News - Articles

The demise and passing of old things goes largely unnoticed. But what of old civil aircraft which reach the end of their economic life?

While visiting a former RAF airfield for an open day under its now civilian ownership, I wandered into an area serving aviation maintenance needs and discovered a most unusual aircraft.

Find out more by following this link.
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The mention of colour perception is more likely to cause the eyes of many people to 'glazr'. Colour is colour; so what? But arrists and photographers take a different view and the latter often strive for colour fidelity.



Personal health can have a bearing on the way we see colours. From midlife onwards, human eyes can deteriorate and vision becomes impaired. The growth of cataracts can distort clarity of vision and change colour perception. Read more here
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'No mow May' is a popular seasonal slogan aimed at conserving fuel and energy and reducing neibourly noise.it also allows natural flora to flourish, and also creating a perfect habitat for insects and small mammals to thrive and survive. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for garden landscapes and photography of the small creatures in the natural world. Right on your doorstep!


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Smartphones are extremely capable communication devices with the additional benefit of including a very capable camera. Additionally, there are practical processing tools and a simple digital asset management system, or DAM. My guess is that few smartphone photographers embrace these aspects of smartphone ownership. I started to learn how to use these useful tools while producing this article. Judge for yourselves how potentionally useful these features could be in your lives. For those readers who are more advanced than me, please suggest how I might proceed by making a comment or suggestion


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To satisfy a desire to share with our family the joy of discovering our first rose of the season, demanded a little ingenuity. Follow the link to discover how I proceeded.


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I have once again updated my thoughts of the X series of cameras after Leica has terminated their future development and dispersed the design team. My notes have proved useful in the past, particularly to readers worldwide who have approached me regarding their performance and reliability.There continues to be interest (and a little speculation) in this important segment of the digital camera market. So maybe we should quietly, and without tangible evidence, watch this space.


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Capturing lilac-time was my first priority this sunny day. While it is so captivating to look at and sense by scent, you have to be quick. Otherwise, the first florets will fade and spoil the pristine appearance as experienced today. Read how I captured this gorgeous flower this morning.


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My short article this month illustrates the importance of considering alternative viewpoints, regardless of subject. Often by moving merely a pace or two, can make a significant difference. Smartphhone photographers rarely consider alternative viewpoints. Tell me what you think?


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A chance discovery of some beautiful spring flowers prompted this posting. I wanted to share my joy with you so that as many viewers to my website as possible can also gain pleasure from the products of Mother Nature.


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In the United Kingdom, you can never be certain about the start of winter. It can arrive in the middle of autumn, or delayed until after the onset of spring. So it is very easy to be caught unprepared, both physically and mentally.



Apart from a dusting of short-lived frost, this year is proving to be equally unpredictable. But that situation could change with snow forecast any day. Now is the time to take stock and recharge the batteries. Time also to review my checklist.
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Recently, I was very surprised when my LCD screen was black after switching on my GR iiix camera. Usually it showed a picture of the scene ahead. There was plenty of power available. I pressed the Display button again and saw a 4X magnified section of my scene. Very strange ....
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The Ricoh GR iiix is my choice of replacement for the pioneering compact camera by Leica, the X1. That was the start of the Leica X-line which has long been discontinued. Unfortunately. Leica no longer makes compact cameras in the class of the Ricoh GR series.


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Giving a second life to an obsolete digital compact camera happened after I discovered my old Ricoh GR Digital camera, buried in my store-room. Having seen some remarkable pictures taken with newer versions of this camera, I decided it was time for a little experiment.


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Surprisingly, there are a few photographers who are discovering long-obsolete Leica Digilux 2 cameras. Questions occasionally arise on their suitability for modern digital photography, and how best to operate the camera. My notes went some way in meeting this demand; however, I felt a new article was justified. Hence, my latest offering in 'My Way' series.
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‘My favourite lens’ is a recurring theme of discussions on photographic forums, certainly among active photographers. Sometimes they make for interesting reading, especially if the author has an unusual argument to advance. So I decided to give the subject a little thought and present my choice. There is no right or wrong answer and, over time, we are inclined to change our minds as we add new specimens to widen our capability. [October 2022 – Later I have added a new illustration showing the benefit of using a Leica tele-zoom, to capture an inaccessible group of rosy red apples, against the background of a blue sky]
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The Leica CL has been very well-received and is a widely used system. In normal times, we might have expected to see an upgraded version by now. But Leica remains silent. In this article, I ponder on what possibilities lie ahead, and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
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Finding solace in quiet places is good for our health. Access to little-used public tracks is an important way to achieve this goal. Basic skills in reading maps of the area of interest, are all that is needed to discover historic rights of way, such as the one discussed in this article. All of this research came about as a result of simply revisiting old digital image files, largely forgotten.
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A splash of yellow, glimpsed through an upstairs window, caught my eye and aroused my curiosity. I grabbed an old Leica compact X1 camera, and went out to investigate. All too often, we spurn these golden moments. When possible, tarry for a moment and investigate.
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The Leica X-Vario camera is a fine instrument, capable of yielding excellent photographic results. It was launched in June 2013. New entrants to Leica ownership, today, often consider this camera as a relatively low-cost entry purchase. By understanding its weaknesses and mastering its strengths, it is capable of giving highly satisfactory results. Good used specimens are hard to find and hold their value very well. This speaks to the enduring appeal of this sturdy, one-off model.
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In a recent conversation I realized that some photographers were not aware of the existence or value of delving into history in digital processing. Knowledge of the History panel, in Adobe processing products (and probably alternative software), can help save potentially valuable pictures but, more likely, enable interesting alternative versions to be created. Read my new article on this fascinating subject here.
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