What to shoot this April

The shots look great on your camera's LCD- you rush home eager to see them on the big screen and you think the portraits will turn out really well. The transfer's done and you start browsing the photos...not bad...next one, the mouth looks not quite right...the next one, shame about the shadow...you hope this last one is The One. Nooooooooooooo! The expression- perfect, the focus- sharp, lighting- spot-on, but the subject's eyes are half-closed.

Well you'll be pleased to hear that those days will soon be over. As I write this there's a growing rumble of hype from one of the big names in camera manufacture who are set to release their latest patented technology that will revolutionise our photos.

BlinkAway is reputed to take a 'blink-free' photo in 99.5% of portrait photos. Now for the science. Complex adaptations to the reflective light metering system in DSLRs have apparently enabled the camera to locate the white cornea in our eyes. Having located the corneas, the camera is then able to sense any change in reflective light from the cornea caused by an eyelid obscuring the eye. In such circumstances, the patented technology uses a bracketing process similar to exposure bracketing to delay the shutter mechanism by a tiny fraction of a second- just long enough to ensure that by the time the sensor receives the image, the eyelid will have returned back to its fully open position and the subject is no longer blinking.

Unfortunately, at this stage the technology has only been developed for human subjects and has limited success in keeping portraits of pets 'blink-free.' Apparently this is due to the fact that most animals don't have a large area of white cornea visible in the way that humans do.

So when will it be available? Nothing is firm yet, but rumours say that the big-name manufacturer will be set to unleash their first UK model with BlinkAway technology in the autumn.

Onto other things...I am hoping that April will bring more sun than we've had so far in 2008. And where there's sun there are...shadows and reflections. I've seen some photos by Horst recently where he as the photographer chose to include his own shadow in the shot. Admittedly I've done this sometimes more by accident than by design, but I think if well-composed, there's a chance to add another dimension into your photo; that is, how you yourself interact with the environment you're in, or with the subject you're photographing. The shadows need not be of a human form, of course; light filtering through leaves and branches can often create interesting and appealing shadows on the ground. Buildings might be another interesting subject. Lakes and puddles are on obvious source of reflections. Remember, your shot can incorporate reflection into it rather than focusing solely on that reflection, isolated from the environment it's in. Here's a shot I took with my mobile phone in Canada.

No-one is too sure about the origins of the name of the month of April. It’s suspected that it’s derived from the Latin word ‘aperire’, meaning ‘opening’, which of course refers to the buds on trees and flowers that begin to open at this time of year. As with the March article, our surroundings should be getting more and more colourful as flowers come out. As we all know, Photoshop can produce some startling effects, but what I really like is when you manage to capture something in a photo that already has that effect and you find yourself saying 'No, it really was like that' to those who see it. Colourful flowers and foliage can crop-up in some unlikely places- growing out of a rock, or a crack in the pavement for example. A carpet of bluebells in a wood are always a nice sight, but in a certain light the colour of the bluebells and the filtered streams of sunlight coming through the trees can create a certain serenity and dream-like effect. Why not have a go at capturing some of the effects that colour can bring to a scene?

A couple more ideas for you. One: ducklings. Need I say more? April should see these little balls of fluff appearing; they're cute and everyone loves a photo of a cute duckling; get snapping. Two: it's a new rule I have been toying with. Many of us aren't lucky enough to be photographers full time, so we trudge off to our day job, get home at the end of the day and if you're like me you pick up your camera and play around for a bit. The rule I am setting myself is what I'm calling my 'One-A-Day' rule; that is, no matter what, you have to come up with one photo per day that you're pleased with. Just one, and it can be of anything- you just have to be happy with it.

Other things of note…if equestrian photography is your thing, the Grand National is on April 5^th- the opportunity to exercise your shutter and your wallet at the same time; hopefully winning some cash to fund the purchase of that lens you’re after?! (Note- I cannot be held accountable for lost bets, but any spare winnings can be sent my way). April 23^rd is St. George’s Day; maybe now’s the time to plan a shot that defines England for you? And lastly, don’t forget April 1^st- April Fool’s Day! You can stop googling 'BlinkAway' now.

Enjoy Spring, and the shots it could bring!

Chris