Mary Haines Photography

Countryside Wanderings

2012-02-26T21:45:00.001Z

Sunny day, not a lot to do, went for a drive.
Shooting on aperture priority (av mode) with 50mm fixed f1.8, so down too f1.8 for most of the day.
Here's what I got:

Cake!

2012-02-20T20:31:00.002Z

My friend Linda makes really awesome cakes.

Bits of Bath

2012-02-20T20:24:00.003Z

Architecture, Jane Austen, Romans, a spa, cream teas, pubs, good shops... where could you find all these things and more? In Bath! A lovely place for getting lost in.

Here are some snaps from my travels...

For more information on Bath: www.visitbath.co.uk

Baby Shoot

2011-12-27T23:08:00.002Z

Toby. One of the only people that, in actual fact, is a legend (Legend is his middle name)

Improvised back drop of white towels, a lot of natural light, and a flash gun. I used the 50mm prime lens mainly as it provides sharp focus.

Here's what we gots:

Any excuse to play with Lego

2011-12-05T19:50:00.001Z

Using my 50mm, f1.8 prime lens. So shallow depth of field. But why is the Lego storm troopers helmet blurred and it's reflection in focus!?! Suggestions welcome.
Photo details: 50mm, 1/60, f/2, ISO 3200

Grubs Up!

2011-12-01T23:13:00.001Z

For some reason, whenever my family goes out for a meal or make something AWESOME at home, we photograph our food. Strange, we know. Here is today's lunch. Scrumdiddley. Steak sandwich with spring onions, tomatoes, salad and Mary's magical mayo concoction.

Wedding Number TWO!

2011-11-28T21:52:00.001Z

The new Mr and Mrs! and here are my favourite of the day...

I like trees

2011-11-16T18:48:00.001Z

FireworkTASTIC

2011-11-14T22:20:00.001Z

The other day (September actually) there was a MASSIVE fireworks display at Hatfield House. Usually Hatfield House do a big display around November but this year as they were celebrating their 400 anniversary they chose to do a big display a bit earlier in the year.

Anywho... high ISO and slowish shutter speeds (1/50ish) and this is what you get:

Hertfordshire's slightly Indian Summer

2011-11-14T20:30:00.001Z

An October weekend has never been so hot! Naturally I decided to go for a picnic with Susannah and walk her dogs.

I have been trying out my new 50mm, f1.8 prime lens. It's NICE! Having a fixed focal length makes you think about composition more and gives better, clearer images. And with a low f stop you can get some AWESOME depth of field.

Scala di Turki

2011-08-15T13:45:00.000+01:00

Scala di Turki is a massive limestone cliff on the south coast of Sicily near Agrigento. It looks like another planet. I found it interesting because the texture of the rock changes from top to bottom - water erosion and then wind erosion. When you go, you find a piece of rock and then crumble/mix it up with water to make a paste, rub it on your skin, let it dry and then wash it of and it gives you really soft skin. More information can be found here.

These pictures are as I took them. I mainly used a fast shutter speed and a slow ISO because it was so bright - sunlight and reflection from the white rock.

Could not resist planking when I got to the top!

I love a good sunset

2011-07-30T09:28:00.000+01:00

I am currently in Sicily enjoying the sunshine and the beaches.

The other day we went to Cefalu (a really old coastal town that reminded me a bit of Florence) and we got there just in time to have chicken and chips on the beach and watch the sunset. Chicken and chips doesn't sound very glamorous but it is TASTY!

Anywho... here is the sunset...

Helen and Ruth helped me frame it.

Gigs

2011-06-19T13:32:00.000+01:00

Photographing gigs is really hard. Especially when your flash battery has run out.
The only option is to whop up the ISO and hope for the best.
Usually with a high ISO, say 1600, and shooting in dark conditions the pictures come out looking very red. So at this gig I as asked to photograph the other day, I had a word with the lighting guy not to put too many red lights on because otherwise the pictures would have come out VERY weird - pink guitarists do not look cool.
If you can't influence the lighting at a gig and you find you pictures have come out a bit 'warm' you could always convert into black and white and play around with the contrast and colour balance. Experimenting with the ISO can also give you some grainy looking pictures.

Weddings

2011-05-25T19:27:00.000+01:00

I photographed my first wedding at the end of last month. It has taken me this long to get over it. It is STRESSFUL. You have to know exactly what you are doing, exactly what shots you want to take and make sure you have the camera set up correctly! The editing is the tricky part. Whittling your pictures down from 1500 to about 300. Here's what I ended up with:

I'd deffo do it again.

EXTREME LYING DOWN

2011-05-18T19:34:00.001+01:00

The basic idea is that you lie down in places where people don't usually lie down. It is also know as planking. And there are some stupid Australians out there that thought it would be a good idea to lie down on a seventh floor balcony. So when said stupid Australian falls off it was entirely their fault. Stupid player, not stupid game.

Rant over.

So in Vienna the other week, here's what we got up to...

Couldn't really resist it. The Austrian train station operatives were not very impressed.

Picture in a picture

2011-03-22T21:28:00.000Z

The other day when I was driving home the sun was setting. As I was sitting in traffic I notice the reflection of the landscape in front of me in the windows of the building behind me. The windows were framing the view. Usually when you peer through windows you see something inside, but this time i was seeing what was outside.

This gave me the idea of framing a picture in another picture.

As my t-shirt says, I heart Roma.

2011-02-07T19:43:00.000Z

The Colosseum - Night time, slow shutter, high ISO, desaturated, level adjustment, dodge and burn.

Piazza Navona - Lunch time, fast shutter, deep depth of field, 'burned' the sky

Venice

2011-02-06T23:51:00.000Z

This is why Turner went to Venice! It all makes sense once you see it for yourself.

Coniston Water - It's a bit pretty.

2011-02-05T11:36:00.000Z

The Lake District in December is cold. So cold in fact that the there was a fog on the water (you can see it if you look closely).

A week after taking this picture there was an earthquake at Coniston. Wobbling ducks.

I'd like to go back here next winter and get some more shots.

Levels and colour balance altered in post-production.

Studio Shoot - My first one!

2011-02-05T11:28:00.000Z

Jill wanted to have her pictures taken, naturally I obliged.

The hardest thing about doing a studio shoot is directing the model, getting them into position is not as easy as it looks! You need to be assertive, and I'm not very good at that. Always good to practise with friends.

My preparation basically consisted of reading Vogue magazine and copying the poses, well trying to anyway. Here are some of my favourite shots from the day.

(Above) My absolute favourite one ever. Surprised myself a bit with this one.

Thanks to Chris for arranging the studio and make-up/hair lady and for helping we with the lighting.

I just say JUMP!

2010-01-10T15:28:00.003Z

How did I do that?

Basically, a sunny day, fast shutter and a willing volunteer!

Snow + walk + Bramfield = landscape photos!

2010-01-10T15:02:00.000Z

Things I changed with magical photoshop:
Levels, colour balance, clone stamp annoying bits, dodge and burn

Things I changed with magical photoshop:
levels, colour balance, dodge and burn, unsharp mask.

What do you think?