I did a search for jut how many rose pictures I’ve taken since 2007. It’s quite surprising, and also quite enlightening how my approach and post processing has changed over time…

My first ever yellow rose – playing with water splashes, through to positioning in the frame and including one of my favourite rose pictures. I’ve used roses for selective colourisation, for isolation using flashguns and of course just because they were pretty.

So, what drove me to look at all the rose pictures I’d taken? Finishing this one….

Oh, and I’ve started playing with borders on images. I’m also debating putting my name on them!

Nothing much to say about this. Only tip is not to let a six year old help by dropping the sweets. Each time I took the picture there seemed to be a few less sweets in the shot….

I went to the Lagan Sessions last year and, apart from really enjoying the music, got a great opportunity to try gig photography.

At the time I struggled – my 400D wasn’t up to the task of low light photography. ISO 400 and above was just noise and blur and nonsense. I don’t think it’s right to use flash at something like this.

Well, last night I went back with my new 5Dmk2 body. I’m still getting the hang of it – I only realised in the middle of the gig I still didn’t know how to record video… I still had some noise issues to contend with, but since I was shooting at ISO4000 I’m not going to complain.

Thanks to Steve, Dave and the artists for letting me intrude and take photographs. Photography aside, it’s a lovely way to spend a Sunday night listening to some great, original, music.

I’m still coming to terms with my new camera, so excuse me for not discussing it in great detail just yet.

In the meantime, I spent a little time on Saturday playing with some flashes and a more conventional white background.

Earlier in the year, after another round of painful set-up with improvised boxes and pieces of card and cloth, I decided to buy a simple background stand. I choose this PhotoSel stand since it was cheap and I had the Amazon vouchers. I’m not convinced of the quality of it – a few pieces are very tight when put together and hard to disassemble, but as a little home background set it does the job.

Working alongside a couple of flashguns, it’s possible to light most objects, although I still sturggle to get the background as bright as I’d want. Still it’s fun to learn.

Playing with my new camera. Photographing everything that moves. Or doesn’t.

I have a habit of spending time playing with an image, practising techniques or tips that I’ve read in the hope that the knowledge will trickle into my dense skull. Most of the time, the final image is poor – as a friend says you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

That said, sometimes I end up with a picture that I like. Even if it is a big of a pig to some people…

I’ve sat on the other photographs of Susan for a few weeks now. Mostly I wasn’t happy with the poses and that in no way was the models fault. I’e started collecting model poses so I can get a few ideas for the next time I’m in this situation.

I took a little time tonight and think there may be a few I like.

Something about black and white that I’m really growing to love.

Another excuse to buy Haribo when shopping….

I took these after seeing a shot on Flickr of something very similar. It got me thinking if I could pull off the same sort of thing.

Might need to go and buy some fruit gums, fruit pastels, etc…. You know, just to photograph them…

I’m really growing to love the sessions at The Townhouse Studio.

Between the education, the experience and the ideas it’s becoming a real go to event for me each month. Plus, the pictures I’m taking…

I took a little leap of faith with this shot tonight and introduced the background during post processing. As a colour image I felt it was out of place, but that may be because I knew it was added. In black and white, it worked a lot better to my eye. That said, I’ve slowly been making the background darker and darker so maybe I’m trying to remove it again subconsciously.

Oh, and I really need to work on my masking approach – this is not well masked when you view the 100% image.

The Mortello Tower, just outside Dungloe.