Sometimes the quality of the picture isn't important... /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

So today is the last day of my very first exhibition. It's a shame that I was unable to get to see it there, in person.After all it was displayed in a gallery in London, and as proud as I am of this, it is still on the other side of the world and I still have a day job and a family, but this where the internet once again shows how amazing it can be.

A friend in the USA, who I have only ever 'met' online asked a friend of his in London, who I have never interacted with, to go to the gallery and take a few pics. They very kindly shared these images with me, together with profuse apologies for the quality of her shots, however, for me I couldnt care less. 

Through her eyes and the lens of her camera I was able to see my photograph hanging on a wall of the Printspace gallery in Shoreditch London, in the Alamy / Photocrowd / Digital Camera magazine exhibition. A moment that I will remember forever, especially now that I have her photos


Wat Suwan Photowalk /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

I was delighted and honoured for my photo to be selected as the cover shot for the recent BPG photowalks magazine, and to have the following four images  to have been published, together the explore form, shapes and lines, in black and white.

I did however take a few more shots that day, so as has become my habit, I have also added a few 'bonus' shots

In case you missed it, I urge you to check out the magazine in full at the link below

A return to where it all began... /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

Last year I went fishing with a group of friends at Srinakarin reservoir in the province of Kanchanburi, Thailand. 

It was from here that I took some shots that changed my whole approach to photography.

A location perhaps better known for its terrible history during the second world war as the location of the Death Railway and of the infamous Bridge Over the River Kwai. It is hot and unforgiving terrain, and I can not begin to imagine how those young men suffered. 

But at the same time every time I visit I am awed by the majestic beauty of the landscape.  I just got back from a trip there and over the next few weeks will post up some shots but here's one to go on for now. ..

Srinakarin reservoir, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 

The Russians Are Coming /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

and that was the title of a recent photoshoot held by the Bangkok Photographers Group on facebook, about 20 models turned up and whilst I did get to shoot some girls, for some reason the overwhelming majority of my subjects were guys. but that's cool, it was a Trade for Prints session, which meant we were all there to develop our experience. 

It was just my second time shooting with models, and the first time that I got to work one on one and had full control over my own lighting setup. For whatever reason I decided I didn't really want to shoot against a white wall. everybody else was doing this, and I thought I'd try something different, so I used a single speedlight fitted with a honeycomb grid. This modifier really restricts where the light falls, but at the edges it falls away softly.. well that was the idea. 

On reflection I could have probably have been served well shooting at a slightly higher iso to preserve some details in the shadows and still maintained a dark and moody feel, which was my aim. 

We were told that we could bring props, and the only thing that I had was an old BB gun that was a good replica of a Colt 1911 that I had purchased a while ago to go with a Magnum PI fancy dress costume I had put together ... dont ask... 

So yeah, it may be a bit cliche, but instead of doing straight up portraits a theme began to emerge. The set may not be my best examples of photography, but we all had a great time putting it together, even though it was like an absolute sauna in there... i am fairly sure I lost about 2kgs that day!

So check out the gallery below for a selection of my shots from the Russians Are Coming photoshoot

 






Bangkok Yai Photowalk /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

I am a member of the Bangkok photographers group on facebook which organises regular photowalks and publishes a magazine which is curated by the group admin Dennie Cody. 

The latest magazine is out and can be viewed here 

My contributions are also in the gallery below, plus a couple of bonus pics from the walk


How I got into photography /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

I still have the first camera I ever used,  a Praktica L,  with a Prinzflex 35mm f2.8 lens. My father gave it to me when I started university. That camera is as about as old as i am and just like me it's seen better days, but it still holds a special place in my heart.  

IIt usually sits in pride of place on a shelf above my monitor, looking down at me as I clumsily type away, just as it did in my dorm at university and everywhere else that I have ever lived.

This miniature single lens reflex, manual everything, film camera taught me the importance of shutter speeds and aperture, but I'd be lying if I said I knew what I was doing back when I first had it. The shutter jammed back a way, and since I rediscovered photography just recently, what better time to get old faithful fixed. Parts for these cameras are hard to come by, so it won't be perfect, and there's still a less than even chance that they'll be able to fix it at all, but I really do hope that they can!

Looking back I have always enjoyed photography, and back then I even occasionally took a photo that doesn't make me cringe today, but on reflection whilst they weren't exactly accidents, I probably didn't exactly know what made them pleasing to my eye, but I always tried to take the time to compose a shot I liked.

But it wasn't really until  last year, 2014, that I decided to actually put some real effort into photography.

I had been fishing with friends on the Srinakarin dam in Kanchanaburi and had had a pretty slow day. Luckily I brought along my Olympus Pen EP1 (a digital m4/3rds camera that I had bought soon after the birth of my son), and soon found myself intrigued by the shapes cast by a submerged forest against the horizon of the jungle covered mountains that surround the reservoir. I took a lot of photos those few days, including the one at the start of this post, I got some great feedback but my feelings of pride in that shot are somewhat marred by the fact that it was shot... ehem... on auto mode, a mode I have not used since.

To me getting off auto mode, is when photography evolved into something more than just recording a memory, into more than just a hobby, but a creative release, such as I have never experienced and would not want to imagine my life without.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The store is live /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

Yay, the store is now live! So if you want you can now fill that blank wall with something a bit easier on the eye! 

The store to the top right of the page is where you can purchase prints of my photography. Its powered by Fine Art America who offer my prints  as posters,  framed metallic prints, or even as cases for your phone, or cushion covers. They are a huge company and have a great reputation and I am very pleased to say ship worldwide, including of course, Thailand.

Pricing this morning been permanently discounted for all images to start at what I hope is a very reasonable 22$ or roughly THB 660 each. 

I am in the process of adding all of my photographs to the store, but a lot of information has to be added to each image and for reasons best known to themselves  batch processing is limited to 5 images at a time, so bear with me as it will take a little while to complete. 

In the meantime if you can't find your favourite image in the store, drop me a line and within 24 hours I will push it to the top of the to do list. 

Please note all images on the site have embedded but barely visible watermarks, but prints are watermark free!

So what if you don't want to buy? You'll be pleased to know that I have included functionality for "personal use" that allows you to share the images that you like with your friends and family and heartily encourage you to make use of it.

However, this isn't a license to do whatever you like with them, I do reserve all copyrights to my images which are watermarked.  I have also not included a facility to download images and, have disabled right click functionality and do not permit hotlinking. 

I don't pretend to think that this will stop anyone, but if you go that extra effort that does show your intent and the resolution of the images on this site are pretty low. 

If you or your organisation would like to use any of my images for any editorial or commercial purposes whatsoever, or would like to get hold of a high resolution image please use the contact facility to get in touch to discuss and agree rates and terms.

I like to think I am pretty reasonable so please dont hesitate to get in touch. 

Welcome /  by Marcus Burtenshaw

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First of all thanks for visiting my little corner of the web. Its not the first site I have ever owned or run, but this one means the most to me. 

At the moment its a showcase for my hobby, and my very own place to share my thoughts on whatever happens to be taking my interest. Given that my twin passions are property and photography, these subjects are likely going to come up pretty often. 

I may well share some basic photography tips, but given that I am very much still honing my craft I am just as likely to recommend other tutorials and learning resources that I have found and use on a regular basis. 

As for my photography it should be of no surprise to see that most of my images will be of  cityscapes, landscapes and architecture, but I am interested in and experiment with all aspects of the digital photography medium. 

But it is my hope to show you the cities that I know and love, through the bespectacled eyes of this commercial real estate geek.

See you around, 

 

Marcus