Readers’ letters
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Image problem
I’ll guess that I am going
to be a lone voice and
probably wasting my time,
but I couldn’t let issue 97
pass without comment.
I’ve been a Nikon user for
more years than I care to
count and I buy Nikon
because of quality – they
produce absolutely fabulous
pieces of kit to enable
average photographers,
like myself, get pin-sharp,
in-focus images when that
is what we aim for.
I see N-Photo’s function
in life as being a medium
for bringing us excellent
images that we might strive
to produce. And you do this
with some excellent ideas
and tutorials. However I have
noticed a worrying trend over
the past few months of you
showing some rubbish
photographs whilst at the
same time trying to inspire
readers, but in my humble
opinion you are failing...Can I point out your article
on page 86 ‘Get the balance
right’. Is this image the best
that George Cairns can do?
There must be hundreds of
other shots in his armoury
to illustrate his point, but
N-Photo publishes one with
out-of-focus tree branches
obscuring the viaduct.
Ian MulroyGeorge Cairns replies: It’s
true that I take ‘bad’ shots,
and deliberately so – that way
I have something to fix! For
example I’ll occasionally tilt
the camera to create a wonky
horizon which I can straighten
later on in the process.
Regarding the out-of-
focus tree branches and the
viaduct, on occasion I write
focus merging tutorials
(using layers and masks),
so it’s handy to have photos
with separate focus points
to combine. I snapped two
versions: one with the icy
foreground berries in focus to
evoke the cold winter season,Star Letter
Young blood
ntil recently getting our
son Ben, aged 12, off
his computer for a
day out was a hassle.
A few months ago
I tried a bribe, “I’ll let
you use my Nikon.” His
eyes lit up. “Really? I can
carry it and use it and you
won’t touch it?” With
trepidation I agreed as long
as the strap went round his
neck and he didn’t run
around with it.
That day we drove to
Calke abbey and enjoyed
a couple hours talking
photography, something
I hadn’t done with him
before. I explained why a
DSLR is more creative than
a phone and composition is
easier through a viewfinder.
We talked about leading
lines and natural framing,
I also taught him to look for
textures in everything. He
listened to me, taking it all
in; odd as he always seems
to think he knows it all!When we got home we set
up a blog for his photos and
he uploaded some pictures
to it (see http://bit.ly/
benelson). Since then we’ve
been out most weekends.
Soon, he decided he needed
a tripod for the lower shutter
speeds he was using for a
narrow aperture. A visit to
the loft yielded a Benbo
Trekker. Since that first
weekend I’ve hardly been
able to lay a finger on my
camera. The local paper
found out about his blog- and the fact he’s only 12
- and did a feature at:
http://bit.ly/2vZCERq
Hopefully I’ve piqued
his interest in photography.
I might even be able to
convince my wife to let me
upgrade my Nikon, then
give Ben the old one!
Simon Elson
Photography is a great for
getting out of the house,
whatever your age. Well
done to Ben on his blog and
write-up in the local paper!U
There’s always method in
George Cairns and N-Photo’s
madness, we promise...Could Ben be about to take
his father’s place as the
family photographer?READERS’ LETTERS