In between my weddings I managed to squeeze in a short break to visit my good friends Dorota and Michal in Warsaw, who are also known as Whitesmoke

There is some amazing photography coming out of Poland and these 2 are at the cutting edge. The style is different to what we see here in the UK and USA – a bit more grittier, more real life, not as fluffed up.

Although I do like some fluffy photography (I’m a romantic at heart !) its good to see alternatives.

These were all shot on the D700 with one lens, the 50mm. I would have liked wider at times particularly when I was shooting the demo but when traveling I like to be as light as possible. Besides its good to practise with one lens and makes you work and look more.

Warsaw is an interesting city and not as bad as I was lead to believe. Lots of interesting buildings and architecture (some of the Soviet stuff was interesting in particular the Cultural Palace) as well as excellent restaurants and bars. And of course friendly, welcoming people. I couldn’t have had a better welcome, so thanks again Dorota and Michal and hope to see you in London next !

Below are some favourites

Team Whitesmoke – Yo !

Michal with one of his great images

Anyone who is seriously into photography and portraiture in particular must visit the Irving Penn exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar square. I paid a visit yesterday with my colleagues from The Britpack and was not disappointed.

Penn has to be one of my favourite portrait photographers and has been a huge influence on me in the way he creates such graphic compositions (the Marlene Dietrich portrait springs to mind) and the strong use of directional light.Unlike many portrait photographers he did not necessarily have to flatter the subject which he quite often broad lit and shot from a low angle with a wide lens. A perfect recipe to make you look 3 stone heavier ! Anyhow the techniques and presentation he used are still very much relevant 40, 50 years on, even more so in an age of endemic digital mediocrity and gimmickry.

On my way home I noticed a busker under Waterloo Bridge and I took a few shots which are in some way, a nice reminder of what I had just seen.

documentary photographer London

Last month I posted some images I had taken in London with a really neat i phone application called hipstamatic.  I really love shooting with this and the retro look it produces. So I thought I’d post a few more here which I’ve taken recently close to where I live. These were also taken on  my new 3G s phone which has a better camera that produces bigger files and therefore better quality prints.

Below are some more favourites

David has just discovered this in light of the recent stories run in the daily papers suggesting that Jon Venables (who was convicted of murdering Jamie Bulger) was going by the name of David Calvert. Since then David’s photography site has had over 50,000 hits. Normally we’d be thrilled that his site is so popular, but at the moment he is obviously very concerned.

As his colleagues we are doing all we can to help David disassociate himself from this dreadful story. He is in no way  related to David Calvert of Fleetwood, who has also been highlighted in the press and is in no way connected to the tragic case of Jamie Bulger.

David, 46,  is a national award winning photographer and his business David Calvert Photography, based in Hertfordshire, specialises in family and child portraiture. David has our complete support in these difficult circumstances and we hope very much that they pass without impact to him, his own family or his business.

I’ve always loved the retro look so I was really pleased when a colleague told me about this really cool i phone application – hipstamatic

So I tried this out on a recent trip to London and I love the results and unpredictability of it. Even the most boring looking scene can look interesting. In the 70′s as a child I owned a few crappy soviet, eastern block style cameras and loved to play around with them often processing the film in weird ways. That was the joy of photography and I guess today it has become more and more predictable with camera technology improving at an alarming rate. Its why I see now a lot of professionals (mainly American) who process their images this way as well as the increasing popularity of Lomo and Holga cameras.

Anyway this is a great application which costs a few pounds. In particular I like the square format which in many ways is easier to work with and reminds me of my early days in photography when we used Hasselblads. Below are some more favourites, let me know what you think.

London documentary photographer

Everyone has been moaning about the weather recently. But it does provide all photographers, from keen hobbyists to full time pros, excellent subject matter.

Here are a handful I took during my walk to the studio each day. I’m not one of those photographers who has a camera in their hands 24/7. But I always have my i phone readily to hand which often surprises me by producing some decent images. Don’t worry though – I won’t be using it in the studio for the time being. Some more can be seen below.

Neil Palmer wedding photographer london

I’m often asked which photographers have had the biggest influence on the way I shoot and my answer is always Cartier Bresson, Doisneau and Erwitt. So whenever possible I try to work in a similar style. Not only is this an enjoyable challenge but to stay top of my game it is essential to practice timing, anticipation and finding interesting images in the most unlikely situations. In other words – learning how to see.

Here are some images taken on a recent business trip to Bologna in Italy. I love everything about Italy, it has to be my favourite country. With Christmas in the air and some unexpected snow showers the mood and atmosphere of the place gave me plenty of interesting opportunities. Below are some favourites. Most were taken on the Lumix G1 with a the Summilux 25mm 1.4. For the wider work I used the Lumix 20mm, 1.7 pancake lens. These were essential because of the low light.

Very few are aware that the town of Reading hosted approximately 900 prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars between 1807-1809. About two thirds were from Denmark and were ‘fortunate’ to be held in Reading with a fair amount of freedom. The alternative was usually a rotting prison ship. During this time they integrated seemlessly into Reading life and became quite popular. They were often referred to as The Gentlemen Danes.

One of these prisoners was Laurenthes Braag whose memorial stone at Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin can be seen above. This was spotted some years ago by my friend and local historian John Nixon. It was in a bad shape then but was restored to its former glory by Michael Eastham and Joscelyn Schmidt. Yesterday saw the official unveiling of the memorial. This was well attended by local historians and special guests as well as Reading Civic Society, The Mayor of Reading, Per Bjerg (Museum Curator, Fano), Captain Niels Erik Sorensen (Danish Defence Attache) and Lars Flyvholm (MD of Bang and Olufsen UK – who sponsored the event)

Below are some of my favourite shots. If you attended the event and would like copies of the complete set (114 in total) please e mail me with your postal address. Please feel free to add any comments below.

For photographers – All images shot with on Lumix G1. Lenses – Lumix 20mm 1.7 (pancake lens) and Leica Summilux 25mm 1.4. This is a great camera I love using. Very small and discreet with excellent metering and AF which locks quickly and doesn’t ‘hunt’ in low light like my Canon 5D tends to. It is however quite noisy in the shadows at 1600 compared to my Canons. Not so much a problem for me as I often add grain to my images afterwards to give a film look.

The Danish Flag (Dannebrog) flys proudly above Reading.

On the right Richard Bennett Chairman Reading Civic Society.

2 members of The Buffs – 3rd East Kent Regiment of Foot

John Nixon local historian

Captain Niels Erik Sorensen, Danish Defence Attache

What a pretty face ! One of the guests having a good time.

On the right Lars Flyvholm, Managing Director of Bang and Olufsen UK – The event’s sponsors.

Far right Birgitte Winther Braag, a distant relation of Laurenthes Braag

Captain Niels Erik Sorensen, Danish Defence Attache

Per Bjerg, Museum Curator Fano

On the right The Mayor Reading Cllr Fred Pugh

These were taken in November 2007 and as you can see it was bitterly cold with a thin covering of snow which added to the bleakness of the place. It is an eerily silent place where people say the birds don’t sing. This is particularly true on the edge of the forest where the gas chambers were.

These were all shot on the Canon 5d with the 35m, 1.4 lens. Not only is this my favourite story telling lens but it was absolutely necessary for the low light.

Neil Palmer documentary photographer berkshire

It was also an opportunity to try out my new camera – the Lumix G1. This is very small and light and is therefore excellent for travel and documentary photography. With this type of photography you have to be ideally ‘invisible’. With a wedding or any commissioned shoot people expect you to be there shooting images.

Anyhow the camera performed superbly although it took a little getting used to. Most shots were taken at waist level or just slightly above and my general rule of thumb is get in close and keep as wide as possible. I always try and avoid eye contact as well and look away at the moment I press the shutter.

I’ve processed some to give the effect of the old polaroid film SX 70, which was common in the 70′s. I really like this effect and it seems to work well here. Perhaps its also a reminder of my childhood when I used this film alot and also experienced many beach holidays.