Center Stage~BigAl

[karenc]

BigAl

Shoreham Estuary
I went here after being inspired by some images on this site

Preferences

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

• I’ve had the Nikon D700 for two years now and I’ve no desire to have anything else. I tend to keep the Nikkor 24-120 lens on it but I will (occasionally) switch to the Nikkor 18-35mm, the Sigma 18-400mm or the Tamron AF 90mm macro (1:1) as and when the subject demands. I also have a Nikon Coolpix S1 in a leather case on my belt. I put it on when I get dressed and take it off each evening. You never know when a photo opportunity will turn up.
  

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

• I am the Secretary of our local camera club and we have a Chairman in name only. As such, you could say that I run the club. All our members seem to consider me the expert even though (in my opinion) there are some that are better than me on various aspects.
  

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

• My family have plenty of ‘go to’ photographers and lots of good kit. Last year they organised a surprise 60th birthday party for my brother. I was tasked with getting all the shots. From that I produced a DVD slideshow of the party.

• What is your "Ultimate tip" for beginners?

• Get criticism! The best way to improve is to ask for honest opinion, particularly from people who will not say nice things to please you.
  

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

• I tend to shy away from the top spots and enjoy the challenge of making the most of places that are not considered to be so photogenic. There is one place in Malaysia that I’d like to go back to now that I’ve got the D700. It was a beautiful pool in a remote location that was fed by a cascading waterfall.
  

• If you had the opportunity to travel back in time what person or event would you like to photograph

• I would choose Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi at the height of his rule. It would be a real challenge to capture the aura of the Father of India and the reverence of his people.
  

The Race
The Race is a strip of water at Mudeford Quay

Performance & Plans

• When & how did you get interested in photography?

• My father allowed me to use the family camera and I (sort of) took it over in 1962. It seemed, from then on, to be regarded as my camera. A short while later I was allowed to take over the coal shed and convert it into a darkroom.

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

• I would fund the building of a new Space Shuttle and get some shots of Earth.

• What are your photographic goals?

• I might (with a bit of pushing) convert the spare bedroom into a studio and invest in all the lighting and backdrops.

• Have you won any awards for your photography?

• No – I don’t go in for competitions.

• Does your lifestyle influence your photography?

• I’m retired, still young, reasonably fit and can drive long distances. That, in itself, means I’m not too restricted in my hobby.
  

• Are you aiming for a particular achievement right now?

• Not really; but if there is any new photographic technology I always like to be in touch with it.

• Have your photographs ever been published?

• Only in our local magazine and newspaper. I don’t go in for things.

Longslade Bottom
one of my favourite locations in the New Forest

Passion

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

• I love HDR processing and keep looking for subjects that it would most suit.

• Do you have any famous photographer that you get inspiration from?  If not, where do you look for inspiration?

• I don’t get my inspiration from one source and prefer to view as much variety as possible. This site serves to fire my imagination more than enough and not just the Gallery.

• Do you get inspiration from the pictures in the Gallery?

• See above.

• Which Cafe members inspire your photography and why?

• Pekster first got me interested in the idea of combining a very small foreground subject in close-up with a landscape. Latterly I’ve taken a lot of interest in Karen’s HDR work.

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

• One week before last Christmas we had a big snowfall. It was a great day that I had exploring the new scenes in the New Forest.
  I once spotted an owl flying into a hole in a tree. I set the camera up on the tripod and stood for three hours poised for the shot. It would’ve been worth it if the bird emerged but, as it didn’t, that was boring.

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

• ‘Level playing field’ – you cannot compete with digital which hands full processing control over to the photographer. At one time film had a quality and range beyond the digital image – that time has long since passed. I’d never go back.
  

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

• I’ve not been frustrated with the hobby but I have sometimes got frustrated by the lack of feedback in the Gallery.

The Shoot
A photographer found a quiet beach to do his shoot

Practices

• Have you ever taken any classes in Photography

• No. There are plenty of magazines with useful information from which I learn. Photography, like any art, gives training by others’ feedback.

• Do you shoot in Manual mode?

• I did once – just because the lighting was too extreme and I wanted to get an effect that the camera wouldn’t provide. For the most part I shoot in one of the priority modes rather than fully automatic. You can compensate, if necessary, tweaking the +/- exposure setting. Often, with the Nikon, I under-expose a third of a stop because I find the camera is very good at handling low light./color]

• What's your viewpoint on photo editing?

• Love it. All shots seem to benefit from a touch of Auto Contrast and a tweak of the Unsharp Mask. But, apart from a bit of cropping, there are not many times that I would change content.
  

• In a normal session, how many photos do you take and how many would you expect to keep?

• My sessions vary so much. One day I will take two or three and run out of ideas, another day I could shoot several hundred pictures. These days you can often multiple the number by five because I shoot with a burst of bracketed exposure. Blank DVDs are so cheap these days I save every shot. The only images that get ditched are removed in camera.
  
  

• Do you cancel outside shoots on overcast days, or go and shoot the misery instead?

• I love gloomy skies when there is plenty of detail in the clouds. It’s the bland grey sky that puts me off of using the camera. Sometimes, however, the scene does not require the sky and even lighting becomes useful.
  

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

• I describe myself as an ‘eclectic photographer’ and don’t have any favourite; let alone a second choice. But I guess I tend to do landscapes more than anything else. That may just be down to more opportunities.

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

• The moment I find myself concentrating on one subject matter will be the time to stop shooting it for a while.

• What are your favourite photos on the Cafe and why?

• My favourite always changes. I will eventually get fed up of seeing my favourite shot and move on to another gem. It is why I so love the Photo Of The Month competition. My latest favourite will often be in the top three of the latest POTMs.
  

Bournemouth Pier
One of the few times when I was glad to have the Coolpix S1 on me

My brother at his 60th
I love playing with Photoshop

BigAl's Gallery

Many thanks to BigAl 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 BigAl will do his best to give an answer.  When you have done that why not head over to BigAl's Gallery and see the rest of his wonderful work.

[Harry7mc]

Congrats 'Al' on being " Center Staged"  about time too!
Enjoyed your comments, some are very pertintant, & your selection of photos evoked some pleasant memories of a summer Nancy & I lived near Sandbanks!
 Who knows I may even get back down to the area for a visit.


Well Done Mate!   

[Chocky]

Congratulations on your perade Al. What a great colection of photos 
I really like the first photo ther is such a great deal to see. Well done

[Tina]

Very interesting read Al.... and great photos!
x

[Seven_Wishes]

a nice selection of images to accompany an interesting read ...

[jart]

 

[BigAl]

You do know you CAN ask me questions - don't you?

[brian]

Fascinating read Al.   Well done.

I'll ask you a question...   Like most of us digital photographers you must have a fair number of images saved to disk, amongst them have you one that you treasure most of all, either for technical reasons, difficulty, or pure sentimental value ?

OK make that two questions..................   when are you going into long pants ?

Again congratulations Al.

[Pat]

What a great Centre Stage, Al.  It was so interesting to read!

My question is:

In your travels, have you ever been to Canada?  If so, what part of the country did you enjoy most?

[Zoot]

Congratulations on your Parade, Al - fascinating to read some of your answers, and a great set of photographs!

[scoundrel1728]

Al, you strike me as one of the most analytical guys in the cafe, with the possible exception of me.  When you set up a photo, how do you go about it?  Do you think consciously and deliberately about what kind of a picture you want or are you more likely to go by instinct and trust your gut to tell you when things are right?

[BigAl]

In your travels, have you ever been to Canada?  If so, what part of the country did you enjoy most?

Only as far as crossing to the Canadian side of the Niagra Falls. I'd love to see a bit more of the country but I doubt if I will get the chance.

[BigAl]

Fascinating read Al.   Well done.

I'll ask you a question...   Like most of us digital photographers you must have a fair number of images saved to disk, amongst them have you one that you treasure most of all, either for technical reasons, difficulty, or pure sentimental value ?

OK make that two questions..................   when are you going into long pants ?

Just like my favourites tend to change with other people's work, so too does it change regarding my own stuff.
One constant favourite is a picture that I took, about six years ago, of a gate in the New Forest on a misty day. I got it printed A3 (or bigger) and it hangs above my bed.
I also love a shot of Centre Point because it was the first time I had (convincingly) replaced a sky via Photoshop. It reminds me of how elated I felt.

Long pants - only for formal occasions. I will still be exposing my legs to whatever winter throws at us.

[BigAl]

Al, you strike me as one of the most analytical guys in the cafe, with the possible exception of me.  When you set up a photo, how do you go about it?  Do you think consciously and deliberately about what kind of a picture you want or are you more likely to go by instinct and trust your gut to tell you when things are right?

Most times I just wander around looking for an image to jump out at me. When it does I normally take the shot quite quickly. That gut feeling usually works best. But sometimes I have lots of time and the subject lends itself to trying lots of angles.

[Seven_Wishes]

Here is my question: You freely admit that you get frustrated by the lack of feedback in the gallery, my guess is that many will be with you on that one .... the same people seem to comment day in and day out ... seldom are you one of those such people though, but with each passing day we hear that you voted and that so many of “your choices” were in the POTD lineup.

With the mission statement of the cafe being:
“Photography Cafe, the place to meet, chat, share, and learn about photography through interaction among old and new friends alike.
The Photography Cafe promotes competition, constructive criticism, and an exciting learning environment where people can better their passion for photography”
And your very own blurb on commenting http://www.photography-cafe.com/forum/index.php?topic=6757.0 

Would it not make sense for someone “with such high standing and regard” within the Cafe Community ... to encourage commenting and providing feedback on the images posted to the gallery by commenting and offering feedback themselves.

[BigAl]

Would it not make sense for someone “with such high standing and regard” within the Cafe Community ... to encourage commenting and providing feedback on the images posted to the gallery by commenting and offering feedback themselves.

I feel that the most important comment one could make is to assign the award of a star or twoen. So, each day, I try to visit the Gallery and do my voting. The stars come before votes. I encourage voting and leave it up to others to encourage people to comment.

If a photo is good, then its appearance in the Crackers is worth just as much as the "well done" comments. So I tend to comment on the ones where a particular aspect (good or bad) is worthy of mention. When someone posts that they don't want critique, or they don't put a 'yes' in the box, then it takes a lot for me to be motivated to give a positive comment. I think that you'll find my comments on Gallery pictures to be significantly higher than the average.

Your question does, thankfully, bring up the topic of voting. I know that some people do not like clicking on the stars (or commenting) because it navigates the browser away from the main Gallery into a member's individual gallery. But if you view via the "Last 100" link there is a little trick that I use (in Explorer and Firefox.) Hold down the Shift key as you click the image and it opens the Gallery entry in a seperate window. That way, you can comment and vote before closing the window.

[Pipeman]

I enjoyed that Al - thanks. Love the Bournemouth Pier mono.

You love of The Cafe comes through on so many occassions!

Am I right in assuming that your monos are acheived in editing rather than in camera?

[BigAl]

...
Am I right in assuming that your monos are acheived in editing rather than in camera?

That's correct - for two reasons.
Firstly, I might sometimes be wrong about using mono. If the colour version looks better then I can revert to that.
Secondly, (and more importantly,) I can use Photoshop to boost or reduce the channel values. It gives me scope for hundreds of variations over which I have control.

You're right about my passion for the Cafe. But it's more about my desire to get the best out of our members.

[Pipeman]

Thanks Al.

[Julie]

Hello Alan, good to see your shots all together here!
I don't remember seeing the shot you did of your brother on his 60th birthday but it did make me smile-there's such a lot fun coming out of it!

Here's my question for you

What subject do you have no interest whatsoever in photographing?