Shining Through

I know I’ve uploaded some very similar photos recently; but I really liked a lot of the photos and couldn’t decide which to upload so I decided to upload all of them! This photo was taken on the return journey; we had paused for a short break to just watch the world go by. We were just leaving when I saw how the light was catching the leaves on the side of the hedge. I really liked how the bramble branch has been picked out by the light, and how the light shines through the leaves.

To make the most of this composition I used a medium aperture of F8, this gives a large enough depth of field without showing too much of the background. I preselected an ISO of 400 to enable the use of a fast enough shutter speed. I didn’t use the flash on this photo as it would have over powered the natural light and destroyed the effect I was aiming to capture.

I didn’t change anything during the editing stage as I was happy with how I had captured the image. The camera had calculated the exposure perfectly so I didn’t change any of the light levels. Also the colours had been replicated perfectly so I left them as they were.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go out for a walk again this weekend, if not then I’m sure I’ll be able to find some photos in my computer’s hard drive. Maybe I’ll look through some of our previous photography wanders.

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

Memories

I’ve almost run out of photos that I can upload to the blog, so I looked through my computer’s memory for some inspiration. I was looking through one of the albums from a family holiday in North Wales when I stumbled across this photo. This photo brings back good memories from all the holidays that we’ve been on.

This photo was taken before I seriously got into photography and so was taken on a digital compact in auto. I composed the photo so that two trees would create borders along either side of the frame, with the river flowing behind. I also like having the third tree in the centre of the frame because it splits the photo in two.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast, lowered the highlights and decreased the saturation. I increased the contrast because the original photo was looking quite ‘flat’ beforehand but I had to decrease the highlights to ensure they didn’t white-out. I decreased the saturation because I think it creates a more appropriate atmosphere for this particular photo.

I always enjoy holidays in Wales and I very much look forward to my next one, whenever it shall be. Creating special memories with special people.

Mat

Watery Arch

As Bex has already mentioned we managed to go out for a photography walk with a local group. It was our first trip and everyone was very nice and friendly; they all made us feel very welcome. This photo was one that I had taken on the day.

While we were walking around we went past a group of fountains, I thought they made an interesting composition so I took a number of photos. To make the most creative composition I decided to capture the exposure with a slow shutter speed of ¼ of a second. By doing this the water becomes blurred and looks like an arch. Because of the slow shutter speed I put the camera onto my tripod to keep it steady and to be sure of a sharp photo. Also I took the photo in RAW format so I wasn’t limited in what I could do at the editing stage.

To edit the photo I first changed the white balance to put some warmth into the photo then I changed the levels by lowering the brightness and the highlights while increasing the contrast. By changing the white balance the yellow tiles become much more vivid. And by changing the levels the photo becomes much more dynamic, with the water clearly standing out from the background.

I’m glad Bex and I got a chance to go out and meet the photography group, they were all very friendly. If you have a photography group nearby to you, I would greatly recommend giving them a visit. No matter what you interest you have in photography, whether you’re an amerture using you camera for the first time or a professional with thirty years experience, you will all be made welcome.

Mat

Mountainous

I haven’t had a chance to go out for photography walk so I’ve been raiding my computer today for some inspiration. I was looking through some of my older holiday photos when I stumbled across this photo I took while walking up Mount Snowdon. I love the Welsh countryside, each time you look at it you spot something different.

For this photo I set the camera into auto, because the aperture used would make very little difference to the photo. I composed the photo so that one of the peaks was in the left third and the lakes were more towards the centre to balance the composition. As the weather was quite overcast I put the horizon in the top third to create a more dramatic effect.

To edit the photo I increased both the contrast and the brightness. I did this to make the photo more vibrant. Also to increase the vibrancy I increased the colour temperature by a small amount. I didn’t crop the photo because I was happy with the composition and I didn’t want to spoil the effect I had created.

Hopefully if I get a chance over the weekend I will go out for a photography wander. If not I shall dive back into my computer’s hard drive.

Mat

Funnels

Earlier today I went for a walk down to the canal, I haven’t been for quite a while so I thought I should go see what the canal looks like in the winter. The weather was more like the summer than a winter wonderland, but I still took some interesting photos.

I walked for much longer than I normally would and I arrived at a small mariner with plenty of moorings for the boats and a few workshops alongside the canal. As there where quite a few boats moored up I thought they would make an interesting composition. I just wanted to focus on the air inlet and the exhaust funnel on one of the canal boats. To do this I used my telephoto zoom lens at around 130mm and with an aperture of F4.5; this ensured that the depth of field was very small. The camera selected a shutter speed of 1/180^th of a second; this is fast enough for the focal length in use and removed the camera shake.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and lowered the brightness a bit. I did this because the camera had slightly overexposed the photo. I also sharpened the photo because some of the details weren’t as sharp as I would have liked them to be. I didn’t crop the photo because I really like the composition that I had created.

I took quite a few photos at the canal today; this had to be my favourite one. If I find another one that I like then I shall upload it for you; otherwise I shall go out on a wander for some inspiration.

Mat

The Calm After The Storm

Today there was quite a lot of rain, not quite a storm but still a substantial amount. After the rain had passed and when I had a spare moment I decided to go out for walk. I didn’t have much time so I didn’t venture out too far.

The rain had settled and created some very interesting effects. To capture the droplets of rain on the grass I used an aperture of F5.6 this keeps the droplets sharp but also blurs the background to create a pleasing composition. I tried using the flash on this photo but I wasn’t getting the results I had hoped for; so instead I didn’t use the flash and the photos came out much better.

The only editing I did was to crop the photo down; I positioned the piece of grass into the top left corner of the frame. I think this improves the overall composition. I didn’t change anything else because I was pleased with the rest of the photo.

Bex is back from her holiday and has shown me the photos that she has taken, from the few that I have seen they all look fantastic and some may be on the blog very soon.

Mat

One Last

I took this picture on my walk yesterday; it was one of the first shots I took on our walk and it’s one of the pictures I mentioned yesterday that I was especially pleased with.

It had been raining that afternoon, so raindrops were still on all the plants around the town. As I was walking past a hedgerow, I noticed a few leaves that had almost broken away from the branches due to the excess rain. I loved how some rain has stayed on the leaf, giving the effect of a lens. I focused on this leaf in particular, using an aperture of F4.5 to blur the edges of the leaf to make the picture seem more surreal. I used low key gradation to make the photo seem more dramatic and emphasise the contrast in the image.

I didn’t have to do any editing, as I was pleased with the original photograph. I love how you can see the veins of the leaf through the water droplets; it seems to add to the mystery of the image. I am going on holiday tomorrow, so I shall leave you in the capable hands of Mat for the weekend. Au revoir!!

Bex

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Floating Feather

I decided to go for a photography wander this evening, as I wanted to get some air. I walked through the local nature reserve, as it was getting dark. It had been a cloudy day, and the clouds were beginning to get darker as the evening rolled in. I had been walking for about an hour when I decided to stop and sit down by the water’s edge.

Behind me was a mini waterfall, as the lake goes down into a river; this means that if any leaves or feathers fall in, they get pulled away. I noticed feathers and leaves being sucked into the waterfall as I was sat down. I decided to stay and watch for a few minutes, and noticed this feather moving across the surface.

I must admit that a few aspects of this picture were happy accidents. I had tried taking a picture of the reflections on the water before, but it was lucky that I only got the reflections of the clouds in the picture. I used low-key gradation to try to get a more dramatic shot. Afterwards, I increased the contrast to make both the shadow and the clouds more prominent. I also increased the saturation slightly, as I lost the brown of the feather.

I have really missed taking macro shots; it’s been so busy recently that I haven’t had much chance to take pictures. I’m really pleased with how well this picture turned out, I love how it looks moody. It felt great to have a chance to get back outside for another wander- I can’t wait for the next one!

Bex

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Window to Where?

As I have previously mentioned, I have taken enough photos during my week away to enable Mat to have twice that! Despite fears of boring you, I wanted to show you yet another of my holiday snaps!!

The weather was lovely for the entirety of my holiday- one day in particular. On this especially sunny day I decided to go a beach just over the other side of the harbour. It took a 5-minute ride on a chain ferry (mainly used for cars) to get across.

As I was waiting for the ferry to make it’s crossing, I decided to take some pictures. As I looked out of the window I saw this scene and decided that it might make for an interesting picture. I took a photo without the window frame at first but decided it looked more original with the it included. It makes it seem more surreal, more quirky, which I think is what attracts me to this picture.

Mat says hello, he’s missing the blog already! I do hope I’m not going to completely bore you in the days to come as you still have a few left of my continuous posting!

Bex

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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

Falling

I managed to get out for a quick wander today even though it was raining; I thought I could get some interesting effects. As I was walking the rain started to get worse so I darted under a tree for some shelter. While under the tree I noticed how the rain was clinging to the undersides of the leaves.

I really liked how the raindrop had stuck to the underside. I really think the composition summed up the weather and the atmosphere of today. I took this photo with a slight underexposure to create a more gloomy impression. This worked really well because the leaves are much darker without losing any detail in them but the rain drop is still very clear.

The only editing I did was to crop the photo down to reduce the amount of background because it was a distraction. By reducing the area of the photo it focuses the attention onto the rain drop and the leaves around it.

I like the effect of this photo; I think it sums up the weather we are having completely. I really do hope that we have some more sunny weather soon!

Mat

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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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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