Drawing with light

The word photograph comes from two ancient Greek words: photo, for "light" and graph, for "drawing". Photography can therefore be said to be "Drawing with light".

For most of my life I have had access to a camera, examples have included a Kodak Brownie, both 126 and 110 instamatics, a 35mm Pentax MX and a Minolta Vectis SLR that used APS film.

My most inspiring photographic moment was when I first experienced a digital camera . It was a 5 megapixel Sony Compact model that belonged to my wife. It helped to rekindle my dormant passion for photography so much so that I now own a Canon DSLR and rarely go anywhere without it.

Here I wish to share my images and maybe inspire, excite and encourage others to pick up a camera. My images are eclectic. Some are straight from the camera and some have been manipulated. My most recent experiments involve creating High Dynamic Range (HDR) Images where three or more images with a range of exposure settings are combined.

If you wish to contact me regarding my photography or any images on this site you can send a message or call me on my mobile.

Enjoy your visit, explore my galleries and do come again soon.

Steve Tainton









My Working Tools

An overview of the equipment used to capture and produce the images shown on this site.

Hardware

  • Canon 7D DSLR
  • Canon 350D DSLR
  • Sigma 12-24mm
    f4.5-5.6 DG HSM
  • Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6
  • Sigma 50mm f2.8
    DG Macro
  • Sigma 55-200mm
    f4-5.6 DC
  • Tamron 70-300mm
    f4-5.6 LD Tele-Macro
  • Hoodman Angle Viewfinder
  • A Variety of Flashes
  • Wireless Triggers
  • Canon Battery Grip
  • Velbon Tripod
  • SLIK Mini Tripod
  • SLIK AF-1100 E Trigger Release Ball Head
  • Lastolite 5in1 39in Reflector
  • Cokin ND Graduated & Polarising Filters

Software

  • Adobe Photoshop CS3
  • Adobe Lightroom 5
  • Photomatix Pro 3

Choices

As a photographer I have many choices to make when creating my photographs.

When looking through the viewfinder I must decide what to include and what to exclude from the scene. I select the distance from which to take the picture and the precise angle that best suits my purpose.

I also select the moment to press the shutter a decision that may require hours of patient waiting until the light is exactly right or be a split-second decision. Whichever, my sense of timing is always crucial (and occasionally wrong).

I can expand or flatten perspective by my choice of lens and can freeze motion or record it as a blur, depending on my selected shutter speed.

I can create an infinite number of lighting effects with flashes, floodlights and reflectors. I am also able to alter the tonal values or colours in a picture by my choice of filters.

These are only a few of the controls and choices available to me when taking a picture.

Later, in the "digital darkroom" of my PC, many additional choices are available.