Varsity

by Vicky Matthers

Forget Oxford and Cambridge, there is only one rivalry that matters up here in Yorkshire and thats betweeen Leeds University and Leeds Beckett University...!!!

I got a call from the Leeds Beckett University sports department wanting some strong, dynamic pictures to represent the up coming varsity clash between the two Universities for all their various different sports.  We decided to concentrate on Rugby League and Cricket, two very different sports.

Luckily there were no shortage of volunteers from both sides to pose, as you can see from the results below I think they did a great job!  The venue was supplied by Leeds Rhinos Rugby League club, it's good to have friends in high places :)

We got just to the edge of the cricket field to finish off with a shot outside as the weather was improving by the minute:

Prime lenses

by Vicky Matthers

I am a fairly recent convert to prime lenses mainly due to the fact that I couldn't afford them but also due to the fact that I thought that all I needed in my bag was my 16-35mm f2.8 and my 70-200mm f2.8!  I have spent quite a few years as a press and editorial photographer rushing from one job to the next and those two lenses were my stallwarts.

A while ago I decided that I needed an alternative lens (basically something not quite as heavy as the 70-200mm!).  I was doing a few more environmental portraits and wanted something that would give me a bit of variety.  Thanks to my friends at the Flash Centre in Leeds I decided to go for the very affordable 50mm f1.4 it didn't break the bank and I certainly haven't been disappointed!

Finally my eyes have been opened to the advantages of shooting wide open, the very shallow depth of field and the fall off that I get in my pictures means that an ordinary looking building or area can become extraordinary.  It certainly makes the subject stand out of the picture and is a real help when shooting, as we do at Icon, in really low light situations:

It may not surprise you to learn that I have since sold my 70-200mm, I was finding it too heavy and when you are shooting at speeds of less than 60/second it becomes critical to keep the camera and lens stable!  I still have in my bag my 16-35mm as it is a superb lens and one that I couldn't be without, I have just added a few extras:

50mm f1.4
85mm f1.8
135mm f2.0

I think my favourite has to be the 85mm f1.8 and is my most used lens, the one that I put on the camera first and is probably on the camera at the end of the shoot.  I already have my eye on the Canon 35mm f2 or the 28mm f1.8....what do you think?