Awards

This image, taken last November, has just won a gold award in the SWPP's monthly photographic competition.

Photographed on a Nikon D300 with Nikon 28-200mm lens, this panorama was a composite of at least 5 separate time exposures, taken with the aid of a sturdy tripod. The images were later 'stitched' together in Photoshop CS3.

I'm gradually building a large collection of images of the Obidos Lagoon throughout the seasons, mostly at dawn & dusk, the ideal time for capturing evocative images.

Many of these images are available for sale as large canvas prints and a selection can be viewed on my website www.nigelharper.com in 'Galleries - Fine art'. Contact me on mail@nigelharper.com or by the good 'old fashioned' method - the telephone on 01296 747747

A replica hand gun originally photographed on 6x7 film, has just won me yet another award - in the 'Digital Art' category. This image a multi composite, shot in a darkened studio was the result of at least 8 separate exposures on medium format transparency film with a lot of trial and error.
So what's it doing in the 'Digital Art' category you may well ask? Well, I added another barrel (just so I could call it 'six gun') and cleaned it up a tad. Otherwise it's very close to the original.

I love special FX photography and employ a variety of techniques in my wedding shoots too. But don't worry the shooting's all done with a camera!

An image of a Fisherman on the Obidos Lagoon at dawn, recently picked up an award in the SWPP monthly photographic competition. This image was captured on a Nikon D300 with Tamron's 500mm Mirror Lens (750mm focal length with the D300's chip) and of course a good solid tripod. Image taken in early Spring, a great time of the year for evocative images on the Lagoon.

This was the Tamron's last outing in Portugal, it's since been sold and I now have Sigma's 'Bigma' 50-500mm zoom lens with rapid autofocus. It's a monster, but will give me a lot more flexibility and options. Look out for the images to come.

This tranquil image of a solitary red fisherman's boat was taken at dawn on the calm waters of Portugal's Obidos Lagoon. It just missed out on the grand prize in the PPOTY 2008. There's no accounting for photographic judges! and I should know, I've been one on many occasions.

I was delighted to receive yet another Gong on Monday night at the Central Region Master Photographers Awards dinner bash. The winning image, (in the Illustrative category) two dogs and a cat, was taken in Portugal. Walking past an apartment in Caldas da Rainha, I spotted two dogs, appearing like two old men, giving me the evil eye. So I quickly grabbed a couple of shots before they moved. Later that day I'd 'shot' some cats walking along a wall just above me. That evening, whilst reviewing images on my laptop, a little bit of inspiration came - or maybe it was the Vinho Tinto!!

So yes folks, the image is a composite. After all, I haven't got all day waiting for a shot like this to happen. With Photoshop it took only a few minutes to construct. It's the final image that counts after all. Funnily enough I rarely do composites and, although certainly not a purist, I much prefer a straight true image, with just the usual enhancements of dodge and burn.

I was delighted to scoop first prize in the Pictorial Category of the SWPP Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers Annual Awards ceremony held recently in London. The image was taken at dawn with a Nikon D300 and Tamron 500mm mirror lens. A pair of flamingoes take flight across the Obidos Lagoon on Portugal's Silver Coast.



If you would like to view more of my images taken along the Silver Coast in Portugal, and in particular the Obidos Lagoon, please visit www.silvercoastimages.com