STAGEWORKS, BIG SHOW, APRIL 2023

Posted on May 8, 2023 by keithjohnmason

Last weekend, the fantastic classes from Stageworks put on a BIG SHOW. A gallery of lots and lots of images can be found here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjACTb8

Hi resolution, watermark free individual image files can be purchased for £5 (or four for £15). Just message or email with the image number and I will send the file(s) over.

Some travel and street photography in Istanbul

Posted on April 13, 2023 by keithjohnmason

I recently returned from a short trip to Istanbul. It’s a favourite city of mine and I was really looking forward to visiting the souks, and bazaars, drinking Turkish coffee in a street cafe, and taking in the grand sights of the Golden Horn in the warm spring sunshine. In the end, I didn’t have that much time, and the weather was cold and wet. It did mean, that there were lots of good reflections in the photos. I was trying out my recently purchased 56mm f/1.4 lens which is great for portraiture, but I wasn’t sure how good it would be for street photos. It turns out to deliver some pretty great shots. I also caught a few nice night shots of the mosques, and trams, and bridges, and towers. I hope you have a chance to have a watch and hopefully enjoy it.

All Shook Up

Posted on February 26, 2023 by keithjohnmason

Another fantastic show by Stageworks. You can see the full set of images here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAsg32

Drop me a message to order a USB memory stick with all the images from the show (no watermark, high resolution) with additional images from the studio rehearsal, for £25.

Finding inspiration from great photographers, and learning from your own work

Posted on January 3, 2023 by keithjohnmason

Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s a new (slightly delayed) video about finding photography inspiration in the new year, learning from your past images, assessing your progress in 2022, and seeking inspiration from photographers you’s work you admire.

I hope you enjoy it. Best, Keith

Peter Pan, Cambridgeshire Youth Ballet Company, Oct 2022

Posted on November 7, 2022 by keithjohnmason

All the images from excellent CYBC’s Peter Pan are now available as a USB memory stick (£20 + 3£ p&p). Send me an email at keith@keithmasonphotography.com to request a USB. You can see all the images in the link below.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA9hVy

Photography trip around Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland

Posted on October 16, 2022 by keithjohnmason

We took a week long journey around the Scottish Highlands and the Western Isles of Skye and Mull in our VW Campervan. I brought my Fujifilm X-T3 and three zoom lenses, my wife and my dog! We camped in Murkirk south of Glasgow, Glen Nevis, Dunvegan (Skye), and Salen Bay (Mull). I took photos at Loch Lomand, Glencoe, Eliean Donan Castle, The Old Man of Storr, Neist Point Lighthouse, Fairy Glen, Dunvegan, and Tombermory. In the video I cover my kit, the routes taken, the sites camped, the cheapest place for fuel, and the costs for everything.

One BODY, One LENS, One FILM SIM – Summer in St Ives

Posted on August 12, 2022 by keithjohnmason

Last year I challenged myself to use just a single camera, a single lens and a single film simulation when I visited London as it was just coming out of lockdown. All the pictures were shot in monochrome which suited the sombre mood of the Capital. In this video I give myself the same challenge but using a colourful film simulation Velvia on a recent summer visit to St Ives in Cornwall. I spent the day walking round the town looking for interesting things to photograph. Watch the video to see how I got on.

video goes live at 18:30 on 12/8/2022

MTYC Show Images

Posted on June 29, 2022 by keithjohnmason

Hi there – I recently photographed the fantastic Stageworks MTYC shows “Alice in Wonderland” and “We Will Rock You”. You can see the images here

For Alice in Wonderland – Here is the link

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzUteq

For We Will Rock You – Here’s the link

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzUtek

I am happy to sell individual images (electronic, full resolution, no watermark) delivered by WeTransfer at £5 each (or £15 for four). All I need is the file name(s). I can also do ALL the images for each show at £20 (+£3 p&p) on a USB.

Payment via PayPal or I can send a unique link via email or SMS

I hope that makes sense.

Best

Keith

Some Cornish images

Posted on June 16, 2022 by keithjohnmason

I have been asked to talk about photography in Cornwall on BBC Radio Cornwall and thought I’d share some of my favourite pictures I have taken.

Here are some things you might want to consider to make the best of your photography opportunities in Cornwall

Location

For me, I like to find some peace and solitude so I seek out places that are perhaps a little less busy than the main tourist hotspots. You can find these by walking half a mile along the coast from most villages and you’ll usually find you have the location to yourself. Also if you want to shoot the most photographed locations, go either early or late. Remember some of the best light is before the sunrise or around 20 minutes after sunset.

Here are some of my favourite places

Holywell
Cape Cornwall
Land’s End (Half a mile in the opposite direction to Sennen)
Nanjizal
St Ives (esp. Porthmeor and Porthgwidden)
The mines at Chapel Porth and at Botallack
Gwithian
Porthleven
Kingsand/Cawsand
Porthcurno
Newlyn
Marazion (St Michael’s Mount)
Mullion Cove

I love the old fishing villages of Mevagissey, Port Issac, Polperro, Padstowe, and, of course, St Ives. Go early to capture fewer people and better light.

Capturing the scene

Virtually all cameras and most phones these days are capable of taking outstanding images. Here are some ideas to think about.

The best light (and therefore best images) is usually at the beginning and the end of the day. Blue skies are wonderful to enjoy but blue skies in the middle of the day can make for somewhat harsh images.
A sunrise/sunset doesn’t make a great picture in and of itself. Think about some foreground interest
Check the tide times on an app like “My Tide Times” and if you not sure about how to find a location/parking area, look at Google Earth.
Sometimes the best light and views are behind you. If you are looking at a sunset, the light from the falling sun will be making beautiful golden light on the things behind you.
In addition to taking big vistas, take pictures of small details that give the flavour and tell the story of your visit to a location (doorways, fliower pots, cobbles, steps, sand, shop windows, people).
Remember to capture your group – you’ll be pleased you have a picture of your granny in years to come.
A tripod can be useful if you want to capture moving water (waves – a 0.5 second exposure can be very pleasing). You might need to adjust your camera to make this happen.
Try using a wide aperture (the lower the “f-stop” number the wider the aperture to make backgrounds out of focus to make your subject stand out)
Move about (up/down/left/right) to find the best composition – small changes in where you shoot from can make big differences to the image

Using filters/editing software to bring the best out of your image

Phone apps like Snapseed and VSCO and even Instagram have some great features to edit and improve your image. Be careful as a little editing goes a long way. I prefer to edit carefully so the final image looks natural.