Flickr is one of the most prolific photography sharing websites around and criticism of the lack of investment and change over the last few years has resulted in a remarkable revamp of the service. The new user interface comes with 1TB of storage space and new, more expensive ad free option although current PRO members retain a reduced subscription model.

I have been a big fan of flickr since signing up. I love the fact you can organise your photos in photosets (see suprsetr) and take part in the topic or camera specific communities.

So what do you think? has flickr risen from the ashes to re-establish itself as the leading photo sharing website or is it too little too late? Have sharing services such as Instagram, 500px or Google+ replaced the need for a dedicated photography showcase?

Feel free to add your comments below. I will close the poll in a week and summarise the results. In the meantime you can add me on flickr here.

The Flickr changes, what do you think? is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

When Fujifilm announced the X100s I have to admit I was excited. I had grown to love the X100, I had grown used to the quirks and foibles of the original incarnation and learned to focus on the positives, as they were plenty. The X100s may look almost identical to the original X100 but in short it is a completely different animal (photographically speaking).

The X100s is a phenomenal leap in performance and image quality to the original X100, the new X-Trans sensor is brilliant and especially shines in low light environments and as a result I am using it for literally everything.

Although the X100s is only out a few months I have already taken it to most of the counties in Northern Ireland (and also Donegal). I’ve used in every weather condition Ireland can throw at it in this very long Winter of Spring. I have used it up mountains on the Northern Ireland coast, in City Hall and the dark Belfast pubs and the X100s has yet to let me down.

This was the first shot I took on a pre-production X100s one early December morning on the Whiterocks beach in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim. I was struck at just how quickly the camera performed and just how sharp the image was even at 100% zoom.

This photo was taken a few month later on the long path to Murlough beach, this time in County Down. This was a rare sunny day following the Spring blizzard and it was the first time I had seen the Mourne mountains caked with snow to such low levels, again the X100s performed brilliantly. I am using the original X100 case and use the half case section when out and about. I can lift the camera to my eye, flick the power switch and snap in seconds.

Game of Thrones fans will recognise this next location as the Dark Hedges in Ballymoney. Again this was one of my early X100s images and I was so taken by the detail I dedicated a whole post zooming in on the people in the distance. You can see the zoomed images in this post.

The X100s retains all the features of the X100 and my favourite the sweep panorama option. This image was shot in County Donegal and is definitely best viewed large on flickr (click the image). I haven’t ventured to printing a panorama but the quality is certainly there and they are remarkably easy to shoot.

Another day out and another snap along the salmon leap in Rostrevor. You can see the X100s offers a brilliant dynamic range and the colour clarity is amazing.

My favourite stretch of beach in County Down has to be Tyrella. The speed performance of the X100s allows action to be frozen even at a distance.

If you ever visit Belfast you have to include a visit to the Duke of York in the Cathedral Quarter of the city. This venue was used in Phil Harrison‘s latest film ‘The Good Man‘ and is always a hive of activity. This is a low light environment and this image was captured without the aid of a flash.

The beach from Whitertocks to Portrush, early evening towards the sun.

This is the same beach early morning, although this time on Boxing Day 2012.

The famous Bad Eddie boat wreck in Bunbeg is a popular location for photographers. I had set out to capture some long exposure images of the area with the X-Pro1 and 14mm lens but found the X100s was able to capture some really high detailed images perfect for mono conversion.

Another snap shot opportunity in Lisburn’s historic railway station.

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Yet again the X100s demonstrates an ability to capture stunning landscapes. This is Murlough beach following the heavy snow fall in March.

Regular visits to this site will remember the ‘Mini Adventure‘ series that followed a little mini car around the sights and scenes of Northern Ireland. I captured one of the last shots of the series in Belfast on the X100s.

Another example of the dynamic range offered by the X100s, another shot of Bad Eddie in Bunbeg, County Donegal.

I did say I had used the X100s in every type of weather condition. I do take care to ensure my cameras don’t get (too) wet but the heaviest snow fall in living memory needed a visit to the Mournes.

For this series I was using the X100s and the brilliant WCL-X100 wide angle adaptor, you can see more of the snow images here.

This was the lowest point in the snow which was still at fence height.

The same camera that captures the cold ice of winter can equally captured the glowing sunrise on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

Another road trip alongside Errigal mountain in probably some of the remotest parts of Ireland. It was great to have a light camera that was capable of capturing the sheer scale of the area.

The area is know as Gweedore and features a little valley called Poison Glenn. Here lies the rather scary Dunlewey Church.

One of my favourite locations in County Down has to be St John’s Point home of the famous yellow and black lighthouse.

I take the X100s everywhere and have had to attend a number of functions in Belfast’s City Hall. Again it is great to have a subtle camera capable of picking up the detail of the wet streets…….

…. yet at the same time be capable of a quick point and shoot shot while crossing the road.

With the X100 I was never really sure it was a replacement for my DSLR. Yes when it hit the mark the image quality was remarkable but it was relying on it delivering in all situations and environments that was the real issue. The X100s is different, it performs, it out punches other cameras I have used but best of all it performs in a subtle lightweight body that you can carry everywhere without a rucksack or backache.

I took these shots under an umbrella at Lisburn’s recent Mayor’s parade. I was able to document the day snapping away with every shot being pin sharp, even the action shots are razor sharp.

More often than not I use the X100s in aperture priority mode I set the camera to auto ISO capped at 3200 and concentrate on composition. Even in low light and a high ISO the X100s is a remarkable performer.

From the action shots of summer carnivals (albeit wet summer carnivals) to the stunning landscapes of Northern Ireland the X100s offers a photographic experience that is almost addictive.

It is photography as it should be, the prime lens means you don’t have to stress as to what lens to use which means you are forced to be creative with composition and exposure.

Over the last few weeks the only time I lifted another camera was when I needed to take a photo of my X100s for this post. The only thing that confuses me is the name, simply adding a S suggests a few minimal refinements on the original model yet this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The X100s is a powerhouse and really has become my everyday goto camera. From the dark corridors of Belfast City Hall to the fifteen foot snow drifts of Silent Valley the X100s has consistently impressed.

The Fujifilm X100s, the story so far.. is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Every year without fail we visit the Lisburn Lord Mayor’s Parade and carnival. This year was unlike previous visits, a new route and probably the worst May weather in quite some time. Heavy rain, hale and even a few minutes of hot sun but despite the weather the carnival was again, a resounding success.

You can see the dark clouds emanating from behind Lisburn’s railway station and they would set the scene for the day.

The rain didn’t stop the carnival from going ahead and the weather didn’t appear to pup off the hundreds of people who lined the route.

All images were captured on the Fujifilm X100s and processed in Lightroom 4. You can click on any of the images to view large on flickr.

The parade took a different route this year making its way to the park via Bachelor’s Walk rather than Castle Street.

Wallace Park

On arrival at Lisburn’s Wallace park the heavens opened with a mix of hale stones and heavy rain. There was little cover.

We took refuge in one tent that to our surprise featured a boxing ring and a performance from the Canal Boxing Academy.

Castle Street

In a gap in the rain we made our way along Castle Street and Lisburn’s Castle Gardens. You can see by the ground the extreme changes in weather from heavy rain to hot sunshine.

R-Space Gallery

Following the park we visited the opening a new photographic based exhibition by Avril Wilson. It is a truly remarkable series of pieces and very much worth the visit.

You can find out more about Avril’s exhibition on the R-Space Facebook page.

Links

Mayor’s Parade 2012
Mayor’s Parade 2011

Lord Mayor’s Parade 2013 is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

The latest Rams’Pocket Radio album is set for a June release and I was tasked with the onerous task of capturing poster and sleeve images for the CD. Peter McCauley is a fantastically talented musician who has supported Snow Patrol across the full European tour and yet remains remarkably unassuming for someone with such accelerated success.

For the shoot I packed both the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1 with the view of using a 3rd camera to capture a short film of the shoot. The photographs were captured last February and I am only posting now in the run up to the launch party on 7th June in Belfast.

In reality we shot fifteen seconds of video as our location became a mesmerising distraction untouched from the 1950s. Below is a single shot from the video camera (50mm).

For the stills I was also using the Fujifilm EF-20 flash and large reflector. I was using the flash off camera with the aid of a Canon compatible flash cable (X-E1 only).

In the end the main lenses used were the Fujinon 18-55mm zoom lens and the Fujinon 14mm prime on the X-Pro1.

I am obviously limited in what images I can post at this stage but look forward to the final shots being unveiled in June. Posters go out this week for the special launch party that features such greats as Katharine Philippa and David C Clements.

Both images are using the amazing 14mm lens. The f/2.8 lens was perfect for snapshots in this really low light setting.

Given the large volume of dirt and dust I was reluctant to start changing lenses in this environment so ended up also taking a few 50mm shots with the video rig.

You can keep up to date with Rams’ Pocket Radio and the album launch via the aptly named Ram’s Pocket Radio on Facebook.

Links

Rams’ Pocket Radio Ulster Hall
Rams’ Pocket Radio & Snow Patrol

Rams’ Album Shoot is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

I’ve visited St John’s Point in County Down on a number of occasions and time after time it gets the better of me. I can see the long exposure photograph I want to create but the conditions just never seem to be right.

I decided to take a quick visit to Tyrella road and stop off at St John’s Point en route.

When I started off the light was perfect but when I arrived the clouds parted to create probably the brightest day of the year to date. You could literally see a line in the sky between the thunder clouds of winter and the bright sun of summer. I was travelling with my X100s equipped with the WCL-X100 and the X-Pro1 with 14mm Fujinon lens.

The following image is of the Mourne Mountains from a little bridge on the way to Tyrella. The image was captured with the X100s with WCL-X100.

The main purpose of the visit was to capture some long exposure photos of both Tyrella and St John’s Point with the X-Pro1 and 14mm lens.

The rocks around St John’s Point Lighthouse are sharp and the terrain is rough so a tripod fitted with a ball head is essential. The location was busy with visitors and even wedding photographers.. see below (X100s and WCL-X100).

It was a matter of finding a vantage point that was going to stay clear for more than 10 seconds and that wasn’t also going to be engulfed by the incoming tide.

The sky was a full of dense clouds following the heavy storm, although this meant rapidly changing light levels it also offered the advantage of a very dramatic skyline.

I really wanted to pack as much detail into the shot, create a long exposure but at the same time keep the clouds as motionless as possible. For this I needed slow cloud movement, fast tide movement and a balance of exposure time and aperture.

You can read more about how to capture long exposure images in this long exposure guide. I am not sure I really achieved what I had set out with this shot but it really was the margin between the storm clouds and blazing sun.

You can click on any of the images in this post to view larger (well, 1200pixel wide) versions on flickr. There is a little bit more detail and clarity full size than exists in these cropped versions.

Links:

Hands on with the X100s
St John’s Point
Long Exposure Photography
Tyrella Road

St John’s Point is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

I hosted my first solo exhibition in the Island Arts Centre back in 2010. Through the Mill was a series of images documenting the sad demise of the four hundred year old Barbour Mill in Hilden.

This new exhibition, entitled “TWENTY” is a series of twenty photographs of Northern Ireland coast, city and countryside. These dramatic images offer a unique perspective achieved through the use of a range of long exposure and black and white photography techniques.

Many of the locations will be recognisable but the camera’s capabilities a different viewpoint is presented, these alternative perceptions are evocative and emotive.

The concept is simple, I have selected twenty photographs which will be limited to just twenty A3 prints in total. I have listed the event on the FlixelPix Facebook Page so you can find out more and signup here.

TWENTY is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

During the recent Snow in Northern Ireland we attempted to make our way through Silent Valley but had to turn and go back. Not to be deterred we attempted the trip again today and despite a thaw we only managed to get marginally closer. The coldest March on over 50 years brought the heaviest snow falls in living memory and the snow has lingered for longer than anyone expected.

It was time to take to the hills with only the Fujfilm X100s equipped with the WCL-X100 wide angle adaptor. The photo below shows the limit to which  you could travel along the road. We parked and walked the last two hundred yards to what felt like the end of the world.

It was a remarkable view but the beauty is born in the contrast to what this location  normally looks like. Today there was nothing to see but white snow and a tempered sky, it was still quite a view to behold.

Macro Mode

I tried to capture the sheer height of the snow. Most of the fence that separates the road from the mountainside was caked under 3-15ft of snow, (yes 15 feet thanks to the snow plough that forced its way trough last week). The WCL-X100 would normally be the tool for landscapes rather than close-up macro images but my hands were too cold to risk removing it. You can see below it still performs on close up subjects even with the macro mode activated.

Even at its lowest point the snow was over three feet deep. It was odd to be walking on such a hard surface and see the tops of fence posts sitting centimetres from foot level.

The X100s is a remarkably performer and for those concerned that 35mm is just too tight for their style of shooting then the little WCL-X100 adds little weight to the camera but opens up a world of opportunities.

I am just not sure how long it will be until we see snow like this in the Mournes on Easter Tuesday. I hope it is a long time to come.

To Mourne the Snow is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

Bád Eddie or Eddie’s boat are the names given to the old wreck at Magherclogher beach, Bunbeg Donegal. Cara Na Mara (‘Friend of the Sea’) is the official title of the abandoned fishing vessel ran into trouble during stormy seas in the early 1970s. The boat featured in the 1985 Clanad and Bono video.

Bunbeg is officially the smallest townland in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore) and was the end of a long journey through the Donegal mountains past the old Dunlewey church.

Eddie’s boat was the reason for the one hour journey from where we were staying and it was certainly worth the effort. The aim was to capture a series of long exposure images as the tide approached Bád Eddie on the Donegal coast line.

Bad Eddie and the X100s

I am still very much smitten and newly fangled with the final release of the Fujifilm X100s so I fired a number of stills of the location as we arrived. All of the following images are on flickr so click on an image to view larger.

It is worth checking this image out for the detail in the wood even in the 1200px wide version on flickr. This image was processed with my free Lightroom presets Mono.

The colour versions remain my favourite of the day. The X100s is a camera that is going to go everywhere for its remarkable sharpness, usability and stunning colour rendition.

The X100s Panoramas

The next image was captured on the X100s using the brilliant sweep panorama mode. You can view a 1200px wide version of this image by clicking on the image.

I am still in awe of just how accurate and sharp the Fujifilm X100s images are. I have a few more of Donegal on flickr but the aim of the visit was to capture long exposure images so it was time to employ the X-Pro1 and 14mm Fujinon lens. Both cameras and a bundle of lenses and accessories were housed in my terrific little Billingham bag.

The X-Pro1 Long Exposure Photographs

I’ve become addicted to long exposure photography and it is great to find a new location to apply the technique. This was a special day to find both the old Dunlewey church and now Bad Eddie.

The Long Exposure (PDF eBook)
The eBook covers everything from the equipment you will need right through to post-production processing in Adobe’s brilliant Lightroom 4. This guide has been written with the beginner to the long exposure process in mind; however, the enthusiast and professional alike may find something of relevance also. The Book comes with 6 dedicated Lightroom Presets. The Long Exposure Ebook

It was odd just how long the tide took to arrive at the boat so I was focused on bringing out the drama of the sky. When the water did reach the vessel it arrived in a deluge so I was aware of the sand softening during the 60 second exposure times.

I will add these images to flickr but I think my favourite has to be the following image when the water finally engulfed the boat offering a perfectly smooth lower image.

I had always planned that this series would be completely mono using my X-Pro1 mono Lightroom preset but actually the colour images captured but the X100s still captured the sense of drama. I couldn’t decide if I preferred the distant or close shot so I’ve posted them both and you can come up with your own conclusion.

It was a remarkable day of photography and a breathtaking location. Click here to see more photographs of donegal or here to read more about long exposure photography.

Bad Eddie is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

On Poison Glen, in the area of Gweedore lies Dunlewey Church, the ruin of the ‘Chapel of Ease to Tullaghabegley’. It is remarkable but this first sentence although sounding like the introduction to a CS Lewis novel is actually fact.

It was a bleak March and the Church ruin likes in the valley between two snow covered mountain lines. The church was built in 1853 by Jane Smith Russell who had the church built as a memorial to her husband, James Russell, landlord of the Dunlewey Estate, who died on 2nd September 1848.

This is my favourite photograph of the visit. The light hit the front of the church at just the right time to offer a great sense of dynamic range.

There is still a grave yard around Dunlewey church which sits in contradiction to the “no camping” signs that adorn the main gate.

This image was captured with the Fujifilm X100s which is a remarkable camera. I will post more about the X100s in the weeks ahead but suffice to say I am hooked.

The scene fits perfectly like a scene in The Game of Thrones, the day was perfect with dark, threatening clouds across the backdrop of the black jagged, snow covered mountains.

It was possible to capture the mood of the scene but I thought that a few long exposure photographs bringing in the sky would add a greater sense of drama.

In 1955 the roof was removed for safety reasons, in 1987 the local community restored the floor and in 2005 after much fundraising additional restoration work was completed to protect the church.

The aim of the photographic series is to recreate the bleak, cold experience of being there. It is a scary location, uncomfortable and eerie. I’ve repeated the first image again to offer a better sense of scale and also a sharper rendition of the photo. I’ve been told that birds won’t fly around Dunlewey Church and I got a strong sense that could just be true.

The water in the Glen is undrinkable which supposedly dates back to a time when Irish rebels poisoned it in order to kill the horses of a battalion of the English army that had camped there. Hence the name Poison Glen.

All of the long exposure photographs were captured with the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and 14mm Fujinon lens.

You can see more images from Donegal here.

Remains of Dunlewey Church is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.

A planned visit to Donegal included a visit to the stunning Stranorlar waterfalls. Generally I use a number of filters to smooth out the water but give the terrible weather that has afflicted Ireland even at the height of morning the light was exceptionally low.

The Long Exposure (PDF eBook)
The eBook covers everything from the equipment you will need right through to post-production processing in Adobe’s brilliant Lightroom 4. This guide has been written with the beginner to the long exposure process in mind; however, the enthusiast and professional alike may find something of relevance also. The Book comes with 6 dedicated Lightroom Presets. The Long Exposure Ebook

I was out with the Fujfilm X-Pro1 & Fujinon 14mm lens. Shooting at f/22 I was able to smooth the water with a two second exposure. To be honest there wasn’t an awful lot of water flowing so increasing the exposure time resulted in what water there was became almost invisible.

You can see just how fine the water flow was from the images below. The top header image is a little more cropped than I would have liked but the full size version is available on 500px and flickr.

I should also give a big credit to my new Billingham photo bag. Juggling tripods, cameras and filters isn’t easy especially in dirty, wet conditions. My Billingham F-Stop F1.4 strapped around me offered direct access to lens cleaning cloths, ND filters and spare batteries, I love this bag.

This was just one example when a longer exposure isn’t necessarily the best way to capture a scene. All the images of the waterfall were 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds in duration.

If you are interested in the technique of long exposure photography then check out the long exposure ebook.

Stranorlar Waterfall is a post from: FlixelPix Photography All content copyright FlixelPix. Photo reproduction strictly by written permission only.