My new website

Today, I' m very pleased to announce the launch of my new website http://www.sylvainoliveira.com/ . Some Galleries are not finished yet but it' s working well.
I have used the software Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 ( trial version ) with Microsoft Windows Notepad.

Horse and Hound

Yesterday, I covered a pony club show at Haddenham. This one included dressage, showing, show jumping and my favourite, horse and hound which, for me, is always highly entertaining. For those of you who are not familiar with this sport, the event is raced in pairs. The first is on horseback and the second runs alongside their dog. First, the horse and rider races over jumps one to five, the second person runs with their dog over jumps six to nine and the fastest pair wins. Sounds easy? Animals don't always want to jump. Dogs sometimes need a little persuasion to follow the course. They run the wrong way or go under jumps instead of over and the entertainment comes from the children who have to control their pet. This race is mainly completed by youngsters but is open to all. It's alot of fun and an excellent way to keep fit.

Panoramic Bluebells

Spring is the time of year when bluebells carpet the ground here in Ashridge Wood. To achieve this panoramic shot, I have taken several photographs with a Canon EOS1DS Mark3, a zoom Canon 24-70 2.8L using a panoramic platform Novoflex mounted on a Manfrotto tripod and stitched them together to create this spectacular result.

Do shops really want to sell?

Today, I wanted to investigate various light stand models for sale in Jessops. So, with my camera strapped on back safe in it’s Lowepro backpack I was serious shopper looking to spend money in this recession hit climate.
I hovered around the light stands reviewing the various products expecting one of the staff to ask if I needed any help. Although, I dislike being ‘pounced’ on the second I enter a shop, after 10 minutes I expected one person to come over ready with their sales spiel. It seems the recession has affected service. The shop was empty (except for me) and the staff preferred to chat amongst themselves leaving me to it. Maybe I could have gone over to them and asked questions but with the abundance of camera shops, from hobbists to professionals, I have my choice and there is always the internet. With this in mind, I left. Plus, I can often buy the same or similar product on the internet for less. My question is do these shops really want to sell? I didn’t buy anything and we ask why the economy is gloomy...

Technological advancement

Yesterday, I went to Snowball Farm to cover an affiliated show jumping event. The changeable weather meant I had to adjust the ISO up to 2000 with my Canon EOS1D Mark3 so there would be enough speed to freeze the jump. Had I been in this situation 5 years ago, the technology available at that time would not have allowed me to do this. Today, with the rapid advancement of the digital age, more and more shots like these are possible.