are strong enough to escape the 'delete' button.

Last night the weather conditions were quite 'interesting' with the onset of rain never seeming to be far away. However the weather can be quite fickle along the North Tyneside coast and the clouds actually started to clear shortly after sunset.

I am quite pleased with this shot although the capturing of the image was not as easy as it may appear. There was huge difference of 5 f-stops in the required exposure for the rocky foreground and the dramatic sky. To balance the final exposure I could have taken a normal of exposures and then processed them all to create a final HDR (High Dynamic Range) image but that would have meant yet more time behind the laptop. Instead I decided to use two of my Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density Filters staggered across the horizon (a 2-stop soft transition filter and 3-stop hard transition filter) which balanced the exposure nicely - but there was a problem.

The wooden groynes providing the foreground interest were occupying both the top and bottom of the frame, and as such were clearly indicating where I had placed the two filters. The only solution was to manually fire a strobe light across the top of groynes during the required thirty second exposure, with the strobe light being provided by a Canon Speedlite 550 EX. I captured a number of images with this one being my preferred frame.

Quite simple really.

Autumn workshop dates announced

The last scheduled workshop dates for the year have just been finalised and are as follows:

Warkworth and the Northumberland Coast - 6th September 2009

Join photographer David Taylor on a one-day workshop on the Northumbrian coast in the villages of Warkworth and Amble.

Dunstanburgh Castle & Northumberland Coast - 20th September 2009

Join Jason Friend as he explores the spectacular Northumberland Heritage Coast between the small fishing Village of Craster and the picturesque Embleton Bay, including a visit to the grounds of Dunstanburgh Castle.

Allen Banks and Staward Gorge Estate - 17th October 2009

Join Jason Friend on an autumn workshop exploring the largest area of ancient woodland remaining in Northumberland.

Newcastle upon Tyne Quayside & Jesmond Dene - 18th October 2009

Join Jason Friend on a unique workshop exploring the natural delights of the Jesmond Dene in autumn and the impressive constructions of the Newcastle upon Tyne quayside.

Go exclusive - '1 on 1' Workshop bookings now available

We are also delighted to announce that it is now possible to book an exclusive place on one of our scheduled workshops (only available if the workshop has no prior bookings) for only £150, which is great value for guaranteed private tuition. Our popular and very flexible '1 on 1' workshops are also available throughout the year at a location of your choice. Click here for further information.

Guest photo from North Tyneside

As you may have seen in a previous news entry, the weather for the North Tyneside Photography Workshop was less than ideal. However, I think that workshop participant Ritchie Coatsworth has produced some stunning images from the day including this image of Tynemouth Pier. But what did Ritchie have to say about the day?

"I had a great day and picked up some valuable advice and tips. I am really pleased with the images I ended up with even though the weather wasn't at it's best. It was good to be around others that enjoy trying to take a good photo, I'll certainly be doing some more workshops."

You can view some more of the images from the workshop by taking a look at the Flickr group or in particular Ritchies photostream.

We still have a few places remaining for the forthcoming Hadrian's Wall Photography Workshop on the 15th March. Click here if you fancy the opportunity to capture some great images like Ritchie!

North Tyneside Photography Workshop

Even the weather could not discourage our workshop participants yesterday, with Jeff, Steve, Pam, Greg, Ritchie, David and myself spending a most enjoyable day photographing the North Tyneside Coast.

The image included here was one that I captured on St Mary's Island, and is a classic example of the kind of image that is possible to capture in even the worst of conditions.

If you would like to join me along the North Tyneside Coast in May during late spring, with hopefully better weather than yesterday, please click here.

Snow comes to Northumberland - Ingram Valley Workshop rescheduled

The last week has seen Northumberland receiving a few days of snow and whilst it has not been covered like some other areas in the country, I have decided to reschedule the forthcoming Ingram Workshop for the 22nd March.

This decision has been purely made due to safety issues regarding the access of the valley and also the terrain that we will be covering on the workshop.

If you would like to join me on the early spring photography working in the Ingram Valley, please click here.

North Tyneside Workshop nearly full!

I am pleased to announce that the North Tyneside Photography Workshop on the 20th February is nearly full and that there are currently only 2 places left. If you are considering joining me on my own home patch, I recommend that you book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!

I am also thrilled to announce that fellow North East photographer David Taylor will be joining me on the day to share some of his photographic experience so this workshop really does look like it is going to be a enjoyable and memorable day!

If you simply can't wait that long for the North Tyneside Workshop, there are plenty of places left on the forthcoming Ingram Valley, Northumberland Photography Workshop on Sunday 8th February. It looks like it will be a small group so everyone will get plenty of '1 on 1' time with myself.

Fingers crossed and we will even get the chance to shoot some classic winter landscapes. Let me show you why most photographers just love photographing snow.

I know I do!

Christmas Gift Ideas

Do you still need to find a present for someone who loves the great outdoors? Or maybe you know someone who loves to travel and would appreciate a piece of the world in their own living room? Look no further! Be inspired by a visit to our photography print collection at www.jasonfriendprints.com - The online image gallery dedicated to the work of award winning photographer Jason Friend.

Perhaps you know someone who is having a new camera for Christmas, and would love to learn how to get the most from both their camera and their own photographic ability. Perhaps you should take a look at our range of photography workshops? A workshop gift voucher makes an ideal present for the budding photographer!

2009 Photography Workshops Announced

We are delighted to announce the schedule for the forthcoming North East England based Photography Workshops, to be held during the first quarter of 2009.

New for 2009 is that all of the Photography Workshops are now entirely based in North East England, and all are led by award winning Newcastle Upon Tyne based photographer, Jason Friend.

The first five workshops for 2009 are held in the counties of Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. The workshop details are as follows:

South Tyneside Coast - 18th January 2009.

The South Tyneside Coast has to be considered as one of the most picturesque stretches of coastline to be found in the North East of England. Join Jason Friend for an early morning start to hopefully capture a sunrise image like the one above!

Plessey Woods, Northumberland - 30th January 2009.

A favourite location for photography during the winter months, join Jason in the Plessey Woods Country Park near Morpeth, Northumberland where we will hopefully get a chance to view the endangered Red Squirrel.

Ingram Valley, Northumberland - 8th February 2009.

Explore your photography and join Jason Friend on a day workshop in the Ingram Valley, part of the Northumberland National Park.

North Tyneside Coast - 20th February 2009.

Join Jason Friend in his home patch as he shares his intimate knowledge of the North Tyneside Coast - gained from numerous years photographing the highlights of this often overlooked region.

Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland - 15th March 2009.

Join Jason Friend along a spectacular stretch of Hadrian's Wall within the Northumberland National Park. As a regular visitor to the region, Jason will be sharing some of his favourite viewpoints of this famous world heritage site as well as his experience of how to make successful images from the location.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the 2009 workshop schedule is the price tag! All workshops are planned around a 6 hour day and cost only £50 per person. Book your place soon as these photography workshop dates will probably fill up quickly!

Join Jason Friend on a photography workshop along Hadrians Wall

I am excited to announce that I will be leading an intermediate photography workshop along the spectacular Hadrians Wall within Northumberland National Park.

As a regular visitor to the town of Haltwhistle and the Hadrians Wall World Heritage site, I will be sharing some of my own personal viewpoints as well as taking you to the classics such as Cawfields and Sycamore Gap. The day will start at noon and we will stay out until sunset - fingers crossed for a spectacular sunset behind the Wall.

The workshop is limited to only 4 participants, so if you want to join us I suggest that you visit the Jason Friend Photography website and book your place!

Join Andy Latham & Jason Friend in Wharfedale

Hi all!

Just a quick post to let you know that we still have a couple of places available on the forthcoming Wharfedale photography workshop. The tutor, Andy Latham, is a regular name in the British photography press especially to all of the readers of Outdoor Photography. So if you love the great outdoors and really want to take your images to the next level, why not join him in (hopefully) sunny Yorkshire!

Oh, almost forgot to mention that I will be tagging along!

If you would like to join us, please visit this link.

Beginners workshop dates announced

We know that learning photography can seem overwhelming for the beginner - lets face it we were all beginners once! So we have decided to launch a range of workshops located in the north of England. The first two dates to be announced are located within the Lake District National Park and the Peak District National Park.

Designed to concentrate on the composition and creation of images as opposed to the technical side of photography, these workshops are ideal for the budding snapper hoping to get the most out of their camera. Whilst we do cover the basics of exposure and depth of field, the main objective is to show the participant how to create beautiful images regardless of their equipment.

Unlike many workshops designed for beginners, our workshops are entirely field based. Starting at 10 a.m in the morning and finishing at 4 p.m, the schedule of the day is designed to be suitable for people of most fitness levels. The workshops are priced at only £49 (including value added tax (VAT)) for the complete day - an affordable option to help you learn how to make an image as opposed to just taking one.