Reviews

Had a greatly enjoyable day at North Weald last week, the mid-day American Pin-up event Wed 31 Aug, thanks to good weather. A bit bright at times, but manageable (well for those with more skilled than me!), good company and organisation (thanks Neil), not forgetting the very helpful and cooperative models (Annette, Pearl, Sugar and Isabella), nor the Hangar 11 guys and the plane, jeep and motorbike owner who let us use the planes as backdrops...

It was my first such model shoot and not really my scene (he claims!) but was good fun. Thanks to all involved.

David R

Fengate Farm Weeting 02-10-2019: The weather could not have been better, Sony turned up with cameras & lenses, WEX sponsored Sony, TLE used it's charm and organisational expertise to organise a fantastic day on the farm. The Farm & land army girls along with the steam machine men were outstanding, putting on a fabulous show for us. Breakfast & Lunch were available. The bottom line will be the quality of the images captured. I hope people will post the good ones. I used a AR7III + FF 24-105 f4 lens supplied by Sony plus my own Olympus EM1-X + a 100-400 Leica Zoom (FF 200-800). I had the full range 24mm-800mm to work with. All in all test of equipment and skill in near perfect conditions. Top marks on the day for The Fengate Farm Crew, WEX, Sony & TLE. Alan P

Just to say many thanks, both to yourself, ‘Anchorman’ Dave, the crew of RAF 102, and of course the man upstairs, who was in charge of the weather, for a really superb day on the Solent yesterday. Anchorman has the speed, and flexibility, of chasing boats on water, which also enabled us to make good use of the prevailing weather conditions. I have rarely experienced such dramatic cloud backdrops, against a photographic subject. As for the awesome ‘demo’ by the Coastguard patrol, it was a privilege to be able to witness the precision of the crew, at such close hand. I look forward to next years Solent programme, you have certainly set the bar high after yesterday! Well done once again to all involved.

Neil E

Fairburn Tank in The Lakes" was the title for Timeline's November outing with 42073 at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite line, but little did the unwary participants anticipate how close to actually being under water this event threatened to be as the River Leven surged past the Linsty Green location providing an interesting diversion from the rather sombre first day's shoot in the perpetual gloom of The Lakes at their most miserable. Undeterred, Neil and his willing co conspirators, the two Peters, pressed on and, with some relief from the rainfall later in the day, and despite awesome ASA readings, a reasonable selection of images was procured along the branch. A satisfyingly filling early dinner in the L and H restaurant and night shoot starring the motionless Linda completed the proceedings for Day One, with an optimistic weather forecast for the morrow in the minds of those with two days suffering booked. To everyone's relief Thursday dawned with hills visible and a prospect of brightness and so it came to pass that the sun did wilfully illuminate Sowerby Bridge's finest and her diminutive train at most of the key locations along the line. Opinion seemed to favour the rock face just east of Haverthwaite Tunnel as the master shot, but the woods approaching Newby Bridge must have been a close second with their autumn tints sparkling in the sunshine. The morning ended with some reflective views over the reed beds approaching Lakeside, after which a return to lunch at Haverthwaite was made as the sun gave way to clouds portending the arrival of the storm-named-Abigail. Rain and increased gloominess over lunch saw an exodus of participants before a superbly smokey afternoon departure to Lakeside, but once again, Neil's personal hotline to God had already secured the services of the golden orb and I think there was a general feeling that Timeline had made the best of what originally seemed most unpromising circumstances. Notwithstanding day one's adversities I enjoyed this charter and thank Neil, Linda, the Two Peters and all the staff of the L and HR who made it possible.

Pete S

The glamour shoots are an event to look out for. Lovely and friendly girls who quickly make you feel at home and give every assistance. Boscombe Down Aviation collection was an ideal location allowing unusual shots and Neil and his team ran it like clockwork as usual.

Ian P

I recently attended the event at the Gunpowder Museum with Ray Lowe.  It was a terrific day where I learnt SO much about how to take better portraiture.  Ray was witty, slightly controversial at times, charming, extremely knowledgeable with a wealth of experience that he willingly shared.  He answered questions, set challenges and demonstrated the HOW in his work as well as the WHY.  Our models were lovely, very accommodating, flexible and patient as we sought to practice Ray's tips. The TimeLine team, as usual, ensured the day was well-planned, the venue had plenty of rustic and rugged charm, we had plenty of variety and that everyone's needs were met.  It was a super training event, very enjoyable and I learnt so much!  Many thanks - in particular to Ray for sharing his expertise to make us a better photographer!

Belinda E