Book Project.

Have been tinkering with a book idea. I have wanted to publish something for years but have never really had a reason/handle to hang it on. So I have just used Blurb Books to run a test to see what the quality is like. I think the final product depends on this and of course layout and print quality. So I am expecting my first sample through the post soon. It arrived today March 1, sample pics below.


 

Latest Work.

Just a quick post of some of my latest work. Weather here in UK has not been brilliant so I have been doing admin and SEO work on my many websites and blogs. Also working on my new book.


Latest Work - Images by Patrick Eden

Round the Island Race 2012.

Round the Island Yacht Race.

Well here we go, my first ever blog post.
Round the Island Race.
The event was on the weekend just gone (30th June) and was my 27th as a photographer. The forecast was for showers, sunny spells, with strengthening winds during the day, peaking at a force 7 on the Beaufort Scale, (31 to 35 mph) in the afternoon. As it turned out the wind was not quite as strong as this, but still enough of a blow to make things lumpy off The Needles and St Catherines Point.
I am always  asked two questions about marine photography, “what equipment I use?” and “how do you keep it dry?” I always shoot with two cameras. I use Canons, EOS 1D Mark IIs and 5Ds. The lenses attached most of the time are a 300mm 2.8L IS with a 1.4 converter and a 70-200mm 2.8 zoom. These give me excellent broad coverage for most eventualities. If I want to go in really close I will change the 300 for a 16-35 mm 2.8L lens. I use a plastic water proof fishing creel to keep the cameras, lenses, flash cards, spare batteries, etc in.
As for keeping the gear dry, it is almost impossible. Sea spray is always in the air, so this is where the marine photographers most important piece of equipment comes in. The Shammy, a good old fashioned shammy leather to wipe the worst of the spray off the gear and to clean the front of the lenses. I also have a collection of ordinary cloths and a small towel. All drying materials are kept in various pockets in my water proof bib trousers. I always work with a large offshore sailing jacket, which can be quickly closed around the equipment. This helps to keep the really wet stuff from drenching both me and the gear. I always wear a lifejacket which is inside the jacket.
I normally work from a 21ft RIB, basically a big rubber boat with a large engine on the back. And most important of all a driver who is also an experienced yachtsman who under stands what is going on and can safely put me in the right spot for pictures.
Here is one of the pictures from the race of beautiful classic boat “Eleonora” off The Needles. More pictures at my website www.patrickeden.co.uk

Eleonora, The Needles, Isle of Wight. 

The Good Old Days.

Ah the good old days……………….

Posted on July 15, 2012 by patrickedenphotography

Photojournalist or pack mule? A look back at the good old days of wire service photography by Chris Wilkins.
Here.

Royal visit by HRH Queen Elizabeth II to Cowes Isle of Wight

Royal visit by HRH Queen Elizabeth II to Cowes Isle of Wight. 25 July 2012.

Posted on July 27, 2012 by patrickedenphotography

After 27 years as a professional photographer I finally got to photograph The Queen. She is the only member of the Royal Family that I haven’t photographed, I was asked last time she visited the Isle of Wight, but unfortunately I was already booked in to do other work. I have done dozens of visits by royalty to the island. Often in a private capacity, which tend to be far more relaxed events.
This time was not under ideal conditions,I did not have a Palace Rotapress Pass which would allow me to be part of the official press party. Which did in some senses allow me more freedom. The security and press officers knew who I was so no problems.
I was asked by the Island Sailing Club to get a picture of The Queen being introduced to the Commodore and his wife, who would then escort the royal party through the marque past members to the pontoon where they would depart for Cowes Yacht Haven. So I had basically about 120 seconds to get the pictures. Not ideal situation but as a professional this is where you earn your money and it is what you are employed to do. And as the adage goes in photography “you are only as good as your last job”.
The main reason for the Queens visit was to open the new RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Station. Which is adjacent to the ISC and shares slipway space. So I was able initially get pictures of the Queen seated and her talking with staff and the plaque she unveiled. It was the same old bun fight with other photographers, TV and Radio and of course some members of the public all jostling for a good view. The Royal Protection blokes were as usual cool as cucumbers and one even asked a colleague to move as he was blocking my view.
The lighting presented some interesting problems blazing mid day sunshine, but fortunately most I what I got was in bright open shade which gave a very pleasing, and for people of a certain age, flattering light.
Equipment wise I had two Canon bodies with 24-105 f4, 70-200 f2.8 and 300 f2.8L IS with a 1.4 converter. The later was met with disapproval in some quarters, I presume because of the close ups it afforded, which was negated by the quality of the light.
This segment of the visit was over in less than half an hour, so then time for a drink and a chat with old friends with the RNLI who I hadn’t seen for quite some time.
There are more pictures at my website www.patrickeden.co.uk

Chevy Chase Mountain Bike Endurance Race. Isle of Wight.

Chevy Chase Endurance Mountain Biking Event.

Posted on 24 February 2013 by patrickedenphotography

Chevy Chase Mountain Bike Challenge

Isle of Wight, Shalfleet, Cheverton Farm, Event, Endurance, Mountain Bike, Chevy Chase, Biker, Bikers

I was recently asked by the organisers of the Chevy Chase mountain bike endurance event to take promotional photographs. I had been to the course for previous events so was fairly familiar with the layout, how ever quite a lot had been added.
The start was a le mans style through the event tent, this was past the electronic starting gates which tripped the timers for all the racers. This was followed by a dash across the first field to a large bank which is landscaped with some great short ascents, mogals and a terrific steep descent, all through a narrow weaving track fringed by thickets and hedges. A long open ascent across fields with specially built humps and jumps. At the bottom of the valley was a ramp leading to undulating single track through mixed wood and pine forest. The exit was up a long slow drag to a steep zig zagging ascent up the side of the valley, followed by a quick down hill to the finish.
I pretty much brought the kitchen sink with me. EOS 1D Mark II and EOS 5D bodies. 16-35 f2.8, 24-105 f4, 70-200 f2.8 and 300 f2.8 lenses. 2X 1.4X extenders. EX580, EX540 and EZ540 flash guns. ST-E2 infra red trigger. Pocket wizards. Mini tripod.
I tried to keep it reasonably simple, 16-35 on the 5D with EX580 flash and 70-200 on the 1D.
The plan was to just work my way anti clockwise round the course as it was a four hour endurance event.
The pictures I took on the first sections were with the flash on the camera, simple fill in shots and slow shutter pan shots. It was over cast early on, but the sun peaked through the clouds on the odd occasion giving the light a bit of a lift, especially in the sepulchral gloom of the woods.
The low angle pictures were taken while lying flat on my face peering up at various man made humps and hillocks, shot against an interesting and ever changing sky. Some people took them at full tilt trying to get some air, while others were much more circumspect, erring on the downright cautious.
The plan for the forested single track was to use the ST-E2 infrared trigger to fire two flashes place on the ground either side of the narrow path. The best spots were corners where the banks had been built up giving a cracking raised berm to really lean into the turns. I tried to keep the lighting simple no stofens, just open flash. Because it was pretty dark the infra red ST-E2 worked perfectly. This isn’t often the case in bright sunlight, where unless the flashes are in direct line of sight and close to the camera they can be very erratic.
I was going to trigger the flashes with pocket wizards but the ST-E2 worked so superbly I didn’t need to. Shutter speed was set to a manual speed varying between 200th right down to ¼ sec, while the flash was set to ETTL.
After the wooded areas I set up on the chalky drag up to the steep grass area. This time I was using the 70-200 with again the flashes set up next to the track. Unfortunately one of the flashes did not fire because of the long grass, but the one that was supplied enough fill in light to make the dull grey light look a bit more interesting.
All in all I was very happy with the results, which you can see here