Centre Stage~JohnE

JohnE

Heaven's Light
A view at sunset towards Sandal's island from Coyaba, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Preferences

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

I have two DSLRs, a Canon 5D that I use for all my stock work and a Samsung GX10 that goes with me everywhere as it's far lighter and more compact than the Canon.

I also have two film cameras, a Bronica ETRSi and a Canon 3D that are used rarely now although I still use them from time to time.

My next purchase will probably be a Canon 17-40mm L lens for the 5D but I may get sidetracked and buy a macro light.

Are you considered an expert at any aspect of photography?

I certainly don't consider myself an expert and I don't think others do either.
I do however get quite a lot of emails via my web site from people asking how I achieved an effect in Adobe Photoshop and could I do a tutorial or email them instructions.

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

I occasionally get asked to do portraits and weddings. I don't mind shooting portraits and group shots of family and friends but I don't do weddings anymore.

What is your "Ultimate tip" for beginners?

Become thoroughly familiar with your camera and take it off “Programme mode”. You’ll become a better photographer. Also practise changing shutter speed, aperture and ISO so you can do it with your eyes closed. A moving subject won't wait until you work out how to change your settings.

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

I have two locations. Either to go back to Little Tobago Island to photograph the Red-billed Tropicbirds soaring over the sea cliffs now I have a better lens, or to spend some time again at the wonderful J.N. Ding-Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Florida.
If I had to choose only one of them then it would be the J.N. Ding-Darling National Wildlife Refuge. I found the variety and approachability of the wildlife there astounding and I'd love to go back one day.

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

There are so many events and people to choose from but one that springs to mind is Stonehenge. I’d love to be able to journey back in time a few thousand years to when it was first built and photograph the events there and see what it was actually used for.

Home to Roost
A Snowy Egret settling to roost for the night.
Taken at Ironshore, Jamaica

Performance & Plans

When & how did you get interested in photography?

I started at around the age of 10 with my dad’s old Brownie, which I still have. I was given my own camera, a Kodak Instamatic, at 14 and tried to develop films from that and the Brownie that always resulted in a length of perfectly clear gelatine! My interest waned after a while though as I could never get close enough to the subjects (birds and animals).
A few years later in 1972 my interest was awakened when I saw a Zenit E SLR. I bought it and joined a City and Guilds course on photography. It was on this course that I learned the magic of watching a print develop in a dish and became well and truly hooked. Soon after this I traded the Zenit in for a Minolta SRT101.

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

I’d love to try X-Ray photography of flowers and plants. The images I’ve seen are fascinating. Perhaps I should try for a Radiographers job at my local hospital?

What are your photographic goals?

My ultimate goal is to produce images that people would be proud to purchase and hang on their walls.

Have you won any awards for your photography?

I’ve won quite a few awards including a Café Choice Award. I rarely enter competitions but I have also won a Samsung GX10 DSLR and an Epson R800 printer in a couple of competitions that I did enter.

Does your lifestyle influence your photography?

Very much so! I used to commute to work each day and two or three times a week I used to call at one of two local nature reserves on my way home to photograph the landscape, insects, birds and flowers. Now I work from home I get little time for outdoor photography unless I’m on holiday so I shoot flowers and still life indoors.

Are you aiming for a particular achievement right now?

I set myself a task each year and try to achieve it. Sometimes I even succeed!
This year’s task was to sell a stock image. A bit of a difficult task as the only part of the process I have control over is that of providing a saleable image. I managed to sell my first stock image in June this year when a company purchased greeting card rights on one of my images and I earned £175 commission. Now I want to achieve more sales.

Have your photographs ever been published?

I’ve been lucky and had my work published in a book and in a number of photographic magazines in the UK. Digital SLR User Magazine published one of my flower photographs, a Californian Poppy, on their June cover last year. They also printed another of my images over a double page spread in the same issue and did the same in a supplement in January this year.

Shades of blue
Anemone blanda "Blue Shades" manipulated in Photoshop

Passion

About what aspect of photography do you feel most passionate?

Macro work with flowers and plants combined with textures words and other images lights my fire at the minute. I’ve been working with one of the top 3D artists in Australia supplying these images as backgrounds for her 3D work and the resulting images are going into a calendar.

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

I’m inspired by many photographers work, some of them famous. Sue Bishop and Carol Sharp are two that inspire me.

Do you get inspiration from the pictures in the Gallery?

It all depends on the subject but if the composition and use of technique is good then there’s a chance it will inspire me.

Which Cafe members inspire your photography and why?

There are too many to mention them all but I’ll pick two out. MJSayles and Annabanana both produce work that I find really inspiring.

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

The most interesting was a baby Raccoon that wandered out of some long grass by my feet at a wildlife refuge in Florida. I was mesmerised and almost missed photographing it.

The most boring was a set of machine tool parts I had to photograph while I was doing a City and Guilds course many years ago.

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

I not only would go back to film but do now and again. I still have two film cameras that I love using. A Canon EOS 3 and a Bronica ETRSi.

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

I used to get really frustrated when photographers block set in and could easily have given up. Now if that happens I look for new horizons for my photography which is how my present work involving texture came about.

Eschscholzia californica
A Californian poppy against a blue background.
This is the only image I’ve ever had printed as a cover shot
and was used in the UK for the cover of DSLR User magazine

Practices

Have you ever taken any classes in Photography

I did a two year City and Guilds course in Photography in the early ‘70s

Do you shoot in Manual mode?

I’ve been using manual mode since I bought my first decent camera so I tend to use it a lot of the time. When not in manual my camera set to aperture priority.

What's your viewpoint on photo editing?

By photo editing I suppose you mean manipulation. I see nothing wrong with it. Photographers have always edited their work when needed whether in the darkroom or on a computer. I would prefer to get the shot as I want it in camera but that’s not possible with most of the images I produce.

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

It depends on how long the session is but for most of my indoor work I’ll take around 30-40 shots and will keep around 95% of them.

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

My time for outdoor shooting is limited so if I’ve made up my mind to go out on a certain day then whatever the weather I’ll go out.

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

It would be the style of photography I presently favour, indoor shots of flowers using natural light. My second choice would be outdoor photography of woodland landscapes.

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

Because I love flowers. I love their colour, form and ephemeral nature.

What are your favourite photos on the Cafe and why?

My favourites are good landscape shots particularly in the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands because I’m not so good at those and appreciate the effort it must have taken to get there and the time taken waiting for the light.

Castles in the air
I've no idea what plant this is.
It was taken at Abbotsbury sub-tropical gardens last year
and converted to duotone in photoshop

Impression
An example of the type of work I've been producing lately.
This is a wild rose flower with texture overlays

JohnE's Gallery

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

	Author	Topic: Centre Stage~JohnE (Read 2937 times)
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