Center Stage~branny

[karenc]

Branny

Cuddy's Crag
An early morning shot just after sunrise when the conditions were just about perfect.
 

Preferences

• What camera gear do you currently use, and what will be your next piece of camera kit?

• A canon5D for my landscape work as it has a full frame  and A 7D for sports andWildlife as I can multiply the focal length by 1.6
   

• Are you considered an expert at any aspect of photography?

• No

• Are you considered the 'go to' person for family shots and friendly portraits?

• I suppose I am in a way as I live in a small community and people know I do photographs. My wife and I did weddings in the area for 25 years
   

• What is your "Ultimate tip" for beginners?

• Always use a tripod when the occasion arises. Never trust your hand holding ability and always have a good look through your viewfinder to compose the picture correctly.
   
  

• What would be your dream location, if you had the choice?

• Probably the Olympic games or any great sporting event.

The Jewish cemetery
An image made up showing the Jewish Cemetery in Prague. 

Performance & Plans

• When & how did you get interested in photography?

• In about 1970 when I used to photograph houses for sale on behalf a firm of Chartered Surveyors I worked for

• If you had unlimited resources, what aspect of photography would you have a go at?

• I suppose I would love to photograph sport full time but because of my age and lack of stamina I would be at a hell of a disadvantage. It's no fun getting old.
   

• What are your photographic goals?

• None left although I have not achieved many in the past. My ambition however is to take a photograph tomorrow that will make me a lot of money.
   

• Have you won any awards for your photography?

• Yes about 4 years ago I was awarded a DPAGB   (distiction of the photographic Alliance of Great Britain)
   

• Have your photographs ever been published?

• Yes I used to do a lot of freelance work for sports magazines in the 1980's and 90's

Sycamore Gap
The most famous tree in Northumberland sitting on Hadrian's wall and made noteworthy by it's appearance in the film..Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
 

Passion

• About what aspect of photography do you feel most passionate?

• Sports Photography

• Which Cafe members inspire your photography and why?

• All who participate and help to keep the site running.I learned many years ago not to single out any individual

• What is the most interesting thing you've ever shot? The most boring?

• Clearly he most interesting and exciting is the Taj Mahal in India and the most boring would have to be a darts presentation for the localo newspaper.

• As a digital photographer, would you ever go back to film and if not, why not?

• No I would never go back to film. Digital is a lot less hassle.We can now shoot 2 or 300 images whereas we used to try and do this on a single roll of film or two at the most.

• Have you ever been so frustrated with the hobby that you wanted to quit?

• Yes ... Every day.

Dancing Horses.
Horses being washed in The river at Appleby Horse fair in Cumbria. This takes place every year in the month of June and is a great source for photographs.
 

Practices

• Do you shoot in Manual mode?

• Yes whenever the need is there and if I think the light will not change during that session

• What's your viewpoint on photo editing?

• I use Photoshop a lot and am a great fan of it. If we look at images now we are seeing far better quality than we did a few years ago. I shoot Raw images and hence everyone has to be processed with some kind of editing.

• If you could only shoot one style of photography, what would it be and what would be your second choice?

• Sports and Landscape.

• Why do you concentrate on your favorite subject matter eg birds landscapes etc

• I shoot mostly landscape now and as I live in the most picturesque area of England I can be out on Hadrian's wall within 5 minutes. Most of my images are taken within a 5 mile radius of home.

Market in Goa
Goan Boy A young boy photographed in A goan market. His father hoisted him up a bamboo pole and balanced it on one hand to raise a few Rupees. A big favourite of mine

Beginning to Rain
Beginning to rain is a montage of two images one of the sky and one of the walker.

BRANNY's Gallery

Many thanks to Branny for giving us some insights into his photographic life.  We would appreciate seeing any other questions you would like to ask him. Please post them here and Branny will do his best to give an answer.  When you have done that why not head over to BRANNY'S Gallery and see the rest of his wonderful work.




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[karenc]

Welcome to Centre Stage branny, i hope you enjoy your time in the spotlight.   

[BigAl]

Hi branny,
Well done on an interesting write-up. Having finally got to see Hadrian's Wall recently, I now appreciate why you feel lucky to live that close to it.

My question: What do you consider more valuable, praise for a good shot or helpful critique about a small mistake?

Al

[Zoot]

Lovely shots, Branny, and welcome to Centre Stage!

[Anita]

Hello Danny,

It's been great getting to know a little more about you! My question for you.. I saw that you & your wife did weddings for quite some time, I was wondering what you enjoyed the most & the least while doing so?

Anita

[branny]

Al
Helpful critiques is far more important to me but a little praise never come in wrong.If any one else like my images then I treat that as a bonus.
Branny

[branny]

Anita for most of the time we enjoyed doing our wedding photography probably my wife more than me As she is into fashion and is quite artistic. We certainly enjoyed meeting people and quite a lot of brides etc are still our friends.
Latterly we did not enjoy Brides thinking they were on a fashion shoot and hoping we could somehow make the larger people look thin.
Danny

[Harry7mc]

Hi Danny, great to see you centre stage!
Since I retired from NCPF I have not seen much of your recent work.
I can tell those who look at centre stage that it was always a pleasure to see your sports photgraphy & here you talk about it.
I think in the NCPF we All looked forward to seeing what you  had been up too.
I love all your "Wall" shots & now that I dont get about as much I wait to see the next ones!!
Please keep them coming if just for me.
HarryH 

[branny]

Cheers Harry
 I don't post many sports pics as they don't go down very well.

[Sheryl]

Its great to see you in Centre Stage Branny. Enjoyed taking that trip down memory lane with you. Very interesting read and insight into your photography. I have been a big fan of your work since I joined the gallery. Your landscapes are phenominal. What does it take to catch your eye and think to yourself "this would make a great shot"? Is it a subject or colors...... Always look forward to seeing your posts. Keep them coming and I do enjoy seeing the occasional sports shot so do post those once in awhile as well.

[branny]

Thank you Sheryl It is kind of you to say so. If I want to shoot something then I usually have to have good light so I probably shoot earlyish morning or in the afternoon/evening. The other important thing is Composition and especially when shooting landscape we need some foreground interest. If a subject looks right then it usually is and no matter how much photoshop or editing we do we cannot make a bad shot into a good one.
Danny

[Pipeman]

Enjoyed that Danny - you seem to be a bit older than I imagined - but still a lad though!

Your interest in sport caught my attention - do you still do much? If so, let's see more of them!

Which are your favourite sports?

[RockArea]

Hi Danny, good to see you on Centre Stage and to learn a bit more about you. I've been a fan for years and your images have been a source of inspiration to me. I'm pretty sure it was seeing your images of Alnmouth that led me there and resulted in my PotY in 2008. I get to visit Northumberland fairly regularly these days and as yoy say, it is a wonderful place for photography.

You frequently seem to be out in wild places in your Hadrian's Wall shots. Does this mean you end up doing a lot of walking yourself or do you mostly take shots of places that are easily accessible?

David

[branny]

Pipeman and David
Just to fill you in a bit more. I.m in my 70's and now have dodgy knees so walking Hadrian's wall etc is a bit of a bind but I can get my car to the picturesque areas all within  miles of home. I now do a bit of Rugby union' Cycling and boxing which is my favourite.
David I have seen so many pictures from you of Northumberland I did think you were from the area.
I will generally photograph anything at any time but some things I am better at than others.
I will have a quick look to see if I can find a sports pic for the Gallery.
Danny

[Pipeman]

Thanks for that response Danny - I look forward to your sports shots.

[chippy]

Danny, every time I see one of your shots posted in the Cafe, I have to tell myself to improve...your landscapes and candids are an inspiration.  I too would like to see some of your sports shots, it's a favourite subject of mine.  Do you have a professional photographer whose work you admire - and if so - why?  Cheers  Colin

[branny]

Thanks Colin sadly I don't have a favourite sports photographer . For some reason I have never actually studies any photographer however there is a sports photographer called Stu Forster who works for Getty images. I came across him as a fourteen year old and took him under my wing. I used to take him to sporting events and helped him with some advice. He has gone on to be one of Britain's finest sports photographers and I admire him so much for what he has achieved from such humble beginnings.
Danny

[Pipeman]

I picked up a book at a jumble sale "Cricket Reflections - Five Decades of Cricket Photographs" by Ken Kelly - one of the early sports photographers who used to carry his Long Tom to  matches in a long wooden box. A good read.

[branny]

I see some of the lads now carrying their 600mm lenses in suitcases on wheels.

[Chocky]

Welcome to centre stage Branny. 
Such a good selection of photos. I particularly like the Dancing horses and I think Cuddy's Crag is a fantastic photo
Well done