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Cowfold Gallery (9 of 37)

Sheffield Park Gardens : Uckfield : East SussexNational Trust License : Not available for resale

We also have won new exciting commercial project work with Spherical Videography and panoramas for the Defence industry, so thinsg are really on the move.

360 Immersive  photography / videography involves stitching a series of images together to create an entire 360 sphere that with the right software can be converted into an interactive movie.

It's also possible to link one movie to another in order to create a virtual tour with hot spots and add music, narration, video, text, expandable maps, and animated radars that turn in the direction the movie is pointed.

Facebook and Youtube are now supporting  360° Immersive video mp4 as native format upload so this  is an exciting time to be at work with this leading edge media.

We’ll keep you posted as news on this work develops.

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BRIGHTON STEET ART NEVER STAYS FOR LONG ... http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/brighton-street-art-2016

After the Brighton Festival is good time to see what has changed on the street art scene in Brighton . Very offten paint is dropped as part of the festival [ see the parrot mural above ]  which triggers others to update and change the piecses or regular haunts : Trafalgar Lane is still everchanging  : the regulars are all at work with SNUB's new geometric style in evidence.

SNUB : Trfalgar Lane brighton graffiti 2016-4267

Sometimes, crying shame ...  really good work is overpainted and its not always the case that better work is replaces the old.
Have look through our archives for work dadting back to 2008 on a number of locations : great pieces have no surety or resilience but it all adds to the dynamics of the street art scene.

RWCS Graffiti Archive http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/f216242083

First the acquisition of the "go pro" in 2014 .. useful but ultimately frustrating as the camera jiggle on John Davies helicopter meant we really needed to use a very expensive gimbal... so no real benefit to shooting useful video footage on a mobile platform .. useful but not a big thing for me 

Then the story of the EVF Sony Nex 7 .. nice camera to add to the kit and it has been used with a kit lens when the big nikons are just too big to lump around..  The BIG tipping point for use and flexibility was using a GREAT bit of kit ... the metabonexs speedbooster See  http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPNFG-M43-BM3 

This wicked thing has allowed me to use all of my nikon glass on the Sony using the focus peaking feature .. brilliant ... many many times with the Nikon full frame 14 - 24  mm working really well ..... but only really useful for landscapes when lugging a nikon D3X is a no no  but kicks ass as they say 

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So SONY mirrorless and the 4/3 rds sensors ( the Nex 7 is now well worn and well used ... good buy  ) but what else from Sony ?  ...
The trigger  the number of times I started to stop and use my mobile phone was another tipping  point .. it got me thinking about how to use the mobile as trigger  and composition device ..  I looked at the Sony QX30 but was not really sold on it  .. then bingo .....  Sony release the QX-1 ..  meaning I can use the metabones adapter. .. nope no focus peaking .. so QX1-Plus the Sony wide angle Sony SEL1018 10-18mm F4 OSS E-mount Wide Zoom Lens as the next kit acquisition  ..... Wow ... that kicked it .... wicked lens ....  and when up on a monopod ... phenomenal pictures .. this is the result  WEST MERSEA-

And then I started to use it in concert venues with other stock sony lenses ... BOOM ... suddenly this 250 pound lens camera starts to get pictures when I have never succeeded...  until now ... with the low light iso capacity and its discreet  size .... Now  means it is now in "my always carry kit " bag ... and  just look at these examples..... all hand held and composed on the mobile phone !

RWCS_Joe Bonamassa brighton 2015--2 and then at at least 3 others the latest being Status Quo 

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So my Sony adventures have really changed the capture pattern ... with good pictures  now flying off a Motorala LG4 connected to the qx1 most of the time . The Nikons still get used but now only when I need the big stuff speed and precision or ultimate control  ..

so come on Nikon give me a mirrorless full frame to use my all f lenses on before I run off and by a Sony A7R II as well  ....  

Sometimes it is a just a good thing for change and then it's a wanton act of jealousy and mindless vandalism. Even established works by MISHA are just screwed by the "NOOBS"   ... by the NOOBS who have no real idea  ..   judge for yourself !

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As some may know we document & record  Graffiti in Brighton  [ and elsewhere ] but yesterday its was shock to see good work ruined by noobs and then also some stupid taggers who  just vandalise good work .

If you belong to the old Heavy Artillery Crew and are local "street art names" like SNUB  AROE  MSK GARY   ... you might be safe but if you come and paint in Brighton .... [ its the same elsewhere ? ]...  you stand little chance sometimes of your work lasting more than a few weeks. The awesome" THATCHINATOR " lasted just two weeks in 2013...  

In  July I was watching and chatting with Nathan Evans just two weeks ago as he worked on a quick piece of work .. which has now been needlessly ruined by taggers and poor work ..

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Sometimes [PHEW] you can see crews working thoughtfully and some of the good artists are alive to "cool" changes  but the idiot taggers needs help and guidance ... or shooting

Nice example here from TRAFALGAR LANE .... 

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Let's see how long this one stays [see below] and if the local " tag noobs"  repect good work

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Fact : Putting photos on Instagram and Facebook may lead to a bounty of comments and likes from friends, but let’s be honest, you can’t frame a photo on your computer and meticulously place it on the wall.

Sometimes you want a physical copy of photographic endeavor – especially if you’re shooting with a high-end cameras. RWCS Photographics have specialised in large format printing for photos that need a little extra space. Our Large canvas print blocks are perfect for high-resolution photos, corporate installations or simply filling that two-storey loft wall you’ve had trouble decorating.

Just that situation happened with one of our customers Tony Burnett  who also sourced a custom image from RWCS Picture Stock . He had specific requirements for personalising the image from Brighton [ Brighton- ] and then having it printed to a custom size  ..  4.5 ft by 1 ft. . We also were able to give Tony a new large format product which features a canvas “ Crystalline Canvas from Breathing Color UK  and our high resolution canvas glued picture block .

Crystalline is an OBA free fine art inkjet canvas available in both Satin and Gloss finishes that looks amazing straight off the machine; incredible detail, stunning colour and rich dark blacks. The finished result was a real surprise and he was quote “knocked over” by the quality.

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So have think and take a bit of a step back when you see “THAT IMAGE” : it might just be time to get a “knock out” big picture onto your wall. 

The digital collection at RWCS dates back to 2001 and the old Film stock wanders back to 1976 :  So now it transpires that many of these photographs and digital images are a great archival source of  Screen print re-work and a very interesting source of unique /intruiging patterns shapes and textures.

So as these two, new for 2015, collections are published, they will continue to grow from us sifting thru' and reproducing those photographs we think merit publication, and then we'll keep all informed as the work progresses.

First up : Screen Print Collection http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/rwcsscreenprint

These are a series of new " screen print styles" images ready for wide format printing, each available to order and browse on the RWCS website  each one has a different screen process applied, each being dependent on the image and then collectively will form an eclectic mix of images for our customers to browse and view.

See below as an example of the changes to a SCREEN PRINT : Whitstable Harbour

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Second up : Texture , Pattern and Surface Collection http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/texture_pattern_swatch

These are a series of "Image Swatches " as a series of random texture/ pattern all in in square proportion, each viewable to browse again on on the RWCS website,  each one is an abstracted  high resolution digital image , as an eclectic source of images for our customers to browse and view and buy / download.

See below as an example of the changes to a TEXTURE : SURFACE : PATTERN SWATCH  :

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Our most recent archival work now includes these  new DISCWORLD GRAFFITI tributes to TERRY PRATCHET 2015 in at the end of Code Street with a Massive panoramic shot of the whole art piece.

RIP TERRY PRATCHET 2015Terry Prachet Tribute
Pillow Cinema : Former Shoreditch Underground STation
‎7 Code Street London E1 5ER

Any visitor to the city wanting to find a high quality selection of street art need look no further than Spitalfields in and around the Brick Lane area. Street Crews and Artists from all over the world and the UK come here to paint, safe in the knowledge that they will get an appreciative audience and a wide appeal.

Over the last 10 years or so, RWCS have always been watching the graffiti in the street as it changes & morphs over time. This year we are looking in more detail at the good street work from artists around across a number of city locations.See these links for London, Brighton, Bristol, Paris. Some of the crews and artists have been around the scene for many years with talented newbies also showing their hands. We look in particular for striking work and apply an image abstraction and portrayal process which is designed to really emphasise the quality of the painting & artwork which is often ignored by the majority. Please see here a RWCS finished example http:/​/​www.​rwcs-​photographics.​com/​brighton-​street-​art/​

 

http://lambs.org.uk/

Locals Against Mayfield Building Sprawl is an action group that has been formed from residents who live and work in the Wineham and Sayers Common area which is being pushed by Mayfield Market Towns Limited (Mayfield) as being suitable for a new town incorporating 10,000 new houses. We all strongly believe that the area is completely unsuitable for the proposed development, and are promoting this view to all local residents and the wider community.Mayfields’ new town “not required” says Government Inspector  examining Horsham’s District Plan has said that Mayfield Market Towns is “not required” and he has directed the Council to concentrate on other sites.

Just before Christmas of last year Rob Wilson of RWCS met with the local group who are actively fighting this rapacious development in our area   : Namely Mayfields : Such is the threat of 10,000  .... yes 10,000 houses ...  being touted by  American funded property developers.  To that end that all the local photographic stock which I have, now can be used support this local action group and is now available to them under  "free to use" license terms: The thought of this needless and totally brazen attempt to ignore local planning needs is being fought on all fronts : we are doing our bit to support Lambs and to protect our local rural landscape.

RWCS On The BridgeOn the Bridge is time location project where we are shooting a series of recurring locations at different times of the year : some times only a week apart other more than 6 months : The project being used to create a new stock of work where Winter, Spring , Summer & Autumn show the differing weather , events and water courses from three bridges.

The RWCS  " On the Bridge "  project  from 3 years ago is right in the middle of this contested location  so all of that work is being used for the report and for the Christmas Greetings  Message to supporters

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The LAMBS annual  report also now features a number of these :  see links to report here http://lambs.org.uk/stem/wp-content/uploads/LAMBS-Review-1.pdf

Lambs_december_torches-Lambs Torch Lighting 8th Dec

On the bridge

Neil Francis the Community Fundraising Manager sent me the good news this week

And we got £1600+ for  this years versions with the Jim Clark / John Surtees / Graham Hill  ones raising a large chunk of donations

For 2015 we'll add some more to the RWCS Photographs for Charity so we can again help the hospice

Pictures

Rob and the Team

URBEX PHOTOGRAPHER J XNormal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
URBEX : Urban exploration is the exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment.

Photography and historical interest/documentation are heavily featured in the hobby and, although it may sometimes involve trespassing onto private property, this is not always the case and is of innocent intention.

Urban decay photography is the form of photography that deals with the techniques of taking pictures of deserted buildings. Although the buildings have been abandoned for more than a few years or more, the expert photographers make them look absolutely stunning. After all, the magic of great photography is to make an ordinary and to expose its hidden beauty and their unique interesting qualities.

Left long enough to the will of nature, most manmade environments will eventually fall into disrepair. For an urban decay photographer there is a wealth of interest - and even beauty - to be found in the different ways these decrepit structures take on lives of their own.

It's essentially the art of capturing beautiful photographs of a subject that is inherently not beautiful, and - for those of us who live near a urban environment - it can be an easy form of photography to explore.

Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or inhabited sites. It may also be referred to as draining (when exploring drains), urban spelunking, urban rock climbing, urban caving, or building hacking.

The nature of this activity presents various risks, including both physical danger and the possibility of arrest and punishment.
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Over the last year RWCS Photographics  have been collaborating with a local URBEX photographer  J**** X who had struggled to get proper and professional prints made of his URBEX work.  So over the last year some 45 + prints  all mounted using the RWCS print block format have been carefully produced and now form JX's private collection hung on the walls of his house in Sussex

Urban decay photography is the form of photography that deals with the techniques of taking pictures of deserted buildings. Although the buildings have been abandoned for more than a few years or more, the expert photographers make them look absolutely stunning. After all, the magic of great photography is to make an ordinary building come to life and to expose its hidden beauty and its unique interesting qualities.

Left long enough to the will of nature, most man-made environments will eventually fall into disrepair. For an urban decay photographer there is a wealth of interest - and even beauty - to be found in the different ways these decrepit structures take on lives of their own.

It's essentially the art of capturing beautiful photographs of a subject that is inherently not beautiful, and - for those of us who live near a urban environment  - it can be an easy form of photography to explore.

Our own URBEX photographics work is also based on my long time historical industrial / rural decay work : you can see and find here

in RWCS Urban and Rural Decay   cottage decay 64

Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or inhabited sites. It may also be referred to as draining (exploring drains), urban spelunking, urban rock climbing, urban caving, or building hacking.

The nature of this activity presents various risks, including both physical danger and the possibility of arrest and punishment.

Well at RWCS we have been cracking on with the big format prints this year, first with gigantic aerial photograph wallpapers , see our blog  re Helifly http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/blog/2014/3/the-big-picture-at-helifly-office-shoreham-airport > and now with the biggest KTM motorcycle picture yet.

This one is a specially commissioned graphic piece for Stephen Surrey, motorcycle enthusiast & local entrepreneur of Haven Motors. It's a full color 10 feet by 8 feet print of SS riding his beloved KTM RC8 at a motorcycle track day in Italy. This impressive print is in fact a series of sequential prints as hung banners, custom wall mounted at Haven Motors Plummer’s Plain , < at Stephen’s  Motor Car dealership http://www.havenmotors.co.uk >.  Stephen  commented, “ I’m really delighted at the impact of the banner print : its visually outstanding and certainly gets our customers talking, it’s a first class and innovative creative effort from RWCS, I am well pleased “

So if you fancy a big print of your favourite car or motorcycle , give us a call and we can see what we can create next!

Rob W    

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Some really good news : hard work is paying off : Dominic Young appointed as CEO of the Copyright Hub

Jayne's  dad worked all his life down the  Hafodyrynys & Glyntillery Pit and then Celynen North. The images of the surface working were so evocative and now it seems so strange that the landscape is missing these critical landmarks.   Only Penallta's headgear seem to show what it all used to look like as Big Pit is so tidy and tourist friendly. All the pits I took pictures of were absolutely  cluttered and chaotic when they were being worked.   I also found it strange for the first time that my Welsh homeland no longer looked like it used to, as I remember it,  with all the valley roads improved and using the the old railways, it was really strange to drive through. 

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So once again we strolled along to the Hare N Hounds and once  after a while I seemed to have the "yips" or "camera shake" occur  .. and it got steadily worse during the day ?  So very strange .. normally my pics are pin-sharp but where beer comes into play things go awry n' pear shaped .. another great day good beer, good food and great company 

cheers 

Rob

A long trip and very busy road trip to North East of England an then  the very north west of Scotland  provided wonderful new landscapes and extraordinary weather views scenes : Sun Snow Mist  Rain  Frost Fog : You name it we had the 4 seasons almost everyday. Wester Ross and Skye providing stunning backdrops with quirky scenes from Whitby and Lindisfarne.

Wester Ross http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/p1022201190/h61c82253#h6e9d5e0f

Whitby : http://www.rwcs-photographics.com/scotland_north/h5bae8394#h5bae8394

RWCS Easter Tour 2013-1-29

but April and May have been much busier : First off our work at Brighton Speed Trials with two publications featuring our photographs 

The first is http://www.motoringclassics.co.uk/magazine.aspx

We feature in the SUMMER edition with one of our classic mini start-line shots 

More news next month including classic Scottish Landscapes 

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Then I finished off with a return to Dungeness with some more haunting pictures from this special place.

My  involvement with PLUS now has reached a critical phase as the UK is now at the centre of picture licensing services and exchange developments ref the  Linked Content Coalition  see here for more info

so best wishes and good luck for 2013 

Rob W 

After the success of Crystal Palace, it was Goodwood Festival of Speed time for Saturday 30th June : This years RWCS activity for Goodwood  was back to the old school and RALLY focussed.  I had been  invited to spend the Saturday with  the KICK RALLY  Steve Perez Team, < Steve was   2010 BTRDA Champion > : with Paul Spooner,  a fellow Welshman and a lifelong friend. Paul is Steve P's regular co-driver / Navigator and over the last 5 years has competed in many rallies with Steve all over the globe. He  was my first navigator on the Tour of Eppynt rally < our 1st proper rally >  some 30 years ago in my Mini Cooper Clubman 1430 S , another long story , and yes we did finish, just .....  

Goodwood FOS #-9539

Candida asserts " My beef is the unprecedented number of photographs, the sheer volume of which render so many meaningless. Correction: not the volume itself so much as the impossibility of any of us managing to keep up with that volume."  and " Facebook  seems to mop up every indifferent splurge and splatter without any recourse to bleach or the delete button.  Get it all up and out, then you’ll feel better, seems to be the prevailing view. Whatever you’re doing, eating a sandwich, pulling a face with a mate, blinking, farting . . . it doesn’t matter, just get it out there for everyone to see, and not give a toss."

To true, so is it the lack of  "engaging narrative" which is really staring us in all in the face as photographers and where most are to be laid bare. Just look at the wailing and howling which takes place at EPUK  about surviving the image Tsunami  from Jo public  as a professional photographer.  

So this is the critical thing : I have been asking my Alter Ego  < earnest snapperatzi >  and more importantly,  my normal Ego < old publisher head > some serious questions on this;   I have long held a view  that this has been the critical stumbling block of many of my peers in the Content and eLearning development world, in that the majority of the run of the mill published content  is still hidebound  and lacks engaging narrative.

OK,  some photographers, myself included,  take shelter from the Tsunami  on the focussing on the "THE  PRINT"  or switch to the " THE BOOK "  via BLURB , but these are old publishing paradigms which as a originator are just another dusty highway along which many have journeyed and perished.

In truth, my two digital worlds collided last week, with Candida's article has pushing  me past a tipping point.  The real story is that my old world of learning publishing  is waking up to the digital tsunami and recently my old work colleague, Kevin Johnson, from Boulder Colorado, VP at  http://www.inthetelling.com @  said so why  aren't you sing the our new tablet platform of  " Transmedia "  and following up on his news a new road suddenly appears.  My good friend David Worlock  , was equally surprised when he saw the capability of  the " in the telling"  software and services

So new roads beckon to journey down and they are not the dusty highways of the past.   I now really have no excuse , I must  "do the work" <  don't talk about it , go do-it , get on the road >  and get my Alter EGO writing engaging transmedia narrative and use my photographs to tell the stories I know.  It's the prospect of a lean, easy to use  cloud based service from " In the Telling"  < link http://www.inthetelling.com > which means I can reach a new audiences and for the first time in a long while move to produce engaging transmedia materials.

It's also the real challenge for all those " professional authors " of eNumbing educational nonsense to get their act together so we can trigger the " learning transformation"  we have been talking about for so many years.

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Well we have been all over the place : Sicily : High Rocks : Dover : but until last week the weather has been really dispiritiing to go out and hunt for locations and events . Damn must be getting old !! ..

However this last week has been a belter and so we pitched up at The Crystal Palace Motorsport Sprint Event : 28th May . Just a great day and you can see the pictures here ...

Gallery: http://rwils.zenfolio.com/cp-motorsport-2012 Slideshow: http://rwils.zenfolio.com/cp-motorsport-2012/slideshow .

Looks like we'll be also be down at the Rally Stages for the Goodwood FOS again this year with the Steve Perez Stratos for this year which will be back to the old schol for RW : see last year's shots here . More cars .. back to the old school .. Just what the doctor ordered !!

Brighton Flight RWCS & Helifly (272 of 66).jpg

Our commercial product work for two companies is now be set up, with the first set now being used for Historica Racewear with a combination of our historic racing collection photographs and 400+ clothing lines catalogue photgraphs which we shot locally at Haven Motors.historica suits-121

We also have released new rendition of Brighton Pavilion with some classic and unusual shots. They can now be vieead and ordered from the the new  Brighton Pavilion Gallery
Pavilion Custom Prints --5

As spring weather seems to here we a bright sunny sunday this last weekend where we have featured the Annual Pioneer Run with RWCS supplying lightboxes for the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Sunbeam Motorcycle Club

Pioneer Run 2012 COVER And finally we have now added online purchase for our popular historic montages from the " Budge Winstanley " Post Card Collection : They feature long ago local scenes and images from late Victorian times to late Edwardion era up to 1930. Cowfold Historic Montages

Cowfold Historic 1