Originally posted to patrickphotos.co.uk 2 February 2013

The lenses I tend to use most are f2.8 zooms. It has been a very long time since I had the discipline of using fast prime lenses.

The remedy to this has been the 85mm f1.4. Which coincidentally one of my favourite photography YouTube channels DigitalRev recently did a video on, 5 Reasons You Need An 85mm Lens.

Having to move your body to frame the picture gives you more time to think about the shot. A zoom gives you several different variations at the twist of a barrel, which is a bit lazy.

Like a lot of Nikon users my plea is for auto focus prime lenses at 1.2 rather than just 1.4. If you Can with a Canon then At the heart of the image should be 1.2 AF.

Fingers crossed that by the time I have saved up enough pennies for the Nikon 35mm AF 1.4 lens that a 1.2 will be out. And if that does happen there will be a few nights where it will be just beans on toast for dinner.

Originally posted to patrickphotos.co.uk 21 April 2014

I’ve noticed when using a couple of my lenses that the pictures weren’t coming out as sharp as I would like.

At first I thought it was the ageing process in me,  and could be corrected with a visit to the opticians. However, testing the lenses in a controlled environment showed that they are back focusing. This is when the actual focus is beyond the point that is commanded to the lens by the camera in auto focus mode.

A trip to the opticians is what is needed if you are working in manual focus, as there is nothing else to blame if you are working in this mode. But in this instance, the lenses may just need some TLC at Fixation.

Makes sense for me to post the nerdy/geeky articles on here rather than on my main site. So you may see more of these moved over here.

Welcome 2015. So what is new for you this year?

For me, just before Christmas I got myself an Apple Mac Mini. I couldn’t justify the extra cost of an Apple Mac Pro which would have been roughly double what I paid for the Mac Mini.

I can see you all falling asleep at another review of a computer but with this new toy I am starting to use the latest version of Adobe Lightroom. 

Having played around with earlier versions on a few occasions I never really got used to it or figured out how it would improve my workflow. As I had some spare time over the holiday season, I managed to watch some of the tutorial videos on Adobe TV. 

What I have seen so far has impressed me that it is a really power bit of software that if used intelligently can help you do things much quicker.

So that is my New Year’s resolution. Not to write off something just because I didn’t like it first time but to give things a second chance. 

Looking back on some earlier posts here, I wrote about equipment I would love to have or plan to get.

I was hoping to get by now the Apple Mac Pro and the Fuji XF23mmF1.4 R lens. 

The transition between my current Mac desktop to the new computer is slower than I had hoped because a) the new machine is really expensive and b) replacing all the incompatible peripherals also costs money. I think I’m getting there but when precisely is a big question.

As for the Fuji lens, there are rumours floating around that Fuji are going to bring out another lens which may suit me better. So why risk getting something that I may regret in a few months time.

In my earlier wish list, I had the AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.4G down as one I wanted. But thinking about it a bit more I do wonder if the AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED is better.

Then there is the Nikon D3X camera. Shape and size wise there is no difference in the D3 I already own. There are times when a smaller light weight body would be better. The Df maybe?

If I do get the Df, is there any point in expanding or keeping the Fuji equipment? Well there is plenty of time for me to think about it while I eat my beans on toast…

Credit: Compassionate Eye Foundation

There was a BBC News article on the Getty Images Lean In Collection that I saw today. I had already heard about this collection but didn’t really pay much attention to it.

When I looked into it a bit more I’m not sure if it is just a marketing gimmick or if it will really be a force for good.

Looking at the collection on the Getty Images website there are under 3000 images. I’m not sure how many images there are total in the Getty collection but it seems to me a very small amount compared to what is out there.

Also, there is very little control over what the images are used for. The above image is from the collection and if I so choose, I could use it to illustrate a misogynistic article.

One of the stereotypes in which all of this seems to gloss over is the stereotype of success. If your idea of success is to be good in business or be in a well paid profession, then these images would be right up your street.

I got an Apple iPad Mini as a Christmas present to myself. When tablet computers and e-readers first came out I didn’t really see the point to them. Then someone said to me that as they regularly travel, carrying lots of books to cover the time they were away was a huge luggage space sucker. And they do have a point.

So one of the first things I did was to download “The Art of Boudoir Photography” by Christa Meola.

I’m still reading it now but what I have read is like a revision of what I had observed and learnt from the Photographing Women workshop run by Faby and Carlo at London Boudoir Photography.

Once I have finished the book, I’ll write up my thoughts on it.

The other thing I have been doing on my iPad Mini is watching The Art Of The Portrait that has been showing on Sky Arts. Sky Arts has been one of those channels I used to ignore before starting this project, but it has become one of those must watch channels for me now.

Anyway, I wish you all a good Christmas Day!