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FILM PHOTOGRAPHY: MY CAMERAS, FILM, PHOTOS AND TIPS FOR SHOOTING FILM

FILM PHOTOGRAPHY: MY CAMERAS, FILM, PHOTOS AND TIPS FOR SHOOTING FILM

Embracing The Return & Beauty Of Analogue Photography

I’ll admit that a few years ago I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of film photography, my obsession with sharp, perfectly lit and focused images turned me away from the raw, effortless, imperfect beauty of film photography. I loved my DSLR and would spend hours perfecting the shots I took to ensure there was nothing but clarity in my visuals. I still love that, and often spend too long worrying my photos aren’t totally sharp (it’s that ‘street style’ vibe that’s so hard to get totally in focus), but I have also come to utterly adore the just un-curated, effortless and totally ‘in the moment’ style of film photography.

I’ve developed a rather bizarre obsession with Paris of late, and I think part of my discovery of film photography came from that lust for Paris. I found myself creating inspiration boards of Parisian street style, interiors, advertising footage, and simply Parisians own photography, there was something about the soft focus, the movement and rawness of these visuals that made me decided to try film photography myself.

And so that I did …

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THE CAMERA

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I was lucky enough that both my dads and Jase’s dad had film cameras they were willing to lend, but also a love for photography too, which meant they had some ace cameras to get me going.

The camera I’ve been using most is my dads old 35mm Canon EOS 650 film, the first of it’s kind (designed for EF auto focus lenses) and launched on Canons 50th anniversary (in 1987 the year before I was born) – so many of mine and my sisters childhood photos were shot on this film so I was so excited to give it another lease of life, plus I knew it produced incredible imagery partly due to it’s ability to take any EF lens, but also i’ve seen the shots my stepdad produced when we were kids so I knew it was amazing (plus I know he’ll have researched heavily before he even bought this camera in the 80’s so I know he’ll have got the best on the market). One of my absolute favourite things about this camera is that I’ve been using my own lenses on it, because it takes all EF lenses – these were all shot using my 50mm 1.4 which was great as that has become quite redundant since I bought the 50mm 1.2 which I use on my 5diii. That said my dad also had some fab lenses in his kit so I’ll be swapping those on to give them a try too, a 35mm and zoom lens, watch this space.

The second camera I’m using is Jase’s dads 35mm Canon A1 (with 50mm 1.8 lens), yet another icon in their film range and one that is known still today to be such a good film camera. This one is a range finder and one I’m so excited to play with and learn a little more about. The beauty of range finder is that you simply can’t ‘mass shoot’ and rely on auto focus, there’s an art and beauty to capturing that ONE image, many say this is why Leica is so unique and special (I really want one of those too … but the £20k required for body and lens will be a while away yet). I haven’t had any of my shots developed yet from this camera, but I am excited to get using it more to see how the shots compare and come out.

Finally I also had a Minolta (from my dad) which I was really excited to play with but sadly it was broken (a common issue from my research, age causes an issue with the ability to get the shutter lever working) and the reality of film is it’s not efficient to fix a camera like that, as you can probably pick up another second hand one for less. So sadly this ones left looking pretty rather than functional at home!

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THE FILM

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Film wise i’ve invested in the Kodak porta film, they come so highly recommended and are icons in the film world so I thought they’d be the right base to start with. What I hadn’t realised prior to playing with film is that your film is the basis of your ISO, so when you use a Porta400 (one of the films I have been using) you are effectively using a 400 ISO. This was a fascinating learning curve as I had no idea that’s how film worked, of course you also have to consider the sensor size of camera you’re using too as this also impacts the film size you need (mine are both 35mm). I’ve been using 35mm Porta160 and Porta400. I think the 160 was a little optimistic in the depths of winter but actually the photos haven’t come out too bad at all (my skiing photos and those at the natural history museum were largely on the 160 film), the Porta4oo seems to be ideal for UK weather and lighting.

I shoot wide open at 1.8 which always helps with the lighting too, plus I just always love a strong depth of field in my visuals which I’m sure you know :)

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DEVELOPING

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When it came to developing I did a lot of research but actually high street photo stores are really all you need for everyday photos such as this. I used SnappySnaps as there was one in Richmond where I live and went for gloss 6×4 visuals and the photos on a CD. They’re c. £14.50 each per film to develop (with a two day turnaround), so not the cheapest when you consider the Porta film is around £12 per film too (I bought mine in a pack of 5 on amazon for around £50 ish pounds).

A tip from my experience, ask if they can email you your visuals or pop them on a USB, I only realised when I got home that my mac book pro and Imac have no slots for CD’s anymore, Jase’s mac book pro doesn’t even have a USB slot. So to save yourself some time and hassle if you want to use your shots on a device, it’s worth asking if they can be sent in a zip file.

So the final note to end on is my tips …

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MY FILM PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

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I’m absolutely not a pro film photographer and am on a journey of learning myself, but based on what i’ve experienced so far my tips are quite simple:

Firstly play around, you truly don’t know what you’re going to get until it’s developed so just play around, experiment, try out different lighting, compositions and settings, test the camera and try as much as possible, as it’s really the only way you’ll learn what works and importantly what you like.

Second of all don’t be afraid to shoot more than one of the same image. As I started out I shot one photo every few days because I didn’t want to waste the film, my attitude to this has changed now and if anything I want to play with shooting whole outfits on one roll to get a mix and variety. The output is quite different to my usual photo style, but I’d love to mix that in and have a fresh creative take on my outfit pics. So yes, shoot multiple pics, perhaps tweaking settings / composition between your shots, if one doesn’t work, hopefully the other does.

Thirdly don’t go out and invest tons in a film camera, I read a whole host of reviews and for a mad moment was thinking of buying an old Leica film. The reality is unless you truly know you love it and are investing in your film journey, you don’t need the best of the best. Ask family to see what they have, my friend even dug out her old college film camera for me to play with, look on ebay, and visit local photography shops as they’re always likely to have some old film cameras on sale and often they’re a mere £50-£100 depending on what you want. The other tip on this point is don’t go out and buy the camera you saw someone else using, I again started looking into what other instagrammers use when they shoot film and thought perhaps that’s what I should go for (as I love their visuals), and of course the camera will impact the visual you create (and if you like their style then you could of course give that same camera a go) but I personally wonder if the differences in the ‘camera’ itself is as pronounced as the differences you see in modern DSLR cameras and lenses. One to be debated as I don’t know. But the point is, it’s all about having fun and playing so don’t feel like there’s a ‘right’ camera for it – I really like how mine photos came out and i’ve seen no one else I follow use these cameras or talk about them. There isn’t ‘the one’ there’s many, so play around and don’t be swayed by the trend right now.

Finally, embrace the art of learning something new. I hadn’t used a range finder or film camera before (well at least not recently), and I am so enjoying learning this skillset and broadening my photography experience. Half the art of film is going back to analogue, learning how to use your camera, mastering the art of balancing ISO, Aperture and shutter speed (read this post if you need some help). Film and old cameras force you to become knowledgable, and as someone who only shoots manual, I really love and respect that element of film.

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I would love to know if you’ve enjoyed this post and the film photos? Would you be keen to see more film posts?

March 1, 2019
THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY

WANT TO UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY GAME? READ ON …

Whether you’re a blogger, an instagrammer, a business owner looking to up your content game or simply a passionate photographer, improving your photography is no doubt always on your agenda. It most certainly is something i’m continually striving to learn more about, improve and evolve my visual style.

I’ve written a fair few photography posts here on mediamarmalade in the past for you (be sure to have a nosy here if you want to learn everything from how to master your DSLR, to getting the most out of the infamous Olympus Pen ranges, to understanding and mastering the technical side of photography), but I was eager to share more about photography, not only because it’s one of my big passions, but also because as I learn more, I feel there’s more I can share with you to help your photography game too.

So today, to kick things off I wanted to share three very simple ways that you personally can improve your photography, without investing tons of money in kit or lessons, these tips are really about getting inspired, learning the basics of photography so that you can get the most out of your tech and about fine tuning your personal photography style.

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THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY

LEARN TO SHOOT ON MANUAL

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The biggest shift in my photography came not when I invested in the best tech I could, but when I learnt to use what I had. It’s easy to think that the camera and a good lens can do all the work for you, but the truth couldn’t be further from this. Yes of course a prime lens and a professional camera is going to enable you to take beautiful and quality photos, but it’s knowing how to manipulate the environment through your camera tech that will truly enable you to capture that perfect visual. My biggest tip to anyone looking to improve their photography is to get off auto (and perhaps even aperture settings) and learn how to use manual – because to shoot in manual you have to understand how the technology works, what ISO, shutter speed and aperture are and critically how they work together to create your perfect shot.

I wrote a whole post to teach people how to shoot on manual here which I thoroughly recommend reading, but in the meantime this is what you need to know:

ISO

The ISO setting directly impacts your camera sensitivity to light … the higher your ISO the more light let in, the lower your ISO the less light in. Shooting in direct sunlight will require a low ISO (100), whereas shooting at night would require a much higher ISO (2000+) to ensure as much light is captured (or let in) as possible. The challenge lies in ensuring your photograph retains clarity, and doesn’t become grainy … the lower your ISO the more clear, focused and sharp your image will be.

SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed is literally the speed of your lens shutter, the quicker the speed (1/8000) the more sharp and in focussed the image will be, the slower the shutter speed (1/800) the more ‘movement’ the shot will capture (often this will result in grainy or ‘noisy’ images).

APERTURE

Aperture is the F number that you’ll see on your camera screen, it’s also a number which you’ll notice on your lens (for example 85mm F1.8 or 50mm F1.4 – this refers to the maximum aperture the lens is able to offer). The F number is representative of your camera lenses aperture setting; the size of the hole in which the light enters your camera. The F is determined by dividing the diameter by focal length. But really what most photographers know it for is the depth of field it can achieve. The lower then F number the more depth of field you can create (bokeh / blurred backgrounds).

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CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE

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One of the most interesting things I read in Aimee Songs book all about instagram photography, is that no matter what she’s shooting or where she is shooting it, her priority is to make it look and feel original, and unique to her and her brand. We all know that blogging and instagram is consistently full of visual trends, whether its’s composition, lighting, locations or simply the products in shot (Kitsune coffee anyone?)… but it’s having a unique take and an original eye that will make your photography stand out, and more than that, make your brand and visual recognisable. This doesn’t mean you need a theme (we all know I’ll never be able to stick to just one visual style on my own instagram), but what it does mean is that every photo should have your personal filter. Every image is original to you.

I spend a lot of time getting inspired by other peoples photography, whether it’s bloggers, editorials or instagrammers. I create pinterest boards full of photography and styling inspiration to fuel my own imagination, and I spend a lot of time thinking about the sorts of visuals i want to capture. The key word here though is that they inspire me and my photography, they don’t ever become the basis of what I create (that’s copying people).

Seeking inspiration is a great way of understanding what it is you like or what sorts of visuals inspire you, it can open your eyes to new things, new ideas and provide a springboard for your own imagination. The key thing is to always then take it forward in your own way.

I love trying out new compositions, angles, locations, lighting styles & of course adapting the props and things I’m shooting to improve my photography. These things can make such an incredible difference to a photo and the moment you capture. As does playing and finessing your editing style.

The key is to play around, try shooting at different times of days, from different angles, in new locations, perhaps with a different lens (as this can make a huge difference to the type of visual you capture). The more you shoot, the better you get, and the more you get out and about, the more you’ll see to shoot or inspire your next editorial.

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MASTER PHOTO EDITING

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Truth be told, when it comes to editing, my approach is less is more. The great thing about shooting on manual is that you’re in total control of your shot, and having your own photography style means you’re capturing inspiring and original visuals, so that means editing really is the cherry on top (and I thoroughly recommend it being just that).

Firstly shoot on RAW, always. It’ll allow you to edit the fundamental elements of your photograph whilst not losing the quality of the image. I personally use lightroom for my photo editing.

Secondly, don’t over edit, instead use the editing process to gently adjust lighting, sharpness, shadows, darkness and your colours. Even an incredible photo can be given a bit of extra oomph with just some simple editing adjustments.

And finally, create your own distinct editing style, whether it’s brightness (mine are always very bright and drenched in sunlight), colour tone (Julia Hengel of Gal Meets Glam always has a pink hue to her photography) or even the final composition of your photography when you hit publish (Masha Sedgwick has an incredible and original editorial style to her photography and the way in which she showcases her images on her blog). Whatever it is, make it yours.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

. HOW TO SHOOT ON MANUAL AND IMPROVE YOUR BLOG PHOTOS . MASTERING PHOTOGRAPHY & YOUR DSLR . HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DSLR CAMERA . HOW TO CREATE PINTEREST WORTHY BLOG IMAGES & HOW THEY WILL GROW YOUR BLOG . 6 TIPS TO HELP YOU SHOOT GREAT BLOG PICTURES . 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR OLYMPUS PEN .

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SHOP MY KIT

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And to finish off, I have three bonus tips for you …

Firstly, whether your a blogger, an instagrammer or just a photography lover, try focusing on creating one perfect image and not 20 average ones. I used to share so many photos on my blog, but perhaps 3 out of the 15 were spot on. The impact a visual can have is so much stronger if one perfect image does the talking.

Secondly, whilst great photography happens when you know how to use your kit, I couldn’t recommend investing in lenses that reflect the style of photography you love enough. Lenses can make such an incredible difference to your photography and I for one am obsessed with my personal lens collection. On my Canon 5DIII I shoot with a Canon 85mm 1.2, a Canon 50mm 1.4 and the Canon 85mm 1.8, and on my Olympus Pen & Olympus E-M10 I have the standard pancake lens which I barely use, but the Zuiko 45mm 1.8 and Lumix 25mm 1.7 are my favourites as they really help create the perfect depth of field I love in my photography.

And finally, when you’re trying to learn, practice is your best friend. Play around with settings, locations, times of day, models and props, find what works for you and what creates the perfect setting for your visuals. If you need a little more help then youtube tutorials and my full suite of photography tips will also teach you everything you need to know to capture beautiful photos.

I hope you’ve found this post helpful and are keen to see more photography editorials in the future? I’d also love to hear about your shooting styles, what inspires you and of course check out your own instagram pages or blogs, so be sure to leave them in the comments for me.

April 2, 2017
5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER

. HOW TO TAKE PERFECT PHOTOS THIS SUMMER : 5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER .

I love photography, it’s one of my favourite things about blogging and the thing I obsess over the most. I love shooting pictures, editing them and just viewing them on my blog and other peoples blogs too. Having a fab set of photos (shot by you) to accompany any blog feature really brings everything to life, adds personality, character and just generally makes things more enjoyable to read I think. After all they do say a picture tells a thousand words.

I’ve already shared a whole host of photography tips posts on my blog, from mastering your DSLR, how to take great photos for your blog part 1 and part 2 , to how to edit photos and my top 5 photography tips as it’s something i’m so passionate about. But today I wanted to share my tips and advice for shooting in this new season, Summer.

The thing with photography is that to take the perfect photo you have to adapt to your surroundings, the light, the location. not just from a quality perspective but also a composition and styling perspective too. There’s absolutely no right or wrong way of doing things, but I thought i’d share some things that I think are helpful to learn and play with whilst shooting in summer.

Summer means sunshine, more natural light, but also shadowing, midday sunshine & a whole different set of shooting settings to the winter months we’re used to. So with the ambition of taking perfect photos this summer, i’m sharing my top 5 photography tips for shooting in the summer.

5 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SHOOTING IN THE SUMMER

#1 ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS

As you will know if you’ve read any of my photography tips posts, but especially my ‘mastering your DSLR‘ & ‘top 5 tips’, shooting on manual and learning to use your DSLR, especially the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed, is the number one trick to developing the perfect photo. Shooting on manual gives you 100% control to take the exact photo you’re looking to capture, and so learning how to adapt your settings dependent on your lighting, location and desired image is key.

In the summer, your shooting settings generally will need to change versus those in the dull, dark winter months. For starters with more natural light you can drop your ISO right down to around 100 – 200, which for me is the ideal ISO setting to ensure you get a crisp and sharp image. More than that, you can up your shutter speed, right up to 1000 – 1500+, this means you’ll get a very focussed and ‘no noise’ image. Given there’s so much natural light, your shutter speed can be much quicker, meaning action and movement is captured so quick, you’ll have no blurring or ‘movement’! HOORAH. Shooting in the summer is by far my favourite time of year to capturing the type of photos I love.

So bright light = drop your ISO, up your shutter speed. You can read my full photography tutorial here.

#2 PLAY WITH LIGHT

The great thing about summer is that most of the time we have glorious sunlight to play with, giving us a whole host of opportunities to capture interesting photos, playing with the light & having a little more fun than normal.

Typically I tend to find a shaded spot, with sunlight in the background to get a focussed and clear photo but with a bright and sunshine filled back drop. But you can do far more than this … standing in the direct sunlight with the sun behind you is an amazing way of getting a beautifully bright and magical looking photo (I often like to shoot this way too), but also beyond that why not try shooting facing direct sunlight too. It’s not something I often do as it takes a lot of mastery to not blink or squint in the sunlight, but you can capture some fab photos with the sunlight facing your model / product – you just need to play around with your settings to ensure your subject isn’t washed out!

Normally I avoid shadows as they can often detract from the subject or potentially ruin shots … but if you’re clever you can play with shadows to create amazing dramatic affect, shadows can create quite the magical image if you shoot them well.

The trick here is to simply play around shooting from different angles, with the light in different places and with different settings on your camera.

#3 WATCH OUT FOR SHADOWS

Now, I know i’ve just talked about how cool and magical shadows can be, but equally shadowing is something to be careful and mindful of too. If your shadows are misplaced you can create highlights and lowlights in terrible places making for a messy and unflattering photo. Shadowing is something to be more conscious of around the midday sunshine, where it’s directly above your head and therefore if you’re shooting in direct sunlight, can be quite hard to get ‘just right’.

#4 NATURAL LIGHT INSIDE

One of my favourite things about bright days outside, is that they create wonderful brightness inside too. As you’ll notice on my blog, i very rarely shoot pictures inside unless it’s for my tips posts. I find it hard to capture the beautiful bright pictures which shooting in day light allows. Despite opening all the curtains, waiting until the sun is beaming inside the house, during the winter months you can find the shots dull and lifeless.

In the summer this all changes … with bright days and beautiful sunshine, you’ll find your home is alight with natural sunlight, when this happens, shooting inside can be beautiful and actually provide a little bit more ‘story telling’ to your photos. I love reading other peoples blogs when they shoot indoors as you feel as though you get another glimpse into their lives … it’s something I’d like to try more of this summer.

#5 SUNRISE & SUNSET TOO

The final thing I wanted to share, is the potential for beautiful pictures outside of the midday sunshine, in the summer the morning sunrise and the evening sunset also provide beautiful times of day and lighting situations to shoot in. It’s also handy because the days are much longer, so if like me you juggle work and blogging, you’ve now got the opportunity to shoot pre or post work too which is a total life saver.

I find myself shooting on the weekend around 11am most weeks, but playing around with earlier and later in the day can really give you wonderful settings to really bring some atmosphere and ‘mood’ to your photos. Theres nothing more beautiful than the pinky red hues which a sunset gives, so in the summer months make most of these and try shooting at different times of the day!

So there we go, 5 little photography tips for shooting in the summer months. It’s one of my favourite times of year (along with Autumn) to shoot photos for my blog, there’s so much potential and opportunities to be a little more creative. It’s just about getting out there and experimenting, having fun and playing with your camera and your settings. If you want more photography tips and advise, you can find all my tutorials here.

Have you got any tips and advice for shooting in the summer? I’d love to know if you found these tips and ideas helpful?

June 6, 2015
MASTERING PHOTOGRAPHY & YOUR DSLR

MASTERING PHOTOGRAPHY AND GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DSLR

For today’s blog tips post I thought i’d share another photography tips post, i’ve done a couple of photography tips posts over the last year which you can find here, but this time I wanted to write specifically about mastering how to use your DSLR, and learning how to shoot in manual which if you’ve read my top 5 photography tips post, then you’ll know this is one of my biggest pieces of advice (you can also read more about how to shoot on manual here).

I thought i’d start off today with the basics of shooting with a DSLR (learning ISO, Aperture, Shutter speed and dept of field), so if you’re already quite experienced you may find these a little basic, but in my opinion understanding and mastering these four things will truly help you take perfect pictures and know how to adapt these settings dependent on the conditions your shooting in and of course the style of photograph you’re looking to achieve. And whilst they are relatively simple to understand in their own right, it’s learning how to work them together which can take a little practice and experience.

So today I thought I’d share a DSLR 101, with a quick overview of what these four things are and how you should be using them to get the image you’re looking for.

MASTER YOUR DSLR SETTINGS

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MASTER ISO

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WHAT: In it’s most simplest form, ISO is all about sensitivity to light.

HOW: The higher your ISO number the more light you’re lens will let in, the lower your ISO number the less light your camera will let in. In an ideal world you want to shoot on the lowest ISO possible as this will ensure you’re image quality is kept high and that ‘noise’ is limited (the higher the ISO you shoot on e.g. 800+, the more grainy you may find your images become).

TIP: I personally love to shoot in daylight, and even more so when the sun is out, providing a great ‘bright’ setting for my photography. In conditions such as this, you can truly drop your ISO down to it’s lowest settings as you’ll find you don’t need to let in tons of light to get a perfectly lit image. On a sunny day i’ll try and shoot around 100-200 ISO. This can increase to 400-600 if it’s a very cloudy or low lit day.

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MASTER SHUTTER SPEED

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WHAT: Shutter speed is simply what it says on the tin, the time or speed in which the shutter opens and closes. The speed of the shutter obviously determines and affects the amount of light let into the image (the exposure time).

HOW: The higher the shutter speed (so for example a shutter speed of 1/3500) the less light you will let into your photograph because the open and close is extremely quick, and as a result the sharper the image will be because it’s a quick action shot. The lower the shutter speed (e.g. 1/100) the more light let in but the grainer and less sharp your image will be as a result, as it’s taking more time to capture the shot. The ideal of course would be to shoot on a high shutter speed, but if you’re shooting in low light conditions this may not always be possible, as you may need to adjust your shutter speed to let more light into the shot.

TIP: If you’re shooting in great daylight conditions, and are able to shoot on a low ISO like 100 then you will be able to shoot on a high shutter speed like 1/2500 – this combination will give you the perfect light balance and ensure your photo has great sharpness and exposure. Equally if you’re conditions are dark, low light, or even a night time setting, then you’ll need to up your ISO number (800 perhaps) and drop your shutter speed so that your camera allows as much light in as possible to be able to capture the scene. It’s always a balancing act dependent on your settings, conditions and desired shot.

When it comes to capturing the perfect picture, aperture also has to be thrown into the mix …

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MASTER APERTURE

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WHAT: Aperture relates to the size of the hole / opening of the lens. E.g. the size of the hole for which the light has to enter the camera.

HOW: Aperture is also referred to as ‘F number’, which you may be more familiar with, and is something we also use to classify lenses (e.g. Canon 85mm F1.8). The F is determined by dividing the diameter by focal length, but at the simplest level we know that the smaller the F number the more light able to get into the photo (because the hole is wide) and the higher the F number the less light let into the photo (because the hole is small).

TIP: The thing to consider with aperture and F numbers, is that the smaller the F number, the more shallow the depth of field. And of course depth of field is something that us bloggers love to create in our imagery (that blurred / bokeh background).

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MASTER DEPTH OF FIELD

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WHAT: : This is simply how much of the image is in focus versus out of focus.

HOW: Depth of field affects what of the total image becomes the main subject versus the background (the range of distance that is in focus). I personally love a shallow depth of field, and this means that a core subject (for example, me, in an outfit post) is in focus, however my background (the stuff further away) is blurred and out of focus.

TIP: A shallow depth of field is achieved with a lower F number (it’s all linked together).

. IT’S A BALANCING ACT .

The trick with learning how to use your DSLR, and particularly in mastering how to shoot on manual, is learning how these things all work together. The key thing to know and understand is that they are all intrinsically linked, you can’t adjust one without considering how it will affect the other. Ultimately what they all link back to and affect is light and exposure … how much light is let in, and what other ‘style’ affects you want to achieve (depth of field, sharpness, clarity etc).

The balancing act is always in making sure your photo is perfectly exposed (ISO / Aperture) but also sharp and focussed (Shutter speed).

I personally believe the only way to truly get to grips with these factors and learn how to create the perfect shot with your DSLR camera is to play around, test out different settings when you’re out and about, adjust your ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed to see what combinations work best together for various settings and conditions.

As a little starter for 10, when I shoot my outfit pictures my ideal settings (always dependent on the natural lighting available of course) is to shoot on around an F1.6 – F2 (I actually have a Canon 50mm F1.4 lens, but in order to ensure my full outfit is in focus & sharp, I always shoot a little higher to ensure the full look is in focus), when the sun is out i’ll try and shoot at around 100 – 200 ISO and increase my shutter speed to around 1/2500 – this ensures my images stay bright and light, but not too over exposed (the high shutter speed ensures it’s not over exposed, but also that it’s crisp and sharp). As I mentioned, your manual settings must always be adjusted dependent on the natural light available, and if i’m shooting on a dull and low light day I may need to adjust the settings to have a c. F1.8 aperture (the lower the number the more light let in), an ISO of around 400-600 and a shutter speed of around 1/1000. It’s all a balancing act and I will always take a series of test shots to get the perfect combination.

As I mentioned in my very first photography tips post, If you don’t feel ready to shoot on manual and have to control all of these factors, you can also shoot on Aperture priority mode (AP) rather than manual, and on this mode your camera sets the right shutter speed for you, and you’ll set a fixed aperture and ISO. It means one less thing to worry about.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

. HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY . HOW TO SHOOT ON MANUAL . HOW TO USE A DSLR . HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE OLYMPUS PEN . HOW TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS . HOW TO CREATE PINTEREST WORTHY BLOG IMAGES & HOW THEY WILL GROW YOUR BLOG . 6 TIPS TO HELP YOU SHOOT GREAT BLOG PICTURES . HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DSLR CAMERA . 5 TIPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR A BLOG PHOTO SHOOT . TOP 5 BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS .

So there you have it … a 101 guide to shooting on manual and some tips to mastering your DSLR camera. My biggest piece of advice is to go out and play, test things out and learn from your mistakes. Photography is fun, so don’t stress yourself out too much :)

March 7, 2015
TOP 5 BLOG PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

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February 7, 2015
WHY BEING THE JACK OF ALL TRADES, MIGHT ACTUALLY BE THE ANSWER

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September 4, 2020
HOW TO ACHIEVE LIFE BALANCE: A NEW ERA FOR MEDIAMARMALADE TO GUIDE US ALL TO A BETTER WAY OF LIVING

THE GRAPPLES OF ACHIEVING MODERN DAY LIFE BALANCE

And a new era for mediamarmalade to support – Creating the platform, community, tools and resources needed to help you achieve the balance you really want.

Finding balance seems to be the ultimate mystery in life for many of us.

If you’re like me, you love your career and have poured endless energy, focus and dedication to the progression and success achieved in your field of work. And no doubt that relentless commitment has served you well and helped you achieve more than you might have thought. Yet perhaps so far in life, unconsciously, your career success has been at the sacrifice of other important things – holistic health, mental wellbeing, happiness, family, physical health? And i’m probably right in saying that it wasn’t a compromise you really thought about when you set out, it’s just something that happened as your career demanded more of you, and perhaps it’s one you’re only more aware of now, as the impact of that compromise has become more prevalent (perhaps your health took a hit, your personal life suffered, you’re mentally exhausted or struggling to keep afloat) and i’m guessing now you’re aware it’s not a compromise you want to continue making?

Compromising really important parts of your overall happiness and wellbeing such as your mind, physical wellbeing, family, emotional state and feelings, or your spirituality (in whichever form that takes), for one area – work, it’s going to be sustainable for ever.

You may have already had red flags, in fact you may have seen many red flags and ignored them, you may have ignored them for so long that a tsunami had to hit you full force for you to realise change was needed. Balance required. Boundaries set.

I fall in the later of those groups, plenty of red flags were raised in the last decade of my career. In fact if quitting all my sports teams which had been a huge part of my life wasn’t an alarm enough, the rapid and chronic deterioration of my physical health (eventually) was. Weekly migraines weren’t enough to stop me for a good five years. But a couple of years ago, my body decided I needed a bigger wake up call to pay attention – and that’s when I discovered (after ignoring symptoms for another year, because I was too busy at work) I had developed an auto immune disease, Ulcerative Colitis. Stress, Alcohol, aviation – all big drivers and contributors to ill health. And all big parts of my life. Endless focus on my work and incredibly internal stress hindered by lack of confidence, anxiety and pressure, only broken by big, fun, booze fuelled nights out with my colleagues and friends, or trips abroad maximising every ounce of annual leave with a far flung escape! The more remote the better.

Much of the stress and pressure was self inflicted, it usually is, the usual imposter syndrome, lack of self belief and confidence, and an innate need to prove I could do it constantly coupled with mentally exhausting self doubt. No one would know it. I was a swan. In control and well experienced to deliver on the surface, trying to keep myself afloat under water.

It’s also not a set of ‘weaknesses’ I necessarily berate either – it is exactly those internal self destructors, that have fuelled me on to deliver the best I can all of the time in my job, to never want to let anyone or myself down, to work until 1am so the presentations perfect, to prepare so I don’t fail, to sacrifice ‘other’ commitments to give my work the time I needed to be as least anxious as possible to deliver.

That self doubt got me where I am today. But what I am now learning, is that the detrimental damage it can have on your mental and physical wellbeing isn’t an okay sacrifice to make – there are ways and means to have balance. To have success and a career you’re proud of, and maintain physical, mental, emotional and holistic wellbeing.

I am on a journey of self care and have been for the last few years (well perhaps since I was a teenager when I struggled the first time around), and I feel more passionately now than ever about finding that balance for myself, but also helping others too; Those of us who do want to commit and deliver in a field of work, but also care greatly about our family, want to have good mental and physical health, and time for passions, hobbies, and relaxation – without that sacrificing work in itself.

Since lockdown this energy and passion has exploded, a month or so ago i felt overwhelmed by the ideas and scale of possibility – but what I have come to realise in the last few weeks as I’ve sought a little better balance again (see it helps), is that It can start small, and build in time, that actually letting things flow is the best bet for me.

I’ve always used this blog as a place to share career tips and side hustle advice, a place to talk honestly and vulnerably about confidence, health and self doubt, and I’ve even used it to share tips and advice on seeking balance. As my journey evolves and my understanding of (and success achieving) holistic balance greatens, as I discover new tools, techniques and resources to help achieve that balance, I want to share it with you. Jase is endlessly frustrated by my incessant ordering of books, journals, resources, but I love to read, explore and understand, and what comes with that is a whole breadth of recommendation for you too.

There are of course tons of people talking about various areas of wellbeing (and I for one love to learn as much as I can from all these places and people), but I want to create something that brings it all together in a really simple, practical and tangible manner for people like me – something that respects careers as well as health, and helps us each create a manageable balance fitted to our own individual lives and desires.

Whilst this space will still absolutely be a place for style, interiors, photography and of course my travels, it’s also going to be the first step and the place I start to share more about balance, boundaries and better living.

Not achieving health at the sacrifice of career success, but nor career success at the sacrifice of health. We want both. And we can have both.

But to have that, we have to take the time to understand ourselves and what we need (what good feels like in all the important areas of our life, what we want to achieve, what brings us peace, joy and satisfaction), we have to build the inner confidence and strength to set better boundaries, to know with confidence that we are capable of delivering, respected in our field and believed in enough. So much so we have the courage to create balance and take time to work on ourselves, knowing that finishing work on time, calling ‘enough’ or working more flexibly to accommodate all the things we want in our lives, isn’t going to lose us that promotion, that opportunity or that job – in fact that time spent on self development, is going to make us even better, even more ready and even more equipped to tackle the challenge with skill, ease and calm.

It’s gaining self respect, building self confidence, having good mental health practices, finding your groove with physical wellbeing, creating calm alongside the buzz, it’s building a daily routine that benefits all your desires, not just one.

I want to talk about that. I want to practice and develop. I want to coach, help, advise. I want to create a platform to help this, I want to create a community to support, I want to create and share the tools and resources to facilitate the time out, to provide the ideas and inspiration to design your own balance boundaries. There’s so much I have in mind – some small, some huge, and so much potential in what this new era and platform could become.

But knowing myself and what I need to not stress or get overwhelmed, i’m not going to try and do it all at once, i’m going to start here in the space I already spent a decade building alongside my career, with those of you who are already on the journey with me, and as my knowledge and capacity evolves, i’ll start to add in those additional things, perhaps expand beyond a website and who knows what this may be in a decades time. I’m excited about it.

SOME FAVOURITE RESOURCES

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Watch this space x

July 18, 2020
JOURNAL: PERSONAL MUSINGS ON A DIFFERENT WAY OF LIVING

JOURNAL

Personal Musings On A Different Way Of Living

I had Friday off last week.

It was much needed after two weeks of 11pm finishes and a rather pressured period of work. I didn’t do much with it, and I think in large that’s the beauty.

I’ve come to realise during this period of isolation and lockdown, that doing not much at all rather suits me, but it’s not really something that life allowed for ‘before’. I’m sure you can relate, any moment not spent working packed with to do lists, events and scheduled time to ‘relax’. Of course there are things I’ve missed and would never lose, time with loved ones and travel in every sense of the word (exploring new cities, holidaying, staycations, weekends home) – but what I’ve come to love are those days that have nothing but a vast space of time ahead in them. No plans to have to work around, no lists of things to tick off (albeit I still end up making these, but the contents are more like shower, read, bake than ‘be here by 6pm’).

It’s been years since I had days like those, probably university, or if not then before … the sorts of days that as a kid you’d find boring and dull and moan at your parents to fill with activities, but as an adult are so rare and full of opportunity and calm that you wish for them more than once in the blue moon.

So Friday I had my day off. I laid in until about 930am before a cup of tea in bed. I read a little. I cleaned. Unpacked some new deliveries I’d received (more books, an unhealthy addition that’s worsened in lock down). Read. Sat in the garden. Enjoyed some lunch with Jase. Read. Baked a banana bread. Played some music. Pottered around. Cooked us dinner. Watched a movie. Slept. A day full of nothing really, but in reality packed with so much goodness.

– Rest, creativity, organisation, calm. –

What I’ve come to realise is when I have those moments or days where ‘time’ has opportunity attached to it, rather than an overwhelming sense of places to be and things to have done, my creativity comes out. I’ve noticed it in a few forms – reading, creating art, watching movies, ‘designing’ the house layout, and of course photography. Photography is the form of creativity I fall on most often as my camera is often attached to my hip and I love the ability to capture a moment and share it with you on here. Reading I fall into binges of, but typically this would be on holiday rather than a few pages here or there. Whilst I may not have finished many books this lock down, I’ve been stealing snippets here or there of tons of new books, mostly philosophical or creative books, and having the mental and physical time to indulge myself is a great pleasure. But the best thing on those days of nothing, is that I can pick it up when I choose and feel like it, rather than have that 30 designated minutes to force reading, creativity to something into. The other thing I’ve (finally) been doing is putting some of my creative tools to use; paints, paintbrushes, sketchbooks, journals, creative books. I’ve been buying (in unhealthy amounts) everything and anything I find that sparks my interest when it comes to artist and creativity equipment – I can see the psychology in my behaviour, buying things in a desperate attempt to facilitate and find a way to release the creativity inside. But I finally put them to use and have been doing little sketch tutorials and following a watercolour guild here or there.

I’ve talked about this all somewhat regularly over the lockdown period on my blog, so apologies if it feels like repetition; the truth is, it’s because it’s what I’m enjoying and thinking about the most.

In fact, going back to Friday, after a day of total indulgence in nothing; reading, thinking, relaxing. I started thinking about all the things I loved and what they could become in the future – the potential for them to shape a different way of living even.

Could I be an interiors photographer perhaps, documenting luxury hotels and high end residential. Merging my passion of interiors, travel and photography into a creative business. I thought about, writing and pushing my love for travel further in this space. The pipe dream once was to be an editor. Was there something in that? I often think about boutique stores stocking my favourite stationary, clothes and interiors. None of these new thoughts, but ideas and creative sparks that fly in an out of my conscious every month or so – outlining little trails for alternative paths and seeds for thoughts to grow from. Travel (and being by the sea), interiors and photography themes running through my veins constantly.

My thoughts and musings of an ideallic, peaceful way of living supported through a creative outlet (oh the dream right?) on Friday were compounded by the search for a weekend away in Cornwall. I’d been looking at the most beautiful home stays, coastal properties with sea views and just the most stunning interiors, as a potential break for later this year – and I think all of this combined got my creative sparks flying for what an alternative way of living might look like.

Anyway, I decided to throw my thoughts to Jase. Bounce around the ideas and potential themes of my musings. He Humoured me well – I am most definitely a thinker and sometimes I need someone to share and make sense of what my head is spinning out.

And what he came back with, in regards to my myriad of questions, thoughts and ideas, was something quite interesting, and actually a spot on response (he knows me well after 12 years). He said my interest in design is broad, perhaps too broad to be pigeon holed into one discipline – photography, interiors, travel, writing etc. That in fact, I’m a little loftier in my visions and ideas. I don’t necessarily want to be the grafter writing to deadlines, or the photographer creating someone else’s editorial, but actually my personality, approach and skillset is more akin to an editor curating the vision and bringing together the ideas and pieces to create the whole.

– The conductor, less the violinist. –

I felt the greatest lift from my shoulders on his response. He was utterly right and it was a relief to make sense of things in my mind, to bring some order. I like being the leader, I have a vision and I like orchestrating the component parts into something beautiful. (In fact in a way that is very similar to my actual job.) I understand some of the creative elements I love to varying standards, photography, writing, interiors, etc. But to do just one wouldn’t fulfil me – and I’m probably not ‘honed’ enough really to be the master of one of those single creative disciplines. I need and want a bit of all of those things, and once again it bought me back to why this blog has meant so much to me. It is the creative space in which I am the editor. It’s a small taste for something bigger and broader that could combine all of the creative and design elements I enjoy.

Someone in the past had mentioned ‘directors’, in the same vein as editors, to me, as a way of making sense of my thoughts and grapples with releasing my creativity. Often having such a clear idea but never really being able to create myself the exact thing I had in mind.

And Jase was right, I love too many elements of design to want to only do one thing, they’re also all hobbies versus a nurtured career path. The opportunity perhaps is in creating something that touches all of those elements in some form, and brings them all together.

There isn’t an answer. Like I said it is mostly day dreams, that flitter in and out from time to time. But it did get me thinking of some ideas for future projects. Thoughts on creating a different way of living, involving more of my passions and making it more of a reality than some intangible dream of being an editor.

Creativity, the coast, writing, photography, interiors; bringing together disparate elements of my hobbies and passions, into something unified, that could hold the potential to shape a way of life too.

Being able to articulate and order my thoughts actually gave me some form of creative release and direction too. Something I very much needed to help my creativity (and most critically remove the shackles I put on myself) … I don’t have to be the master of one art form or have it figured out, simply having fun trying ideas out, dabbling in sketching, painting, writing and reading is perfect enough regardless of any bigger thoughts.

– in fact within all the creativity books I’ve read, the single consistent is to enjoy the process, rather than try to create the perfect output, especially as a beginner –

The joy is in the journey. One thing that‘s truer than ever is how much I need and enjoy those creative releases and making time for them must be something I prioritise more. Regardless of whether they were a future job or a simple hobby and creative outlet for fun. Aside from photography, it’s probably been years since I thought about journaling or drawing, and yet now the space has been created these are the things I’ve come back to. And I love it.

–

If you made it this far through my ramblings and musings, very well done. This blog was much more for me to write and clear my thoughts than to mean anything constructive or valuable to you, but you never know, sometimes it’s these brain dumps that people resonate the most with. Utter truth, nonsense and unfiltered subconscious coming to the conscious.

June 28, 2020
INVESTING IN MY WARDROBE FOR THE FUTURE. FEAT: THE INFAMOUS GANNI DRESS

INVESTING IN MY WARDROBE FOR THE FUTURE

Feat: Ganni Smocked Seersucker Dress

I often go through periods of splurging and purging when it comes to my wardrobe. I’ll hit a period where I feel fed up looking at a wardrobe of clothes I wouldn’t choose to wear today, and decide to have a ruthless clear out, keeping only those I adore and wear regularly (or for occasions). I’ve been doing this more and more over the years, so gone are the days with stacks of fast fashion clogging my little wardrobe space thankfully. The blessing in this, aside from lots of clothes to charity and space to actually see in my wardrobe, is that I’ve cleared physical and metaphorical space for a considered wardrobe … a moment to think about each item in my clothing collection, space for each piece to shine and have it’s own airtime, and most excitingly (for me, not my bank) space to bring in new pieces that I love and that will not only last this season, but a lifetime. Because not only do i love them, but they fit, they’re quality and their items i’ve chosen to invest in.

In the last 6 months i’ve actually invested in quite a few new pieces that I haven’t had a moment to share with you, mostly new dresses of the midi variety, because you know what, that is my style and I want to invest in pieces that will hold true today and tomorrow. I bit the bullet and made some Rixo investments, and also got some new Ganni pieces. Both brands I love but often withheld from buying, as they’re investments, but i decided with this new ‘space’ and a commitment to a curated wardrobe for the long haul and not an ever rotating wardrobe of ‘cheaper’ fast fashion alternatives, that it was time to make the move.

–

This Ganni dress was of course one of my first buys. I actually got this last year some time after buying a few reformation dresses and falling more in love with the style. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it, in fact I love it so much i’ve just bought the spring / summer colourway in bright pink too.

The black and grey tone were the ultimate companions for my Grenson Nanettes (again, new to the blog but I bought them a little while back) and my Saint Laurent ‘Talitha’ Bag (which I bought myself at Christmas and have been savouring behind the scenes).

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May 21, 2020

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