Secret Shutter Blog

Feb 12

by Karyn in News 0 comments tags: news

The Gallery

The Balance of Power Mobile Coming Soon!

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Feb 11

by Karyn in Airshows 0 comments tags: Airshows

It has been a while since my last post – well over a year to be exact. This is because I have been very busy working on my MA in ‘Fine Art Digital’. I find myself becoming increasingly drawn towards Fine Art and the opportunities that it offers. However, I still enjoy working with my camera to capture special moments. Please find below a selection of my shots from this year. Torbay Airshow

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Jun 19

by Karyn in Uncategorized 0 comments

Torbay Airshow in Pictures 2022

Since my first Airshow back in June 2016 I have always wanted to shoot this event with a telephoto lens. A few years ago I purchased a Sigma 150mm to 600mm Contemporary lens. I can honestly say this lens did not disappoint! Although, I was quite happy at the time with my images from 2016 the upgrade in lens has been phenomenal. I have included an image slider to visually show the difference between a 200mm and a 600mm lens. Even though these aren’t shots of the same planes I think that the difference is easy to see. Again, the images below aren’t shots of the same planes but the difference is amazing! As I explained in my original post from 2016, it is possible to produce a great set of images based on composition, creative photography and speed. The use of the telephoto lens doesn’t negate any of this. Indeed, using a telephoto lens has it’s own unique set of challenges especially when trying to frame up a fast moving object. The next comparison is quite a good one because it shows that close range detail can be captured with a 200mm lens. However there is still a difference between […]

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Jun 02

by Karyn in Commissions, Holiday Let Photography 0 comments

Interior Photography – Shooting a Devonshire Gem

One of my favourite forms of photography is interior photography. This could range from high end interiors for magazines like ‘Beautiful Homes’ or classic shots for property including holiday lets. I have worked for Meero and Airbnb, so I was really excited when asked to photograph the Devonshire gem below. The owner had spent quite some time paying attention to detail and had turned the cottage into a beautiful characterful holiday let. What particularly struck me was the beautiful light that streamed in through the upper bedroom windows. This is the reason that I chose to shoot in a bright and breezy style. This was in contrast to my last interior shoot where my style was very different but worked equally as well with the kind of property being shot. Both owners were a joy to work with. Indeed, much of the pleasure I gain from this type of work, is ensuring I produce the right ‘look’. The rules around interior photography are quite interesting. It can often take some time crafting each image and balancing out exposures between underexposed interiors versus bright windows can be challenging. Some shots need bracketing to ensure all sensor data is present. I won’t […]

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Apr 22

by Karyn in Commissions, Holiday Let Photography, Uncategorized 0 comments

Holiday Let shoot in Paignton, South Devon

Well it’s that time of year again when I find I have a little more time on my hands when I’m not teaching. Therefore it’s always an opportune time for updating my blog and listing some of my favourite projects from the last few months. My client asked me to refresh her holiday cottage images and below is a short compilation of some of my favourites. I am also including some stills. It was an absolute pleasure working on this particular shoot as the lady who owns the property had a real eye for interior design and meticulous attention to detail. Architectural, property and interior photography are all services that I offer and please get in touch if you would like a quote. Here are some of the stills the from the project. If you are looking for a fabulous holiday home then you can book this property here.

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Jan 09

by Karyn in Uncategorized 0 comments

Goodbye 2021

Well what a year! I cannot believe the speed that 2021 came and went. It was so busy that as usual I didn’t have much time for posting. However I thought it was time to add a few of my favourite moments, starting with my trip to Paignton Zoo. I had been promising myself for a long time that I would give my Sigma 150mm to 600mm telephoto lens an outing to the zoo. I’m really glad that I did because one of my resulting images made the Fotospeed top four in their weekly competition! It was quite an honour! Below is a video compilation of some of my favourite images from the shoot. I’ve added some textures to the images to add some atmosphere but the rest was down to my trusty Sigma telephoto lens.

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Apr 06

by Karyn in Uncategorized 0 comments

Creative Photography Channel

It’s been nearly a year since my last post. This has largely been due to work commitments over the last few months. What a strange few months it has been too? However as we slowly start to emerge from lockdown I have learned a number of new skills. Being in temporary accommodation away from work and having to teach online I found producing YouTube videos quite useful as a teaching aid. As I’m going back to face to face teaching now I’d like to share some of my videos with you all. They are mostly aimed at little creative tips to help with any photography projects you might have. I’m certainly no YouTuber but I hope that you might find some of my content useful. Lockdown has certainly taught me to become more resourceful with my shooting. When you are stuck in one place and unable to go far then your creativity can suffer. However it really doesn’t have to be that way. Today’s modern DSLR cameras and even smartphones have so much to offer in terms of creative experimentation. My central message here is to simply pick up your cameras and shoot! With only a little experimentation it’s possible […]

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May 13

by Karyn in Commissions 0 comments tags: commissions, jewellery, silver

Silver By Charlotte

By far one of my personal favourite subjects to photograph is jewellery. I really enjoy thinking of new ways to showcase artists’ work. They spend so much time creating such beautiful objects, that I believe the resulting photographic images should also reflect this. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of working with Charlotte Dalrymple-Hay who owns Silver by Charlotte. Charlotte’s designs are timeless classics and her designs are beautiful. I started to experiment with an initial image which you can see below: I quite liked this initial image as I felt that the silver colour worked well against the background. I also added in some light steaks and dust scratches to add interest. However I felt that the designs needed to be much more streamlined to accentuate the beauty of Charlotte’s Jewellery. One of the classic issues with this type of photography is flare. So if you are thinking of trying any projects like this, it is really important to control your lighting well. Think not only about the subject you are photographing but also the reflections in it. Flare can absolutely ruin an image especially when it is difficult to remove in editing software. Watch out […]

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Apr 30

by Karyn in Holiday Let Photography 0 comments

Holiday Let, Property and Interior Photography

One of the things that I really enjoyed last Summer was the work that I did in the area of holiday let property. I did a number of interior projects for a number of clients, plus some agency work for Airbnb. However one of my most favourite jobs was for Beach Retreats. I was really thrilled to be asked to do some dusk shots for this company. Firstly because they are so meticulous about their design and photography and secondly because dusk photography is very specialist. However most importantly they have a port folio of the most beautiful and amazing properties on their books. To produce beautiful dusk shots takes patience and a good knowledge of how to use a slow shutter speed. Normally when using a camera on auto mode or a smartphone, when light levels drop the camera’s built in flash fires. Unfortunately this does not give good results because the beautiful colours of the sunset are lost. To get around this photographers must shoot their subject without the use of flash. However without flash the subject can appear to dark. This is when a slow shutter is used in order to maximise the available light. Below are […]

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Apr 15

by Karyn in Uncategorized 0 comments

Return of the Ibex – BM27

One of my favourite shoots from last year was taken at Brixham’s Steam Packet Company. This involved photographing some of the beautiful items that were repurposed from the Ibex – BM27. The Ibex was a famous trawler that sank off the coast of Brixham. Some of her timbers have been reclaimed, lovingly restored and repurposed. To illustrate the idea of the sea, I used the theme of water in some of my images I love to visit the Steam Packet Company and Chartroom First Class Coffee Lounge. The food is delicious but also the Chartroom is a photographers’ dream! The lighting inside is very soft and atmospheric. Indeed all of the images shot in the following videos were taken using only the available ambient light. The Ibex – BM27 exhibition is ongoing, so if you want to own a little piece of history or just want to know more then it’s well worth a visit. I have also included a video of some of the delicious food that I shot there at the same time. Please visit the Steam Packet Company to find out more. Beautifully Repurposed Ibex Timbers Delicious Food at the Chartroom – First Class Coffee Lounge

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The Gallery

Torbay Airshow 2023

Torbay Airshow in Pictures 2022

Interior Photography – Shooting a Devonshire Gem

Holiday Let shoot in Paignton, South Devon

Goodbye 2021

Creative Photography Channel

Silver By Charlotte

Holiday Let, Property and Interior Photography

Return of the Ibex – BM27

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