Light In The Mist

I took this on my recent photography wander, it was late at night and there were a lot of lights on. It had just started to rain and the powerfull lights were lighting up the misty rain. I really like the effect that this created.

To make the most of the composition I had the camera in aperture priority with an aperture of F8 selected. This ensured that the whole light was in sharp focus but the background was blurred out of focus. I didn’t use the flash because it would cause the housing of the light to white out and would ruin the composition. I had left the camera with the ISO in auto so the camera selected an ISO 12800. The camera selected a shutter speed of 1/60^th of a second to complete the exposure.

To edit the photo the first thing I did was to use the noise reduction tool to attempt to reduce the noise created by using the high ISO. I then cropped the photo down to focus the attention onto the light itself, and to remove some distractions in the foreground. I didn’t edit the colours as I was happy with how they had been reproduced by the camera.

I like this photo now that I’ve done some editing to it. The composition looks much better after cropping the noise reduction has made the photo more pleasing to the eye. I very much look forward to the next photography wander that Bex and I go on.

Mat

Food Lookout

I took this photo earlier this year on the trip that Bex and I went on to our local town. I remember this trip because of the very friendly squirrel I found. It obviously liked the attention of the camera, because while I was taking some photos of the squirrel it didn’t move very often. So I managed to get a good set of photos while I was there.

This is one of my favourites because I managed to capture the squirrel just before it ran off, so it was looking towards a scrap off food behind a wall so I couldn’t follow for more photos. I really like the pose I captured the squirrel in just before he ran it ran off.

To capture the image I had the camera in shutter priority so I had complete control of the necessary settings. I then set the shutter speed to 1/500^th of a second, this was fast enough so that any movement made by the squirrel would be frozen and any camera shake would be removed. I didn’t have my flash gun with me during the photography wander, but it wasn’t required because the sky was partially cloudy which caused the light to be diffused perfectly. I overexposed the photo by 1 and 1/3^rd of a stop to compensate for the brighter background.

To edit the photo I cropped the image down to focus the attention onto the squirrel. I also boosted the contrast to give the photo a little extra vividness. I was experimenting with the colour tone and the saturation; I tried increasing the colour tone while decreasing the saturation. Which increased the reds while decreasing all other colours, because the squirrel is predominantly grey this creates a stronger contrast and makes the squirrel stand out more from the background, particularly as the squirrel is standing on a small patch of green foliage which jumps out from the background.

I’m very impressed with how the image looks after I edited it; it looks very different from how it came out of the camera. I think the photo looks a lot better after I edited it, the composition looks a lot better and the lack of colour I think makes the squirrel stand out from the background a lot more than before.

Mat

Watching The World

I took this photo earlier this week while I was out walking with my camera. I was passing through the nature reserve and I saw a bird that had landed on a tree and just appeared to be watching the nearby world.

To make the most of the composition I had the camera in aperture priority with an aperture of F6.3 selected. This aperture gives the best compromise of depth of field and still allows an adequate shutter speed to be used. I composed the photo so that I had a branch in front to give some foreground interest, and to also as lead in lines to the bird. I didn’t use the flash gun because the sky was quite cloudy and therefore the light was diffused.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was happy with how the photo looks. The exposure was spot on and the colours had been replicated perfectly. I liked the composition so I didn’t crop the photo either.

Hopefully Bex and I will get a chance to go out on a photography wander of some sort this weekend. The weather is looking good, warm and slightly cloudy; perfect photography weather!

Mat

Paddling

This photo I took on one of my recent trips to our local duckpond, it was very busy with a lot of ducks and swans on the lake. Even though it was very busy I did see one duck that was paddling around on its own. I thought it made an interesting composition paddling around with the small waves flowing away from it.

To make the most of the composition I had the camera in aperture priority with an aperture of F11 selected to give a large depth of field. I had the ISO set at ISO1600 to ensure that the shutter speed selected would be fast enough to remove any camera shake or motion blur. I didn’t need to use the flash gun as the clouds were diffusing the natural light.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was happy with how the photo looks straight from the camera. The exposure was spot on and the colours had been replicated perfectly. I didn’t crop the photo as I was also happy with the composition.

I’m looking forward to this weekend as it should be very good for photography. If this weekend goes well then I’m sure we will both have plenty of photos to upload for you over the next few weeks.

Mat

Travelling

I haven’t got out for a photography wander quite yet, so I looked through some of my previous photography wanders. I was looking through my trip to our local railway station; while I was there an express passed through the station. I managed to capture a few images as it sped through.

To capture the image I had the camera in manual mode, I did this to make sure that the all the movement was frozen still and to have the depth of field that I wanted. I selected a shutter speed of 1/500^th of a second and an aperture of F5.6. This ensured the movement was frozen still and the depth of field was suitably narrow. I didn’t use the flash as it was banned on the platform, and because the train was too far away for it to make much of a distance.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was happy with how I had captured the photo. The camera had exposed the photo and reproduced the colours exactly as I wanted them. The composition was precisely what I wanted so I didn’t crop the photo down.

It’s unlikely I’m going to be able to get out for a photography wander this week, but I’m hoping to be able to get out for a photography wander on this Saterday.

Mat

Wall Climber

This photo was taken on yesterdays photography wander. We had stopped for a short break opposite a wall; I noticed the plant growing up the wall and thought it made an interesting composition.

As most of the photo would be in one plain I chose an aperture of F9. This gives an adequate depth of field and allows the use of faster shutter speeds. I also selected an ISO of ISO 100 for maximum quality. The camera coupled these with a shutter speed of 1/30^th; I was using image stabilization so this shutter speed would still be fast enough. I boosted the colour saturation to make the greens look more vibrant.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was happy with how the camera had exposed the image. The colours had been reproduced exactly as I wanted them to be so I didn’t change them. I was also happy with the composition so I didn’t crop the image either.

I enjoyed our photography wander yesterday, hopefully we will get a chance again in the week. According to the weather forecast the weather should get better during the week! So hopefully we might get some more bright and colourful photos in the week.

Mat

Wall Climbing

Again this is a photo from the weekend before last. The park we had our lunch in was surrounded by a short wall. Ivy was growing all over the wall; it looks like it climbs its way up the wall from the ground. I wanted to capture the effect of how the ivy grows up the wall.

To capture the effect I composed the photo so the ivy was in the lower right hand third of the frame, and I left plenty of space in the top left third. I did this to give the impression that the Ivy is growing up the wall. As the whole scene was in the same plane I selected an aperture of F5.6 and I locked the ISO in at 100, this gave a shutter speed of 1/125^th of a second.

I didn’t edit the photo because I was happy with how the photo was straight from the camera. The exposure was perfect and the colours had been replicated exactly how I wanted them to. Crucially I didn’t need to crop the photo because the composition was exactly how I wanted it to be.

I really like how the ivy appears to be climbing along the wall. I still have a few more photos that I can upload from our trip into town, but hopefully, Bex and I will be going into town again tomorrow. If I take my camera and capture something interesting, I’ll upload for you to see.

Mat

The Man Who Can't Be Moved

As mentioned yesterday, last night Mat and I went to a concert. If you’re a fan you’ve probably read the title, and by now realised who we saw; but, for the benefit of non-fans, we went to see The Script!! They are definitely one of my favourite bands, whereas Mat was there a little more as company (even if he did admit he enjoyed it!).

D-SLRs aren’t allowed into the concert venue as they are deemed to be professional, so I took my compact with me. I had to use digital zoom to take this photo, so I shall apologise for the image quality now. It came across that the band were enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd, which made for some amazing photos!!! Around half way through the evening, they duetted with the audience on one of their most well known songs; the lead singer pointed to the audience when he wanted them to sing. I managed to capture this just as the video wall lined up with the singer.

Due the lacking quality, I edited the image in Photoshop. I sharpened it and increased the contrast, followed by decreasing the brightness and hue. Finally, I increased the saturation and removed the noise. I’m really pleased with this photo; as it was standing only and incredibly dark, it was almost impossible to get any sharp photos- let alone while trying to use maximum zoom.

One small pearl of wisdom I should pass on is learnt through experience; COLDS AND CONCERTS DO NOT MIX- EVER. My friends seem happy at the moment; it may have something to do with the involuntary ban on anything vocal… oops!

Bex

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Viewpoint

Both Bex and I have been incredibly busy today so we didn’t get a chance to go out for a photography wander. Her laptop is still broken so I looked through my computer for some inspiration. Once again I looked through some of my holiday photo folders, when I stumbled across this photo; it was taken on a disused railway line on the side of a mountain looking in towards a valley.

I used the camera in aperture priority to make the most of the composition, I chose an aperture of F16 to give a large depth of field, and to keep everything looking sharp. I also preselected an ISO of 100, to give the most detail possible; there was plenty of natural light so I didn’t worry about the shutter speed being too low.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was very happy with the result I had made at the time. The colours had been replicated accurately so didn’t require altering; and the exposure was perfect.

Bex has told me that she is really missing the blog, and that as soon as her laptop is working again she will be blogging as usual. She tells me that she has a lot of photos in mind that she wants to upload.

Mat

Landing

I managed to go out for a short walk today, so I thought I could go down to the duckpond to take some more photos. As the monopod was such a success I took it with me for this trip as well. I enjoyed taking the photos of the birds flying last time; so I thought I would try this again but with the extra experience from last time.

Fortunately I caught the photo that I was attempting to capture. I used the camera in shutter priority again with a shutter speed of 1/2000^th of a second. The camera selected an aperture of F5.6 and an ISO of 500, I underexposed the cameras metering by 2/3^rd of a stop to compensate for the amount of white in the centre of the frame. I composed the photo so that the landing bird was in the centre of the frame so the main focus is on the bird.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and lowered the shadows. I did this to create more depth to the photo. I also de-saturated the photo to correct a slight colour cast. I didn’t crop the photo because I was happy with the original composition.

I’m glad I got a chance to go for a walk again today. The monopod is really proving itself very useful. Hopefully Bex and I will get a chance to go for a joint photography wander soon.

Mat

Angry Ducks

Following on from my recent posts I thought I should upload another photo from my walk down to the duckpond. I was watching a small group of ducks, and a few of the male mallards were fighting over the female mallard. I wanted to capture a photo of this but as they moved around I struggled to get a photo quick enough.

To capture the photo I used the camera in shutter priority and chose a shutter speed of 1/1000^th to ensure that all movement was frozen. I left the camera in automatic ISO selection. The camera selected an aperture of F5.6 and ISO 800 to complete the exposure. I framed the photo so there was an even spread across the frame.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and the shadows. I did this to balance out the exposure. I also used the noise reduction to decrease the amount of noise in the photo. I didn’t change the composition as I was pleased with how balanced the frame appeared. I didn’t change the saturation or colour tone either, because I was happy with how the colours had been represented.

I’m quite pleased with this photo but I think I still need more practice to capture the moment I wanted. Perhaps the next I go down to the ducpond I will get a chance to.

Mat

A Refreshing Drink

There were a lot of swans at the duckpond, when I went for my walk last week. Some of them made some interesting compositions which I decided to photograph. One of my favourites is when the swans lean down to drink the water; I really wanted to catch the water as it dripped off their mouths.

To capture the movement of the water I needed a fast shutter speed, I decided to use 1/400^th of a second as I thought this would be fast enough. I was using my monopod so I didn’t have to worry about camera shake. The camera selected an aperture of F 5.6 and an ISO of 250 to complete the exposure. I didn’t use the flash in case it scared the swans off. I composed the photo so the swan was in the right hand side of the frame.

I didn’t edit the photo as I was pleased with the effect that I had created. I didn’t crop the photo because I like how I had framed it. The exposure was spot on and didn’t require any adjustments either.

Hopefully the weather will cheer up again soon, and if it does I will defiantly be out with my camera once again!

Mat

Perched

I took this photo on my recent trip to our local duckpond. While looking across the pond I saw a branch sticking out of the water, soon after this a bird flew down and perched itself on the branch. I waited until the bird was looking to the left so the composition looked how I wanted; then I took the photo.

To capture this photo I used the camera in shutter priority and selected a shutter speed of 1/640^th of a second, this was adequate to freeze any movement the bird might make. I underexposed the exposure by two stops to counteract the metering. I framed the photo so the bird was in the right side of the frame looking to the left I also made sure that the reflection of the bird was included in the frame.

I didn’t change anything in the editing stage because I was happy with the effect I had created. I really like how I had composed the photo and the exposure was spot on. I didn’t change the exposure as I didn’t want to spoil the effect I had created.

I’m going away for a few days so it will be down to Bex to run the blog, I hope you all enjoy the photos she uploads. I know she has got some amazing photos that she wants to upload.

Bex

Traveled

Today, some friends and I travelled to Bath to visit the Victoria Art Gallery. I’ve never visited that part of the country before, so navigating the winding streets was our main opposition. Presently, the art gallery is home to a photographic exhibition, presenting the works of Roger Mayne; a medium format and 35mm film photographer. I wasn’t allowed to take my Olympus as it came under the bracket of a “professional camera”, so I borrowed Mat’s compact and set off!

We got to the exhibition around 10am, and being that it was mid-week, mid-morning, it was almost like a private showing. This photo isn’t completely original; I had seen this style of composition used by another photographer and decided that I would like to attempt similar.

I really liked the outcome but wanted to make it my own, so edited it in Photoshop. I introduced a vignette to draw attention towards the centre of the shot. I had accidentally under-exposed so increased the brightness in Photoshop, along with the contrast. This is when I spotted that the reflections had captured the frames on the other wall; not deliberate, but I liked it so decided to incorporate it into the image. I have left the labels because I like to be reminded of the name of each photo; after all, naming it is the best bit!

Bex
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Choppy

I had a free day today so I took a trip to the local harbour for a walk as, for the first time this year, we’ve had some sunshine!!! I decided to go for a boat ride; unfortunately, the sun disappeared and the waves were a little on the large side to say the least. I took my camera with me as usual, along with both my wide angle, and telephoto lens.

As we were on our way out, I tried to capture the ocean spray, so used a shutter speed of 1/800 with an aperture of F7. I increased the contrast in Photoshop, which made the colours less realistic. I decided to play on this, so increased the hue to get a more purple tint as opposed to the original blue-green tinge. I then increased the sharpness to emphasise the droplets of water.

I’m pleased with how the different tones of colour have resulted in two distinctly separate shades of blue. I tried to make the best out of a situation that wasn’t ideal, and I think it worked quite well – often the way! The idea for this photo comes from the theme of movement, emailed to us by Ken. Thanks Ken; I hope you like it!!

Bex
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Past Holidays

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance a chance to go out for a walk today so I looked through my computer for an image to upload. I usually find the photos from my holidays in Wales to be good for inspiration. I found this photo which really struck me with the well balanced composition.

I used the camera in the landscape setting and the camera selected an aperture of F8.5 for a deep depth of field and a shutter speed of 1/140^th of a second to complete the exposure. I turned off the flash because it would make no difference to the photo.

To edit the photo I cropped out the bottom as there was nothing of interest. I also increased the contrast to give the photo more ‘punch’ and vibrancy. I didn’t change anything else because I was happy with the effect I had created.

Unfortunately Bex hasn’t been having much luck with her laptop recently; she is hoping to get it fixed very soon. She has told me that she has a lot of photos prepared for you, and that she has missed doing the blog recently. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go out for a walk later in the week, to capture more photos to upload for you.

Mat

Traveling

I had some spare time to myself today, so I thought I should go out and take some photos. Instead of going to one of my usual photography spots I went somewhere different, I went down to our local railway station. I took a variety of photos, a mixture of different trains and the passengers occupying the station. There was one particular photo that I wanted to get so told myself I wouldn’t leave the station until I had taken that photo.

The photo that I wanted to take was of one of the guards walking down the platform next to the train, but I wanted him to be isolated from the surroundings. To create the effect that I wanted I put the camera in manual mode and selected the widest aperture of F5.6, I then selected a shutter speed of 1/500^th of a second to freeze the action. I used AI Servo focus to track the guard and I left the ISO selection to the camera. As the guard walked nearer to where I wanted; I tracked him with the autofocus until the composition was as I wanted. When I got the right composition I took several photos with the camera in continuous drive mode.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and lowered the highlights to stop the sky from whitening out. I didn’t crop the photo because I really like how I framed the photo with the other staff members and passengers surrounding the guard. I also like how the photo is framed within the train, platform and the canopy of the station I think this captures the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Hopefully if the weather holds up Bex and I might be able to go out for a photography wander this weekend. It’s been a while and we both have some interesting ideas for our next uploads.

Mat

Stormy Horizon

I took this photo on Tuesday when I visited town with Mat; after we stopped for coffee, we walked along the harbour side. The British weather isn’t very reliable at the best of times, but it didn’t seem too bad when we got off of the bus; we were sorely mistaken. Whilst walking along the harbour, the sky began to get darker, and streaks of rain became visible. As photogenic as this was; it’s needless to say that we didn’t stay much longer!!!

I tried to under-expose this shot to capture the full presence of the storm, with all the layers within- I think I managed this incredibly well. For some reason, there appear to be vertical lines stretching throughout the image that I couldn’t edit out. Never the less, I liked the image and chose to upload it regardless. I sharpened the picture in Photoshop, to enhance the prominence of the flags and other details of the ship. I also increased contrast in an attempt to make the clouds more dramatic. Apart from this, I have not edited the image, as I didn’t want to make the lines any worse.

I’m really pleased with this image; I think we were very lucky on two accounts. The first being the picturesque scene, the second being that we made it on the bus before the heavens opened!!

Bex
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Chasing Light

It was a little warmer today; not noticeably, but enough to make rain fall in place of snow. I took my camera out with me but it spent almost the entire day in my bag, as I was afraid of it getting damaged. Around half past five this evening, a family member gave me a lift to the radio studio so I didn’t have to walk! I still had my camera with me and had been looking at the few photos I had taken that morning. I started messing around, as I liked the regularity of the street lamps. The shutter speed was a little too slow, blurring the lights slightly. This gave me the idea to slow the shutter speed further, to create light trails.

I used a shutter speed of 2.5 seconds, and incredibly, I managed to hold it still! It made light trails a little more interesting by taking the photo while we were driving, as it produced two trails; the lower being passing cars, the higher being street lamps. I’ve sharpened this photo as well as increasing the contrast slightly, but I tried to leave everything else.

I love how you can clearly see the road, and if you look carefully, a bridge in the background. I’m especially pleased with the lower light trail; I love the way it tapers off. I didn’t get chance to take many photos on this subject, so had to make the best of the situation I was in. Despite this, I think I managed quite successfully and will have to try this again soon!

Bex
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Behind Bars

I know I said yesterday that I had uploaded all of my favourite photos from last weekend, but I lied. I booted up my computer to write a post, and while waiting for it to load the sidebar popped up displaying recent photos. I saw one photo that looked interesting, so enlarged it- only to find out that it was another from my last wander. For this reason, I shall simply apologise and get on with the post!

This photo is from the same location as another I have uploaded recently (Jigsaw). In that post, I explained about the street of collaged buildings, and how the new music venue was standing next to an abandoned building. I took this photo at the side of the old building. This image features the grate itself as the subject; it caught my attention because the bars were rusted, providing contrast between that and the new wire.

The original photo was quite dull, so I edited in Photoshop but tried to do as little as possible. I increased the contrast, darkened the shadows and sharpened the overall image. I also boosted the saturation slightly to make the rusty colours stand out.

I love focusing on smaller details; I haven’t taken any macro photos in a long while and have really enjoyed going back to this. I’m hoping to focus more on this during my next wander, perhaps with the macro filters so I can get even closer.

Bex
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