One of my first captures with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II of a seagull. This Black and White version captured the drama of the moment beautifully.
Click on the photo to see it full-size against black.
I directed this one. Not my best effort, but a great laugh, and not bad for improvisation.
Written, shot and edited (including original musical score) in only a weekend as part of a 48hr Film Challenge, The Last Temptation of Jeff was a pretty accomplished film, all things considered!
All the dialogue was ad-libbed by the immensely talented Colin Cuthbert (Jeff) and the sadly missed Iain Etchells (Tarquin) and the score was written and performed at 3am by Dave the Happy Singer.
This was my graduation film, shot on 16mm film and earned me my first class. I wrote and directed it, with Ellie Land producing, Emma Dalesman as DoP and Mike Pentney editing.
I knew that once I had graduated, it wouldn’t be quite so easy to experiment, so I wrote a script that contained all of the cool stuff I’d seen in making-of documentaries - stunt work, fight sequences, make-up, visual effects, costume design and set-building.
It was fantastic fun, and a real baptism by fire for an inexperienced director!
Test shot taken with my Canon EOS 450D mounted with the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 prime lens from my dad’s old Zenit E, made in Russia some 50-odd years ago.
This vintage glass really puts my modern Canon lenses to shame. It’s a little tight (about 92mm) on my APS-C camera body, but it makes a beautiful portrait and close-up lens.
Click on the photo to see it full-size against black.
