On Saturday 15th August 2020, my daughters shouted that I should look out the window as a convoy of military vehicles were passing – clearly on the way to some VJ Day celebration. I grabbed my camera (with a Sony 135mm f1.8 GM lens attached) and took some photos of the vehicles going past. View all the photos . Click here to read the full article.
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BBC Resumes its iPlayer Ultra HD Trial
In an attempt to alleviate strain on broadband networks during the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC ceased its iPlayer Ultra HD trial. I’m delighted to report that the BBC has now recommenced the trial. Several series are currently offered: His Dark Materials Dracula Seven Worlds, One Planet. Image quality looks fantastic. The images here are photographs I took directly of a Sony OLED screen. Compared with the overly-compressed images delivered on BBC One HD and BBC Two HD through conventional broadcasting […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reviewing Sky’s New Ultra HD HDR Service
It’s finally here – High Dynamic Range (HDR) on Sky’s Ultra HD (4k) service – and it looks amazing. HDR makes pictures more vivid and realistic, with more intense colours and, for many viewers, HDR makes more difference than the extra resolution provided by Ultra HD. It’s not good news for everyone though as some Sky Q boxes are not compatible with HDR. You can read my review on my Increase Broadband Speed site here: Review: Sky Finally Launches HDR […] . Click here to read the full article.
Photographing VE Day in Spaldwick
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, VE Day was a somewhat different affair to the one that may have been envisaged many months ago. However, despite the restrictions currently in place, villagers where I live made a tremendous effort decorating their homes to commemorate VE Day. On the 8th May 1945 – 75 years ago – the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Here’s […] . Click here to read the full article.
Recording ‘The Swan’ by Saint-Saëns
One of the most popular, and beautifully romantic, organ pieces is ‘The Swan’ (or Le Cygne) by the French composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, who composed the piece as part of his Carnival of the Animals in 1868. Below, I have just recorded this piece, below, using the Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ and using samples of the William Hill English organ. Photos of various organs across the world (and swans) were taken by me. The Soundcloud audio files can be heard below: […] . Click here to read the full article.
Reviewing the Sony ‘Holy Trinity’ of Prime Lenses
Back in the days that I used a Canon full-frame DSLR camera, many fellow photography enthusiasts who used prime lenses had (or wanted) the so-called ‘Holy Trinity’ of lenses. These were much-sought-after prime lenses that, between them, covered the vast majority of typical photography assignments, including weddings. Most considered that a combination of fast 35mm, 85mm and 135mm lenses provided huge flexibility, superb image quality and outstanding bokeh. I still fondly remember my Canon 85mm f1.2 II L lens (photo above) […] . Click here to read the full article.
Launching the Papworth Pharmacy Facebook Page and 300 Followers Within a Day
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.
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 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.
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.