Mobile Musings

There have been a few discussions lately between friends about the merits of various cameras, image quality and useability. But, after all the discussion our good friend Annie summed it all up with the line "the best camera is the one you have with you at the time".

Yep. Gotta agree with that!

The main camera I use for work is without doubt better in terms of useability and image quality than any other camera I've ever owned. I have no interest in Nikon v. Canon debates, or which is the best DSLR or the best camera phone. I am firmly in Annie's camp on this one... the best camera for you is the one you have with you at the time.

My camera phone is clearly not as good as my DSLR, but what good is my DSLR when it is sitting at home and I am faced with a sunset or a scene or a snap that just has to be taken?

Everywhere I go I see potential photographs, but I don't have my big camera everywhere I go.

I have just very recently been dragged into the 21st century though, so I do sometimes have a camera phone. Not always. I don't carry a phone around with me unless I really have to... I have a very real and very strong aversion to phones, but that is probably a whole nother story!!

Anyway, twice recently I had my phone with me and saw a few scenes I wanted to shoot. No big camera, just a mobile phone.

At that particular moment in time, the mobile phone had the best camera for the job... well, it was the only one I had so there was no competition was there?

The images are extremely poor quality in comparison to the DSLR. Noisy shadows, blown highlights, blur, ridiculously long shutter lag... heck, I could've made a cup of tea in the time between pressing the shutter and the image recording!! But for all that, I actually quite like the results. They are no use whatsoever for printing or blowing up to any size other than web-size, but there is a certain quality (ok, poor quality), but a certain quality nonetheless that I actually rather like!

The images have a slightly documentary feel to them. They aren't prizewinners or works of art for sure, but there is something appealing about them. They are snaps, and they do what snaps are supposed to do, remind you of happy times or moments; they are a visual record of a moment in your life that had some particular meaning at that moment. They have soul and meaning, maybe only to me, but that is why I like them.

There's a different quality to a high quality, clear and thought-about photograph, but it's not necessarily any the less for being a snap.

Sometimes we need to step back and remind ourselves of what it's all about... I love creating images and photographs, I love making people feel special and better about themselves, allowing them to escape to fantasyland for a while if they need to, but I also love the plain and the simple things in my life. Sitting on a bench on Brighton seafront with John, watching the sun set behind the pier.

Or walking the dog on another grey, muddy, slightly frozen, slightly thawed January day and laughing at him as he splashes through the mud, then inwardly crying at the mess and the stench of wet dog for the journey home...

...and grinning a bit at the thought of John's face when we both appear at the back door and Hogan shakes himself before wagging his tail to be let in!!!

These are moments for snaps. They may be poor quality, but they are top quality in terms of emotion and feel. Can't grumble at that ;-)

Rebecca,x

http://www.rtphotographics.co.uk/

rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

Capers for a Ceilidh!!

Knowing nothing about music, other than I like it or I don't, I was actually really pleased to find myself at an exclusive preview of music for an upcoming ceilidh in Ballinluig, near Pitlochry, in Scotland. For the benefit of my overseas friends, 'ceilidh' is pronounced rather like 'kayley' and is taken from the Gaelic word for 'a visit'.

On the 30th January at 7.30pm in the Ballinluig Hall is a fund raising ceilidh for the Mid Atholl Hall and Community Fiddlers. It's going to be an informal concert, with great music, friends, merry making and a bit of food as well. It sounds fantastic and just the ticket for that post-Christmas 'what shall we do now' lull. The musicians are all local and amazingly talented!! Wayne, Liam and John are one of the wonderful local bands, but there will be others as well... it's going to be a great night!!



The ceilidh band is the heart and core of the ceilidh. A simple and obvious statement, I mean clearly without the band there is no music to dance to... but nor is there a rhythm for your soul to sing to, nor a beat for your heart to follow or for your laughter to echo!

Poetic nonsense? No, absolutely not. The boys played several pieces, none of which I'd heard before and I didn't know the stories behind them but every one had me spellbound. You had to be there I suppose, but oh what an amazing sound!



Ceilidhs have a huge long history. Originally used for people to gather and visit, to tell stories and make merry, amazingly the ceilidh still does all that today! The music that I heard on Sunday told me stories of love, of reminiscences, of longing, and, when you think about it, of lives that are still the same even after centuries of technological innovation and progress.

Our mode of transport has changed, our community centres and village halls have changed and the way we cook our food. We may use clubs and discos more often than the ceilidh, but still we meet, we sing, we dance, we love, we laugh, we cry, we reminisce and we break our hearts. Are we really so different from our ancestors? Are we really so different from our any of our friends overseas?

Wherever we are, whoever we are... we meet, we sing, we dance, we love, we laugh, we cry, we reminisce and we break our hearts.



Even in the days of Cromwell when singing and dancing and frolics were banned, people still did it. It's in our nature and we can't crush it, even with the strongest oppressive forces. Even in times of war people still meet, fall in love, dance in secret, cry, reminisce and break each others hearts!! I know nothing about music, and I know even less about the performance of it, but I know how it makes me feel.

I am useless at playing any kind of instrument, I can't sing, I can't dance... in fact, the only time I will ever sing is if I'm in the car by myself and I'm on a motorway where there is no chance that anyone will hear it, and as for dancing, trust me, it's not pretty and it's not clever!!

So, I'm about as musical as a big bag of spanners but I do know when I like something, and I do know when my heart is lifted or a song makes me drift off into my memory, or my dreams and imagination... and the music that I heard last Sunday did just that. The boys were spectacular!



There may be a large age gap between the eldest and the youngest, but there was no skills gap that's for sure!!

The guys played their hearts out and my toes were tapping in spite of themselves; I almost started humming along as well but managed to control the urges so as not to destroy their harmonies, and boy, my smile was bone deep!!

That smile came from right down inside and is still with me now when I look at the photos and feel the music again. We were in Wayne's kitchen, it was impromptu and cramped (from a photographer's point of view, I mean it's a lovely kitchen from a cook's point of view!!), but it was so much fun and so uplifting. Good luck at the ceilidh boys, and thank you for such an entertaining day out. Wow!!!!

Rebecca, x

rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

http://www.rtphotographics.co.uk/

Love Snow!

Happy New Year to all, I hope that 2010 is full of good things and happy days for everyone :D


Well, it's been a very hectic couple of months but here I am again, coffee in hand, laptop on my lap and a whole new year to look forward to and get excited about!!

I LOVE this time of year! I love the snow, I love the ice, I love staying in and being cosy wrapped up in my snuggly blanket... talking of which, I got one of those blankets with sleeves for Christmas, yayyy!!!

What a fantastic idea! No more wriggling and yoga-style contortions while trying to pick your drink up without getting your arms out from under the blanket...

...there's even a pocket in the front for your bag of malteser's while you snuggle up and watch the film :-) how good is that?!!

But I also love this time of year for photography.



Sunrise and sunset is at a much more socially acceptable time of day, the light is gorgeous all day with the low sun sparking off the snow and ice.

Even on days when there's no sun to be seen (like today, and yesterday, and every other day that I am able to go out with my camera), there's still more than enough beauty in the landscape and a HUGE natural reflector that makes it absolutely perfect for portraits... people or pets!



Our pooch loves the snow, he goes absolutely bonkers in it leaping about and using his nose to flick it up and eat it. He bounces around like Tigger on caffeine, not entirely sure what the appeal is for him, but he absolutely loves it!

So, what of 2010? I have some huge plans that are needing a bit of behind-the-scenes work to get going, but I am VERY excited about it... what are the plans? Watch this space, I'll let you know later ;)

Rebecca, x

rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk

rtphotographics.co.uk