Flikr site update

I've recently deleted all my photos from this site and moved most of them onto my Flikr pages.
I have had a Flikr site for a year or so and any photos (or videos) I wish to share have lately been posted straight onto it, and viewers can leave comments (unlike here), so it didn't make sense having my photos spread across two sites any longer. I still haven't moved some of the travel, international and architectural images, but I will as soon as I get the time.

You don't need a Flikr account to view my photos but without a Flickr account you cannot leave comments, send me messages or access my fetish & bondage photo sets (link), which are tagged as 'restricted' by Flikr. Also if you wish to view my 'restricted' images and you have a Flikr account you may need to reset your preferences. My 'restricted' images are also not accessible if you are located in Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany or Korea: sorry, It's not my fault, that's just how Flikr works.

I can tell from my Flikr stats figures that a lot of people are viewing my photos (another good reason for moving my images from here), this includes the 'restricted' fetish & bondage sets, which is only to be expected I guess but PLEASE do not berate me for using Flikr as I'm happy using it (and I don't care what you experience is with it) and don't ask me to host my' images ('restricted or otherwise) on another 'photo sharing' site (way too much hard work) or to send copies to you by email as I don't (or will ever) have the time.

I hope you enjoy them... (link)

COH plays COSEY

I've posted some photos (and a video clip) from Cosey's recent COH plays COSEY performance at the Brussels Electronic Music Festival on my Flikr pages.
Follow this link to view them: FLIKR

My London studio circa 1981

I recently found this shot in our archive on a strip of TG negatives. 
It's my studio in our apartment in Crouch End, North London and was taken shortly after TG split-up (first time) in 1981. This was the TG / Chris & Cosey crossover period and a few weeks before I got my Roland MC-8 MicroComposer.
Everything in this photo was used on later TG material and early Chris & Cosey releases and while I no longer own the majority of the gear I still have the Boss pedals, the Auratone speakers and the chair.

The modular system on the right consists of three Roland 190 racks and two 191J racks containing: two 182 Step Sequencers, 121 Dual VCF, 130 Dual VCA, 112 Dual VCO, 150 Ring Mod/Noise/S&H/LFO, 110 VCO/VCF/VCA, 172 Audio Delay/Phaser/LFO/Gate Delay.
Also included in the Roland racks were a number of my own self-built modules, including a: Digisound Dual VCO, Digisound Dual VCF, Digisound Dual VCA, Digisound Dual ADSR, Digisound Dual RM, Blacet variable clock/divider, a Gristleizer module and (in the top rack) a flanger/delay and a dual phaser/flanger/delay.
Under the modular system is a Boss DR-55 Dr. Rhythm (sitting on top of) a Roland CSQ-600 Digital Sequencer, a Roland TR-808 (one of the first in the UK I might add), a Sinclair frequency meter (for tuning) and a Roland 181 Controller Keyboard.
To the right of the modular (top to bottom) are a small sub-mixer, a Sinclair mutli-meter, a  Leak power amp, s Boss KM-4 a Leak FM tuner and a custom digital delay line and a custom 10-band EQ unit (both self-built). In front of those are two Seck 6.2 mixers.
On the far right of the desk are (top to bottom) three Accessit compressors, a Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo, H&H Slide Echo.
In the foreground are a couple of Roland Flanger pedals, a Boss micro Amp pedal and an Electro-Harmonix Gate pedal. 
Also in shot are a Tandberg stereo reel-ree, a Tandberg cassette deck, a Warfdale cassette deck, a pair of self-built 8" speakers and a pair of Auratone 5C Super-Sound-Cubes.

Techy photo note: the photo was taken with a Nikon F2 using a 50mm 1.4 lens on Ilford FP4 film using available light.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3263010726/sizes/o/

Lens Babies

I recently bough a Lensbaby Composer lens for my Nikon. I guess I was taking a gamble as it wasn't exactly cheap, what with all the accessories and add-ons and stuff, and I'd heard the build quality could sometimes be suspect and they can be quite difficult to use, successfully. Well I found the build quality to be fine, maybe the earlier versions of it weren't so good but using it does indeed take a fair bit of practice and I'd say it's definitely not intended for novice photographers. But luckily with a DSLR I can just keep taking shots and adjusting the camera exposure and trying different aperture discs until I get the effect I'm after. I haven't taken any prize winning photos yet (not even close), just a bunch of shots from around the house and the garden, but even after a couple of days use I'm completely hooked on this lens system. It's amazing, quirky, sometimes frustrating but highly creative and utlimately very rewarding.
Of course I've heard the argument (a lot): "why use a Lensbaby when you can get a similar look using Photoshop?". The answer is that while the PS method has it uses (in post pro, for example) I feel it's a lackluster imitation of the real thing. That's not to say I won't be using Photoshop with my Lensbaby shots, I'll still be using it for further exposure adjustments, colour balancing, cropping and other such image tweakery.
But I'm also I'm pretty excited at the prospect using the Lensbaby with my D90 for HD video, something that would have been out of the question until recently. Shooting HD video with a Lensbaby looks far better than doing a simulated 'split focus' effect using a video application in post production. Even having to reshoot video to get the effect 'just right' it's still a lot quicker and better quality than hours spent experimenting, composing and then rendering in After Effects or FCP.
My first Lensbaby attempts are up now on my Flickr pages:

Frieze Art Fair/Liverpool Bienniale

I've posted some photos on my Flikr pages from our recent trips to (and Cosey's subsequent 'talks' at) the Frieze Art Fair and the Liverpool Bienniale.
I've been a longtime Nikon SLR owner, actually when I think about it I was (occasionally) using Cosey's Nikon F back in 1974 and later her FE, until I got my own FE2 in the early eighties, followed by an F301 and various lenses I've collected over the years. I continued to use my F301 until a couple of years ago, when I bought a digital Sony DSC-F828. The F828 was OK (ish), it handled well and had a good lens and even infra-red capability but had some annoying 'quirks' as far as image handling and image quality goes. And it definitely was not DSLR. I almost got digital Nikon a few of years ago (a D70) but I wasn't totally convinced by the picture quality/features/price ratio, well not enough to splash out more than a £1000 or so. Anyway what with one thing and another (coincidently a PRS cheque arriving the same week as the Nikon announcement) the D90 pretty much fulfills my needs, and like I said I'm extremely pleased with it. Feel free to comment on the photos... don't be too brutal though
Link to photos on Flikr
All these photos were taken with my new Nikon D90 DSLR - which I'm very happy with.