the gull who flew too low

the gull who flew too low, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I love black-headed gulls. They are incredibly agile fliers and seem to relish making great photo opportunities.

Seeing as today is Trivia Tuesday (not really – I just made that up) I thought you might like to know that the black-headed gull is the official prefectural bird of Japan – and they named their Yurikamome railway after it.

Ben Starav

Ben Starav, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I’ve finally begun to work on some panoramic shots that I’ve taken over the past few years. I don’t own a panoramic format camera, so I’m limited to either cropping a single photo to a panoramic crop, or to taking a series of separate photos and then combining them. Recent panoramic shots I’ve posted have been panoramic crops. I think these can work well, but it’s not my preferred option. My preference is to take several separate exposures and stitch and blend. However, I have struggled to find a decent piece of software that can make a good job of this.

It’s not perfect, and it’s certainly not cheap, but Photoshop CS4 is, in my most humble opinion, the best software on the market to accomplish this. You still have to work as some of the blending, and sometimes it doesn’t know which photos to stitch together, but it does do a very good job.

This is my first – more to follow. Sorry they’re somewhat from the archives. I’ve been sitting on these for a long time waiting for the right software to show up!

the smile in his eyes

the smile in his eyes, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

What’s the most important thing about taking a portrait? I think it might be something about capturing something of the spirit of the subject. Certainly some of the best portrait photographers I’ve seen have managed to do that. Whether it’s wedding, fashion, social or family photography I think that the great portrait photographers somehow help you to see something of the subject’s personality.

I think it is hard taking photos of children – they present more of a challenge than shooting elusive or dangerous wildlife. I’m on a journey of trying to capture something of my son’s personality – he doesn’t make that journey easy – indeed he seems to delight in making it as difficult as possible. I give thanks for ISO800 and fast shutter speeds. You have to move quickly!

I like this one. I can see the smile in his eyes.

you are very welcome here...

you are very welcome here..., originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I took my son to Bedford today. We were planning to visit London as it's his birthday, but he's been unwell over the weekend (missed his own party!), so we decided to go somewhere a bit closer to home that still involved a train trip.

We actually had a lovely day - despite what you see on these photos. I probably represent it unfairly, but I couldn't resist bringing these shots together in one post. It sends such a wonderfully welcoming message!

I particularly like the last outtake below: Disabled facilities on the 3rd floor – you couldn’t make it up.

voici le week-end

voici le week-end, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

Woo hoo! It’s Friday! Voici le week-end!

...I know it's blurry. He wouldn't keep still and who can blame him.

the desolation of the irish sea

the desolation of the irish sea, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

Grief is like the birth of a child. No-one can prepare you for the intensity of it. It stays with you forever. You never get over grief. Never. It's with you always, constantly shaping your attitude, your perspective on life. Part of my journey is figuring out how to embrace that reality.

13 years ago today my father died in tragic circumstances. Today I celebrate his memory with the Irish Sea and another poem by my talented sister.

I can see you in so many faces,
Catch my breath in a crowded room,
Find your eyes, your chapped, shy lips
Staring blankly back at me.

I look for you but I do not find you.

These clumsy hands of my mind
Mould and reshape your character.
Find the gentle timidity of your speech,
Not the glazed anger and blinkered arguments you maintained.
Replays our days in London’s bustle, in Snowdonia’s solitude,
And push away the hours and weeks I felt forgotten.

I know not how to label you.
You were always outside the box.
An exile in your own family.
Striving against the suffocating tide of conformity.

My hot, salty tears cannot reclaim you.
My clinging self pity cannot hold you here.
But it helps to express this:
To tell you that I knew you
And I love you.
And I miss you.

[ (c) Esther Freeman ]

Glen Etive

Glen Etive, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

My sister writes poems. She has ways of crafting words which leave me breathless sometimes. I’ve been thinking for a long time about doing a series of resonances between her words with my images. This is my first attempt.

This wind is a magical magnet
As my arms embrace its strength
And my lungs inhale its wild breath
It gathers my fragmented self
And shelters it under the wings of my soul.

[ (c) Esther Freeman ]

Sunrise at Rubha Robhanais

Sunrise at Rubha Robhanais, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I’m in the middle of updating my website: new galleries with new images, some changes in design and functionality and a very exciting new page – more details to follow! As part of the work I’m doing on the new website I’m finally getting round to developing some photographs that I took some time ago. And this is one of them.

Don’t judge me for having several favourite places in the world. But one of my absolute favourites is the islands of the Outer Hebrides. This is the northernmost tip of the northernmost island. This is sunrise at Rubha Robhanais.

the feather and the butterfly circus

the feather and the butterfly circus, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

Sometimes I see something which leaves me wanting to respond in a creative way.

I saw a short film the other day. You can see it here. It’s 20 minutes long and well worth spending that time watching it. You might not have time to watch it right now, but I encourage you to see it at some point. It’s very powerful, very touching and almost incidentally has superb camera work in it. Your life will be richer for having watched it.

It made me want to respond in a creative way. A butterfly might have been the obvious response (the film is called The Butterfly Circus), but for some reason I wanted to respond with a feather: something that is both enormously fragile – but has enormous potential… can make you fly.