Based in Bristol, UK, Damien Lovegrove originally trained as a BBC cameraman and lighting director. He took the world of wedding photography by storm with his own unique style of photography back in 2000 and has since become one of the biggest names in wedding and portrait photography.

Alongside a range of exclusive photography services, Damien also lectures; offering workshops, seminars and even mentoring. As well as face-to-face sessions, Damien’s teachings are available in two tutorial style DVDs; Using Natural Light on Location and Using Flash on Location.

In his DVD, Using Natural Light on Location, Damien talks through a number of portrait sessions with a variety of male and female models in various locations. As the title of the DVD suggests, the sessions use natural light only and Damien, very openly, provides plenty of insight into his methodology and techniques as he goes along.

From choosing suitable locations to posing, lens choice to exposure settings. The viewer is provided with a rare opportunity to not only watch over the shoulder as shots are being composed, but also get to find out the thought that goes into each one.

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Are you backing up your important data and digital photo’s yet? If not then you really should consider what you’d do in the case of your hard disk crashing or your computer being stolen. Would you be able to replace all of your once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities?

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I’ve got MozyHome automatically backing up my important files whenever my computer has been idle for few minutes. Knowing that a copy of my essential data is stored safely online means less worrying about hardware failures.

Lens hoods serve a very useful function in that they shade lenses from unwanted light that can cause flaring and a drop in contrast. They’re usually made from high-impact plastic which as well as being light also provides some level of protection for the front element of your lens.

Lens hoods can be awkward to carry around, if they’re not in active use. Some allow you store them still attached to your lenses, but reversed. Whilst it saves some space, it can mean you have to remove the hood before you can get full access to the lens controls.

Many photographers consider lens hoods to be an essential piece of kit and yet they aren’t always supplied with new lenses. They can be bought as accessories, but form some reason that’s beyond me they can cost anything from tens to hundreds of pounds.

Thankfully, there is an alternative to shelling out £20+ for some shade Read the rest of this entry »

The auctioning of my Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens concluded today after, relative to other things I’ve previously sold on eBay, a huge amount of interest. Bidding started at just 99p in order to attract interest and minimise listing fees. Most of the time, my listing tend to stagnate for a while and only receive bids closer to the auction end, but this one received a few bids early on.

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My nearly new Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens is being auctioned on eBay and starting at just 99 pence!