Roseblade Photography Blog

AT LAST! Google have significantly revamped their image search engine. I honestly don’t think it’s changed since I first used it which must be at least 10 years ago. With the arrival of Bing I’ve switched my preferred image search Microsofts way. Bing offered more options for customising the display, the search fiend stayed visible and you don’t have to click on any silly little ‘o’s at the bottom, keep scrolling and Bing just keeps serving up images.

Google have followed suit. It’s not often that they’re lacking behind the competition. They’ve replied with a handy little ephasis on mouse over, much like iStock Photo. They’ve removed the old fashioned ‘frame style’ preview when you click but I still don’t think they’ve got it quite right.

As a partial designer I’ve always liked Google’s colour filter but for now I think Bing still has the edge for quick and easy results just how you want them.

Google Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

Bing Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

This is so often the case at weddings. You get one shot at the day, and one shot at the key moments. You can’t exactly ask the bride to walk down the aisle again because you missed it. At Bryony and Adam’s wedding recently, I had a moment I just had to get right. They had a plan to do a hay bail roll, that means four massive bails weighing a couple of tons each, rolled across the field by the most alpha of males, competing for glory.

They were set to do it, then they weren’t going to as things were running late and light was fading. I managed to persuade them to sneak it in before there first dance but had no time to plan lighting or anything. Within a matter of seconds it was over. I was just running between bails trying not to get crushed, snapping away.

The best you can do this situation is know your camera, know your exposure, make sure you have space on your card, close your eyes and run. Well, keeping your eyes open might help.

It was a great moment to remember from the day, lots of fun, competition, heroics and victory. I was glad to be able to capture it. The fleeting moments are often the most precious.

I was inspired by this TED talk by Ken Robinson about how education can kill creativity, not only because he reminds me of Michael Cain. While mainstream academic subjects are incredibly important (I know, two of my A levels were Maths and Physics) we should not sideline the arts.

He tells a story about a lady called Gillian Lynne. When she was young her mother took her to a specialist worried she had a learning disorder. Watch the 15 minute talk to find out how one little observation by the doctor changed her life and brought the success she has found as one of the most successful choreographers of modern times.

The line he said that hit me between the eyes, that I knew I could put into practice tomorrow was:

“If you are not prepared to be wrong you will probably not find creativity.”

I grabbed this shot the day the planes came back. It was the first plane I’d seen in about a week since the volcano erruption.

For those who don’t know: Volcano eruption in Iceland > Tons of ash in the atmosphere > Virtually all european airports closed > Thousands of people stranded/extending their holidays.

My friend pointed out the plane and we both had this strange feeling. We’d seen hundreds of planes crossing London yet this seemed really special. Like seeing a rainbow after a storm or a bird with a leaf in her mouth after the flood. We just watched it, a little speck symbolising; not triumph over nature but rather natures grace at allowing us to go about our business once again.