Hi All

As I start a new year and begin preparations for corporate photography commissions coming up in Edinburgh, I managed a quick half hour of landscape photography on Sunday.  The light was OK, although no detail in clouds, which is something I prefer, but at the very least it was dry and good practice for long exposure effect photography.  When I moved to Dunbar 13 years ago, I was one of  a few photographers photographing the landscape at Belhaven Bridge, near Dunbar, I held a couple of exhibitions, tried new techniques and achieved success in promoting and selling my work, but when I arrived on Sunday, there were at least 8 photographers, with all the latest gear, I may add, all with tripods etc.  It made me realise just how things have changed in the last 10 years or so, photography is very popular now, you need to keep a step ahead of the competition.  It's a good thing but it also saturates the market and makes it difficult for the good work to shine through, with the many millions of photos on the internet, also it has reduced the ability of professional photographers to earn an income through stock photography.  It just means you have to find different ways to promote your product ie social media, word of mouth, networking etc.  For this reason, I will keep taking landscape photos but I will try and find new locations and infrared photography will be my main focus, as I still feel this is still a fairly unique area of work for Scotland.

Anyway better go.  Until next time.

Kind Regards

Colin

Hi All

My first photo job of the new year, apart from some infrared stock photos in East Lothian, I was primed and ready to photograph some junior football at Dunbar.  I have started using my Fuji XT2 and 100-400mm lens for outdoor sport.  It copes great with the low light, some issues with focusing but I can revert back to my Canon when the light improves.  I  love photographing at this time of the year.  Apart from the lack of light at night time, I like the freshness of it and as a professional photographer in Scotland, it has been over a month since I did a football photoshoot.  This was a junior game between Dunbar and Camelon.  It ended 0-0 but was still great to photograph.

It made me think of compiling a few tips for football sports photography and here they are below:

1. Dress accordingly, especially in the winter, find ways of keeping your hands warm, ie thin gloves, wear waterproofs etc

2. Take at least at 1/800 speed, even more if possible, to freeze the action

3. Try and keep concentration, especially when there is a possibility of a goal

4. Make sure you are standing in the correct position ie this depends on who you are covering the game for, if neutral then the half way line is best, if for one club, I like either behind the goals or near the corner flag

5. Don't forget the non-football action ie arguments between players, crowd reaction, celebrations etc

The above are just for starters, more later in the year.  So with the new year upon us, I am now looking forward to some corporate event and conference photography commissions in Edinburgh and around Scotland.  I will keep you posted.

All the best.

Kind Regards

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com

Hi All

One of the great things about being a professional photographer in Scotland, is that you can combine your professional photography skills with your day to day leisure time.  Often on family days out in East Lothian and beyond, I take my camera and combine trips to castles with some infrared photography.  As a fine art photographer, these photos can often have commercial value and it is enjoyable taking them.  You can also shoot family portraits, still life, urban photography etc, all of which can be added to your portfolio and used to boost your website presence and keep you "out there" from a social media point of view.  Many of my Instagram photos come from day trips with my family, or photos I have taken on the way home from somewhere.  I know we all have phones now, but the age old saying of "always carry your camera" still holds true and this is now easier with smaller mirrorless cameras.  Infrared photography can now be undertaken without a tripod, so the option for quick grab shots hand held is always there.

So, here is a photo taken with my infrared camera, depicting the view from Hailes Castle in East Lothian, Scotland.

Happy New Year.

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com