Like most small boys of a certain age (possibly under the influence of Enid Blyton’s books about Mr Galliano’s Circus) I was once fascinated by circuses and even though I didn’t fancy running away with one (I never did like sleeping in caravans) was certainly intrigued by them. Nice then that this weekend, courtesy of Olympus UK, myself and 49 other competition winners got the chance to try our hand at photographing a real live circus. Giffords Circus, started by Toti and Nell Gifford in 2000, is a fair style travelling circus which spends every summer touring various Cotswold towns and villages. We caught up with the circus at Frampton on Severn where it is sited on the village green.
As well as the circus performers and various representatives from Olympus (handing out goody bags) the event was co-hosted by the irrepressible Damian McGillicuddy showing us how to make portraits using off camera flash.
Here are a few pictures of mine from the event.
Olympus OM-D, Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/640)
Olympus OM-D, Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 (35mm, f/2.8, 1/160)
Olympus OM-D, M.ZUIKO 60mm f/2.8 (f/2.8, 1/320)
Olympus OM-D, M.ZUIKO 60mm f/2.8 (f/2.8, 1/160)
Olympus OM-D, M.ZUIKO 45mm f/1.8 (f/1.8, 1/250)
Olympus OM-D, M.ZUIKO 60mm f/2.8 (f/4, 1/20)
Olympus OM-D, M.ZUIKO 60mm f/2.8 (f/4, 1/80)
Olympus OM-D, Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 (12mm, f/7.1, 1/500)
I think these events that Olympus are running are a great idea. Sure I understand they are marketing driven and at the end of the day it’s all about selling us more kit however it’s also about encouraging people to make more use of the kit they already own as well as exploring areas of photography they can’t or wouldn’t have thought of before. Apparently over 90% of the time a DSLR is left at home and the great thing about micro four thirds cameras like the Olympus OM-D and PEN is that you no longer have the excuse that you are doing that because your gear is too heavy. With the OM-D, all I need, that covers most eventualities, now fits easily into my Billingham Hadley Pro camera bag (the best bag I have ever owned, and I’ve owned a few) and is light enough to carry around with me all day. Result!
Peter Cripps | Photography 
I’ll read the article later Pete but the first sentence caught my eye …. what’s wrong with sleeping in a caravan????? LOL!!
[…] hugely impressed by these events that Olympus lay on. I’ve been to two others (see here and here) and love the variety they offer as well as having the chance to check out some of their […]