Ready…..Steady.…Cook!

Ready, Steady………..Cook

From 1994 until early in 2010 the BBC broadcast a daytime programme called Ready, Steady, Cook. It was a very simple idea based on two 'celebrity' chefs competing against one another to create the best dish or dishes in 20 minutes from a set of unknown ingredients chosen by members of the audience. The success of the show relied on their inventiveness, fast thinking and skill to prepare an appetising and good looking two course meal. They also needed to be quite quick witted as the host of the show would often interrupt and distract the chefs from what they were doing. After all this was meant to be entertaining not just a lesson in how to cook some food.

A local restauranteur in our village, namely Nik Westacott of 82 Fishbourne, offered to replicate the Ready, Steady, Cook format and played host to two professional chefs: Neil Rusbridger, a lecturer and chef at Highbury College and Viv Casson from Cassons Restaurant near Chichester. The event was staged last week in front of a paying audience and proceeds would benefit The St Peter Project. I was asked to take some photographs and whilst the images will always be 'record' shots, I hope they have captured something of the atmosphere and fun of the evening.

Host and local character - Nik Westacott 

Neil Rusbridger - one of the two professional chefs

Viv Casson - concentration

Neil mixing his ingredients

The packed hall

Neil and Viv had 30 minutes and they prepared some really fine dishes.

The event was great fun and a huge success raising over £1,300 for the St Peter Project. 

All the images were taken with the Olympus OMD EM5 and 45mm f1.8 Olympus prime lens.

 

Entries for Open Exhibition - will any be selected?

In about six weeks time my local camera club will be staging its 43rd annual exhibition and in seven days time I will know which of my entries have been selected for display. In essence there are two sections. Firstly one for members only and second an open section for anyone outside of the club who wishes to enter.

I would hope that there would be a reasonable chance that some of my submissions for the members only category will be on show come the 23rd of November when the exhibition is opened to the public. The open section is more of a lottery as I will up against some very capable and experienced photographers.  I have chosen four images for each section and my fate is in the hands of the judges who will consider all the entries next Saturday the 19th October. Last year I went along to witness the judging process and I plan to be there again next weekend.

It's nerve wracking when your own photograph is displayed and rarely do the judges take long to mark the picture out of five. With three judges the maximum mark is fifteen. Twelve or more marks are likely to be needed to secure an entry.

The four images I selected for the open section are:-

.....and the four images for the members section are:-

Trying to decide which photograph went in to which category was quite a challenge in itself but having made up my mind and completed the entry form, I now have to see which ones are selected. With a little good fortune I would like to think that I might get one in the open section, but the standard is very high and whilst my work does well in club competitions I simply do not know how well it will do when competing against some the best images in the country. Well we shall see. Not long to wait now!

All of these images are on my own website - www.alanfrostphotography.co.uk

Jazz in the Church

The local village church which I attend is trying to raise sufficient funds to build a new hall on land immediately joining the church. There have been many events to date in aid of The St Peter Project and yesterday we staged a jazz concert in the church itself. Somewhat unusual for a very traditional Anglican Church but it was a great event, good fun with really enjoyable music. It was played by three excellent musicians, using a variety of instruments all accompanied by a solo singer providing the vocals - or as they are called the Kenton Budd Jazz Quartet.

It was a good opportunity to take some shots in available light as I didn't want to use flash. I asked permission of the band first, which I am sure is only courteous, as it could be off putting to the performers to have someone moving around with a lens pointing in their direction. I used the Panasonic f2.8 35 to 100mm lens at f2.8 on the Olympus OMD EM5. I pushed the ISO to 3200  and converted the images to black and white; so whilst they have some grain, this quite suits the style of photography. I manually focused in aperture priority which meant that the camera would select the shutter speed. In most cases this turned out between 1/25 and 1/30 of a second. Just fast enough to capture the image without too much blur.

The images are shown below and I hope they capture something of the atmosphere of the event given the venue.

The Saxophonist

The Keyboard Player

Kenton Budd provided the vocals to some true jazz classics

The Drummer

The Saxophonist, although I doubt he was playing a tune which would have suited Psalm 46!

A deft touch on the 'old' ivories

The Saxophonist turned electric guitarist

Do I detect a little emotion in the eyes whilst singing this particular song?

Still blowing.......

.....and with music, a glass of wine. The pew shelf is not just for the hymn book.

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Easter inside Fishbourne Church

In a departure from recent entries, I could not miss the opportunity to record the glorious interior of our local parish church at Fishbourne near Chichester in West Sussex, which was decorated with some quite stunningly beautiful flower arrangements this Easter. I wanted to photograph the work of many wonderful and gifted volunteers, as well as having a few images which could be published in the next edition of our Parish Magazine.

All the photographs were taken using the Olympus EM5 and Panasonic f2.8 12-35mm zoom lens, mounted on a Gitzo tripod and ball head.

The east window behind the altar of Fishbourne Church

All the pillars were decorated with flowers and Easter chicks!

Crosses and primroses beneath the altar

A floral decoration on the font

.....and just because I can't resist the temptation, I have converted a similar image to the first photo in this entry to mono. Although the beautiful colours have been removed there is still something about the black and white version.

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Aston Martin DB9 driving experience

This was not really a photo opportunity, but a chance to drive an Aston Marin DB9 on a test track at Longcross in Surrey, courtesy of a belated Christmas present and 6th Gear Driving Experience. I was booked in for three quick laps; me at the wheel and a trained racing driver instructor in the passenger seat. No speed limit, no speed cameras, no traffic police but some nerves which would prevent me from doing anything too dangerous, particularly as it had not stopped raining all day and the track was very wet.

I was unsure what to expect when I arrived at Longcross. There were a lot of people waiting their for turn to drive a range of supercars. Audi R8, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Ariel Atom and of course the Aston Martin amongst the marques. I was scheuled to drive at 3.30pm but after a long wait under an umbrella my name was finally called, about an hour later. I was introduced to my instructor and shown the basic controls, including the 'flappy paddles' for changing gear. He told me he would instruct me when to accelerate, brake, change up or down and where to position the car on the track. It felt a very controlled situation but perhaps it had to me given how powerful the car was, the track conditions and the fact there was very little run off. Most of the track was enclosed by unforgiving trees so a small mistake could be costly to both man and beast.....not that the DB9 could be called a beast......more the beauty then the beast.

I soon overcame any nerves and it was not long before a Lamborghin Gallardo appeared ahead of us on the track going more slowly. I was delighted when we reached a section of straight.....the instructor checked the mirrors, no one close behend, so he gave me the word to plant my foot on the accelerator and overtake. The sound of the V12 engine came to life as the revs increased. In no time at all, I had hit nearly 90 miles an hours, passsed the Gallardo, only to be told it was time to brake before the next corner. An experience to remember.

The three laps were thrilling but over all too quickly, so out came the Olympus OMD and the 45mm to 200mm Panasonic Lumix zoom lens to record the event. The rain still came down so whilst the light was terrible, the reflections off the tarmac surface made for some interesting reflections.

Aston Martin DB9....ready and waiting
Olympus OMD 45-200mm @ 109mm f9 1/20 ISO 1250

Goodwood Revival Meeting - the last entry

Its a month since I enjoyed a wonderful weekend at the Goodwood Revival Meeting in September. This is the last entry following on from 'The Silver Arrows' and 'The Characters' and is a final selection of images. It features the motor cars themselves, the shops, some more characters and the aircraft which was on dsiplay. Its an eclectic mix, but all in black and white and hopefully they capture something of the atmosphere of the great event which never fails to impress through its marvellous attention to detail. Provisional dates for 2013 have recently been announced - 13th to 15th September. For more information visit the Goodwood website.

With the exception of the first image which was taken with a Nikon D90, all the other photographs were taken using the Olympus OMD  - EM5.

The Race Starts
Nikon D90 - 70-300mm @122mm f8 1/100 ISO800

The Characters of the Goodwood Revival Meeting

There are two major elements to the Goodwood Revival Meeting. Firstly the wonderful machinery (the cars, the aircraft and the motor bikes) and secondly the people who attend and frankly make this event what it is today. In the past I have concentrated on the former but this year I decided that I would work harder to capture images of the characters, their outfits and through them the spirit of the event itself.

In an earlier blog entry I made it clear that all my images this year would be in 'black and white' and through this medium I think the mood of the event is further enhanced.

With one exception all the photographs have been taken using the Olympus EM5, imported into Lightroom and converted into black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

The Rocker
Olympus EM5 45mm f2 1/1250 ISO 200

The Silver Arrows at the Goodwood Revival Meeting

1934 heralded the arrival of the Mercedes and Auto Union to GrandPrix motor racing. It was a wonderful era and these two makes affectionately known as 'The Silver Arrows' dominated top level racing. A year later in 1935 they made their UK appearance at Donnington. 75 years on and to mark this anniversary the 2012 Goodwood Revival Meeting brought this famous racers together once more.

The attention to detail at this annual event is so special that the cars were housed in an authentic recreation of the pits at the Bremgarten circuit which staged the Swiss Grand Prix in 1938.

As well as recording these magnificant cars in camera, there was an artist doing a superb pencil drawing of one the Auto Union racers.

All the photos were taken using an Olympus EM5, imported into Lightroom and converted into  black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

The Silver Arrows lined up in the pits
Olympus EM5 12mm 1/320 f9 ISO 400

Goodwood Revival Meeting this weekend

It's mid September so once again its time for the Goodwood Revial Meeting which starts tomorrow and finishes on Sunday. I have photographed this event in the past, so on this occassion I shall be concentrating on capturing the historic 'vintage' flavour of the event. Black and white will be the order of the day and I shall be exploring new areas of the circuit and of course people watching. I will be there for two out of the three days, so the Olympus OMD memory card could be quite full by the time the last chequered flag is waved on Sunday. I will post a selection of images in the weeks to come, but in the meantime here is the Ferrari 250 GTO taken in 2010.

'People and Places' at Glorious Goodwood

The end of July/beginning of August is traditionally the time for one of the most famous race meetings in the country - Glorious Goodwood. Situated on The South Downs the race course enjoys wonderful views of the countryside to the north and to the south, distant views of the sea and even the Isle of Wight on a clear day. I am not a seasoned race goer and definitely not a gambler buts its hard to resist the allure of Glorious Goodwood which attracts the famous, the not so famous and those that are simply there to win some money or have a good day out.

My reason for going this year was as part of a 'People and Places' photography course I was attending at West Dean College which is just down the road from Goodwood. I would thoroughly recommend West Dean College to anyone interested in an arts or crafts course held in a beautiful house set in quite superb grounds. The course was being run by Jacqui Hurst and in addition to myself there were five other participants. I will say more about Jacqui and the course in a forthcoming post.

At the outset of the week I set myself the objective of 'seeing' in black and white. We had to produce a portfolio of work by the end of the course, so however good some of the images might appear in colour the final selection would all have to be in monochrome. At Glorious Goodwood I wanted to capture the atmosphere of the place and its people, and whilst we were not in the 'posh' Richmond or Gordon Enclosures, the Lennox Enclosure would provide just as many photo opportunities.

I should just mention that a couple of weeks before attending the course I made the decision to buy the Olympus OMD EM5 with the 12mm to 50mm kit lens. The body and lens are weather sealed and having enjoyed the E-PL3 so much together with the three prime lens (12mm, 20mm and 45mm) I couldn't wait to see how this new camera performed. Being on a photography course for a week was the ideal opportunity to find out. I can tell you now, I was not disappointed, to the contrary the results are quite fantastic and I am now wondering when the Nikon D90 DSLR will get its next airing?

Here are a selection of the images taken at Goodwood. They were all taken with the OMD and one of the prime lenses. Shot in RAW, imported into Lightroom with minor adjustments before converting to black and white in Silver Efex Pro2; a dedicated B&W plugin by Nik Software. 

Racing to the line
Olympus OMD 20mm f8 1/500 ISO 200

Festival of Speed 2012 - The Last Post

This is the third and last entry about the Goodwood Festival of Speed which took place at the end of July this year. The two earlier entries were about the Art of Design and The People respectively. This entry completes the series and is simply intended to show an overall picture of the event. There is no particular theme other than trying to capture the true essence of this remarkable event which draws thousands of spectators every year.

None of these images would win a photographic competition, but they were not taken for that reason. They are a record of the event itself which I enjoy visiting as often as can. It allows me to combine my interest in photography with my love of motor cars.

In a couple of weeks time I will be at the Goodwood Revival Meeting so expect some more images from that event but in the meantime here is my final selection of shots from the Festival of Speed.

Above each image I have added a short description and my customary Exif data. All the shots were taken with either a Nikon D90 or Olympus E -PL3.

.......................

The custom built display which is constructed on the front lawn of Goodwood House every year is always something special and can often be seen from miles around. This year the theme of the display celebrated Lotus racing cars through the years.
Nikon D90 35mm f6.3 1/1250 ISO200

Festival of Speed - The People

This is the second post relating to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It's been a busy summer so it has taken me a while to complete this entry and there may still be one more to come!

This event is wonderful for its cars but also for the people who drive them or indeed simply spectate. Hopefully these images give a flavour of 'the people' at Goodwood.

Its twenty years since the Festival of Speed came to Goodwood, courtesy of the Earl of March. It's grown and grown, year on year, but one person who has regularly been invited but never come, made his debut appearance on this occasion - Alain Prost or 'The 'Professor', the great Formula One champion of days gone by.

Alain Prost and the Earl of March
Olympus E PL3 45mm f2.5 1/400 ISO 200

Festival of Speed 2012 - Art of Design

In an earlier post I referred to this annual event which I attended on two of the four days. The weather on the Friday was mixed with rain showers in the morning but Saturday was much better with blue skies and warm sunshine. Something of a rarity this summer even though it did not help my hayfever.

On the first of my two days I used the Olympus E PL3 as I thought this camera combined with the three fast prime lenses would encourage a more artistic approach, experimenting with depth of field etc. On the Saturday I reverted to the DSLR a Nikon D90.

I have been to this event on a number of occasions and its all too easy to take photographs of 'whole' cars followed by more of the same, either moving or still. So this year I tried to concentrate on taking some other images which would still say 'Festival of Speed' to the viewer but had a more specific theme. This is likely to be the first post of a short series on the Festival of Speed. This one reflects on the 'Art of Design'. Yes, images of cars but perhaps simplified in composition and rarely showing the car in its entirety, although the first of these images breaks this rule straight away! It's the JPS Lotus 72 which graced the huge sculpture which stood at the front of Goodwood House. After a morning rain shower the sun broke through the clouds momentarily and lit up the sculpture and beautiful lines of this famous Formula One car of the 1970's.

John Player Special Lotus 72

Olympus E PL3 Panasonic 20mm f1.7 at f7.1 1/1600 ISO200

Local fete

The local school and church fete always provides a good photo opportunity and this year was no exception. Fortunately the weather stayed fair. I decided to use my Olympus E PL3 which I only acquired a few weeks ago, together with three prime lenses - the Panasonic 20mm and the Olympus 12mm and 45mm. I am really enjoying this new kit; its so portable and discreet when you are trying to take one or two candid images. 'Zooming' with your feet as opposed to twisting a barrel on a lens makes you think about your own position and compostition well before the shot is taken. More practice is required but the early results are pleasing and I love the sharpness of these excellent lenses.

Here are a small selection of the images taken, all shot in RAW and converted in Lightroom with minimal manipulation which included some sharpening.

Lift me up, I can't see

20mm f7.1 1/320 ISO 200

 

Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed starts this coming Friday with The Moving Motor Show on Thursday. Thousands of people will descend on the Goodwood Estate near Chichester in West Sussex, for this world renowned event. I will be there, camera in hand trying to capture the atmosphere and spirit of the occasion. As a reminder here are a couple of photographs taken in 2010. One of the Ferrari 599 GTO, the other the McLaren MP4/23 Formula One car. I look forward to posting a selection of the best images from this years FOS in the very near future.

Ferrari 599 GTO

McLaren MP4/23 F1 car

both taken at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2010.