Introduction to NAS & The QNAP TS-453-B

All Photographers and videographers should be taking how and where they store their data very seriously! By now, you will probably have heard of Network Attached Storage or NAS for short. In this video I will give you a quick introduction to NAS and an unboxing and look at the features of the QNAP TS-453 B - a high quality and feature rich unit which on this occasion had been filled with the Seagate Ironwolf drives. 

Very soon I will be doing a video series of videos on RAID, Storage and workflow but for now, take a look around the QNAP in the video below:

Photographing Birmingham - Architecture & Street Workshop

Well, it seems like I've been away forever. The truth is, I've been really unwell for about a month and have been catching up on work. The good news is, I have loads of exciting events coming up and can't wait to start sharing them with you! 

One event that I can share with you is an exciting collaboration with the amazing folk at Brumpic & The Culture Card. On June 9th, we will be hosting a very special 'Photographing Birmingham' workshop. The day is aimed at anybody looking to develop their photography skills and is open to all skill levels. Even those who have never really picked up a camera will gain a great deal from the day including learning about the main features of a camera, the 'rules' of photography and a special opportunity to learn how I edit my images.

The structure of the day will be as follows:

9.00-9.15 Meet (Coffin Works) 

9.15-9.30 Ice breaker - what is everybody’s skill level? -  This is an ideal opportunity to share your current skill level and what you would like to learn.

9.30-10.00 Talk by me - who I am and what I do - A brief introduction to who I am, my photography journey and how I went about learning about photography.

10.00-11.00 Understanding the basics - camera controls & composition etc. - Here we will get into the details of using a camera. It will include an overview of how a camera works, the main functions, an understanding of using auto features and then a discussion about manual features.

11.00-11.30 Shooting the city - what to look for & how to get the shot - As it says, this is where we will delve deeper into the theory and look at 'what' to look for when shooting 'street & architecture'.

11.30-1.00 Practical - go out and shoot - The exciting part, we will go out and explore a designated route and all attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and seek guidance as we explore the city. 

1.00-2.00 Lunch and discussion* - We will take the opportunity to have a break, eat lunch (provided) and have a discussion on what we have done so far. 

2.00-3.00 Practical - more shooting -  The exciting part, part 2! In this session, attendees will have more opportunity to shoot the streets with slightly more free reign, and we will discuss what type of photography you want to focus on and look at some useful techniques to take away.

3.00-4.00 Back to ‘base’ and a guided edit - At this point, we will head back to the Coffin Works for refreshments and a chance to walk through some guided edits. This is a unique opportunity to see how I edit my images and look at how I use Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as ask questions about my techniques.

4.00-4.30 Q&A and close - We will close with an opportunity to ask questions about all the things we have learnt and much more. Whether you want to know about the business of photography or simply how to sell your first prints, take the chance to glean some 'insider' knowledge.

The cost of the day is £80 to Culture Card holders and £100 to everybody else. Whereas this sounds expensive at first, this is actually a rare opportunity to spend a whole day learning about photography, getting useful tips on editing and to learn more about how you can improve your own photography.

For more details or to book your place, please visit - EventBrite

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

Thanks to - Brumpic / Culture Card / Coffin Works

Beauty in the 'Beast'...

As the weather continues to cause havoc across the country, it's getting to that point where it stops being fun and starts getting serious. Sub-zero temperatures and treacherous conditions put those that are most vulnerable in real danger and make even simple journeys a nightmare. However, if there is anything that can be taken away from a terrible situation, it's that it makes the everyday scenes that we've all become accustomed to seem surreal. 

This week, I have been wiped out by Flu! Not just any Flu, not even 'Man Flu', but some kind of 'I want to make every single cell in your body pay for it' Flu that even had Laura conceding that I might actually be ill. So as much as I would love to have been out with my camera, I've just not been able to.

That was until late Thursday night, where I had to run out for an emergency. I wrapped up as warm as I could, checked the weather "Feels like minus 12" took a brave pill (Lemsip) and head out. Now obviously, I was going to take my camera with me. Even in my sickly state, I wouldn't dare leave the house without it! I stumbled my way through town, grabbing quick images as I went.

The images that I did get were far from perfect. There is something about being laced with Flu in bitterly cold conditions that makes you forget the 'rule of thirds' or to check whether shots are even in focus. However, when I did check the images, I really liked the 'soft' feel to them and put this down as a 'happy little accident' as a great man used to say. The snow is certainly a nightmare and I genuinely feel for those vulnerable people that this kind of weather can really threaten. However, it's also nice to remember that even in the worst of it, you can still find little glimmers of beauty.