I was recently contacted by Christina and Alex to be their Camden Town Hall wedding photographer. Camden Town Hall, in central London, is a very impressive building with a gorgeous marble staircase leading up to the first floor. The staircase is extensively used for group shots by couples getting married there as it makes for a very impressive backdrop. There are a number of ceremony rooms and Christina and Alex’s ceremony took place in the aptly named Ceremony Suite on the ground floor.

Having done a lot of London wedding photography, one gets used to occasional suspect weather at this time of the year and it did rain a lot on the day. We did plan to wander to a nearby park to do the group shots and for the couple portrait session however we had to revert to plan B and do them inside the Camden Town Hall. This wasn’t a problem at all as there are plenty of really nice photographic opportunities to be taken advantage of.

As far as posting highlights of their day, this time I decided to include some black and white photographs. I love processing my wedding photos to appear colourful and vibrant, yet timeless. I really do not like any “flavour of the month” effects which will date the photographs very quickly.  However, I realise that I mostly blog colour images so this time I thought I would throw in a few black and white images to address the balance a little bit!

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I been thinking about the possibility of differences in images shot at high ISO settings on the 5D MK iii, in terms of how they would look when shot in the standard large RAW format (full size, 21.12 megapixels) versus the medium RAW format, which is 10.45 megapixels in size. The primary objective of this experiment was to determine if there is an advantage of one over the other when shooting at higher ISO settings. Without summarising the results in the first paragraph, there most certainly are some significant differences, and I might just apply these finding to my wedding photography. Read on…

The target subject was a collection of books resting on a table and lit by tungsten light. The camera was mounted on a tripod and fitted with an 85mm F1.8 lens, set to a constant F5.6. Images were captured at ISO settings of 6400, 12800 and 25600. These represent the three high but still usable ISO settings. Personally I do not see the H1 and H2 ISO settings being of any use so I ignored them, and likewise anything below ISO 6400 is very clean anyway. Shutter speed was 1/125th at ISO 6400, and doubled for each ISO increment. The files were converted to jpeg format in Adobe ACR, which works very well by the way.

Now one big difference in terms of the analysis is of course the vastly different sile sizes. The Large RAW image size is 5760 x 3840 pixels and the Medium RAW image size is 3960 x 2640 pixels. The results presented below compare the following:

1. 100% crops of each full sized image.
2. 100% crops of the large RAW file downsized to the exact dimensions as the Medium RAW file.
3. As per [2], but this time the Medium RAW files were sharpened roughly match the sharpness of the downsized Large RAW images.
4. The full sized, uncropped images downsized to 650 pixels on the long edge and both sharpened with my usual web sharpening procedure.

1. 100% crops of each full sized image at the three ISO settings:

Some interesting observations of the medium RAW files versus the large RAW files:

• they are significantly softer
• they maintain colours significantly better. Look at the book in the lower left of each image – the colours shifts from brown to magenta, even at ISO 12800.
• they maintain detail a lot better (look at the gap between the lower two books)
• the appear to be less noisy

The next step is to make the same comparisons but this time downsizing the large RAW files to the exact pixel dimensions as the medium RAW files

2. Large RAW files downsized to same pixel dimensions as medium RAW files:

Some observations of this set of images, once again of the medium RAW files versus the large RAW files:

• they still significantly softer versus the downsized large RAW images
• of course the colour distortion issues of the large RAW files is still present as downsizing will not affect this aspect
• the detail in the medium RAW images is still a lot better . The gap between the two lower books shows this quite clearly
• noise is still significantly better on the medium RAW images

Okay, so I can hear people saying that sharpening the medium RAW images will increase noise and yes it does, so let’s see the results below.

3. Large RAW files downsized to same pixel dimensions as sharpened medium RAW files:

To my eye, the colour shift, noise and loss of detail is worse on the large RAW image at ISO 25600. Look at the nice clean gap separating the two lower books on the medium RAW image versus the large RAW image. The colour shift also becomes quite nasty on the large RAW image at ISO 25600. On the other hand, I prefer the look of the large RAW images at ISO 6400 & 12800 even with the slight colour shift. Whether the noise is better on the medium RAW images at ISO 6400 & 12800 is debatable.

Based on these results, it looks like it could be a good idea to switch to medium RAW when shooting above ISO 12800.

4. Full sized, uncropped large and medium RAW images downsized and equally sharpened:

 ISO 6400 examples. Both images look pretty similar.

 ISO 12800 examples. Once again both images look pretty similar but there is a slight “fogginess” creeping into the shadow areas in the lower left of the large RAW image, although it is difficult to see on these small samples.

ISO 25600 examples. The “fogginess” becomes quite noticeable in the lower left region of the large RAW image. The medium RAW image definitely looks better in my opinion.

Conclusion

These results are merely my observations and thoughts and I am not trying to claim anything or unearth some amazing facts. Please feel free to comment below and let me know your thoughts and opinions as this would be great. In my opinion, I will more than likely switch over to the medium sized RAW file setting on the 5D Mk iii when I go above ISO 12800 as the advantages in noise, colour rendition and maintaining detail outweigh the softness of the medium sized RAW images.

On a related note, for some of my other 5D Mk iii reviews looks at this Mk iii versus Mk ii  high ISO comparison and in-camera HDR test. My first real shoot with the MK iii can be seen here.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Chelsea is one of my favourite locations in London and a fantastic area to get married in. The energy on the streets is fantastic and it is also one of London’s great shopping streets – so a good excuse to check out the marriage venues! The Chelsea Register Office is located within the Chelsea Old Town Hall which is roughly half way down the Kings Road, and falls within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This venue has seen the marraige of some very famous people, including the one and only George Best, amongst others. Not only can you choose to get married in the Register Office, but also the Rosetti Room or the larger Brydon Room all in the same building.

I recently photographed a small, intimate wedding at this venue before heading off to Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair for some more photographs. This wedding was small enough that the bride, groom, guests and I….. all fitted into a London black cab! All six of us. A lovely family and throroughly enjoyable day.

Bellsiima Photo offer stunning wedding photography across London, the South East and also cover destination weddings abroad. Recent wedding and engagement shoots can be viewed on the blog as well as the wedding and engagement  shoot galleries.

There are a range of packages available and please enquire about midweek specials – which is particularly relevant to the smaller room one can get married in at The Chelsea Old Town Hall which is only open on certain weekdays.

If you are interested in my photography services for your wedding at the Kensington & Chelsea Register Office please contact me to dicsuss your requirements in further detail and to receive a pricing brochure.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Chiswick House and Gardens , situated just off the A4 in West London, is a gorgeous venue sitting in ample grounds not far from the Thames. The construction of the house was completed in 1729 and it certainly is one of the more spectacular venues for wedding photography in West London that I have had the pleasure of working at.  Besides for the stunning Chiswick House itself, the surrounding grounds are beautiful and make a fantastic location for creative wedding photography. It would be very easy to spend a half hour wandering about the grounds capturing some gorgeous bride and groom creative portraits. There is also the option of holding a wedding in a large, plush marquee, as was the case at a recent Hindu wedding I photographed at this venue.

Please get in touch today for all your wedding photohraphy requirements. Bellissima Photo provide coverage of all types of wedding ceremonies across London, the South East and further afield, including destination weddings abroad. To view examples of our work, please have a look at the blog as well as the wedding and engagement shoot galleries.

A variety of packages are available to suit all requirements, including generous midweek discounts!

If you are interested in my photography services for your wedding at the Chiswick House please contact me to dicsuss your requirements in further detail and to receive a pricing brochure.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

As a London wedding photographer, it was great to escape the innards of the M25 yesterday and head out to Oxford for a stroll and a bit of street photography in between the crazy weather we’re having in this April. Warm sunshine one minute, then sudden cold weather with lashing showers sometimes accompanied by hail during the next 10 minutes,  all to be repeated multiple times each day! I lived in Oxford for two years about a decade ago and have fond memories of it for sure. Besides for the magnificent and very picturesque colleges, there is a famous old cafe which is the site of England’s first coffee shop many hundreds of years ago. It is called the Grand Cafe, on High Street, and unfortunately it was busy as usual so we couldn’t get a seat. In desperate need of a cup of coffee we headed to the nearby Quod Brasserie just a few doors down. After two cups of the best coffee I’ve had in years and an abatement in the April showers, I decided it would be nice to get a good shot of the Grand Cafe.

Instead of a boring view of the cafe, I decided to mix it up with another of Oxford’s famous characteristics, the cyclists. Having a cyclist in the frame, riding past the Grand Cafe would be great, but to add more interest I decided to slow down my shutter speed to create a sense of motion. All I had with me was my Canon 5D Mk ii with the excellent Sigma 50mm F1.4 attached to it. Dodging into the middle of the road in between the traffic I framed the grand cafe and then waited for a cyclist to come riding past. The shot below is the end result and the exif info is as follows:

ISO 50, F5.6, 1/30th. As my ISO was lowered to the minimum possible level, I increased the aperture until I arrived at a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second. This is slow enough to be just about manageable to keep the Grand Cafe crisp but to blur the moving cyclist. If I wanted to freeze the cyclist I guess I would have required a shutter speed of around 1/2000th of a second, so my final camera settings were perfect for capturing the sense of motion in front of the famous old cafe.

I am looking forward to the wedding I will be photographing in Oxford later this year!

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The Petersham Hotel in Richmond, Surrey, is a gorgeous wedding venue and I have been fortunate enough to have been a wedding photographer there in the recent past. Nestled on the slopes of Richmond Hill, it offers spectacular views over the Petersham Meadows and the River Thames. In my opinion it is certainly one of London’s finest venues for smaller weddings.

The exterior of the hotel is just as impressive as the interior, which has a stunning staircase spiralling up to each level – perfect for some lovely intimate couple portraits.  Outside there is a very nice garden, although it is on quite a slope! That said it is just fine for capturing some relaxed couple portraits. As for the couple portraits, another great option is to walk over to the Terrace Gardens, which is about a 4 minute walk away. These gardens are spectacular once again and offer plenty of photo opportunities including the amazing view from Richmond Hill.

The interior of the Petersham Hotel is classically beautiful. A recent wedding which I photographed there had the bride’s getting ready room overlooking the river and directly above the terrace where the drinks reception was held. The terrace is right next to the River Room where the ceremony took place. This room is great in that the large windows at the front allow for plenty of natural light to flood into the room, which means even more gorgeous photographs.

An example of my photography at this venue can be seen here.

If you are planning a wedding at The Petersham Hotel, please get in touch to discuss the photography of your big day.

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Recently I have been considering my options to trigger flash remotely off the camera, and have been mulling over Pocket Wizard versus Phottix Odin versus Radio Popper systems. I own Pocket Wizard Mini-TT1 and Flex-TT5 units and have been looking at these other options as their range is not as good as I would like it to be using the 580EX flashgun. They work extremely well as long as you don’t require a massive range. My shooting style means I use a combination of manual and TTL flash control depending on the situation, so the triggers I use must support both options.

Please note I have never used the Phottix Odin or Radio Popper systems, so these are just my thoughts based on their specifications and general user comments I have picked up on:

Pocket Wizards (Mini, Flex & AC-3):

These offer the cleanest, neatest setup and the addition of the AC-3 controller makes adjusting flash output – Manual or FEC – a breeze. Adjustments are possible in 1/3rd stop increments via a physical dial on the tiny AC-3 unit so you don’t have to press any buttons. This system supports manual as well as TTL flash control.

Unfortunately due to the operating frequency (433MHz in Europe and maybe a bit lower in the USA), the antennas on these units are very sub-optimal meaning they are not very efficient. This means poor range. Range is mainly determined by the power of the transmission, the sensitivity of the receiver and the efficiency of the antennas for any given scenario. Then in the USA you have severe issues with noise from the 580EX ii interfering with the PWs, further reducing range. The countermeasure is to fit an RF shield over the flashgun. These are sold by PW. This is not as much of an issue in the non-USA (CE) PW units as they operate at a frequency where there is less noise interference from the 580EX ii. There are also different ways of mounting the PW + flashgun to a light stand which will improve range, such as separating them and linking them together with a cable – more separation means lower interference by the flashgun and thus increased range

Besides for range issues they are brilliant. Pocket Wizard themselves told me that the 430EX ii is the recommended flashgun to use as it emits the lowest noise of all their flashguns.

Phottix Odin:

I have only looked at these and held them in my hands without actually using them. The build quality is better than the PWs in my opinion. They operate in the 2.4GHz band which is a huge bonus in terms of being able to implement a much more suitable antenna, i.e. smaller. The higher the operating frequency, the smaller the optimum antenna size as the wavelength decreases versus increasing frequency. The upside of this is much better range than the PWs.

A downside is the control of the flash output from the transmitter unit on the camera. This is done by pushing buttons (not nearly as nice or as quick as the PW AC-3 controller) and a BIG disadvantage is that the flash power can only be incremented or decremented in full stops in Manual mode, versus 1/3rd stop on the AC-3 controller.

By all accounts these units are rock solid and work very reliably, which is a big bonus!

Radio Poppers:

Haven’t looked into these too much but people seem to like them. Disadvantages for me are firstly the requirement for a “master device” unit on the camera. This means you need a flashgun or ST-E2 mounted on the camera. I really don’t like this requirement as for me it wastes another flashgun. The operating frequency is once again in the 2.4GHz band so range should be excellent. Once again button presses are required to adjust the flash output power. The PW AC-3 controller wins every time in the department.

Cost:

At the time of writing (April 2012), purchasing one transmitter unit and two receiver units of each system would cost the following in the UK:

Pocket Wizards: £525 (this also includes the AC-3 zone controller)

Phottix Odins: £379

Radio Poppers: £590 (PX European system @ $249 each. Convert exchange rate and add at least 25% for UK VAT, shipping etc. and possible import duty)

Final thoughts:

I was seriously considering switching to the Phottix Odins for the better range but, for now, I am put off by the disadvantages mentioned above.  I might still switch to these units at some point if they address at least the flash power increments adjustable from the camera. Full stops are not good enough. I need to go out and test the range of the PW system using my 430EX ii. I always use the 580EX so it will be interesting to see what the difference is, at least in an open field with zero obstructions. For my wedding work the Pocket Wizards have proven fantastic however I pretty much always use them over a short range. Switching from using a 580EX (i) to a 430EX ii should improve reliability over greater ranges.

One snag exists for me. I recently acquired a lovely 5D Mk iii and the Pocket Wizards do not work properly on this camera. I am waiting for a firmware update to sort out these functionality issues with this new camera. If this isn’t forthcoming I might need to cut my losses and move to the Phottix Odin system.

For me, cost isn’t a big factor. I don’t say this to sound flippant, but for the sake of a few hundred Pounds getting a system which suits your needs and shooting style far outweighs a cost saving which will be forgotten about in a few months. I would rather have the best system available to make my job as smooth and hassle free as possible. If Pocket Wizard updated their next generation units to operate in the 2.4GHz band then I feel they win hands down. These are just my thoughts and I am not implying right or wrong in any way as our requirements as photographers are different.

Here is one of my favourite shots using the Pocket Wizards. 3 minute setup, invite couple to come over and 20 seconds later, job done.

Regarding the 5D MK iii, I recently completed a high ISO test and an in-camera HDR test. The high ISO test result images were processed in DPP, which shipped with the camera. There are issues with it, one of which is that all the MK iii images seem soft (even at low ISO settings) and I believe Canon will be issuing an update very soon. I am currently using ACR which is great.

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A couple of days ago I has the pleasure of photographing Melina & Tish’s engagement shoot in Richmond, which was a great warm up for their wedding next month at St Winefride’s church, Kew Gardens, followed by a reception at The Lensbury in Teddington. I am really looking forward to it!

It is always a great idea to have an engagement shoot prior to one’s wedding. The photographer and couple get to know one another better and the couple come away with a set of lovely images which can be used to make a signing board or a personalised guest book for the wedding day. It is a stress free environment with no time pressures so it is really a great way to take in a couple of locations and create some gorgeous images.

Melina and Tish are very natural and expressive in front of the camera and that makes my task even easier. After spending an hour and a half in an lovely garden we made our way to the Thames riverside in Richmond where the sun made a very brief appearance. Brief, as in about 5 minutes! That’s wasn’t a problem at all as I enjoy shooting in soft overcast light just as much as I enjoy shooting in harsh sunlight.

For the photographers reading this post, I used my brand new Canon 5D MK iii for the entire shoot. There is no doubt that it is a stunning camera which pushes the boundaries of what was possible compared to the 5D MK ii. The focussing is deadly accurate and the high ISO performance is fantastic. Great for wedding photography! I have published a high ISO test as well as an in-camera HDR test with more tests to follow in the near future.

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A new feature in the Canon 5D MK iii is the HDR mode. As a London wedding photographer I didn’t pay much attention to this new feature when I first read about it in the camera feature list upon announcement a few weeks ago. I thought it might be useful for landscape photographers and such like. However, today a fellow photographer and I took a wander around a few churches in central London. Besides for doing the obvious and playing about with outrageously high ISO’s, which by the way are in my opinion perfectly usable up to ISO 25600, I also gave the HDR feature a bit of a workout.

In HDR mode, three images are taken according to the following options:

• auto
• +/-1 EV
• +/-2 EV
• +/-3 EV

I selected the +/- 2 EV option for the images presented below. The idea is that the camera takes an image at a nominal exposure, two stops below and finally two stops above the nominal exposure value (or according to the options listed above). The three images are taken one after the other in a rapid fire fashion, so as long as the minimum shutter speed is sufficiently high for acceptable hand-holding, a tripod should not be required. The camera then takes a few seconds to process the three files and merge them into a single HDR image. The resultant HDR image is of course in JPEG format, so if you start wading through your RAW files looking for the merged camera-generated HDR file you will not find it there, but it will be amongst the other JPEG files. Looking at the HDR image, the camera seems to cope very well with the hand holding aspect causing minor changes in the composition versus if it were stable on a tripod with identical composition for each of the three shots.

Since many of our churches here in the UK are old and very dark, I see this new HDR feature in the Canon 5D MK iii as being pretty useful for wedding ceremonies, to get that wide HDR image when standing at the back of the church. Since the ISO is fantastic (see a high ISO test report here), along with the deadly accurate focussing amongst other factors, this camera is a real step up from the Mk ii version.

So below are the three bracketed images and below them is the final merged HDR image. The in-camera processing of the final image is set to Natural. There are a number of artistic processing options available. Please note that these are straight OOC (out of camera), totally untouched. All of my wedding images are shot in RAW and then processed for a lovely vibrant look but since the shots below are totally untouched JPEG files from the camera, they do appear somewhat flatter and less vibrant compared to my usual wedding and portrait images.

The three bracketed images:

The in-camera generated HDR image:

So there it is, a feature which I will certainly start implementing during my wedding photography.

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This is the first of a series of posts in which I will review the 5D Mkiii, which I very happily received earlier today. I have been looking forward to this new release by Canon for some time. Shooting mainly weddings I was really hoping for a body which improved on three key areas versus the 5D Mkii: low light / high ISO performance, focussing, and the bonus would be dual memory card slots. Well, the 5D Mkiii was announced a few weeks ago and the specifications seemed to fit like a glove. After the Nikon D800 announcement, I was praying that Canon did not follow suite with similar specification as the low light performance would be compromised and I for one have no need for that sort of pixel count. Regarding the dual card slots – I have never experienced card failure with my previous generation single-slot bodies, however having the peace of mind of an in-camera backup is very welcome and to be honest a bit of a surprise as although I was hoping for it I wasn’t really expecting it. I think I’ll set my camera up to write RAW files to the CF card and JPEGs to the SD. That way I can plug in a nice fat SD card and maybe only go through one or two cards on a typical wedding day.

Another great point about the Mkiii is that it used the same batteries as the Mkii (Lp-e6), of which I own four so thankfully there was no waiting for a battery to charge. I got stuck right in and the first impression was the superior look and feel of the Mkiii. Right now I also own the Mki and Mkii versions and the difference is distinct. The new button layout takes a little bit of getting used to and I won’t even go into the multitude of focussing options available. Very brief first impression of the focussing is that it is like a laser guided missile versus the old time “trebuchet” style focussing of the 5D Mkii. This is a huge improvement and for those people out there balking at the price of the 5D Mkiii, it is features like this that account for a lot of it, in my opinion.

Today I decided to to a comparison of high ISO performance versus the Mkii body. I want to stress that the crux of this test was to determine the performance of the RAW files alone and not in-camera JPEGs.

The test conditions and methodology were as follows:

• Canon 85mm F1.8 lens was used on both bodies
• Cameras mounted on a tripod
• Mirror lockup and self-timer activated for each shutter release
• Subject lit by tungsten light
• Exposure approach: Manual. Aperture set to a constant F5.6 to ensure plenty of DOF. ISO from 400 to 25600 with corresponding increase in shutter speed for each ISO increment. Note: for the same aperture, shutter speed and ISO combination, the 5D Mkiii underexposed, versus the Mkii, by around 1/4 of a stop. This was compensated for by slowing down the shutter speed for each of the 5D Mkiii images, instead of adjusting in post processing.

After downloading the RAW files from each camera, they were opened up in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional. The only adjustments done to them are as follows:

• 5D Mkii files: pulled down the noise reduction to zero (luminance and chrominance) and set sharpening to zero.
• 5D Mkiii files: as above, set the noise reduction to zero. Here comes the first interesting observation – the Mkiii files are a bit softer than those of the Mkii so I set the sharpening level to “2″. If anything, this will degrade the observed noise but I decided to do this anyway. Also note that the softer images of the Mkiii sharpen up very nicely so I don;t see this as an issue at all.
• All images were ten converted to JPEGs as maximum quality level.

Each image was then opened up in Photoshop CS5 and using an action I created, cropped a 100% magnification portion of each image. Each pair of images was then placed side by side, e.g. 5D Mkii ISO 400 versus 5D Mkiii ISO 400. The size of the crop is small enough so that there is absolutely no scaling of the images as the appear below on this blog post. These are purely 100% magnification views of each image taken for this test. Something I should have done was set a consistent white balance but I didn;t, so there is a slight colour shift between each set of images.

So, here we go, a series of images comparing the high (and not so high to begin with) ISO performance of the 5D Mkii to the 5D Mkiii under reasonable controlled conditions. All the Mkii images are on the left and the Mkiii images are on the right.

Now in the two images below, have a look at the detail breaking up at the lower edge of the red book in the centre of each 5D Mkii image. The Mkiii pulls away nicely here in retaining detail.

The final image below shows a comparison of a Mkii 3200 ISO image versus a Mkiii 6400 ISO image, in an attempt to gauge the level of improvement in handling of higher ISOs. To me these images look pretty similar with the noise rendering in different ways as evident in the above images as well….

I’ll have to view these with fresh eyes again, but my initial conclusion is that the “RAW file noise performance” of the 5D Mkiii is distinctly better than that of the Mkii. Not so sure about 2 stops been bandied about, certainly not in terms of the actual RAW files. To me the 5D Mkiii starts pulling away from as low as ISO 800 and certainly from ISO 1600. ISO 6400 on the Mkiii is maybe a stop better than ISO 3200 on the Mkii. Overall it looks promising and on the plenty of occasions I shot at ISO 3200 with the 5D Mkii at weddings, I can not only happily shoot at ISO 6400 with the Mkiii and expect pretty similar noise performance, but all lower ISO settings will produce cleaner images as well.

I am more than happy to take comments about the test setup or test methodology. Things which could maybe have been done better. This is just the way I tackled it today and I already see at least one improvement I could make to the test.

Now to get out there and do some real shooting!

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London