Best of the Year 2013

One of the things I like best about a New Year is catching up on all of the things I missed in the previous year. I check in with NPR's 'All Songs Considered' and my head is usually filled with all of the critically acclaimed albums that passed me by. I keep an eye on the broadsheets for their pictures of the year and also keep up with technological advances. 

The greatest change in my own photography last year was the use of my iPhone to initially 'sketch' a photo out before making the real thing; and later to use it in the making of new images in a way I cannot work with my DSLR.

The photographic app I've used the most to progress my own work is AutoStitch (£1.50 Apple and Android). I started off using it to take, stitch and crop pictures to aid my 'seeing' of a space photographically; to give me an idea of how that place might look photographed. I then started using the ProCamera app (£2.99 Apple and Android) to take the photos, AutoStitch to Stitch in HQ and Photoshop Touch (£6.99 Apple and Android) to enhance and crop. 

So nothing that I couldn't do with my DSLR so far! But then I had a revelation - I found I was able to continually add and take away frames from my stitched image until I had achieved what I had in my 'mind's eye'. I was working on a set of images for an exhibition in Manteo, North Carolina, titled 'Café Culture'. These were to be photographs of the interiors of local cafés made entirely on my iPhone. Making the image above, of the Café Du Parc at the Burton Art Gallery, I was able to sit at a table shooting and stitching the scene, shooting more frames, deleting ones that didn't work so well, and doing this over and over until I was satisfied with the result. This was closer to the way an artist using paint would work and it was very satisfying to be able to complete the whole image from life.

So 2014, I've upgraded my phone and I've added a SmartPhone Camera Workshop to my list:

SmartPhone Photography - £25
A practical workshop to learn how to use your Smartphone's camera to take professional looking photographs and enhance those images on the go. Suitable for anyone with a SmartPhone. You will need to install a few cheap photo apps in advance which I'll advise on when booking!
Thursday 20th February in Barnstaple (10am - 12.30pm) Click to reserve a place

There's a new season of other workshops available too: http://www.greengallery.co.uk/workshops.htm 

iPhone apps on hiking holiday

I've been enjoying using my iPhone 4S on holiday in Tenerife. There are a couple of photo apps I wouldn't want to be without; they are AutoStitch and PS Touch (by Photoshop). The HDR setting on the iPhone camera is on all of the time, it's a rare occasion when the image looks better without it!

I've been hiking a lot, and traveling light, so although I've got my Olympus EP1, pancake lens and polariser in my pack, having my iPhone in pocket to record my journey has been ideal.

The other piece of kit I bought for this and any future trip is a battery pack for the phone. Anyone who has an iPhone will know how poor the battery is; which is understandable when you consider it's computing abilities! So the kit is an Anker 8400mAh External Battery, which is approx 4x the regular battery of my phone; and I've needed it every day.

My favourite hike so far in Tenerife is the Canal Walk from Punta Del Hidalgo. Please wipe that English canal with towpath from your mind, this is a canal, which was fortunately dry at the time of walking, 18inches wide often cut, literally, into a vertical valley wall with the odd tunnel thrown in for good measure, oh, and did I mention the steep accent of 2000ft?

I've been using PS Touch for basic enhancement of images whilst I'm on the move; levels, cropping, resizing etc. AutoStitch enables me to do on my iPhone what I do all the time professionally as an artist. It's like a sketchbook image rather than the artwork but is great for trying things out and exploring spaces when I'm not going to have my pro camera and tripod with me. Lately I've been combining the iPhone's HDR and using AutoStitch to merge/blend the images together rather than shooting with the app.

Once I'm back in Devon I have a whole programme of Photographic Workshops planned:
Introduction to digital photography - £50
A practical days workshop learning to gain control over your camera, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash etc, setting it up for optimum quality under any given lighting, and making better pictures through composition. Numbers limited to a hand-full. I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75
Wednesday 8th May in Bideford (10am - 5pm) Click to reserve a place
Sunday 19th May in Barnstaple (11am - 6pm) Click to reserve a place
Saturday 1st June in Appledore (10am - 5pm) Click to reserve a place
Saturday 5th July in Exeter (11am - 6pm) Click to reserve a place

Half Day Intro to digital photography - £25
A 'sit around the table' workshop to get to know your camera better. You'll learn about shutter speeds, aperture, ISO, flash and setting your camera up for optimum quality.
Thursday 30th May in Appledore 10.30am - 1pm Click to reserve a place
Saturday 29th June in Barnstaple Library 10am - 1pm (special library organised workshop only £10) Click to reserve a place

Sea Caves, Shipwrecks and the Rocky Shore 10am - 5pm - £50
An introduction to Dave Green's own photography. Spend a day with Dave experiencing the secret coast, hidden at the far ends of a sandy beach, full of caves and shipwrecks. Learn how to make the best of your own camera under demanding landscape and lighting.
Sunday 26th May, starting at Bude 10am-5pm Click to reserve a place
Course Description pdf available soon

Photographing your own Artwork 11am - 6pm - £50
I have a wealth of knowledge and experience of photographing 2D artwork, jewellery and ceramics and I'm willing to pass this on to artists eager to improve their own image making camera skills. Although this workshop is for a small group (max 5) I also offer it on a 1:1 basis for ½ a day for £75, or I can deliver the workshop in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £100
Course Description pdf
Saturday 4th May in Bideford Click to reserve a place

Introduction to Photoshop 10am – 5pm - £50
Opening an image file and adjusting levels, contrast, brightness and colour balance. Rotating, resizing and cropping an image. Placing an image or images into a new file. Using layers and history. Participants will need to be computer literate i.e. use a computer on regular basis and understand the basic controls. Small group (max 4). I also offer it on a 1:1 basis in your own home or studio anywhere in Devon for £150

I'm using the Blogger app and I can't figure out how to tag or add a description to images! Therefore a description is as follows:

1) Building at the trail head
2) Canal Walk 1 HDR
3) Canal Walk 2 HDR
4) View from trail without HDR
5) View from trail with HDR (and no enhancements).
6) Natural cave with evidence of occupation in the wall of the canyon just above the canal