The Fauxtographer
Shoot on Sight - A Photography Portfolio and Blog
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Fauxtography Gear

What do I use and why do I use it?

Fauxtography Gear

What do I use and why do I use it?

 

The Camera

Nikon D750

My trusty companion.  Simply put, this thing in a beauty.  Irrespective of the minor glitch that some of the early bodies were shipped with, this thing has never let me down.  It's nigh-on indestructible (believe me, it's been through hell and survived with nought but a scratch), it's low light capabilities are exceptional and it's as portable a full frame DSLRs get.  

 

The Lenses

Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8

Part of the so-called Holy Trinity of Nikon lenses, this brutally wide angled lens is the newest addition to my kit.  Bought for a sole purpose, night sky photography, this Goliath can often been seen hanging unceremoniously off the front of my camera as I attempt in vain to find a composition.

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Nikon 50mm F/1.2

A legendary lens of blurry goodness.  If you want bokeh, look no further.  This manual focus lens is one of the most beautiful pieces of kit that I've ever had the pleasure of playing with.  It lives within about 3 feet of me at all times.  This lens is spectacular for different reasons throughout its range, wide open, it will make anyone it's pointed at look like Marilyn Monroe, stopped down, it's as sharp as they come.  

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Nikon 24mm F/2.0

A lens I bought on a whim during my time living in London.  I have a penchant for Prime Lenses and I wanted to learn to shoot more accurately with manual focus.  It's an OK lens, but has been somewhat surpassed by the modern age.

Nikon 24-85 F/3.5

My workhorse lens, it's not particularly excellent at anything, but it does everything pretty well.  It's range of focal length is one that I find particularly handy on walkabouts and the images it produces are more than need in most scenarios.

 
 
Featured Gallery
One of Four
One of Four

One of four waterfalls along the succinctly named ‘Four Waterfalls’ Trail in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

We spent a good weekend camping in the area with the original intention of photographing in the mountains, but was being very very Welsh. Fortunately the nearby waterfall trail was a perfect fall back subject, more rain = more waterfall!

Brecon Beacons at Sunset
Brecon Beacons at Sunset

Sunset from Pen-y-Fan in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.

Seascape Through a Porthole
Seascape Through a Porthole

A super long exposure of the sea, shot through the window of a windbreak on the promenade at Thornton-Cleveleys, UK.

Sunset in Shoreham
Sunset in Shoreham

The sky lights up with colour over a lonely pier in Shoreham-by-Sea, UK.

The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia!
The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia!

The massive aqueduct bisects an outrageously pretty city.  A structure that has dominated the skyline of Segovia for nearly 1900 years, it's an utterly ridiculous example of roman engineering and it's almost inconceivable that it stands without mortar.  

 

If you're ever in Madrid and have got bored of wandering around aimlessly, hop on a bus and get yourself to Segovia!

The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar

A close up image of a water drop hanging from a twig, reflecting the flowers behind.

Star Sailor
Star Sailor

The Ship's Funnels lined up perfectly with the Milky Way as the ship sailed through the Needles Channel into the Solent, England.

 

Bit of a chore to take as ships famously don't sit still very well, but this night was especially calm and especially clear, so I could just about steal 20 seconds of exposure time without it becoming a mess of star-trails.  The ship's funnels were illuminated by the faint glow of radar screens and other monitors on the ship's bridge, it's amazing how much light they produce.

 

Nikon D750 - Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8

16mm, f/2.8, 20 seconds, ISO 1600

Cuenca at Dusk
Cuenca at Dusk

A sweeping panorama of the valley below, using the colour contrast of the blue hue of the stormy twilight with the orange glow of the city, and a sweeping curve in the shape of the valley swerving around convent on the left hand side.

 

This image is a 15 shot stitch of the Cuenca skyline, the shots were taken with about a 1/3rd overlap of 1 second f/8 52mm shots.  

She Sells Giant Metal Sea Shells on the Sea Shore
She Sells Giant Metal Sea Shells on the Sea Shore

"Mary's Shell" a metal art piece set in the sea off the coast of Cleavleys on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire.

This is a super-long exposure taken as the waves washed through the shell, creating an ethereal seascape, contrasted only by the dark metal.

Taken with a 16 stop filter and a polariser and a great deal of patience fighting against light leaks and sun flare! One of the very few photos that I came away with that hadn't been spoiled!

Spring in Retiro
Spring in Retiro

Nikon D750, Nikkor 50mm f/1.2

1/650s f/2.0 ISO 100

A shot from my day out in Retiro Park, Madrid, (which you can read about in my blog post here!).  There's a similar shot on my Instagram taken at f/1.2, but the lens was having a hard time with the bright sunlight, so a stopped down shot fixed that and brought the flowers in focus a little better.  (I read somewhere that you'd have to be and idiot to try and use this lens in broad daylight, but I'm not very clever)