On Thursday 16th April 2020, I launched the new Facebook page for Papworth Pharmacy – a community pharmacy in the village of Papworth Everard in Cambridgeshire. My wife, Alison, is the Superintendent Pharmacist there and I am very proud of the work she does to help the local community, particularly at this time of the coronavirus pandemic. Having promoted the page through a number of sources, the page was being followed by more than 300 people within a day. I’ve […] . Click here to read the full article.
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Photographing Spaldwick in Spring and the Effects of Coronavirus
Working from home in a rural Cambridgeshire village, I have noticed the massive effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The majority of villagers have been on lockdown in their homes. Schools and key local businesses (such as the village pub) have closed, and there has been a dramatic reduction in road traffic. During this time (as part of my daily exercise), I have been capturing photographs of my village in spring. You can view the gallery here: Spaldwick in spring and […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reviewing the Disney Plus Streamed TV Service
As an AV enthusiast and broadband advocate, I’ve been very excited by the rapid roll-out and take-up of TV streaming services. These have increased consumer choice and introduced Ultra HD 4k content and Dolby Atmos sound. Disney has just launched its Disney Plus service in the UK and at the great price of £5.99 per month. Because of the coronavirus crisis, UK streaming providers have reduced bit rates to lessen their load on the UK’s broadband infrastructure so the service […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing and Videoing the Transformation of Manor Farm in Spaldwick
How amazing Manor Farm is looking currently. After speaking to Richard Johnson, Manor Farm is being prepared for being sold, although the Coronavirus pandemic is causing a great deal of uncertainty. Richard’s face was full of pride. I’ve agreed with Richard to take some internal photographs shortly. Here are some external photos from my latest visit: Manor Farm Photo Gallery (Mar 2020) Manor Farm in Spaldwick was built in 1547, and proudly stood as a major landmark in the village […] . Click here to read the full article.
Videoing Angie Collins Singing ‘Broken’ in 4k
Local songwriter Angie Collins came in so I could video her performing a song she wrote, called ‘Broken’. While I have recorded several songs (sound only), it was nice to capture visuals as well. While sound recordings allow you to use large-condenser microphones, room treatment and portable isolation booths for better sound quality, video can be easier to share with others, particularly on social media. The video was recorded with four Sony 4k Ultra HD cameras, using broadcast-standard Aputure LED […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing for Posterity
I am currently building up an online library of old photographs of the village where I live so that these amazing images can be shared as widely as possible. Thank you to the people and local museums that have provided these. These images have proved immensely popular, being viewed about 50,000 times in the last year, mainly by local people. The photos shown were taken by the Reverend Holland and James William Church. I am so grateful to the photographers at […] . Click here to read the full article.
Recording Angie Collins Playing Piano
Known to many people in the local area, Angie is the regular pianist at our village Christmas carol singing event and teaches music at the local school. Angie also composes her own songs, being influenced by Carole King, Amy Winehouse and Nina Simone. I recorded two pieces on a Yamaha P-515 piano (replicating the Yamaha CFX grand piano). ‘Bête Noire’ was composed in the memory of her friend and pupil Ed Sloper, who died recently. The second piece was composed […] . Click here to read the full article.
Hitting the Milestone of One Million Views of Spotlight Photographs
I really enjoy working with Graham and Sarah Wilkinson (below) at Spotlight Productions – which is a youth musical theatre group based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. I’ve now taken photos of several productions. Graham and Sarah are an inspiration and have made such a difference to young people in the area. To date, they have put on 16 major shows to sell-out audiences, with over 1600 young people performing in these shows. Several performers have written to me to express how […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire
The National Trust describes Anglesey Abbey as a Jacobean-style house with gardens and a working watermill. Over 100 acres of grounds contain a range of gardens and walks, which were laid out by Baron Fairhaven in the 1930s. This includes popular rose and dahlia gardens that house a large number of varieties. The Lode Water Mill, dating from the eighteenth century, was restored to working condition in 1982. To view all the photos, visit: Anglesey Abbey Gallery For more information, please […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reaching the Milestone of Ten Years of ‘Serious’ Photography
Time has flown so quickly. While it does not seem that long since I bought my first Digital SLR camera, it’s now ten years since I became ‘serious’ about photography. I purchased my first digital SLR camera back in 2006 (the Canon 350D), and I had just one lens – the Canon 50mm f1.4 – the so-called ‘nifty fifty’. The main initial driver for my purchase was to capture my young, growing family in as high a quality as possible. […] . Click here to read the full article.
Recording Mark Sturdy Singing ‘Hey There Delilah’
I’ve known Mark Sturdy for many years and have seen his and my family grow up in the same village in Cambridgeshire. I’ve regularly taken photos of Mark and his band, and these photos were taken at two of the earliest occasions, both back in 2012. I’ve seen Mark perform ‘Hey There Delilah’ on several occasions. Mark kindly let me test my basic recording skills to capture his signature piece. Equipment used: Neumann U87 (vocal) and Rode NT4 (acoustic guitar) […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing Cambridge
As one of my favourite cities, Cambridge is relatively small, with a population of about 129,000, including 25,000 students. With the clear influence of its world-renowned university, Cambridge possesses a host of cultural must-sees and beauty spots. I love visiting the city with my camera. With over five million visitors flocking to see Cambridge every year, you really do need to visit at off-peak times in order to capture scenes without people. In warmer weather, nothing is more relaxing that […] . Click here to read the full article.
How Many Megapixels are Enough on a Camera?
I always try to capture images is as high as resolution as possible – not really to display on mobile phones and today’s display technology but for posterity. In many years, display technology will have advanced rapidly and those images that look fine today on a small screen will look distinctly blurry, noisy and lacking in detail on much larger displays in the future. I can tell this as I often display images from Facebook on my iMac Pro’s 5k […] . Click here to read the full article.