Engine by Jump Studios in FX Magazine September issue

My photos of the headquarters for Engine, designed by Jump Studios, are featured in the September 2008 issue of FX magazine.

Martinez Otero Horizon cabinets by Pearson Lloyd at SCP West

A couple of shots here of an installation of award-winning Horizon cabinets, designed by Pearson Lloyd for Spanish furniture manufacturer Martinez Otero. They are being shown in collaboration with a range of cute ceramics by Aldo Londi, designed in the 1950s for Bitossi. The exhibition runs at SCP West until 19 October.

Hockenheim Mercedes Tribune

Back from a weekend in Germany, shooting a very cool temporary brand experience for luxury car manufacturer Lexus. But more on that once I get time to edit the photos.

The event was taking place at Hockenheim's famous car race track, better known to Formula One fans as the Hockenheimring Baden-Würtemmberg. Right next the Lexus site was this grandstand, the Mercedes Tribune. The views from it were amazing, over the track and surrounding forest, and the structure itself doesn't disappoint. I was rather keen on the concrete piers and stairways. Does anyone know who the architect was?

Private house in Wiltshire by Jones Associates Architects

A sneaky pair of pictures here of the kitchen of a stunning private house in Wiltshire, designed by Jones Associates Architects. The house was designed by architect George Gilbert Scott Jr, one of a clutch of rectories designed by the son of Sir George (architect of the Midland Grand Hotel) and father of Giles (Bankside Power Station and Liverpool Anglican Cathedral).

The rear of the building has been comprehensively remodelled by Jones Associates, and features a huge kitchen, artist studio and light-filled dining area.

George Jr was a fascinating figure himself, an alcoholic who suffered from mental ill-health, who eventually died at the Midland Grand Hotel.

On another interesting note, the company who made and installed the kitchen also makes organ cases for churches and cathedrals around the world. 

I'll add some further images of the project to my website in the coming weeks.

Photokina is here

It's the biggest week in the photography equipment calendar. Photokina, the massive Cologne trade fair, has opened today. Unfortunately, work commitments mean that I'm not attending this time round - it takes place every two years - but I have been keeping a close eye on the various announcements being made by major manufacturers.

Lots of people ask me what camera they should buy, and the latest round of launches makes this an ever more interesting question. A raft of new developments have once again turned digital technology on its head.

Key trends

Some major innovations that have got me excited include:

Video capture in digital SLRs

The Nikon D90 and Canon 5D Mark II both sport high definition video capture (higher in the Canon, and there's a lot of talk about its amazing low-light performance). However, I'm not sure how well these work from an ergonomic point of view, plus all the other extras that make camcorders so user-friendly: fast autofocus, audio performance (particular XLR inputs for the pros), servo zoom etc. 

My guess is that in a few years we'll have some really amazing hybrid products that have really got these issues licked.

Mini DLRs (apart from they aren't SLRs)

The announcement of the micro four-thirds system from Olympus and Panasonic opens up a frankly sexy new world of mini digital cameras with interchangeable lenses. The system does away with the reflex housing - you simply view a "live" version of the image on the screen or electronic viewfinder. This means that cameras can be made smaller. Much smaller.

The Panasonic G1 offering looks interesting, albeit not much tinier than the Olympus E400/410/420. However, I understand that it works really well, which is half the battle. Meanwhile, Olympus are teasing Photokina visitors with a very cute camera that looks like an Olympus Trip with interchangeable lenses. 

While undoubtedly many of the products launched under the micro four-thirds banner will be for the mass-market, many pros are excited about the appearance of some seriously cool cameras, hopefully of the quality of the long-gone Contax 35mm rangefinders.

Samsung is also working on its own version, using an APS-sized sensor.

More and more pixels

Okay, not necessarily a good thing. The new 25mp Sony A900 looks, from the sample images, to have issues regarding image noise. We won't be able to tell for sure until the product is properly released and reviewed. Then we've got the new (and very expensive and luxurious) Leica maxi-DSLR, with a sensor 50% bigger than 35mm full-frame. The first offering is the 38mp S2.

At the compact end of the market, the race to pack more pixels onto tiny sensors has long caused problems of image noise - and smearing when in-camera processing attempts to remove it. However, Fuji has always been leader of the pack when it comes to low noise sensors, and the Japanese manufactuerer has just announced a new Super CCD EXR sensor. which should be a major leap forward in providing noise-free images with superior dynamic range. It's just a shame that there's not a camera to go with it. Yet.

3D imaging

Finally, Fuji is also previewing a new digital 3D imaging system. I'm quite a fan of stereo and lenticular cameras, so the new Fuji system will be interesting. Fuji is also promising a range of 3D printing and display options. 

100% Design Essential Guide 2008

Junko has kindly sent over a selection of recent fuwagardner work, which will eventually get uploaded onto our website. However, in case you missed it, I thought I'd upload some sample pages from the Essential Guide 2008. It was great to see people walking round Earls Court at 100% Design, using it to find their way around.

100% Detail conference

Cripes! I've been asked to chair a session at the 100% Detail conference. It takes place at 11.45am on Thursday 18 September, and will introduce a clutch of inspirational case studies for public buildings. Projects include the Beijing "Birds Nest" and the Madrid Atocha Memorial. It's free to attend, and takes place in the 100% Detail conference theatre, more information at www.100percentdetail.co.uk. Hope to see you there!