Distant Travels

I was looking through my computer again for some inspiration when I came across this photo which I had taken a while ago on a trip out. I like it because it’s symmetrical and the rails pass under the bridge and off into the distance.

For this photo I used the camera in aperture priority with the aperture set at F4.2; because the large distance between me and the subject meant the aperture chosen makes little difference to the depth of field. The camera coupled this with a shutter speed of 1/480^th of a second.

I liked the effect I had created with this photo so I decided against editing it. The composition was spot on what I wanted, and the exposure had been calculated perfectly. I thought if I tried changing settings I would spoil it, so I decided to leave it.

I’m planning a wander this weekend, maybe down to the duckpond if I get a chance and if the weather is good. Otherwise maybe I should do another indoor photo shoot.

Mat

Snowy

It’s the second day of snow for us, and yet another day of amazing photography opportunities!!! Although I must admit that the novelty is beginning to wear off- bring on the Mediterranean warmth!

Today, Mat and I took the bus to a small village on the outskirts of town. It’s been featured a few times in our blog as it’s lined with trees and features long stretches of grass; it’s one of those special places that looks different at each point in the year, making it an amazing place to visit. This is one of the last photos I took before running off for a cup of coffee! One of the central parts of the village is the small square; trees are dotted around the square, along with benches and a small path running through the middle, with lights on each side.

To take this photo, I used an aperture of F5 to blur the background, keeping the lamp the main focus of the image. I haven’t edited this photo much, apart from sharpening it and increasing the contrast to separate the foreground and background more clearly. I’ve really enjoyed my snow day (both of them!), but I do wish snow was a weather condition associated with summer- I’m freezing!

Bex
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Yes Master?

I had some spare time this evening so I went for a walk with my family and our dog. Our dog loves the water, and in this case he ran off into a ditch and got himself completely covered in water! When he came out of the ditch he paused for a moment before running off. For this momentary pause he was standing in a typical (and photogenic) stance that all dogs of his type do.

To capture this moment I was using the camera in Shutter Priority mode and set the shutter speed at 1/400^th of a second. I was using a focal length of around 130mm so the shutter speed was more than fast enough to freeze the action. The camera was using ISO 400 and selected an aperture of F4.5 to complete the exposure. I didn’t use the flash as I didn’t want the highlights to become blown.

The only editing I did to the photo was to crop the photo down to focus the attention; as there was a lot of distracting foliage next to the ditch. I didn’t want to change anything else because I was happy with the effect that I had captured, and I didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere.

Bex and I have planned to go back into our local city again this weekend. So hopefully we shall have some new photos to show you by next week.

Mat

With a Twist

I love old books! This may seem rather out of the blue, but it’s not as uncalled for as you may initially think. Mat and I went into town today, and despite the constant lashings of rain, I took my camera. During the late afternoon, I walked towards a local market that runs all year round. It’s here that the book comment begins to make sense.

The market is unlike others, in which the stalls are actually furnished shops the size of a stall- one of these is a bookshop entitled “Beware of the Leopard”. I love it as it’s the type of shop that’s a muddle and prevents you seeing over the top of each isle; it’s completely floor-to-ceiling with different works. I found a small photography book from 1944; I loved it and have spent the entire evening pouring over it until my head was ready to explode with inspiration. On the way back from the market I walked through a courtyard, which led onto a small church. I took this photo in the courtyard during the brief deficiency of rain.

The photo had little colour in, and was rather uninspiring. I’ve always been told that if colour adds nothing to the photo, then it’s absence is probably a good thing- I ignored this. I increased the contrast in Photoshop to lose detail in the skyscraper behind and to increase the prominence of the clouds. I then sharpened the image to make the noise show up more, adding interest to the sky. While debating over the presence of colour, I accidentally over-saturated it. I decided I liked this so experimented further. I increased the hue to give the picture some warmer tones.

I’m really pleased with the effect of this image; ignore anyone who tells you the fore mentioned rule- they’re wrong. Rules- 0; Becky- 1.

Bex

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Opportunities

Sometimes in photography (although not as often as I’d like), luck plays more of a part than the actual skill of being able to compose a good photograph. One example of these little gems of luck is the weather you get- this is a very good example in my opinion!

I was walking home, and happened to have my camera in my bag. It was around 5pm, and was almost dark as it is in winter. I have to walk along a bridge in order to get home, and as I was walking across the bridge I spotted this beautiful piece of scenery. I grabbed my camera and tried to capture it as best as I could by changing a few settings. The photo still doesn’t do it justice (but it comes pretty close!).

Amazingly, I haven’t edited this picture at all. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should, but after spending time looking at the image, I decided against it, as I liked the minute details that make this image so unique. I love the warm glow behind the trees that loses the detail of them, along with the small accents of cloud mixed into the amazing colours. I’ll admit that I took a detour when I saw this; to the hill in the local nature reserve- the view was stunning! I love sunsets- with or without photography equipment.

Bex

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Following the Path

This is another picture from my walk that I went on a few days ago. As I mentioned previously, I went for a walk to my local harbour. When I first walked towards the harbour I noticed a rocky outcrop, which happened to look like a winding path. At the top of this path, a man was walking around. He started to walk back towards the path shaped rocks, so I grabbed my camera and tried to set up the shot as best I could before he moved.

The shot was a little under exposed as I had used a really narrow aperture and had forgotten to take off exposure compensation. When reviewing the image, I actually liked that it was under exposed as it accentuated the shadows and made the clouds look moodier. Apart from sharpening the image slightly, I haven’t edited it at all.

I like how the path seems to lead you to the horizon, but the man who seems to be looking for the start of the path, or perhaps following the trail distracts your attention. I like how his motives are mysterious; you have to look at the image closely to make up your own mind. I’m really pleased with my snapshot!

Bex

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Mid-winter Wanders

I went for another walk today; this time towards a local harbour. As I was getting ready to go home I decided to try taking a photo that faced up towards the steps, but it was too busy. I tried to adapt my shot a little by purposely getting some people into the frame. I took the photo on an angle to add a little more interest rather than a straight and rather dull shot.

It was quite a bleak afternoon; clouds lined the whole sky so no detail could be seen. I decided to play up to the empty white background by making the rest of the image moodier. I desaturated the image, but not completely; this meant that you could still see a little blue colour in the clothes. I sharpened the image to emphasise all the imperfections of the worn-away staircase. I also increased the contrast to make the image seem more dramatic.

My camera doesn’t have a live view function, so it was a bit of a guess as to the end result. I like how you can’t see much of the people; it gives the image a little mystery. Overall, I’m pleased with my photo. Sometimes, making the best of a bad situation will give you a good end result.

Bex

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Sea View

I was looking through my laptop this morning, trying to gather inspiration for a photography wander in the afternoon. As it happened I never actually got chance for my walk, but during the process of looking for inspiration one image caught my eye particularly- this one!

I took this picture a few months ago, during a recent holiday to the ­seaside. On the evening of the first day, I walked out onto my balcony to take in the scenery. As I looked to my right, I spotted the peach coloured clouds of the sunset and decided to take a photo.

I had to do a little post-processing, but only so much as straightening the image and cropping it slightly; it had all the small and inexcusable errors of a snapshot! I didn’t edit anything past this as I liked the original image, and didn’t want to lose the natural colour.

Admittedly it was more of a snapshot than a photograph, but I absolutely love it! I really like how the stone walls of the other balconies are painted white and pick up the colours of the sunset. I love how the balcony walls act as a frame. I also like how the Perspex at the end adds a final piece of interest to the picture, making the whole sunset image more curious.

Bex

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Natural Wildlife

This one of the photos that I had taken on my trip to the local duckpond earlier his week. One of the swans came quite close to the side so I thought I could get a close up of just its head. I thought by concentrating on a small area it would an interesting and different composition.

To get narrow field of view I used a focal length of 300mm; the maximum for the lens I was using. I had the camera in shutter priority with a shutter speed of 1/400^th of a second. To capture the correct exposure the camera used an aperture of F7.1; this also ensured that enough of the swan was in focus but with the background out of focus. I had to use an ISO of 1250 to enable the use of the narrower aperture.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast but I also turned down the highlights because the white feathers where starting to white-out. I also decreased the colour temperature to make the whites look purer. I also sharpened the photo a small amount to counter the noise that had been generated.

I really enjoyed taking photos at the duckpond, I really like wildlife photography. You have to be very patient, but it pays off because you get fantastic photos of animals in their natural habitats. The weather looks ideal for wildlife photography this weekend so if I get a chance I will be out again taking photos of whatever wildlife I can find.

Mat

Autumnal Amble

I’m back… sort of. I was feeling a little brighter today so Mat and I went for a walk around the outskirts of town. Towards the beginning of the year, we found this place by accidentally getting on the wrong bus (don’t ask). It may have been cold and late whilst we were anxious to get home, but it was a nice place to wait for the correct bus.

I explained to my family that evening, and they told me how I could get back there. Since then we have visited the same place a few times and different points in the year. It’s amazing how as the year progresses, it changes completely; it seems almost as if you’re visiting somewhere new each time. I think my favourite season of the year to photograph is in autumn; it sounds a little cliché, but the colours of the leaves really do add so much interest!

It’s really odd to see when walking, as one road is completely green then as soon as you turn the corner you are faced with a sea of fire. The vast stretch of pavement is lined by trees each side with benches in between. Around this time of year you completely lose sight of the floor as it gives way to a carpet of colour.

In this photo I used a custom white balance (6000K) to make the colours warmer; I also increased the contrast and sharpness on the camera. I haven’t done any editing after this as I was pleased with the photo and didn’t want to make the colours appear artificial.

This is one of my favourite places to visit, as it doesn’t seem possible that you could ever tire of it. It’s difficult to get to, but really is worth it and I can’t wait until I can go again. There’s also a very nice café near by – coffee please!

Bex

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A Bright Start to the Day

I had to get up early today and misjudged how early! Because of this, I had some extra time so grabbed my camera and took a detour through the nature reserve. As we get ever closer to winter the days get shorter and the sun rises later.

As I walked through the nature reserve, the sun was just rising above the trees. I took a picture into the sun making the foreground black out. It was an incredibly clear morning, and I had a little dust on the lens, giving some lens flare.

When reviewing the image, I saw that the blue of the sky was darker towards the edges of the frame. To make this effect more prominent, I increased the contrast and the saturation slightly.

I think that the time of day is very important when trying to compose a photograph. Another thing to consider is the weather; if you can avoid bright sunshine, then do!!

Bex

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Corners

Bex and I have been incredibly busy recently, and we haven’t had a chance to go out. So unfortunately I’ve started to run out of photos to upload. I managed to find this one while looking through my computer.

This photo was taken during our visit to the church earlier this year. It’s one of the many photos I wanted to upload but didn’t have a chance to. I took the photo at the top of the church tower; I had an idea about an alternative landscape photo. I thought if I included some of the floor, the tower, the sky and some of the surrounding landscape it would make an interesting composition. To make the best of the composition I used a small aperture of F16 so that the whole scene will be in sharp focus, and I used the tower to focus on. I used a low ISO to ensure that there would be lots of detail in all areas of the photo.

When I was editing the photo I decided to crop the photo down and straighten it a bit. By cropping the photo down the composition has been enhanced considerably. I didn’t change anything to do with the exposure because I really like how the photo was taken in the photo. I didn’t need to sharpen the photo because the ISO I had chosen was suitably low to control the noise.

Bex and I are planning a photography wander tomorrow, so we should have plenty of new photos to upload for you.

Mat

Going Places

One of my friends and I went for a walk with my camera last week. We’re both into photography, but we’re both a little crazy so there was just as much messing around as there was photography.

One of the places that we walked was around a local college. The building differs slightly in design as you walk around it, making it interesting to look at along side the grounds. Hannah walked out in front as she was looking at the college, so I decided to take a “natural” portrait shot.

I thought the picture looked quite urban and industrial, although the colours had gone slightly off due to selecting the wrong white balance. I tried to correct this, but while editing I decided to try black and white; I think it worked quite well.

The only time I use black and white is when colour doesn’t seem to add anything into the picture. I feel it’s become an expectation to see colour photos, as that is what we are used to. I enjoy breaking the trend!!

Bex

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Hidden

I managed to go out again today, instead of going to the lake I went in the opposite direction, down by the canal. I like it down by the canal, sometime if a boat goes past while I’m out then I stop to chat to them, they’re all very friendly and we can be talking for ages.

Running alongside the canal is a hedge; it is always full of life with plenty of flowers and wildlife hiding inside. This time there wasn’t much wildlife but there were plenty of flowers.  This group caught my eye as I was walking past; I thought the composition was spot on. I used an aperture of F8 to ensure the depth of field was large enough and the sharpness was crisp.

When I uploaded the photo onto my computer I decided against changing anything, because I really like the effect of the photo. With the branch in the foreground and the other trees blurred in the background.

I’m glad that I’m back now; Bex and I are meeting up tomorrow, hopefully if the weather is nice and we get a chance, we may go out for a photography wander. If not, I’ve still got a few photos from today that I could upload.

Mat

A Bridge To Not So Far Away

Yesterday I went for a wander with Bex in our local nature reserve. This was before we had a chance to look at her new set of twenty eight filters! In the nature reserve there is a brook which flows all the way through. About half way down there is this small wooden bridge that crosses the brook.

I thought the bridge would make an interesting photo if I got the composition right. By only including half the bridge in the frame I thought it would make the composition more interesting. I used a high F-stop (F18) to add some depth to the photo and to keep as much of the bridge in focus. I didn’t use flash because the end of the bridge would white out, and the overall effect would be spoiled.

When I took the photo off the camera I decided to make the shadows darker and the increase reds. I darkened the shadows to create a moodier atmosphere to the photo. I increased the reds to bring out how the bridge looked in real life.

I’m really looking forward to trying out Bex’s new set of filters (if she will let me!). Maybe we might take a few on our next wander with us. We’re planning another photography walk in the next few days, so hopefully we shall have some more photos to upload for you.

Mat

Roof Top

I still haven’t exhausted all the photos that I had taken from the church. Most of the best photos had been taken from the roof, this being one of them. Instead of taking the photo of the surrounding landscape, I decided to take the photo of the roof itself!

The roof was made up of different sections, and at the joins there were these raised sections. They were all symmetrical and I thought they would make an interesting photo. I used an aperture of F22 to make sure the whole scene was in sharp focus. To create an interesting composition I framed the photo so the join ran through the centre of the frame.

I edited the photo to make sure that it was vertical and I also increased the brightness. With this done, the photo looks much better I think. The ridge runs straight through the centre of the frame and is completely symmetrical.

I’m surprised how many of the photos that I took from the church are good enough for the blog. I would like to think my photography skills are slowly getting better with Bex’s help and a lot of practice.

Mat

A Church With A View

The church we visited yesterday had a tower that was also open to the public. Bex and I thought the rooftop would have some interesting photo opportunities so we climbed the stairs to the top (All 133 of them!). But when we got to the top, it was more than worth it!

In each corner of the tower there was a small spire, I thought if I took a photo peering through the gaps it would make an interesting composition. I used a narrow aperture so that both sides will be in focus. Also I waited for the clouds to move into a more interesting position to improve the composition.

Afterwards I straightened the photo, and increased the colour temperature. I increased the colour temperature to recreate the colours of the sand stone. I needed to straighten the photo, because I hadn’t quite taken the photo completely vertically.

We both took plenty of photos yesterday, so we still have plenty of picture to upload over the coming week.

Mat

Silver Lining

I haven’t been feeling very well the last few days, so I haven’t had chance to go for any walks. Last night, I was feeling a little better so decided to go for a late evening photography wander. I walked to the top of the hill in the local nature reserve and sat down to watch the sun setting. I wasn’t hoping for much, but it was absolutely stunning!

I increased the red and the contrast on the camera itself. When taking the picture, I under- exposed by two stops to make the colours stand out more. I didn’t use a lens hood, so got lens flare (purposely). By exposing for the colours in the sky, the foreground has gone black; I think it works incredibly well as it gives the picture contrast. I like how you can see a bit of the foreground at ground level, even if you do have to look closely. I think it adds a bit of interest and mystery.

I love taking pictures of sunsets; the silvery clouds and the blacked out foreground contrasts against the colours of the sky incredibly well. When it comes to sunsets, every cloud does have a silver lining!

Bex

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Secluded

Bex and I went for a wander down the local nature reserve for some inspiration and photographic opportunities. We walked past a bush which normally I would have walked past but I saw it from an odd angle and thought it looked rather interesting.

I walked closer to crop out the rest of the bush, and also to alter the perspective. I used the widest aperture I could to blur the background. By blurring the bush, it stops it from being a distracting background. I used the pop-up flash as a fill in flash, because the group of leaves were in shadow.

When I took the photos off the camera, they needed editing quite a bit. So I increased the contrast while also reducing the brightness. This has the effect of blacking out the background and focussing more attention onto the main subject.

Overall I really like the effect of the photo with the background being blacked out and the leaf being very sharp in the foreground. I think the editing was very successful.

Mat

Waterways

I didn’t manage to get out today, so I looked through my computer for some photos that I have taken previously.

This one was taken on the holiday that Bex and I went on in early July. It was taken while on a walk beside the canal. I really enjoyed the holiday and took plenty of photos; this is one of the best ones though. The canal was very calm as there was no wind, so its reflection was just like a mirror. I used a small aperture to get quite a deep depth of field. Because of the small aperture I had to boost the ISO so I could take the photo without a tripod.

I decided the photo didn’t need any editing done to it. The only thing I noticed was that a person was on the path on the right hand side. So I cropped the photo a bit to remove the path and make the scene more photogenic.

I like how the photo looks; it comes across very tranquil and peaceful. The effect is spot on what I was trying to recreate when I took the photo.

Yesterday the blog turned 5 months old! Also we’re very close to 4,000 page views. So just a quick thank you to every one of you; without you the blog wouldn’t be what it is.

I’ve enjoyed running the blog this week, but I’m away from this Saturday for a week; tomorrow being my last post after that I shall leave you in Bex’s capable (and better) hands for the week. She tells me that she has been taking many photos. Also she plans on uploading the best ones to the blog, just for you.

Mat