DrEvil270183

It's funny because boilers are like bikes, each brand does a low spec, mid spec and high spec. All the higher spec ones are good and come with 10/12 year warranty on parts and labour so need to be good. What the installer recommends is usually due to kick backs I've found. Vaillant gives more warranty to installers who sell their boilers the most, Ideal offer money back for each boiler sold, they all do similar stuff.

If you're getting a modern boiler they are a lot better and modulating the heating to keep a temperature rather than just turning on and off constantly. Ours comes on half an hour before wake up until half an hour before we leave the house. Then back on half an hour before we get home roughly and stays on until around 10 pm or if the temp is above what we've set the thermostat too it will shut off. We've got a wireless set up so if I'm heading home early or out late we can alter on the go too, not used that often but can be handy if you've been riding and know you're heading home to a cold house. A combination of a room stat in the living room and TRV valves on radiators in other rooms is a perfect combo. Set the stat for what temp you want and when, this would in the room you spend the most time in. For rooms not used often, set the TRV vales low so they shut off at a low temp, set the bedroom TRVs high so you're not cold in mornings and nighttimes. Boiler wise, everyone you speak too will have different ideas about which is the best. The newer Worchester looks really nice if they are in site but I think the Ideal Voque boilers are slightly more reliable and beter internal parts. You want to get someone round to size up the rooms, check flow rates and current gas pipe size as this will determin what boiler size to go for and rough costs. Boilers work better when they are working hard so you don't want to oversize your boiler. Obvvously don't undersize it either or you'll never get the house warm.

Yeah, two of us for our full package. We do a solo thing, two shooters short hours and two shooters for the whole day. Two is easier, mainly because I can concentrate on mingles whilst Paul gets room details, formals or more mingles. If you shoot solo, you have to manage couples expectations more. Get them to have at least two hours between ceremony and wedding breakfast. You get quick at doing certain things too, room details can be smashed out in 5 mins. The best weddings have couples that trust you, loads of time for everyone to relax and you get time to get safe shots as well as experimenting with shots. Plus it can take time to get a good bunch of really good stuff.

Mainly speed, waiting until you think something is going to happen and try be ready. I also waiting behind people and then shoot through them so I'm not noticed as much, plus you can add layers with the people. Shooting from chest height looking down at the screen, little bit of luck and then you always get someone playing up too so you go with it. People make great layers, but they also tend to move . These are all 35mm, just popping up at the right time.

I'm more 15% posed, 85% natural but I shoot almost entirely on a 35mm lens getting in really close. Little bit of 85mm once I'm bored of 35mm or sometimes jump to 24mm.

By the sounds of it, I'd go in chilled and experiment loads, see what happens. They aren't expecting anything so do what you enjoy rather than stressing over little things, just shoot what you want to shoot. When I started we used to try plan everything, now we just go in and capture what we see. I try to concentrate on anything on finding awesome light, funny stuff, moments, little details and light. Light is always number one, it rules of any backdrop or wall for me. We've just updated our site and name after being hacked and loosing ten years of stuff. Take a look if you like, you can see how relaxed it can be with the right couple and it sounds like they are a nice chilled couple with nothing to loose as such. www.paulandtim.com (Due to the hack, we're live but not 100% done hence being one two blogs and a rushed gallery etc. Probably loads of grammar errors too.

Never used any of the older Sony stuff. I've got an A7 iii and it is the best choice I've ever made. I've gone from over shooting with the hopes of getting something pin sharp to being shocked if it's not sharp. Eye focus is amazing, I shoot portraits wide open now and 95% is pin sharp. I think the a7 ii was meant to be okay, I haven't heard great things about anything before this so I'd probably go mkii or iii if possible.

On the topic of cameras, selling my Nikon D850 is anyone fancies full frame, weather sealed, touch screen goodness. Will be £2000 including a 128 XQD card.

Did a best of 2018 thing if anyone fancies a gander. Link Here

Photomechanic shows you the jpeg file rather than the raw so it loads instantly, helps loads when zooming in to check sharpness. If I cull in lightroom you have a second or so for it to load or longer if you zoom in to check sharpness. If you're going through 4000 images, saving a second or so helps a lot. I'll blast through photomechic, you can mark the images as red which then converts into lightroom red tagged. From Lightroom we'll add them to a collection so they can be re-arranged if needed, also creating another collection for blogs etc.

Yes to Lightroom, doesn't matter if it's a couple of images or 1000's. Lightroom is a lifesaver. If I'm culling 1000's of images, I'll use software called Photo mechanic due to it's speed. The chosen images then transfer to Lightroom where I'll apply my preset and tweak accordingly. A new catalog for every shoot. Within the catalog you can create collections, so one for blogging, one for instagram posts, etc.

Don't think Canon has a proper mirrorless yet but something is being released soon. Nikon just release one finally but it's only got 1 memory card slot so that's a no go. Keep looking at the Sony a7iii or a9 but not sure I can afford to change it all. They do look amazing though, especially the a9.

Heard great things about the XT-2, know quite a lot of wedding photographers who now use them all the time. It's an interesting time watching what Fuji and Sony are doing. I keep seeing people jumping ship to Sony. Where things will be in a couple of years who knows.

Hate leaving a link but much easier than posting a load of images. Went to a car event for a change, mix it up a little bit. So many photographers just sat on the same corner, all together and not moving. So many messy backgrounds and poor use of light. I'm certainly no amazing car photographer but pretty happy with the odd one. Link Here.

It's really hard to not go out and buy a shit long lens, but trust me. It will be just that, shit and blurry. I'd be looking for at least the 70-200 f4 L, not super fast but L so it's nice and sharp. The car one looks to be a 35mm or 50mm at a guess. Again, it's worth investing in a good one as the plastic is okay but I never found one reliable to focus every time. Based on what you've said, I'd be looking for a 7d or similar, then a Canon 50mm 1.4 over the plastic 1.8. It means shooting at 1.8 will be more accurate. Then forget about a zoom lens for the time being and experiment with what you have. Maybe in a years time or so, invest a good amount in a decent zoom. You might even find you don't want a big zoom and go down a different route.

If I was starting again with the kit, I'd go second hand. So many people buy a camera and slowly stop using it. Then sell it cheap online. I see a lot of facebook groups with Canon 5d MkII or even better the 6d mk1 or Nikon d700's (just checked and these are under £500. full frame beast.) for £500/600. Pick up a 35mm and you're away. Grips just make cameras heavy so sack that off and invest the saved money in a lens. I remember I bought a basic slr camera after a bridge, then plastic 50mm. Then a massive shit zoom. Then a fisheye. Then a Macro Lens. Then flashes. Upgrade camera to something mid range. Better zoom lens. Switch fisheye for wide, more practical. Invested in better 50mm. Upgraded to full frame. Sold zooms and bought all primes. As well as all the cheap trigger, old flashes, macro filters etc. I'm pretty sure this is what a lot of people do. Speed up the process, save the money long term and don't do this. If I could do it again, I would invest in a full frame asap and go for a nice 35mm or 50mm. This limits you a little but you can really hone your skills until you can afford different lens. Then save like mad and try to only buy the best lens you can afford, don't be tempted with cheaper stuff as it won't perform when you need it too. That's the bit you'll never change and the important part really other than your eyes. I've got all my lens and I'm happy, I'd only replace one if it breaks. My camera shoots 100,000 plus images a year, get them serviced once a year and I'll only upgrade when I see massive changes in the camera bodies. A couple of years ago my 5d MkIII died mid-shoot, went to my back up mkii and was a little worried about the results but the images were still spot on. Way better than any entry level camera. Limited a little in low light but nothing to worry about. If this is still above budget, I go second-hand midpoint like a 7d. I used to shoot Canon so know the older range fairly well and the 7d was a great camera. Better than an entry-level new camera I'd say. I shoot Nikon now but I've never looked at the range so no idea what's what. As mentioned, a slight curveball and not something up to full frame yet but closing the gap with different advantages are mirrorless. (lighter, silent,) I know so many people jumping to Sony or Fuji but to be fair, its usually the fuji xt-2 or Sony a9 so pretty pricey. Worth a thought.

I can't help but write "Horizons - straighten." For nobody in particular.

I haven't done very well with blogs this year. Need to get it sorted start of next year. Just done a Twenty Seventeen round up though if anyone fancies a gander. http://www.stottandatkinson.com/twenty-seventeen/

Get your brother to buy you a used sb-900. Much better flash and explain you'll need it to get great photos. Seems to be a few on ebay around £140, I'm sure when they were new they were around £400 so a bargain.

Shoot primes, walk more.

Action packed day yesterday. Not pin sharp annoyingly but I think it still works.

I'm going to put this out there from a wedding photographers view but nearly all car photographers I see produce the same boring stuff that everyone does. Pan this was, tilt camera that way. That photo is okay but it's not that difficult to do if you have a long lens. If you want to see genuinely amazing racing photography then follow this dude. Really use of light, amazing compositions and thinking outside the box. Enjoy, his recent rally stuff is gob-smacking. Link Here. Adam Pigott.

Shot from a recent winter wedding. Double exposure in camera, christmas tree fairy lights and then the couple in darkness, lit with a softbox.

http://www.stottandatkinson.com/twenty-sixteen/ Just put together a selection of images from this year, take a look if you have a spare 10 mins.

Anyone fancy a new monitor? Great monitor that I used for a short time to design albums with but hardly use it now. 27" so great for photo related work. Super sharp and great colours. Looking for £200 plus delivery.