Hello Photographer!

Hope you all managed to get successful Eclipse pics after last month’s newsletter, I think the place to be was probably Derbyshire, where they had cloud AND sun, which created some lovely effects. The Line + Light team were shooting under a blue sky this side of the East Midlands, so good results, but less atmospheric than pics taken further west which came in from you.

Now it’s the turn of Easter, and a welcome bank holiday. Whatever you’re up to, do have fun! In this month’s newsletter we discuss firmware upgrades on your camera, a subject you may have given little consideration to since you bought your camera.
Do read on…..

Firmware awareness

Computers and software savvy people update their operating systems with regularity and your subscription to Adobe CC will notify you of updates to editing software, but how many of us check for the latest firmware updates for our cameras?  Camera manufacturers release their cameras with software on board that controls everything from exposure control & focusing features right through to raw file handling and noise control, plus a whole lot more besides.  Over time this will go out of date as they work ever harder to unlock newer ways of processing the information inside your camera.  Given the fact that you could be using all these wonderful new features now and for free, it makes sense to check your camera manufacturer’s website regularly.  

You can find your camera’s current firmware in the menu system on your camera. It’s usually listed as a number and most are shown similar to 1.10, although Canon choose to show theirs similar to 1.3.3. If you find yours is different to the latest version available, then follow the instructions on the website. You’ll need a full camera battery (or your camera’s mains power supply if it came with one) and memory card to copy the update onto. You then load the firmware onto your camera from the memory card. If you haven’t done this in quite some time or never knew it was possible, any updates you can find will include all the previous updates from your current version up to the latest release. If you have an older model camera and you can’t find an update, it may be because your camera is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Fuji seem to be the best at supporting their customers by listing many of their older camera’s firmware updates. If you can’t find a current update on your manufacturer’s website, you might find it on an alternative website, but be wary as if it’s from a third party site it might cause more problems than it solves. These releases are always designed to bring you the latest functionality and never remove features from your camera, so you can rest assured that the camera will get better with each firmware update. The bottom line is: keep your camera as up to date as you do your computer and you’ll enjoy using it all the more.

Sports Photography – Cadwell Park motor racing
Fast cars, fast action, fast photography!

£125 for the day
Friday 15th May 2015

We’re rolling them out this year folks, with yet another brand NEW course to tell you about, this time at glorious Cadwell Park circuit in the Lincolnshire Wolds and a day to shoot track testing for the BARC Championships to be held that weekend.

If you enjoyed our Rugby Sports course, then this is definitely a day for you, but really anyone with a desire to develop their skills in front of fast moving subject matter would benefit from attending. Learning to track & pan cars at speed, practice using Al Servo when vehicles come towards you, shooting using long lenses and pushing the depth of field on a car moving 100mph…. it’s going to be a day of rapid decision making and the most enormous fun!

Cadwell is known as the ‘Matterhorn’ of courses with its extreme undulations and exceptionally pretty woodland setting, it’s very unlike circuits such as Silverstone, which are set on old airfields. Instead, it’s a purpose built grandaddy of tracks, which celebrated its 80th birthday in 2014. We have access to all areas on this day, right by the track and across the paddock too where there will be opportunities for portraits of the drivers and details of the cars (see the web page for image examples).

Using the new May 9th Stage 3 day is going to be a cracking warm up run, you’ll be introduced to the theories and a week later be putting it to the test for real. Paul Mottram, a cameraman with several international Grand Prix’s under his belt, and even a spell filming with Schumacher is your guide for the day, and for those interested in fast bikes as well as fast cars, we hope to have another event in mid summer for the two-wheeled fans amongst you.