The beach at Holkham on the North Norfolk coast is regarded as one of the very best beaches to be found in the British Isles. I can see why, especially on a day like the one that can be seen in the image below. Warm, calm, with very few people about, it really is such a beautiful and tranquil place.

Big Skies over Holkham

Fuji X-T2 with Fujinon 10-24mm F4 lens. Tripod and cable release. Lee N.D. 2 stop hard grad filter.

Donna and Ryan at Hartsholme Park

Trevor and I had a fantastic day at Hartsholme Park in Lincoln at the end of October with Donna and Ryan. The weather was kind, a bit dull, but warm and the trees looked magnificent. Golds, reds and copper hues everywhere. Autumn can be a great time for a wedding or portrait shoot and it's brilliant as a photographer to be able to take advantage of these gorgeous colours at this special time of year.  

I was working with Trevor on the portrait shoot  and we had to work fast to make best use of Hartsholme park and its many amazing locations. Luckily Donna and Ryan were up for it and the afternoon was really good fun, the four of us zipping around the parks locations before the ambient light started to drop. 

Our first destination was under the canopy of a large Beech tree. Two off camera flashes were used to add punch to the scene, and help enhance and saturate the colours that surrounded us. This worked a treat, the images really coming to life. A couple of nice relaxed images here and then time to move on.

I love this relaxed pose of Donna and Ryan on the steps, the glorious colours of the trees in the background really help frame the couple and Trevor has captured the moment perfectly.

Next we moved to the beautiful bridge in the middle of the park. It's just been renovated and looked fantastic. It always makes for a great destination when working on a portrait shoot. A mixture of semi posed and candid images worked well here, and we managed to attract a bit of an audience at one point which is always fun.

As we started to loop back towards the car park, we stopped for another mini shoot with a lovely woodland backdrop. It's always a good idea to let the couple be themselves. Sometimes just a tiny bit of direction is all that's needed in order to capture great Images. By now Donna and Ryan seemed completely relaxed and at ease in front of the camera, and I think this really comes across in the images.

Loving the Fuji X-T2

We decided to get a couple of individual portraits as we got back to the Cafe' and visitor centre, and two more images of the couple together. We knew that this would be enough to put a lovely little portfolio together for Donna and Ryan. I had been using my Nikon D4 up to this point but decided to use the Fuji X-T2 for my portrait shots of Donna. Coupled with the Fujinon 56mm F1.2 I fired off a few images, setting the camera to continuous shooting mode. The X-T2 performed admirably, producing pin sharp shots of Donna. The Fuji really is an impressive bit of kit, and it will be accompanying me on future portrait and wedding shoots.

Lovely depth of field

It was a fun afternoon with a great couple,  and we managed to pack a great deal in to just one afternoon.

If you are interested in a portrait or engagement shoot, or are getting married soon, why not drop us a line. We would love to hear from you. You can click the link brettalexander.co.uk

First impressions of the Fuji X-T2

I've had the Fuji X-T2 for about a month now, and it will be used alongside my X-T1 for landscape work as well as weddings and portraiture. The Fuji X-T1 has been a wonderful camera and produced many landscape images that have sold really well in my gallery in Wells next the Sea, North Norfolk. The X-T2 will provide me with a camera that offers higher resolution, something not necessarily crucial for wedding and portrait work, but great for making big landscape images.    

Initial impressions are very positive, the 24mp sensor a welcome upgrade over the 16mp of the Fuji X-T1. Images are sharp straight out of the camera, and there is little need to sharpen them any more in software. Ergonomically the two cameras are very similar, which is a great thing, especially if they are being used together on the same shoot. I've not yet tested the autofocus capabilities of the new camera, not having shot a wedding with it yet, but once I do I will let you all know what my impressions are.

Albatros will full moon behind

The image of the Albatros was taken as the full moon (super moon) rose behind it. Coupled with the Fujinon 10-24mm F4 lens, I was able to get in close, almost under the boat to add real impact. This wide angle lens is an absolute cracker, and coupled with the X-T2 makes a formidable setup.