Saturday 28 August 2010

Chickens!!!

So this one has nothing to do with photography.  This one's all about chickens!  We have 4.  We used to have 2.  Then we had 1.  Now we have 4...





We started off last September with 2 rescue chickens.  We called them Zinger and Nugget which we though was hilarious (and still do!)  We got them via a friend from the British Hen Welfare Trust.  I've never really been big on animal rights.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not for it, I've just never really thought about it.  But these 2 arrived skinny, pale and with only half their feathers.  It's disgusting.



We put them in their new house on the lawn.  The lawn was quickly destroyed!  So we built them a new run which was much better for them (and the garden).  We would let them out to roam the garden and let them dig up the beds and have a mud bath wherever they wanted.  And they saw snow for the first time!  Until one day, in broad daylight a fox took Nugget.  Didn't eat her, just killed her and dropped her in our neighbours' garden.


So we were down to 1 poor little lonely chicken.  She didn't really know what to do with herself.  Until April when we got 3 more!  Then I think she would have quite like to be back on her own again.  Tilly, Rosey and Poppy arrived (again from the BHWT) and peace was shattered!  Tilly soon established herself as head chicken and Zinger had to take a bit of a back seat.  They all get on OK though.



I could go on for days but I won't.  Instead I'll just say go and get some chickens!  They're brilliant!  And if you can why not rescue some?  Anything you have to offer has to be better than a battery cage with no room to stand and nothing to do all day but peck each other's feathers out...

Saturday 21 August 2010

Christmas Pressies

It's only 127 until Christmas!  I don't want you to panic but I do want you to start thinking about pressies...

Schools are still off for a couple of weeks so why not use the time to get ahead of the game and beat the rush in December?  A good portrait in a quality hand made frame makes the ideal gift for grandparents or even your special someone.




Book a session in the studio over the next couple of weeks and avoid a long wait nearer Christmas.  Or why not try some lifestyle portraits?  We can go to the beach, the park or anywhere else you can think of!

A portrait sitting is also a perfect present for someone, whether they've got kids or not.  Why not buy someone a voucher this year.  It's something a bit different and will give them something they can keep and treasure forever!

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Prom Shots!

Not really got much to say about this one but I wanted to get the photos out into the interweb because I'm quite proud of them!  This was a group on their way out to their prom.  They had their hair and make-up done, came for a photo shoot, got picked up in a limo and were whisked away to a great night!


For no reason I can fathom though blogger won't let me put the pictures up side by side, so rather than stacking them all on top of each other I've put them on Facebook.  Go to facebook.chris-lynn.co.uk and have a look there.  Become a fan as well while you're there!

Sunday 1 August 2010

What makes a great photographer?

Well there's a question!  It's not easily answered, but I asked it so I'll try...

A great photographer is 50% technical ability, 50% creativity and 50% personality.  Maths buffs amongst you will spot a problem.  But that's the difference between a good photographer and a great one.

Almost everyone has a camera these days and most (being kind) know how to use it to take some good snaps.  But you need to really know how to use the camera.  A correctly exposed picture may look good, but knowing what range of shutter speeds and apertures that can be used can really improve a picture.  Close ups of flowers look much better if the background is blurred giving good bokeh (Google it... it'll take too long to explain!) so set your aperture as wide as it will go and speed up the shutter.  A fast shutter might freeze a fast moving car, but try slowing it down a bit and pan to add a bit of movement into the background.

Creativity is just as important as technical know how.  There's no point having a technically brilliant picture of a rubbish subject!  Think about splitting the picture into thirds horizontally and vertically and positioning the focal point on a third line.  Or maybe lining things up on diagonals to change the dynamics.  Think about different view points as well to capture subjects in an unusual way.

But the bit that makes a photographer great is the personality.  I can only take a photo of what's there so it's up to me to put my models, whether adults or children, at ease and help them relax.  They have to feel comfortable with me for me to get the absolute best out of them.  It's just as important at a wedding as well.  The photographer is there all day and spends a lot of time with the bride and groom and their friends and family so it's important to choose a photographer you get on with and who you feel comfortable with.

I like to think I can get on with everyone.  Give me a ring, just for a chat if you fancy, to find out!