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Saturday 21 June 2014

New blog



I have a new website with a new blog address so this blog will no longer be updated.

 If you want to keep up to date with my blog, then head over to http://www.simonbutlerphotography.com/blog.

 And if you subscribe via RSS, here is a link to the feed from my new blog: http://www.simonbutlerphotography.com/blog.rss

Look forward to seeing over at my new blog soon.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Sheffield Food Festival 2014

Yesterday I went to the fantastic Sheffield Food Festival with an empty stomach and my camera close at hand. I left having sampled some amazing food and drink, taken lots of photos and a large bag full of purchases.

Saturday 10 May 2014

I say, that lens looks awfully fishy old chap

New lens time.  Well, when I say lens I really mean a new screw on adaptor.  But whatever you call it, it is a cool purchase (if a bit fishy).  As if you hadn’t guessed by now I am the proud owner of a really cool fisheye adaptor, an Opteka HD²2 fisheye x0.20.  For only £50 it produces brilliant photos and I am sure I will be having a lot of fun with it.
The 0.2X bit in the name equates to what affect it has the focal length of your lens – you multiply the focal length by 0.2.  So at the widest end of my 17-50mm lens, 17 mm, this equates a tiny 3.4mm – and this is *very* wide indeed!  Here is what the adaptor  looks like:
Opteka-10
Here it is next to my Canon 40D and Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 lens.  The adaptor has a 52mm thread so I had to buy a 67-52 step down ring to attach it to my Tamron:
Opteka-2
Here you can see what it looks like on the lens.
Opteka-1
Here is a series of photos showing how effective it is.  Here is a photo of the box shot at 17mm without the Opteka attached:
Opteka-11
When I put the Opteka iin front of the lens without moving the camera you can see how dramatically it changes the field of view.
Opteka-12
And this is the view once the Opteka has been screwed in:
Opteka-13
Unfortunately the picture doesn’t fill the frame and you get a circular image in a square frame.  But it looks pretty cool to me and fab for only £50.
Here are some test shots I took just to try the adaptor out:
My desk at work:
Opteka-1
Jen, one of my colleagues:
Opteka-2
Sam, the other person who I share my office with:
Opteka-3
Sam, larking about for the camera in the corridor outside our office (this was taken at 30mm so more of the photo filled the frame but of course there was less of a fisheye effect):
Opteka-4
The Information Commons at the University of Sheffield:
Opteka-5
The Hendersons Relish building (compare this one to the photo I took of the same building a couple of years ago using a normal lens by clicking here)
Opteka-6Opteka-8
Jessops West at the University of Sheffield (again, a building I have photographed before, click here to see it using a normal lens)
Opteka-7

I think I am going to have fun with this adaptor.  Can’t wait to use it at a wedding as there are so many creative ways I could use it!

Monday 10 March 2014

Corporate Event–Innovations in Healthcare

Last week I was booked to photograph the Innovations in Healthcare networking event at the University of Sheffield.  It was a great event with over 300 attendees – lots of great networking and, of course, photography opportunities.

Thursday 26 December 2013

Grenoside Boxing Day Sword Dancing Performance

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Today was the annual Sword Dancing performance in Grenoside.  It has been a few years since I last when along and watched the show and it was just as traditional as it was in when I photographed it in 2008 & 2009.  It was a lovely way to spend an hour.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Abby & Mark’s Nottingham Wedding

Abby & Mark Wedding-32.jpg

Wow. That is the only word for it. Well, OK, you could also use words like awesome, amazing and fantastic, but they wouldn’t sum up just how brilliant Abby & Mark’s wedding was.

Monday 30 September 2013

Darwin Lake, Matlock, Wedding–Siobhan & Martin

Wow. I thought Siobhan & Martin’s first wedding ceremony was amazing. And it was was.  But their second one? Wow, just wow.  It was a real honour to be there to document it.