How does a photographer from Birmingham end up on one of the biggest photography blogs on the planet? Well, I just sent them an email... I was very fortunate to have my article published with www.petapixel.com However, the feedback that I have received has been even more gratifying, it just goes to show, there are still some genuinely kind people out there who still wish to offer support, thank you to those people...
You can find the article HERE...
But, I've just added this Wacom Bamboo to my list of gadgets and I have to say, to anyone using Photoshop/Lightroom, it's an incredible little tool to use... It reallly speeds up the photo editing process and is so much more accurate than a track pad/mouse. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about editing their photos... Pointless blog post over...
I regularly shoot and occasionally (though really should more often) write articles for OversteerAddicts - The sites features a great mix of car related news, reviews and a heathy mix of videos and lifestyle features thrown in there too! I'm usually fairly busy with several things happening at once, however, I have just clicked back on to 'OA' and I was amazed at how far we've come in such a short space of time...
This is mainly due to the sites developer, Paul, who has done an amazing job of creating a well presented, easy to navigate and engaging site! Obviously, helped along by a few of my images, many that you will recognise from my own portfolio as working with OA has allowed me the opportunity to shoot some fantastic cars.
The site is well worth checking out and is updated on a daily basis so it's always worth checking back for new features and content. If you have a car, product or story that you would like featured on the site, either contact myself or use the contact form on the OA website....
I'm sure a lot of you already know about the Panorama feature on the Iphone, but I must admit, I, like a lot of people, have probably overlooked it. I recently decided to give it a go and here (after a few little tweaks) are the results. I think the Iphone, as you can tell from my Instagram feed (@rossjukes) is a great little tool and is very versatile, in particular when you don't have a 'big' camera with you, after all, the best camera you have is the one that you have with you...
Whilst away on holiday last weekend, I stumbled across this little beauty. It's hard not to take pictures of a car, in particular one with some much character from the amazing looking 'Alleycats' to the Union Jack door linings. I didn't get chance to talk to the owner about the car, after all, I presume they are on holiday too, but I did manage to snap a few quick shots, and I'm glad I did...
When you think of 'the most beautiful places on earth', Wales, probablyt doesn't spring to mind. However, I have had some great weekends camping along the north coast of Wales and I have to say, there are some pretty stunning views...
We spent a couple of days camping just north of Barmouth at Llanaber, a small town with one pub, barely a shop to mention and the unpredictability of the British summer. With my camera and Girlfriend in tow, we had a good walk along the coast, what should have been a two hour walk ended up being closer to five due to me stopping and taking pictures of the same scenes 20-30 times (see below!)
This raises an important point, it's great to have a holiday but when you take a camera, it can make it a little bit like hard work, in particular when you are trying to get 'that perfect shot'. Anyway, here are a few holiday snaps, please feel free to let me know what you think and to anybody considering a camping weekend away, it's a great place to check out.
A little while back, I got the opportunity to shoot a Hyundai Veloster. Never one to turn down an opportunity, I said yes and arranged the shoot. We scouted a few locations around the outskirts of Birmingham and found a great location just outside Sutton Coldfield. The timing was perfectas well, the summer sun hung around just long enough to get some great dusky shots and add atmosphere to the shoot.
At first, I was a little underwhelmed by the car, the performance isn't amazing and I was unsure about the looks. After editing the shots, I must admit, my feelings have changed and the Veloster has grown on me. Hyundai have clearly 'Beefed' things up with a few sporty tweaks here and there and a major talking point is it's quirky door configuration but overall, it's not a bad car at all and a good evenings 'shooting' as well...
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of a very personal article that I wrote being published on PetaPixel (if you don't already know, it's a fantastic blog, check it out!). Twelve months later and I'm glad to be doing some of the things that I always wanted too... Read the article here:
http://petapixel.com/2012/08/16/the-vital-link-between-emotions-and-creativity-in-photography/
Thanks
It may not be the worlds most exotic car but we had a quick shoot with a Hyundai Veloster earlier this week. I'm just working on the images but check back next week for the full set. In the meantime, here is a rough edit, photographed just outside Birmingham on a beautiful summer evening...
Thank you for checking out my website, I hope you like it? I'm always looking out for feedback so please feel free to email me and let me know what you like and what you don't like (hopefully less of the 'don't likes!) and I will always try to take peoples advice on board.
Whilst you're here, why not add me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to keep up with what I'm doing, features that I've found interesting or in the case of Instagram, just random photographs that I've taken around Birmingham! Oh, and feel free to share my website or social-network-things with your friends! Thanks...
Just starting the edit of over 500 photos of the Rolls Royce Ghost and very much like the car, this task is huge and quite imposing, however, highly enjoyable as everytime I think of the £200k+ car, I can't help but smile, keep checking back to see the full set...
As promised, here are a few more photos from the International GT event at Silverstone a couple of weeks back. I love photography and I love cars, which basically means any opportunity to go and 'shoot' them is great for me. However, going to a competitive motor-sport event like this really does tick all of the boxes. With many millions of pounds of machinery on display from McLarens to Porsche's and my beloved 459 Italia's, lot's of 458 Italia's - I really was in heaven!
Though the surprise of the day for me was literally a 'surprise'. Whilst walking along the paddock, minding my own business and happily snapping away, it's no shock to hear a few loud rev's of an engine. However, nothing had prepared me for the engine firing up on the Corvette GT, to say it is loud is an understatement, it is LOUD! At this point, I decided to pop in some ear plugs and head out on to the track, keeping a safe distance between me and the ear destroyer...
Watching some of the worlds most beautiful cars being pushed to the limits is enough of a treat for any petrol head, however, getting access to the pits is something special and I even managed to go one further and got out on the starting grid to take a close looking around the cars as the teams made their final preparations. Although nothing can quite compare to the glitz and the glamour of F1, there was still plenty of eye-candy on the grid in every possible sense... And to round it off, one of those little opportunities in life that can't be turned down presented itself as the starting official, for some un-be-known reason shouted down to me 'Are you coming up then?' Yes, yes I am... I raced to the top of the starting line gantry to watch the 20+ GT cars (and 3 of the ear destroyers!) thunder underneath my feet for a rolling start as I desperately tried to fire away whilst soaking in this great opportunity! All in all, I've had worse days!
Formula 1 cars are amazing things, I'm not even a huge F1 fan but I've got to admit, I do find them incredible to watch. Nothing quite prepares you for the noise and the speed when watching an F1 car in the flesh. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to go to Silverstone to watch the mid-season testing.
We all know that F1 is not exactly a 'working class' sport with tickets for the actual race days costing many hundreds of pounds. However, with tickets for the testing costing just £15 I would strongly urge everyone to go to one of these testing events to experience the assault on the senses that these performance machines give you. It may not have the competitive element of the full race day but it is certainly enough of a taster to make you consider shelling out for the real thing. Here are a few of the images...
I am currently working on the photos from the Audi R8 V10 Plus shoot that we did the other day, it's a truly spectacular car, keep checking back for the photos, they will be posted soon...
Here's a few more images from my day trip to Morgan. They really are great cars and well worth a look around if you're ever in the Malverns.
Just working on the edits from a beautiful day out at Silverstone yesterday for the International GT and the Formula 3. Very good weather but very hot down by the track, certainly very tired by the time I got home and a little sun-burnt! More photos to follow soon...
Well, some bits are... I had an amazing time earlier this week visiting the Morgan car factory and thoroughly enjoyed the factory tour. Having seen and worked in a busy, large car plant that churns out tens of thousands of cars a year, it was a real treat to see a cars being produce by hand and on a much smaller scale!
Not every component is made by hand, there are aluminium sub frames, the engine is constructed off-site, but a large proportion of the bodywork, structure, interior and exterior finish is all done by hand. Not only are the men and women that work in the factory true craftsmen, they are also very friendly and happy to stop and have a chat about what they do, there really is a family feel about this family company...
Earlier this week, I had a great day out at the Morgan factory looking at both the construction of and the final product of Morgan Cars - It really was a great day... I am just putting the finishing touches on editing the photos but watch this space for the final pics of some amazing cars...
After a bit of playing around, the website is now officially live and even though it will be regularly updated and 'tweaked' I am pretty happy with how it looks... Though if you would like to offer any feedback then please feel free to Contact me. I've got a few very exciting projects coming up and also hoping to do a lot more Portrait work over the coming weeks so don't forget to check back and see how things are going, or 'Like' the Facebook page for regular updates...
Popped out the other night with my friends Range Rover just to have a little play around with lighting and light painting, still got a bit to learn as these are very 'Noisy' in places, but that's also because they are only very quick edits! Still a good learning experience...
