Top 3 Lenses under £300

To follow on from my short guide to buying a DSLR and rebel T2i review here are my top 5 lenses under £300.


1. Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM £269 - this is an amazing prime lense at a bargin price. The 1.4 give you a great focal length for portrait photography. For this bargain price, the 50mm would have to be the my no.1. Just look at the quality!


































2.Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto.£150 long-focal-lens. This is a telephoto lens, great for magnification without the hassle of a long body.

3.Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG Macro £368
A macro lens will give you an insanely sharp image very close up. The best time to use a macro lens is in my opinion for outdoors or photography directed towards specific high detailed objects/subjects. This is my rebel.. it's a little above budget but just look at the quality.

https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm - a great website to buy used or new lenses!

Creativity: Shakespeare Vs. Sekou

Poetry has evolved vastly over the years. Its form is no longer just plays or music. It can be in the form of lyrics or spoken word.
Poetry no longer has to rhyme, or be written in riddles to engage the reader, in thinking that their intellect will never suffice to understand the concept therefore just the process of reading, is engaging in poetry itself.
I see poetry being about communication.
Not just studying of social context or historical periods, but an expression of who we are and what we feel and experience in our lives. 
Its a colourful way of communicating things we cant always say.
Its storytelling at its best!


Some of my favourite poets are lyricists.
Music is important to me and its because of the words involved. I want to share with you some of my favourite modern poets.


The guys are talented, they have a way with words that express emotion and opinion so intelligently yet allow the new generation to comprehend. 


Sekou
a.k.a Sekou excellent is a great political spoken word poet. I was introduced to him a few months ago and was engaged instantly by his performance and delivery or the words he puts together.
Checkout the video below from Def Poetry!










Jill Scott
One of my favourite artists. She is a singer/songwriter with the ability to perform with crazy energy. Her words are full of love and struggle as well as beauty and happiness. The video below is an example of her poetic ability live on Def Poetry!





Checkout her poetry book- 'The Moments,the Minutes, the Hours'


Maya Angelou
One of my all time favourite writers. Her book ' I know why the caged bird sings'  is an emotive tale of civil rights struggle and a woman's pain.
The book below is a collection of her poetry, its a beautiful book with short poems to lift your spirit, inspire or educate. I always find it comforting to read now and again.














































Ntozake Shange
Her play 'For Coloured Girls who have considered suicide when the Rainbow is enuf' is a beautiful yet painful story about black women's struggle with relationships and self love.
Most recently it has been made into film and will premier in the uk this friday! 
Checkout the trailer below!

Be inspired to inspire!Word!

Youtube Cover of the Week!

Everyweek Im going to be bringing you the best youtube cover.
And when I say best im going to use that term lightly.
It might be the most talented vocalist on the web or just the most entertaining.
Either way you will surely be entertained.


So in tune of my music post earlier this week, Im bringing you Orlando Dixon.
Orlando is a talented vocalists and pianist, I found wondering through youtube.
He covers most popular songs and rearranges them to compliement his voice.
His tone, is both seductive and raw and honestlyIve been listening to them on repeat.


Orlando covers Rihanna's 'What's my name' and Marsha Ambrosius 'Hope she cheats'

Please check out his channel for more soulful covers
http://www.youtube.com/user/museman18

Creativity: 'Im a rebel like my T2i'

Choosing a DSLR for the frist time is the most exciting and nerve racking decision.
As an amateur photogrpaher there were many things i had to think about and ive put this review together to give you an overall feel of the camera as well as a short guide to buying your first DSLR.

5 Things To Think About
1. Budget
2. Make (Canon/ Nikon/ Olympus)
3. Model
4. Lenses (macro / telelphoto/ zoom /focal length/ appature)
5. casing and SD cards

My first tip is to research!!!

Speak to as many DSLR users as possible. Especially photographers who shoot a similar style to you. Their advice is gold! They can assist you on long-term purchases. Theyve been through the process of buying the body and lenes (a collection that will burn a hole in your pocket overtime) which are a very specfic and personal choice.

Read as many reviews as possible. Some great review websites are:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.cameralabs.com/
http://www.digitalreview.ca/

Blogs are also very useful - because they will be written most likely by people who have used the product. They will upload their own pictures which i find really helpful to judge quality.

Google! Google reviews or comparisions of cameras you are choosing between. They will layout the good and bad points for you, and you can decide whether that affects you or not.

After your so sick of looking at images of the camera you are so desperate to hold, look for a bargin!

Top Tips For Buying
The cheapest deals are online.
HOWEVER make sure the seller is reliable (especially if your buying off eBay)

Its not always best to get a lense kit, it may seem like a cheap deal at the time but saving that money to get a good prime lense in the future can be better off.

Make sure that this is the camera you want. If you are buying online go to a local store and hold the camera. Its important to get a feel of the camera, it can also be a good way to decide between models, instinctively.


'Im a rebel like my T2i'



I picked up my canon 550D T2i + 18-55mm lense kit on pixmania for £605 incl. delivery.
I saved at least up to £50 from other sellers.
The lense isnt great and I could have spent £200 more for a 18-135mm lense kit HOWEVER for my use, im interested in buying some macro lenses rather than zoom.

Apart from having to charge it- anticipation almost killed me!
I literally began shooting anything in my radius.
Every image amazed me. I havent taken it through any tests yet but Im planning a shoot in decemeber which will proove excactly how good the camera is.

Features I was looking for:
1. Frames per second. (at least 4)
2. Auto-focus modes
3. Video capapbilites (To support my interest in filmaking)
4. Portability
5. Amatuer use

For now, I must say im impressed. The feel of the body is comfortable, its light weight and easy to manage. Its not hard on the eyes and shoots instantly in atuo mode. The lense will do for now but I am already searching for a 50mm macro lense and telephoto lense.

Final word: I would recommend the T2i to first time DSLR users, you can pick it up for a price that wont hurt your pocket too much for what you are getting. Keep posted for my first T2i pics!

Creativity: Vernacular Unquestioned

You'd think it be a modern poets dream to see how far hip hop has come.
From the New York streets to our t.v screens we are blessed with cultural voices of pain, confusion, struggle and passion.
These struggles go beyond ghetto street corners and fatherless childhoods to civil rights animosity and inequality.
Whose to blame when it comes to artists that claim to be the truth when in reality they are constructed and act as puppets to mass money making corporations.

No more home studios, no more basketball court battles just a cheap remastered beats or (in Kanye's case) a sample and some lyrics about struggling on what to buy next.
Don't get me wrong there is still talent out there and some artists have been loyal to hip hop's name, but we have to actively seek them.

You could push the blame on so many forces.
Money, for blinding the hunger of talented poets with a dream.
Record labels, for pushing catchy lyrics written by writers they represent.
Producers, for over selling compositions that become variations of their last beat.
Publicity, for molding a poet physically even mentally for financial gain.
All these forces are liable but the most liable is the poet for 'selling out'
A lot of people don't like to use this term but I know that for a serious lyricists your words are apart of you.

Let's think about.
When was the last time you heard a successful hip hop track without a pop artist singing the chorus?
The format has changed.
Few listen to the lyrics so artists don't put any time into writing them.
It's not about blame, it's about the future.
It's up to you, to choose what it is you listen to.
As a poet I listen to lyrics, I want to understand the struggle and that means something to me.
It's a choice.

I could layout my opinions and debate for hours but I'd rather your conscious make up it's own mind.
Instead let's make this a positive, because there is still so much talent that doesn't get the exposure it deserves.
Here are my top 5 lyricists

1. Mos Def

2. Talib kweli

3. De La Soul

4. Nas

 

5. Slick Rick



Click the name to check them out!