Compact System Cameras: Beginner or Professional?

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin - Shot on the Sony NEX 3.

The NEX proves a bit easier to pack than its bigger brother.

You may have noticed over the past year or two the rise in popularity of Micro 4/3rds or Compact System Cameras (CSC's). The recent release of the Nikon 1 leaves just Canon left to add their product to the market, with Sony, Olympus, and Panasonic having quite a head start. Earlier this year I purchased the Sony NEX 3 with 16mm lens so that I could carry a camera around with me without compromising quality or any manual control. Not long after purchase I went off to Dublin for a few days, so I thought that it would be a great chance to test out the NEX and see just how well it could live up to my more bulky Sony Alpha DSLR.

If you've ever flown anywhere you'll be aware of the strict regulations regarding luggage, so its important to be able to fit everything into your bag. As you can see from the picture opposite packing my DSLR took up a large portion of my bag whilst the NEX simply fitted in on top. Being the first time I'd visited Dublin, and not having much time before hand to test the NEX's abilities, I decided that I would take both cameras with me, and by the end of the trip decide whether or not the NEX could be a suitable replacement for future endeavours.

November 30th Strikes

Wednesday saw possibly the largest one day strike since the winter of discontent. Members of over 30 public sector unions downed tools and took to the streets in protest over planned changes to their pension schemes. The government claims that as people are now living longer the changes are unavoidable, especially at a time of such economic distress, when the whole country needs to tighten their belts. Union leaders are arguing that under the proposed plans workers will have to work longer, pay more, and recieve less, and that it is unfair that the public sector should have to foot the bill for a crisis they did not create whilst bankers get away with huge bonuses.

N30 Protest

Today I am in London covering the planned public sector strike action. If the unions are to be believed, the expected turnout could be one of the largest public sector protests in recent years. This all comes after legnthy talks between union leaders and the government, which in the last few weeks have deteriorated into a somewhat petty PR battle.

From what I can tell, public opinion on these strikes is somewhat divided between those who either support the strike or support their right to strike, and those who believe that the unions are being selfish at a time when the country needs to pull together.
I'd personally like to add that whether you support the strikes or not, could you all please respect their right to strike as it is a valuable part of our democracy.

Follow me on twitter @RDG_Documentary for updates throughout the day.

Could it all be over for the Occupy movement?

As you may have heard, police forces in New York removed both protesters and their camp from the Occupy Wall Street movement. By the sound of it the British arm of their movement outside St. Paul's Cathedral may be facing something similar in the days to come. They've been issued eviction notices, and the government and local council are gaining confidence from the events across the pond.

So yesterday I went down to Nottingham's Old Market Square to see if they've been affected by this. They were still there, and bigger than when I last saw them. When asked if they were worried about being removed given the current state of their world wide counterparts, they seemed surprisingly optimistic. They told me that they had proof from the planning office that the ground they are on belongs to the citizens of Nottingham so they can't legally be removed. I guess this begs the question, what gives them the right to be there anymore than any other citizen of Nottingham?

Text before Subtext in Photographs

The meaning of 9/11's most controversial photo

Follow the link for quite an interesting article about one of the most controversial photographs taken on 9/11. I find it amazing how much people read into it without much thought into other options. It just goes to show what can happen when you attempt to read subtext into everything you see without taking a step back and having a look at the bigger picture.

It made me think about how I see photos, and how other people may see my images. For instance the photograph below is one I took back in January at a protest in London. It was chosen by the BBC to go on their round up of the weeks news as the one photo to represent the large protests that took place in both London and Manchester. I think this may have been partially down to the fact that most peoples first impression of the image is that the policeman is being heavy handed and violent as he grabs this protester and pushes her back.

Occupy Nottingham

If you're not fully aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement that has been going on in New York for the past few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised. For some reason the media has decided not to really focus on this except for he odd report of someone being arrested. Anyway, people are protesting about the fact that all over the world the common citizen is having to tighten their belt and pay up for mistakes that bankers made, whilst they barely notice any change to their own lives. On the October 15th, the movement went global with protesters and camps popping up in cities all over the world. Nottingham is one of those cities, and whilst the protest here may not be as large and impressive as say New York or Rome, the people here are just as determined. They are still there and plan to be for some time, so if you want to show your support head down and say hi. Alternatively you can follow them on twitter at @OccupyNotts.

'Occupy' Goes Global

As some of you might of heard, the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has gone global, with protesters from cities all over the world turning up to show their support. According to reports Nottingham is one of the cities taking part, with protesters camping out in The Old Market Square last night. Just as with the riots a couple of months ago, I'm off to document this event, and I'll bring you the photographs later tonight.

Portrait of a City - Lincoln

Last week I visited Lincoln on a day trip and decided to start up and old project I worked on a couple of years ago called 'Portrait of a City'. It was started when I was on holiday in Edinburgh and decided to do a little more than just take tourism style or architectural photos and mix this with street photography to get a collection of images that give you a feel for the living city rather than just the main sites. So here are some of my photos from Lincoln. You can see more images from the project over at my website:

• Lincoln
• Edinburgh
• Dublin

An Afternoon On The Riverside - Video

Just over a week ago you may have seen my photos of Nottingham's Riverside Festival. Well I've just got round to finishing this video from the day, its taken a little longer than expected, but we've had one hell of a week that's taken my attention elsewhere. Anyway, here's the video, I hope you enjoy it and please share it with your friends.

Top 5 Tips for Photographing Protests and Riots

An article I wrote on photographing riots has been featured on Improve Photography. I'm pleased to see it on such a great site, alongside many useful and informative posts. If you have a few spare minutes, check it out at the link below.

http://improvephotography.com/1719/top-5-tips-for-photographing-protests-and-riots-guest-post/

Trouble On The Streets

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of the riots spreading across England. (And if you have been living under a rock, I'm surprised. I thought all the rocks in this country are currently sitting in shops and cars having just been thrown through the window!) Yesterday afternoon I watched as Nottingham city centre shut its doors early and sent workers home in preparation for the possible violence on its way. As the afternoon became the evening, it was quite easy to see the increased police presence patrolling the city streets, and it wasn't too long before those extra numbers were called into use. 

A police dog and its handler confront a youth near a bus stop.

An Afternoon On The Riverside

Yesterday I was down at Nottingham’s Riverside Festival on the banks of the River Trent photographing all afternoon. There was a lot of great live music and a (mostly) friendly atmosphere, with a fair sized turnout even with the rain. Their were groups of people sat along the riverbank having picnics and couples sat in each others arms just enjoying the evening. The whole day was wrapped up nicely with the now customary firework display.

All the stall vendors wore this uniform to fit in with the riverside theme.

20 Myths About Becoming a Pro Photographer

http://improvephotography.com/1521/20-tips-for-starting-a-portrait-photography-business/
This article over at improvephotography.com is a great article on the misconceptions of turning pro. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about taking their photography beyond just a hobby, and I can say that I have already come across several of these in the short time since turning pro myself, and expect to have to deal with the rest in the near future.

Clearing My Head

I seem to be working quite a bit at the moment, (but don’t seem to be earning any more, that’s a subject for another time I think!) Because of this I’m not spending as much time photographing as I’d like, so after work today, I cycled up to Woodthorpe Park and took a few shots. It was nice to just get out and clear my head a little.

Awards

A couple of days ago I posted some street photos from London. The reason I was down there was to see my girlfriend, Laura, receive an award from her University. Obviously I took some photos of that as well, and here they are!

Capturing the Capital

In Dublin's Fair City - Part 2

I know its been a while since I posted the first few of my photos from Dublin, but I've been quite busy recently. Anyway, here are some more photographs from my trip to Dublin.

In Dublin's Fair City

Last night I got back from my three day trip to Dublin. I had such a great time just wondering around the city, taking in the culture. Everywhere seemed full of life, especially Temple Bar, where there was live music in the bars 7 days a week, and musicians out on the streets playing regularly. 

Kilmainham Gaol - This is the prison where many of the political prisoners were held during the British occupation years. It is also the prison which was used to film the original ‘Italian Job’ and ‘In The Name Of The Father’, amongst others.

Packed and ready to go!

First thing sunday morning, Laura and I are flying out to dublin for a few days. I've just finished packing (I only started 10 minutes ago,) and it seems I've got just as much camera equipment as I have clothes! Also, not shown, here I have my trusty note pad and a selection of pencils.

First Steps

Although I had to work today, thanks to my new camera, a Sony NEX-3, I was able to grab a few street shots on my way to and from work, so the day wasn't totally wasted. I'm still getting used to the camera (its only two days old), and shooting at a 16mm focal length. That's quite a bit wider than I'm used to, as I usually shoot with my 50mm lens when I'm out and about, but I'm starting to get the hang of it, and its forcing me to get closer to people before I can take the shot. For this I'm thankful that the shutter is far quieter on this camera than on my DSLR.

If You Go Down To The Woods Today

Laura and I just got back from a short walk around Bestwood Country Park. Its always nice to get out of the house for a little bit, especially when you can go and take photos too!

A Summer's Day

It's been a lovely day today, there were many people out enjoying their Sunday under the scorching sun, so I was out with my camera.

Website Upgrade

I am currently upgrading my website, as such, you may encounter problems trying to access www.robertgrahamphotograpy.co.uk. Hopefully this shouldn't take more than a day or two to get sorted, and then everything will be back to normal. In the meanwhile, you can head over to: robertgrahamphotography.portfoliobox.net
This should soon be my main site, I'm just moving the domain name over. Before it goes completely live, have a look around and let me know what you think, all feedback welcome.

Edit: The domain changeover has no completed.to see my new site, use my original domain: www.robertgrahamphotography.co.uk

Koike Course 2011 - Part 2

As promised, here are some more photos from last nights course. Enjoy!

Koike Course 2011 - Part 1

Last night Koike Sensei taught a two hour course here in Nottingham. Many people who travelled to York for Sunday's course also managed to make it to the Dojo which lead to a reasonable turn out. Koike Sensei, as ever, managed to engage the class right from the start, and gave them a few laughs along the way. It was a great session for the kids as well as he adults and everyone left with a smile on their face having thoroughly enjoyed the session. Here are the first few of my photos from the course. More will follow shortly.