Removal of Kingsley Photographic

With some sadness, I have removed Kingsley Photographic from my recommended list of retailers. They haven't done anything specifically wrong to me, but I haven't bought anything there for ages. I now find that their prices are almost always higher than other retailers (and I'm not just comparing with online sellers), and last time I went in there looking for a flash gun, they didn't have what I wanted. A couple of years ago, I could seem to find whatever I needed and always at a competitive price from them - they were my favourite Nikon specialists.

Most recently, I was looking for a Sekonic L308s Flashmate. Typically, these retail for around £135. Park Cameras, Camera World and several others all sell at this price. Amazon sells them for £129.99, and I purchased mine from Digital Meters for £125 including postage. Kingsley Photographic, as of last week, were selling it for £149. I assume this is because of the high cost of having a store on Tottenham Court Road, but Camera World are just off Oxford St and that can't be cheap either.

Grays of Westminster are one of the highest profile Nikon specialists of all, and while their stock is always in excellent condition, I find that they almost always charge a lot more than their competitors. As such, I never shop there; plenty of other camera shops give me just as good service without charging me a premium for posh advertising. I hope Kingsley Photographic doesn't go the same way.

RPS Studio Lighting Course Review

Just over a week ago, I attended the two-day RPS Studio Lighting course down in Lacock, Wiltshire. The course costs £145, which covers the use of the studio and all equipment you're likely to need, a model and the tutoring skills of Chris Burfoot ARPS.

The venue is a perfect setting for studio photography, taking place in a National Trust-owned barn on the edge of Lacock Abbey. It used to belong to the founder of photography, William Fox-Talbot himself, and is a beautifully restored sixteenth-century barn, now fitted with electricity, a flat concrete floor and a fully working kitchen. The sessions began at 1000 every day, which gave people plenty of time to arrive from all over the country.

There were 11 people in my group - 7 male, 4 female, with a range of experience and photographic interest. Two of the group were established professionals, two were looking to turn professional in retirement, some were looking to break into it and others (like me) were enthusiastic hobbyists. Everybody was very friendly - as is my experience on these RPS courses - and the group was very cohesive and inclusive.

Chris Burfoot began by explaining fundamentals of flash and basic studio setups using only one light and a reflector, but by the end of the course we were setting up (comparatively) complicated four-light setups with high-key white backgrounds. After each setup, we took photos of the model, Laura (sadly now departed for Hong Kong!), and were allowed time to experiment and get the best out of each setup. Chris' teaching was clear, articulate and friendly. The course is sponsored by Elinchrom - who also happen to employ Chris - but without their sponsorship, this course would be at least twice the price. There is no selling on the course (Chris only imports goods into the UK), but there is a fair bit of advertising of Elinchrom products. It's not a bad thing, and Chris spends plenty of time talking about other manufacturers as well.

The village of Lacock is beautiful for those bringing down a partner or looking to meet friends. I stayed in the Old Rectory in the village with my fiancee, which was very reasonable for £85 in a big double room with a fresh home-cooked breakfast the next morning.

I had never set foot in a studio until this weekend. Now, armed with my trusty Sekonic Flashmate L308s, I'm looking to head off to the Camera Club to make use of their studio facilities. I've been bitten by the bug - and it's largely down to the enthusiasm and superb teaching of Chris Burfoot. I highly, highly recommend this course to anyone looking to explore studio work. It will give you a solid foundation and understanding of lighting setups, and by the end of it, you'll be looking at magazine photos and understanding how they made them. Inspirational stuff, and at a reasonable price.

RPS Workshop Report - An Introduction to Documentary Photography

Last weekend, as already posted, I attended a Royal Photographic Society workshop - "An Introduction to Documentary Photography". Led by John Roe ARPS and Jo Webster ARPS, the course took place at the American Museum in Bath from 4th - 5th July. The course runs several times during the year, and costs £155 for the two days.

There were 10 people on my course, which felt like a good number. All had a variety of experience, from a professional photographer looking to broaden his experience, to one person who'd only bought his D-SLR camera the day before. Most of us fell somewhere in between, being serious amateurs for the most part.

The first day started at 10am with a talk by John Roe on classic elements of documentary photography, and looking at examples by master photographers. With those in mind, we then set about looking to put his teaching into practice using the 4th July celebrations as our model. The centrepieces of the celebrations were the 18th-century re-enactors from the Crown Forces and Queens Rangers, who gave demonstrations of equipment, musketry and their cannon. They also set up a camp, and spoke to people all day. There were other side attractions - a circus performer, an 18th-century gentleman, as well as the museum itself - but the focus was on the re-enactors, and they were the subjects most commonly photographed.

Every 2 hours we would report back to our log cabin for Jo Webster to have a look at our images, as well as offer each other feedback. Jo was especially helpful and provided guidance without being dictatorial, and her criticism was always constructive. This was then repeated for the next day, allowing each of us a chance to build up a small portfolio of 3 - 15 images from the weekend, when John Roe would also look at our work.

I found the event very enjoyable. The tuition was good, though I think there could have been a little more on the second day. The other participants also made it enjoyable, with most keen to share their experience and try out new things. I think we all learnt something from it, and I would recommend it to anyone considering trying out one of the RPS' courses.

You can see more of my images over at my Flickr page.

Happy 4th July!

To all my American readers, happy Independence Day! 4th July is not an occasion that is celebrated in England (indeed, many Brits would struggle to name exactly what America was independent from!), but this year is a little different for me. I'm going on a course run by the Royal Photographic Society down at the American Museum in Bath, where I'll be covering the traditional 4th July celebrations and historical re-enactments.

I've never been on an RPS course, but I have high hopes and expectations. I'll post a report next week along with some sample images.