Tom Allwood Photography

I was on holiday, really. In fact, I only left the hotel once. But I’d been told I couldn’t come back without seeing the Temple of Poseidon. Byron went. He said:

Place me on Sunium’s marbled steep,
Where nothing, save the waves and I,
May hear our mutual murmurs sweep;
(from Don Juan, Canto the Third - LXXXVI) 

It’s a bit busier nowadays, but the view over the Aegean at sunset is pretty impressive. As are the fifth-century BC doric columns.

See the full Cape Sounio gallery here.

Don’t get me wrong, DSLRs are fantastic. I learnt how to take photos with one, and buying new lenses is an expensive habit of mine. But however much I love my 10D (and - old as it is - it’s still serving me well after three years) my camera bag has got too large, and I desparately need a pocket-sized compact. For social and street photography and locations that aren’t suited to bulky equipment I want the following:

1. Manual exposure control (or at least shutter/aperture priority).
2. A decent, quick lens with bearable autofocus.
3. Enough megapixels to be able to sell the results (6.3 min).
4. Higher ISO settings that aren’t unusably noisy.
5. A nice big LCD.
6. Black finish - so much more discreet than silver.
7. £300-ish.

Fuji Finepix F30? Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50?

As a photographer, people often ask my advice about which compact to get. And as I’ve never owned one, I have to admit I haven’t got a clue. But I’ll do some research and post any useful conclusions here.

I think I’ll get this section started by paying homage to some websites that I couldn’t live without.

• yousendit: If you need to send high-res pictures, don’t even think about email.
• DPReview: Wouldn’t buy a camera without checking it first.
• BBC News: Obviously. But looks particularly good on my MDA.
• Cricinfo: This is what the internet was invented for.

More later…

September is taking me to the Antipodes. Ostensibly on tour with the magnificent Girton College choir I will be taking my camera and should bring back a few photos.

We’ll be travelling down the East Coast and then visiting NZ’s south island. Any suggestions for unmissable photo-opportunites most welcome…

Hi. This blog is very much under development still, but should at some stage provide a bit of background to the photos on www.tomallwood.com and possibly a few thoughts on the photography business.

I might even write a few essays on technique if I can be bothered.