Confetti

Mat was left in charge of the blog yesterday; I had a party to go to! As I sat down to our meal I noticed the table decorations- cups filled with different sweets and confetti over the table. I left the camera on the table while we were sat down, and I pressed the shutter just to see what happened.

This is how I’ve got some of my favourite shots (e.g. Start off Small- 2^nd April). I’m pleased with how well it worked, and I love the perspective of taking it from the tabletop.

It was quite dark so I had to use flash, which I think can sometimes ruin a shot, however I think it worked quite well here. I really like how the photo turned out. I had a great evening; hopefully you did as well.

Bex

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Small beauty

I had a morning off today and so I went for a short walk. After I sat down for lunch I saw an interesting group of flowers next to where I was sitting. Fortunately Bex had let me borrow her camera for the day, because I took quite a few photos today! This one came about quite by chance.

I took this photo just after I had finished my lunch. I focused the camera on a yellow butter-cup in the centre of the group of flowers. There was quite a lot of flowers in the photo so I decided that I should focus the photo onto the central flower; so I cropped the photo down. While I was in photoshop I decided to alter the exposure by darkening the shadows slightly and darkening the highlights by a very small amount to reduce the amount of white-out.

I really liked the effect of this photo with the blurred foreground and the bright, clear yellow of the flower. I’m quite impressed with how the editing came out in this photo; I think I’m slowly getting better with using photoshop and hopefully I will get better still.

Mat

Back to Blogging

I’m back (again!); Switzerland was great, the weather was gorgeous with beautiful clear blue skies. What do I get when I come home? Freezing weather and rain! The rain stopped me from going out on a photography wander so I had to find a picture from my computer to upload.

This photo is from a wander a few weeks ago. I took it in black and white because I thought it would make an interesting composition. I used a yellow filter to I wanted to block out the background. Also, I used a large aperture to blur the background and again make the flower the centre of attention.

I really liked the effect that the black and white setting with the yellow filter had on the photo. The blurred background it forces your eye onto the flower. Even though the weather hasn’t been amazing I’m glad to be back and blogging again. I’ll try to make up for all the uploads that I’ve missed .

Mat

New Things

I went for a photography wander today as the weather was slightly better. I was trying to find something different to take a picture of (as apposed to my usual flowers). As I was looking I found this butterfly on a piece of grass, with the cocoon further down the stalk.

I saw the cocoon first; it caught my attention and made me look closer which is when I spotted the newly hatched butterfly. I love how you can see the legs of the butterfly wrapped around the grass, and how you can see the indentations in the wings.

I might try some more shots of wildlife and insects as I’ve really enjoyed finding these kinds of shots. I may have to start using the telephoto more!

Bex

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Vintage

I didn’t have chance to go for a wander today, which worked quite well as I’ve been meaning to upload this picture for a while.

I took this picture as a “messing around” shot, and partly to annoy Mat as he still has a film camera! A friend of mine is learning how to develop film, and on the desk was a tub of empty film canisters. Next to the tub were some strips of negatives, with one hanging over into the tub.

I took this while messing around with depth of field and didn’t mean for it to turn into an arty shot- but I actually really like it! I love how you can see the shadow of the scrap of film on the tub, and how only very few canisters are in focus.

Considering it wasn’t meant to have any artistic qualities, I’m quite pleased with it!! I love “happy accident” shots. Sometimes they are the best kind.

Bex

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Wings vs Water

It was much sunnier today, which made me feel slightly smug when Mat sent me a text to tell me he was sat in the sunshine at the side of Lake Geneva. Although it was sunnier today, the area surrounding the lake was still flooded and it was incredibly soft underfoot.

I enjoyed using the telephoto lens yesterday, so I took it with me again today. I sat down on a bench at the lakeside. While watching the wildlife go past I saw a dragonfly. It flew away before I had chance to take a picture so I decided to follow it.

When it landed I took my chance. I’m glad I had the telephoto lens on as it made it easier to take the shot without scaring it. I’m surprised at the amount of detail that has been retained even though I didn’t use a macro lens. I love the amount of detail that you can see in the wings, and how you can see the hairs on the dragonfly.

I’m really impressed with this picture, and it’s encouraged me to use the telephoto lens again. I’m really enjoying having the blog to myself!

Bex

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Stuck

If you live in the UK you may have noticed that there is no escaping the excessive amounts of rain that we have had over the last week, and you wouldn’t believe that I’m now looking out of the window at the sun shining!

I’ve had a rather eventful morning today. Mat always says that I should be more prepared (I’m forever walking in pumps!), but to be prepared today I’d need a boat! I’ve been stung, got stuck in mud while taking a picture and I’ve almost fallen in the lake! Despite everywhere being flooded this morning, I have managed to take enough shots that I am pleased with for Mat to have a two-week holiday!

This picture is of one of the paths by the lakeside, which I think sums up the past week incredibly well. I used a fast shutter speed to try and catch the spray in my image. Later, I edited the picture in Photoshop. I de-saturated the picture slightly and increased the contrast. I think it worked very well; I love the detail and the effect that the lack of colour gives.

I hope that the weather stays bright, I’m enjoying the sunshine! I just got a text telling me that it’s sunny in Geneva. Charming! Thanks Mat….

Bex

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Tires and Travels

This will be my last post for a short while as I am travelling to Switzerland tomorrow morning. I thought that as I had such a great time last weekend that I should upload another photo from it.

After Bex and I had lunch, she insisted that she wanted to go on the swings. While she was on one of them, I thought the other might make a good subject for an arty photo. I really like the effect of black and white photos; I thought this one could look good in black and white too. I set up the shot so that the chain was in the centre and only half the tire was included in the frame. I used aperture priority mode, selecting a large aperture, which gave a shallow depth of field and caused the background to blur perfectly. I really like how the light reflects off of the tire. With the use of a low ISO the photo is incredibly sharp, with every detail recorded precisely.

The photo didn’t require any editing in Photoshop. I really liked how the photo looked straight from the camera so I left it as it was.

I’m really going to miss doing my uploads; and I’m going to miss all of you. I shall leave you with Bex and her amazing, high quality photos. I’m sure that she has a whole store of photos just waiting to be uploaded. I’ll be returning on Wednesday and continuing with my blog posts as soon as I can. Until then I hope you all have a great time.

Mat

A Sky View

Today Bex and I went for a walk, then stopped for a rest on a park bench. When we where sat down I noticed the cloud formation and the beautiful deep blue sky hiding behind.

To increase the contrast between the clouds and the sky I underexposed the photo by -1 stop. This also siloueted the houses in the foreground, I really like this effect as it puts more emphasis on the sky and clouds.

The only editing that I did was to crop out part of a tree that was in the corner of the frame because it was causing a ‘distraction’ to the rest of the photo. I really like how this photo came out, even though the weather wasn't fantastic I managed to squeeze in a photo that looks like it was taken on a really sunny day.

I should have a chance to make one more post before I leave for Switzerland, but after that it’s down to Bex to keep up the fantastic work by uploading her great quality images! You are all in for a treat.

Mat

Coloured Lights

This photo was taken last Saturday after the Gavin and Stacey tour. We got back home and I was randomly thinking about how I love the creative light effectives that other photographers make.

I thought that I should have a go myself; this was one of the results. I turned off all the lights and borrowed Bex’s phone as it was brighter. I settled the camera onto a table and used a long exposure time of 5 seconds. When I released the shutter I moved the phone around in front of the camera lens in a ‘swinging’ shape, this created the curve effect that can be seen.

The photo didn’t come out completely perfect; so I asked Bex to edit it for me. She increased the contrast on the photo to make the colours really stand out from each other, also by increasing the contrast the colours become really bright and vibrant.

I was really impressed with how it came out; Bex is very good at editing and I really like what she has done with the photo.

I really like how the photo has come out, Bex did a very good job with the editing. I enjoyed playing with the light effects and I plan to make some more in the near future. What do you think though? What sort of light effects should I try next?

Mat

Crystal Clear

I’ve reached the end of a rather busy time where Mat’s been left to do a lot of posts.

I took this picture during our picnic on Sunday but hadn’t had a chance to upload it. The heat was beginning to get a bit too much, so we moved into the shade of a willow tree by the stream. It was shallow and incredibly clear, so the stones could be seen through the ripples. I thought it’d make an interesting picture, so crouched down by the water’s edge so I could take the picture at less of an angle.

I wasn’t sure whether or not I should upload this picture, as to me it looked a bit out of focus (the effect of the water), but after looking for a while, I made my mind up. I like how you can see the ripples in focus on the top left of the picture, while the rest of the picture is slightly blurred, giving an interesting effect.

I must apologise for the late post, but a friend and I went out for some greatly needed retail therapy!

Bex

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Empty Swings

Here's another photo from our picnic in the park on Sunday. On our way back from the picnic, we passed some swings. They were empty at the time and they looked quite eerie. I thought that this effect would be emphasised by taking the photo in black and white. I increased the contrast to make the swings bolder against the background. I really like how the supports are lined up, and how all the seats are lined up as well. They both create interesting lead in lines which make the swings appear longer and like they stretch into the distance. Using black and white gives the image a dark and mysterious tone, I like this effect and I think that it works very well for this photo.

Bex and I shall try to get out again soon to take more photos. I'm going to Switzerland on Sunday and won't be back until Wednesday, so once again you will be in the capable hands of Bex.

Mat

Picnic

It was a gorgeous day yesterday so Mat and I went to our local park for a mini picnic and to soak up some sunshine (a bit too much in my case, I’m a lovely strawberry shade!). I packed some jelly babies but Mat got there first, so this was all that was left.

I’ve seen some interesting shots of sweets before, and thought I’d try my own version. I held the camera just outside of the opening to the packet and used a focal length of 45mm to distort the picture slightly. Also, I used a large aperture to get a shallow depth of field, meaning only the front few sweets were in focus.

 I love how you can read the writing on the outside of the packet; I think it adds interest. I think my version of a macro sweet photo came out quite well, and the picnic was lovely!!!

Bex

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Bridges

Bex and I are still buzzing from the Gavin and Stacey tour yesterday. This afternoon we both went to the local playing field for a picnic in the sunshine! While Bex was sitting on top of a climbing frame I saw a fantastic photo opportunity nearby.

The climbing frame included a small rope bridge. The ropes were very close together and I thought it could make an interesting effect. I thought if I could use a long focal length and get really close, I could make the ropes appear to get closer together as they get further away from the lens.

I took lots of photos in the playing fields so I should have plenty of images to upload for the foreseeable future. That won’t stop me going on photography wanders though- I’ll be out there if I get the chance!

Mat

Oh, what's occuring?!

Today’s title sums up our day incredibly well! Today Bex and I went on the Gavin and Stacey tour in Barry Island! It was such an amazing day and we both had a great time. Now down to the post: to mark this day I thought I should upload a photo from the tour.

This photo features the church from the very last episode of Gavin and Stacey, when Dave and Nessa are about to get married and Smithy runs in at the last moment to stop them before it’s too late!

I really like vintage architecture such as churches; why I thought I should upload this photo (along with the Gavin and Stacey link). The church was beautiful, and the gravestones provide some foreground interest and can act as lead-in lines towards the tower of the church.

The photo was taken in a hurry as the tour-guide was rushing off to the next stop, so it required some editing in Photoshop. As the photo wasn’t fantastic I had to make the best out of a bad situation; but I think it was just about good enough to upload.

We really enjoyed going on the tour today, everyone was friendly and talkative, and the tour-guide was very informative. We would highly recommend the tour to any Gavin and Stacey fans out there.

So, what’s occurring?!

 Mat

Facing Fears

I will freely admit that apart from the odd wander with my camera, I’m not the sort of person who relishes time in the outdoors, and I fear almost anything with the ability to fly, sting or walk on 6 or more legs.

I went for a walk through our local nature reserve today, but to a part that I don’t often visit. There is a small man-made pond in a field on the outskirts of the reserve, which has a wooden platform at the edge. I sat on the platform for a rest, watching the dragonflies and pond skaters, before I noticed a small spider at the other end of the platform. I got about 4 inches away from it and managed to take this picture before it ran away.

Later, I increased the saturation in Photoshop and sharpened the whole image. I’m really pleased with this picture (and only partly because I managed to hold my nerve long enough to take it!). Maybe facing your fears is good for photography too…

Bex

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Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?

We were blessed with a brief spell of sunshine yesterday, but today was back to stereotypical English weather. It’s been one of those days where I haven’t known what to do with myself, so I grabbed my camera and went for a wander.

It had just stopped raining as I was walking down the gravel path in our local nature reserve. There was a lot of grass either side, and I noticed that droplets had settled on some of the larger blades. I took this picture in macro mode but increased the green on the camera before I took it. I love how the detail of the grass can be seen through some of the droplets. I think this turned out really well.

I must apologise for not posting recently, but as Mat said, I have been having trouble with my internet connection. This is where working as part of a team comes into it’s own. Thankyou Mat!!

Bex
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Plateful

Today, me, Bex and some other friends went to a coffee shop during our lunch break. One of our friends had just finished their meal and the plates were about to be collected up, I thought that it looked quite interesting and so I took a photo of it. It was a spur-of-the-moment photo so was a little rushed and the quality isn’t fantastic, but I like the overall effect of the subject; with the knife and fork on one side, and the leftover food on the other.

I adjusted the light levels in photoshop to try and brighten the picture and make the plate a bit whiter. Also I darkened the background, I did this to lose some detail on the table, and therefore make the plate the focus of the photo.

I like this photo, even if it is a bit of a ‘snapshot’. I like the effect and the abstract symmetry between the knife and fork on the left, and the food on the right. I enjoy taking spur-of-the-moment photos because they are always very different and can catch the world in a way that is not normally seen.

Bex is having problems with her internet and can’t upload any photos at the moment, so you're all stuck with me and my uploads for the time being (not sure if that’s such a good thing though). Hopefully she’ll get her internet back up and running soon so that she can upload more of her fantastic quality photos. Until then, it’s down to me to hold the fort.

I hope you enjoy my uploads and don’t get too bored of me!

Mat

A Lone Daisy

This is another photo from yesterday’s short wander. It was actually taken about 50 feet down the path from yesterdays upload!! I noticed how the water droplets had settled onto the daisy; I really liked the effect that it created on the flower.

I thought I should put the camera onto a portrait format; I did this so as to only show the daisy in the centre, it also focuses the attention onto the head of the daisy. I used a large aperture to blur the background so as to not distract the attention away from the daisy. I preselected the white balance to make sure that the daisy petals came out a really clear white against the green background.

After putting the photos onto the computer, I used photoshop to edit them. I reduced the colour temperature to make the white petals even whiter; I also tuned the shadows down a little so as to keep the interest on the flower itself.

I really like how the photo has come out, with the detail of the water droplets and the detail in the petals. Hopefully the weather will make a turn for the better so that I can take some sky shots. Bex and I have been making the best of the bad weather with our photography. Have you been making the most out of the wet weather too?

Mat

Small reflections

This morning, Bex and I went for a walk in our local wood. It had been raining and had just stopped when I saw this piece of grass with the fresh rain dripping from it, and thought it would make a good photo.

I cropped it to focus the attention on the droplet itself. When the taking the photo I used a large aperture to blur the background and keep the attention on the grass and the rain droplet. I love how the reflection is really clear on the raindrop with the reflection of the grass.

I know this is very similar to one of Bex’s earlier photos, but I really like the effect of the water droplet so I thought I would ‘reflect’ Bex’s idea in my own shot!

I really like going for walks after it has rained in the morning because of how the grass and the trees reflect light off of them. When is your favourite time to go for a walk, morning, afternoon, or evening?

Mat

A leaf out of her book

I’m back everyone!!!!! My holiday was fantastic & I really enjoyed it. I hope you didn’t miss me too much (but I did miss you). Bex and I will go back to sharing uploads as normal now (not sure if that’s a good thing).

For today’s upload I thought I would use a photo that I took before leaving for my holiday. I took a page out of Bex’s photography manual and sat down on the floor. When I noticed a twig with some leaves that had fallen to the ground, I thought they were worth a photo. I didn’t use the flash and used a low ISO to keep the noise down and the detail high. After uploading the photo onto the computer I added grainy film effect, I really like what it’s given to the photo.

I’m very glad to be back home but I’m missing my holiday already. Did any of you manage to get away during the half term? If so I hope that you had a very enjoyable time.

Mat

Thorns between Roses

I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog this past week, and haven’t got too bored of me. I’ve tried to make things interesting with some different photography styles but, for my last post before I have to share the blog again, I’m returning to my favourite style- macro.

The weather was stunning today; in contrast to the week of rain we’ve been experiencing, so I donned my shorts and went for a walk. I saw some roses while walking, but I decided that I should choose to focus on the thorns, as roses are played out.

I used a large aperture to get a shallow depth of field and increased the contrast on the camera. I think it’s nice to focus on something that’s always ignored as it gives things originality.

Bex

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Taking a Walk

I’ve had another busy day today so haven’t had chance to take any pictures. I’ve delved into the depths of my laptop again, and found this picture from a recent holiday.

I love nature shots, and I think that sometimes a busy shot is better than focusing on one thing. In this picture I used a shallow depth of field so that the tree was in focus, with the background blurred. However, in this picture I didn’t use the shallowest depth of field possible so that there was still some detail in the sheep, with the least amount of detail behind. I love this effect because it gives a lot more interest to the picture and shows the vast countryside.

It’s occurred to me that I’ve finally broken away from my beloved macro shots! I hope you have enjoyed the change, but perhaps soon I shall get back to my favourite type of photography.

Bex

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Levels

I went to an art gallery today, as photography isn’t my only passion. I was lucky enough to spend the entirety of my time with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. I didn’t leave the gallery until just before closing time when most had already left & it was starting to go dark so the lights had been switched on.

I was on the top floor, and I took this picture as I walked down the main staircase. I like how the rows of lights work as lead in lines to the dinosaur skeleton at the back of the picture. I think being able to see 3 floors, where the people are and what is happening on each floor really adds interest to the picture.

Using flash wasn’t allowed in the gallery, so I had to use a high ISO coupled with exposure compensation. I increased the saturation in Photoshop afterwards because I liked the colour of the building itself.

I really enjoyed going to the art gallery today, and I’m hoping to go again soon with Mat. He said he’s really enjoying himself, but can’t wait to get back to the blog on Sunday!

Bex

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Taking Shelter

The weather has been stereotypically British today, meaning I’ve spent a lot of time hiding under my umbrella. Despite the rain I decided to go for a walk, hoping to get some dramatic shots.

I freely admit that this isn’t the most dramatic picture, and it started off as an accident in a desperate attempt not to get rain on the lens. In one picture, the umbrella tipped too far forward and ended up in the shot. After this I decided that it might make a good effect, so made my umbrella the subject and the lake the background.

I think it turned out well, and I love how I caught the raindrop just as it was falling from the umbrella. I really enjoy taking pictures in the rain, but I’d love a bit of sunshine soon!

Bex

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Photography by Candlelight

I've delved into the depths of my hard drive today, as I’m ashamed to say I haven’t had chance to go on a photography wander. I took this photo at a fundraising party to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest. I was sat outside in the garden after dark, and candles had been lit for light and to keep the insects at bay.

If I used flash it would lose the effect of the candlelight, so I had to use a high ISO, which means there’s some noise in the picture. I increased the contrast and sharpened the image in Photoshop to try and reduce the effect.

I think this picture has worked well, as I really liked the idea of a flame picture. Mat said he’s having a great holiday and is really missing the blog!

Bex

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Sunset skies

I know this is a photography blog, but today I’m allowing myself an exception and instead I’m uploading a snapshot.

For most, today has been a day of street parties and celebration- but not for me, as I enjoyed a relaxing day after a busy weekend. This evening I went for a walk, stopping once I reached the top of a sizeable hill to watch the sunset. I love walking, and the view from the hill is amazing as you can see the whole of the nature reserve from the top. At the top of the hill, it’s flat and about the size of a field so it’s an amazing place to go for some quiet time.

The colours of the sunset this evening were stunning. I took this photo with a macro lens as I was expecting to take mostly close ups. I upped the contrast on the camera, but reduced the sharpness to get a softer effect. I love this picture, and I’m really impressed with how the colours came out.

I hope you had a good day and enjoy yet another day off tomorrow!

Bex

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Young at Heart

Yesterday, I mentioned that I helped Bradley Stoke Radio at our local community festival. The stalls, music & dancing of yesterday is just one part of a three day festival. Unfortunately I missed Part 1 of the festival (a children’s picnic and circus) as I had work to do.

This is part 3 of the festival, a 10km run. By some work of a miracle I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and was ready to capture the runners at the finish line!

I took pictures of most of the runners, but I especially liked this one. There weren’t many runners of age, but this was one of my favourites as it shows that age doesn’t always limit you!

I used my telephoto lens to get a close up of each of the runners. Later on, I increased the saturation and the contrast, as it was a very grey day.

I’ve really enjoyed the festival weekend, and I’m looking forward to the extra day off, with thanks to her majesty.

Bex

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POP!

I wanted to go into our 3^rd month with a bit of a bang... or at least a pop. I joined the Bradley Stoke Radio outside broadcast team today at a yearly community festival that our town holds.

At the moment we are trying to raise funds for a full time FM license. One of our members is great at coming up with strange money making ideas, and this is the latest- a popcorn machine! Having set up the stand, he set up for making the popcorn. I had landed the role of official photographer, but I couldn’t resist doing at least one arty shot.

I loved how the cups were in size order in a row, and how there was something different in each. I decided that a shallow depth of field would suit this picture best, and I think it worked well! I was especially pleased when no editing was needed.

I will try to bring you some different types of shot so as not to bore you while Mat is on holiday (but no promises!). I have a feeling I will enjoy this week…

Bex

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A Green Break

Today Daily Wanders celebrates two months of being active! Thank you for being so loyal to us and we look forward to doing all our future uploads.

Now for today’s post: This afternoon Bex and I managed to escape for a bit to take some photos. The weather was very nice with plenty of sunshine and after about 30-40mins we needed to have a rest from the glare under a tree for a few minutes.

While under the tree I noticed how the light shone through the leaves, I really liked this and had to take a photo of the effect! I used the macro function, turned the ISO to 100, boosted the amount of green, and used an aperture of F4.5 coupled with a shutter speed of 1/25 to control the amount of light.

I really love how this photo came out, with the light seeping through the leaves and blasting through the holes eaten by caterpillars.  I also like how you can see through the leaf because it’s so thin, and how the veins in the leaves are very clear and show the structure of the leaves so clearly.

Unfortunately this will be my last post for about a week; I’m going on holiday! I shall ask Bex to keep you all informed on how it is going and will hopefully upload some photos of it when I get back. For now I will leave you in the very capable hands of Bex and her stunning photography. I hope you all enjoy your holiday.

Mat