articles - Page 28 of 29 - Nigel Goldsmith photography & film

Hospital portrait – understanding Bokeh

This image was taken in a local hospital earlier today and demonstrates the effective use of a large lens aperture f1.4 to isolate the two subjects in the foreground from the out of focus background. The way a lens renders out of focus detail is referred to its ‘bokeh‘. If you look closely you will see that the large haggered looking subject on the right has one eye in focus while the other is out of focus. This shallow ‘depth of field’ is also associated with larger lens apertures.

According to the Keywords used in the image metadata the smaller and more attractive subject is a Sylvie Goldsmith while the the larger subject is of no interest to the viewer and quite rightly goes un-named. The larger subject would also benefit from some serious work in Photoshop.

In case you are worried the rough looking subject on the right will be teaching at Bath University as normal today.

Bokeh and the newborn baby (Sylvie)

2 Comments

Dad, this old camera is rubbish!!

Rather than packing a point and shoot digital camera when we go on holiday I always like to take one of my veteran film cameras. These cameras still take lovely photographs which have a quality that digital lacks. Most of the pictures taken during the trip to Bangladesh were shot with my twin lens Mamiya C330 rather than the digital SLR that sat gathering dust in the bag next to it.

This year I took my Hasselblad 500 CM, on holiday, the children didn’t appreciate its fine Carl Zeiss optics nor the square picture format. They hated the way everything was back to front and didn’t much like not knowing what they had taken until we returned home. I loved taking every single frame.

The real beauty of this vintage 40 year old camera is that it is completely compatible with modern digital camera backs so, when I want to take a digital shot I just remove the film back and put a digital one on.

Maybe next year I will take the large format Sinar

Grace getting to grips with the Hasselblad 500cm. Picture taken with an Apple telephone

Grace getting to grips with the Hasselblad. Picture taken with an Apple telephone

Do you come here often?

Child play can be seen as a rehearsal for adult life. I am currently working on a personal project called Game Over which documents toys left by children when they have finished with them. If a toy is a proxy of the real thing can we read something else into these accidental arrangements of objects?

Game Over No. 4

Game Over No. 2

Public relations photography shoot in Wiltshire

It isn’t easy to operate a camera with an ice cream in your hand but over the ast couple of weeks I have been doing some public relations photography for Ice Cream Events. They sell locally made Marshfield Farm Ice Cream from a 45 year old former french fire engine and vintage British made Pashley trikes. The images are to be used on their website, point of sale materials and in their social media promotions. Of course it is essential to immerse oneself in the product when you are working to promote a brand so I managed to ‘taste’ at least half of their available flavours.

Ice Cream Events 1968 Citroen van

Ice Cream Events

Photography & Photoshop and video training in Bath & Bristol

Photography, Photoshop and video training

We were very happy to work with Nigel as he provided a flexible and high quality learning experience. He was able to tailor the training to our specific needs which proved to be a valuable and cost effective solution. We look forward to working with Nigel again in the future.” Flo Smith,National Trust Picture Library

You do not need a state of the art digital SLR to take great pictures, in fact today’s mobile phones can take quite useable images for either work or pleasure if they are used with care. In small groups or in 1:1 sessions I can explain the features offered by the student’s camera and show how to take advantage of them.

I have worked as a photographer for over twenty five years and have offered photography and photoshop training for over twenty. I have also taught learners at all levels and environments from 1:1 tuition through to degree.

Photography and Photoshop training in Bath and Bristol

As a practicing professional photographer I can bring ‘real world’ experience to the classroom, as a qualified and experienced teacher I can share this knowledge with patience and enthusiasm.

I have used and taught Photoshop since it was first launched in 1990, I have also produced a series of online training videos which support my teaching.

I also can offer training on Adobe Lightroom or GIMP, the open source (free) alternative to Photoshop.

Courses are designed to provide exactly the skills required for an individual or organisation to effectively and efficiently undertake a specific range of tasks. I have taught at Bristol University, Bath University, Coventry University and Gloucestershire University, National Trust, the BBC and numerous other companies and individuals.

Popular topics include;

Camera operation
Photographic lighting
Colour Management
Video and audio recording
Image Editing using Adobe Photoshop
Image Editing and Management with Adobe Lightroom
Image editing with GIMP
The Raw file format
Getting the most from a mobile phone camera
Getting the most from your digital SLR

So whether you are taking pictures for work or pleasure I should be able to help you.

Nigel is a great tutor and has enabled me to advance my skills tenfold in just two and a half days. I would definitely recommend to any budding film makers. He’s equipped me with the competence and the confidence to go out and shoot. Kelly O’Connor, Kinneir Dufort

If you would like to learn more about bespoke courses on photography video production or digital imaging or for a free consultation please give me a call 07973 631185

Lighting for video and photography