The Setup:

You need a tripod for your camera and a lens to cover the whole TV screen. I recommend a zoom lens so you can adjust the focal lenght until you have your TV screen taking 100% of the frame. With wide screen TVs the borders will be outside of the frame but that’s not a problem.

About 1.5 to 3 meters away from the screen is a good distance for the tripod. A remote control will be ideal to take some shots while enjoying the show at the same time.

2'' exposure

The Shutter Speed

It’s everything about finding the right shutter speed here. Use your camera in shutter speed priority mode (TV in some cameras) and try different speeds to see what effects you can create. I found that speeds around 1/4 of a second were good to freeze some of the action while still giving the image an abstract look while speeds from 1 to 4 seconds were good to create abstract patterns from the movements in the screen.

1/4 of a second

When processing the images try to increase the contrast and the saturation. That will give the images more life.  You can also try playing with the focus and making fake miniatures, screen shots if aerial can work fine for those and the increase in contrast and saturation will give the miniature some life.

1 second

This was just a very small example of the things you can do while watching a game or any other TV show. Try different speeds, press your remote shutter when something interesting is happening and then review your collection of abstracts in the half time show or after the game.

1/2 second

Now you can get your own personal image of “the catch” or any other significant play. It’s a way to create personalized and artistic memories from big TV shows.

When asked how he would describe his work, Kieran had the following to say:

“I haven’t been a photographer for long, in fact only in 2009 did I pick up my first DSLR. It started through traditional art, being a landscape painter I used a little point & shoot to capture reference photos for my work. It grew on me very quickly and I was fascinated at the concept of recording a moment in time, a personal moment. My love of photography took off and eventually overshadowed my desire to keep painting. I found more joy through the lens than I did through the paintbrush.

I’ve been lucky enough to have always lived near the coast and I am constantly inspired by the oceans ever changing wild beauty. There is no better fulfillment than standing on an empty beach as the sun rises and taking those moments home with me and then sharing them with others. I want viewers when looking at my work to feel something, I want to pull them into a scene and have them feel as if they can almost smell the salt spray or feel the water lapping at their feet.”

To see more of Kieran’s inspiring work, you can visit his portfolio site: Kieran O’Connor Photography. You can also follow him on his Facebook page and G+.

For more pictures, visit Barclay’s shop on Etsy.

Little Light

Lets Go Around

Golden Whisper

Home › JMBarclay › Small Prints Little Dreams On The Wing

Pie Filling

Summers Day Dream

Words Of Wisdom

Come Together

Spools Of Joy

Bumbershoot

Banner Day

It's Spelled Love

Alain resides in both France and Turkey. To see more of his evocative work, you can visit his online portfolio here.

Or to see more images from his study of Cathares entitled “In The Memory of Stones“, you can click here.

“1208. The Roman Catholic Church and her inquisition pursue the Cathares movement in the south of France. The pope declare them heretic. The “perfect” cathares found safety in some castles, but they will be being exterminated until the last.

What story can they tell us, what have they really seen?

Swept by the wind and the mist, pounded by an unforgiving sun, frozen by the harsh winter, these old Cathares stones still stand, the last remaining witnesses sentenced to keeping this terrible tragedy in their souls.

Roaming these paths, climbing the narrow, spiraling staircases, brushing against these stones, gazing at the horizon from the top of a keep, who can but imagine the noise of the weapons, the burning infernos, the screams of terror and wails of isolation, the despair of surrender, the stupidity and cruelty, the smell of death.

Everywhere we go they whisper to us, reminding us how man, the very same who erected them, is capable of the worst absurdity.”

-Alain Etchepare