FAQ

How old are you?

My DOB is 26/4/84

Where do you live?

I live in a small coastal town in the north east of England, called Whitley Bay.

That Manfrotto Ball Head.

Yes, I made a terrible mistake & showed my incompetence when using my own kit. The knob pulls & rotates. I take back all that I said about my tripod head.

**Update** I now have a new Manfrotto Arca-Swiss Ball Head, which I love: Here it is on Amazon and I now have an “L” bracket, which has changed my life! Best £20 I’ve ever spent Here

What camera should I buy?

I don’t know. I only use my Canon 5D III & it’s great for my needs. There is a wealth of information on the web and I certainly can’t tell you anything new. One thing I do know is that your camera is not as important as how, where & when you use it.

Why don’t you do post processing on your videos?

The main reason I steer clear of PP videos is because I find them so dull & I can’t get excited about making a video showing my editing process. Most of the time, I do very little; simply adjust the highlights, shadows, contrast, vibrance & WB to push the RAW file to a nice finish. I believe that every user & every image is different, therefore my editing would be irrelevant and inconsistent. For me, it’s all about the journey & being in the outdoors.

What are Nisi filters?

Nisi sent me some filters to test out, review & send back. I said that it will take me months to thoroughly test & review them, so they agreed to let me keep the filters. They are great, but not perfect. Compared to Lee filters, they are a little lighter, therefore a 2 stop doesn’t quite reduce the exposure by 2 stops. There is no colour cast, apart from the 10 stop. They are expensive, but high quality. The polariser really lets the system down, therefore I don’t use it as it’s not a patch on my Heliopan. I now use Lee filters as my Nisis are all scratched.

What kit do you use?

For more info check out my Kit Blog, but here is a summery:

Canon 5D MK III

Zeiss Distagon 21mm Lens

Canon 24-70L f2.8

Canon 70-200L f4 (None-IS)

Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 (New Version)

My New Arca Swiss Manfrotto Ball Head

An “L” Bracket for above Head

Garmin Fenix 3 (For navigation)

LowePro Pro Rover 45ltr Hiking Camera bag

LowePro Filter Pouch

Lee Foundation Filter Holder

A Range of Nisi Filters

A Heliopan 105mm Polariser

A 105mm Attachment Ring for it to fit on to my Holder

HotShoe Bubble Level (Love this)

A Waterproof Camera Cover always comes in handy

As Does my Leatherman Skeletool

I Always Take a Head Torch

I Make my Videos Using the Kit Below:

DJI Phantom4

Canon G7X

GoPro Hero 4 Silver

TimeLapse Head

GoPro 3 Way Mount

GoPro Jaws Clamp

What do you do for a living?

I am a full time photographer with a studio. I shoot landscapes for Visit England, sell images to the national press, photograph the odd wedding, shoot events & write occasional articles for various magazines.

Can you critique my work?

I am happy to pass my eye over your work, however I get this request a lot and it’s not possible for me to look at all images. Besides, what do I know?

Can you make a tutorial on…?

Nooo. My videos are about the journey, they are about inspiration, they are about my process and what I’m thinking when looking for a shot. Although I do offer tips & techniques, I do try to keep well away from actual “Tutorials”. It’s not why I make videos, I make videos to inspire & to entertain.

Why didn’t your dog go with you?

Sadly Monty has been diagnosed with Elbow Dysplasia, which means he can’t join me on long walks up big hills. We are working on building up his stamina & hope that he will be able to come on longer journeys as he gets a little older.

Can we shoot together?

I love meeting fellow photographers & Youtubers. The main obstacle is my schedule. I have a full time business, a dog, a fiancé and I live & shoot in the UK whereby the weather can put a halt to a trip at a moments notice. With all of this, planning is difficult so most of my photography is planned at the last minute depending on what the weather is doing the next day.

What do you use for your GoPro audio?

I used to use a PolarPro Mic, but it was too unreliable. The slightest knock, bump or rapid movement and the mic disconnects from the USB without me knowing. The GoPro internal mic is fine, the only problem is its complete inability to handle even the slightest breeze. So I purchased a Wind Slayer. This is a foam casing, which wraps around my GoPro and eliminates wind noise. It’s not perfect though, it covers my screen & buttons, which is irritating. Who would have thought in 2016, with all this tech that something as simple as audio recording in a breeze would be so difficult?

Why don’t you have a TV show?

I’m working on it…

 

 

 

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