Multiplicity

Went to Kazza B's last week to shoot my first "multiplicity" photos (don't know if that's the proper name, but it's where you take multiple shots from the same position and then splice them all together later in post-processing). Kaz is an amateur actress of no little talent, and after being dissatisfied with her last commissioned portfolio shots, offered me the chance to try and do better. On the upside, since I've known her for about 12-and-a-bit years, I'm perhaps better equipped to capture the real Kaz than a mere hired gun. On the downside, I'm not necessarily any good.

Our grand idea was that (a) the shots would be a bit more interesting than the usual blah portraiture, and (b) her poses, where she acted and reacted to herself, would allow her to demonstrate her emotional range. "See? I can do angry and frightened and happy and sad and..." etc etc etc. Unfortunately, the best ideas never worked out; we did some good stuff indoors which would have been great if I could have executed them properly, but mostly it was a learning experience. Hopefully my muse will be up for a second attempt in future.

Still, as I packed my stuff back in the car and headed home, I didn't realise that the really interesting stuff was still ahead...

Bikers and the Falkirk Wheel

A good day's shooting. I'd twice tried motorsport shots without satisfaction before, but a morning at Knockhill Race Circuit photographing bikers on a trackday worked a treat. Free entry (there was no actual racing), minimal crowds, and some excellent, colourful subjects.

The only downside was the presence of another photographer, from power-images.co.uk. It wasn't his equipment or talent I was envious of though; it was his insurance. He was free to wander into the infield to get the best vantage points, while marshalls would shoo me away as a potentially expensive liability. Insurance like that might well be my next photographic purchase...

Stopped off at the Falkirk Wheel on the way back. I'd never visited it before, but it's a corking piece of engineering, I have to admit.

Roger Albert Clark Rally

This was almost a very frustrating day, until the very, very last minute.

I'd planned to go to the RAC Classic Rally in the Borders, my first rally since getting the camera. According to the entry list there were some good cars showing up, and the nature of rallying makes it a bit more photogenic than other racing.

However, after sleeping in I was a bit late getting to the only feasible stage, and half the good cars were no-shows. I ended up with six or seven good shots, but all from very similar vantage points so they looked too same-y. It was only some heavy post-processing in Photoshop which made them salvageable.

On the way back I stopped off by Adrossan, one of my more common seaside hang-outs. While there I shot off a couple of very casual shots of the evening sky. Wasn't happy with them when I looked at the camera's LCD, and though no more about it until I got back home. Turns out one of them was a corker, a nice panorama of dark sea and sky split by a golden strip of sunset, with a tanker silhouetted on the horizon.