Red Wrist Strap for Fuji X-100 and Leica

Originally made for a friend to attach his knife when he went sailing, now I make wrist straps for photographers. The wrist strap makes perfect sense for every day use. It's keeps your camera secure in public places and it makes one handed operation easy. I'm making these wrist straps in black, olive, khaki (it looks gold), and red. Available from my Etsy shop.

Dust on Sensor

I read on a photography internet forum that someone has made a movie about dust appearing on the sensor of his new Nikon camera. At first I found it amusing that someone should film dust, what will he film next? Next I felt a little sad in that I'd used my time to read such trivia.

A few years ago while living in Spain I spent months photographing cloud formations above mountains. I soon began to notice fuzzy blotches in the photos. One or two fuzzy blotches I can live with, but it was getting worse by the day. The camera in question was a Canon Powershot G5, which has a fixed lens, and which you would imagine would be dust proof, but not so. Fixed lens cameras with telescopic lenses act like a bicycle pump. When you turn the camera on, the lens extends, sucking air and dust into the camera.

When the build up of dust in my camera became too time consuming for me to remove, I returned the camera to Canon who cleaned it and returned it to me in 48 hours. However, within a few day of use the dust started to appear again and at that point I sold the Canon Powershot. Incidentally, the Canon Powershot S100 that I now own has two specks of dust on the sensor. I can live with that.

My advice to anyone who discovers dust on their sensor is to accept it, and move on. Do not worry about it. Do not discuss it on forums. Do not make a movie about it. Do not write about it on your blog :-)

Horned Helmet

This remarkable item is the full face helmet of King Henry VIII. Made between 1511 and 1514, It was presented to Henry by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Modeled on Maximillian's face, attention to detail includes facial stubble on the chin.

Courtesy of The Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds Collection.

☁ CLOUDS ☁

☁ I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. ☁

William Wordsworth 

Black Bespoke Camera Strap on Leica M9

What a lovely combination! This is one my black straps on a discreetly taped Leica M9. It belongs to Marc Mennigmann and you can see what he does with his Leica at his web site Unavailable Light. My personal favourite is the Free Floating section, excellent!

Cow in Oil

I did this little painting while living with a cold over the weekend. Most of the farming in the east of England is arable, a cow is a rare sight. Being naturally inquisitive creatures they're good models. I parked my car next to the field and the herd ambled over to have a look.

Mississippi John Hurt - Salty Dog Blues