Good to be Back

Now that things are back to normal, Bex and I managed to get out again for quite a long photography wander. I’ve managed to pick up some of Bex’s love for macro photography; because a lot of my recent uploads have been macro and close up photos!

This one was taken on the way back from our wander. I thought I wouldn’t be able to find any more opportunities when this flower ‘jumped’ up at me. I thought the composition was near perfect; because of the high contrast between the white flower, and the blurry green background. I used a wide aperture to limit the focus range, and to create the blurry effect with the background. I didn’t use the flash, because the light levels were good enough and it would have spoilt the effect I was trying to make.

When I edited the photo, I decided to increase the highlight brightness; I did this to make the whites more pure. Also I made the shadows darker while increasing the contrast; this makes the flower more prominent. Also I cropped the photo to put the flower into the left half of the frame, I feel this makes the composition more interesting.

I’m glad things are back to normal. Bex and I are planning to go on many more wanders so expect lots more photos in the next few weeks. Also we have ideas for some set-up shots in the next few days, which I really look forward to doing.

Mat

Turning Over a New Leaf

Both Mat and I were free today so we decided to go to for a mini photography wander. We didn’t have much time so couldn’t go very far; we walked through the local nature reserve. As usual I took mostly macro shots, and this is one of them.

I used shutter speed priority mode so I could under expose, making the picture seem more dramatic. Whilst under exposing, I also used flash. This picked out the highlights and shine of the leaf, and made the dark areas more prominent. Afterwards, I edited the picture by decreasing the brightness further and increasing the contrast. This made the colours too bright so I decreased the saturation.

I used the macro lens, which works incredibly well. I used a 45mm focal length, as the lens doesn’t focus at incredibly close distances and I wanted to capture the detail of all the channels and veins on the leaf.

I enjoyed going on a photography wander with Mat. We haven’t had chance to go together for a while, and I find my photos turn out better as we can suggest things to each other. I look forward to the next time.

Bex

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Thistle While You Wait

I took this photo a few weeks ago while doing a bit of train spotting, (one of my many hobbies). A train had just past and I was waiting for the next one, it must have been delayed because it took a very long time. So in between the two trains I took some more photos to fill the time.

I had spotted a group of weeds which looked very interesting, so I thought I should make a photo out of them. I decided that the photo would look best with a shallow depth of field. I thought that the angle I chose gave the best composition, with just the grass in the background. When I took the photo, I boosted the greens in the camera to give more emphasis to the weed. 

When I put the photo I decided that it didn’t require any editing, I was very impressed with how it looked straight from the camera. I was tempted to increase the saturation, but decided against it because I had already boosted the greens and I liked the effect that it gave.

The holiday is rapidly drawing to a close, I have thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for next years. The weather has been amazing, presenting many photographic opportunities; I’ve made the most out of as many as I can and I hope you all have as well.

Mat

Well Rounded

Now that the bank holiday is over, it was sunny today! I decided to go for a photography wander to soak up some of the sunshine we’d all been so desperately wishing for over the past few days.

I love taking pictures of teasels, as it seems that each picture you take is unique. There are so many angles that it can be taken from and this is just one of them. I took the picture from above, using a large aperture so only a small section of the plant was in focus. I used manual focus so I could blur the top of the teasel and the leaves underneath. This meant that only the spikes were in focus, making the shot more interesting. Later, I edited the picture in Photoshop. I increased the contrast and the saturation. Finally, I sharpened the image to make the spikes more evident.

I’m really pleased with how this picture turned out. Perhaps using manual focus is worth the extra time and effort! As long as it’s used in the right situation, it can give some great effects.

Bex
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Caught

I went out for a walk today as I had some spare time. So I went down to the canal, because the weather was perfect for photo taking. It had just stopped raining and the clouds had started to part. The sun was streaming through the clouds perfectly.

I know the canal was the main feature of the walk but this photo just cropped up in the corner of my eye. The dandelion had just floated past in front of me, and had become caught temporarily on another dandelion. I had to react quite quickly, so I put the camera into auto and left it to decide the specific exposure. I had just enough time to compose the photo before the wind took the dandelion with it.

Because the photo was taken in a hurry the exposure the camera chose wasn't perfect, so I decided to change the brightness and the saturation. I increased the brightness to compensate for the camera choosing the wrong exposure. I also decreased the saturation because I like the effect that it gave the photo; by giving it a more mysterious mood to the photo which I really like.

I’m glad I got a chance to go out after the rain today, I find it’s always the best time to go out to take photos. I find this because the weather changes very rapidly, and the clouds are always very white and diffuse the light perfectly.

Mat

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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Clinging Mushrooms

I managed to go for very quick wander today while I was having a short break. I saw these mushrooms clinging to the side of a  log that had been chopped down. As I didn’t have much time I left the camera in automatic.

The camera decided to use the flash, because there wasn’t very much light. I really like the effect that it had, it increased the contrast and made the whites brighter. The camera chose a low ISO so the photo still has lots of detail in it.

All I did to edit the photo was to crop the photo and increase the saturation. I cropped out the side of the photo because it didn’t have many mushrooms in and it I thought it was causing a distraction. I also increased the brightness to make the white even brighter.

Bex has been incredibly busy recently and as a result hasn’t had much spare time, which is why I have been doing more uploads than  normal. She has told me that she will be back to normal very soon, and will be blogging as normal.

I hope you all enjoy the last week of the summer holiday.

Mat

Decomposition

 I didn’t have much to do today apart from going out for a meal with family. When we got back, I decided to go for a walk through the local nature reserve with my camera.

I have missed taking macro shots recently; there’s been so much going on in the community that most of my photography has been to cover events. I sat down to enjoy the fresh air and watch the world go by. A few leaves were left on the ground, beginning to decompose. They had curled from being left on the floor for so long.

The markings on the leaves could still be seen, which is what I focused on. I used a larger aperture to get a more shallow depth of field, so only the edges of the leaves and a few of the markings were in focus. I had to use ISO-200 with a shutter speed of 1/80 to make allowances for not using the flash. I decided against using flash, because a test shot with flash made a lot of areas go white and I lost a lot of detail.

I love taking macro shots, and I have really missed them. I will try to go on some more wanders soon in between other forthcoming events.

Bex

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An Unknown Plant

The weather was really nice today so I was sitting in the garden enjoying the nice weather. I noticed in one of the trees, this plant that was hanging down. I’m not sure what specific plant it is, but I thought it might make an interesting photographic opportunity.

I used the widest aperture I could to ensure the background was blurred appropriately. I also used the flash to pick out the white of the plant. The wind was blowing quite fast so I had to use a fast shutter speed, this meant I required a moderately high ISO.

When I edited the photo I decided to increase the brightness, this has the effect of making the white clearer. I also made the shadows darker, this focuses the attention onto the plant itself. Also I cropped the photo so that the plant was towards the left part of the frame, I think this enhances the composition of the photo.

Overall I think the photo has worked very well, and I’m quite pleased with the editing that I did. I will try to find out what plant this is, if I find out I shall let you all know.

Also a quick congratulations to everyone who received their GCSE results today, I know you all worked very hard to get the grades you received. So very well done to you all.

Mat

Nettles

I managed to go for a quick walk while the sunshine was out. I sat down on a park bench for a quick rest, when I spotted a clump of nettles.

I liked how they were surrounding a small open patch that only had grass on. So I used the programmed auto mode because I didn’t have much time and focused on the central leaf. I used the flash to light up the scene because it was late in the evening and there wasn’t very much light. I used a narrow aperture to make sure that most of the scene was in focus.

When I edited the photo I decided to increase the colour temperature and the saturation; by doing this the photo looks more vibrant and interesting. I also cropped the photo to emphasise the effect of the emptiness in the centre. I used quite a high ISO so as there was quite a lot of noise, which I had to reduce in Photoshop.

Bex and I are planning on meeting up tomorrow, so maybe we might get a chance to go for a photography wander. I hope we get a chance while the weather is still nice.

Mat

A station by the sea

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to go for a wander today, so I had a look through my computer. While looking through I found this photo from Western - Super - Mare.

I took the photo on the way back from the beach. Bex and I were waiting for the train to arrive, and I was looking at the station building. I really liked the architecture, the building looked very different from each angle that I looked at it. This angle I particularly liked because of the contradicting lines, with the over-bridge and the canopy jutting out at ninety degrees to each other. To keep the whole scene in focus I used a small aperture (F16). Because I used a small aperture I had to use a higher ISO, this introduced a small amount of noise into the image.

When I edited the photo the only thing I changed was to darken the shadows. By doing this, the canopy becomes a silhouette and enhances the composition. I didn’t change anything else because I liked how it came out straight from the camera.

I really enjoyed our trip to Western, and I hope that we can go back sometime soon if the weather holds out.

Mat

Choices

I must apologise for having seemingly left the blog behind for the past week, but it’s been incredibly hectic, so I’ve been struggling to fit everything in that I need to do. At this point I must also thank Mat for looking after the blog while I’ve been rushing around!

I went to a local food market today, in which an array of items were on sale. At one stall, flavoured coffee beans were being sold out of sacks, which could be put into jars of different sizes; the coffee was arranged into two rows, which made interesting lines. I decided to take this picture at a shallow angle to make the picture more appealing and to allow the contents of one bag only to be shown.

I used a large aperture which gave the picture a shallow depth of field, so only the first sack and a little of the second were in focus. Later, I increased the saturation in Photoshop to make the picture seem more vibrant and to show the different shades of reds and browns in the coffee beans.

I love taking pictures in market environments; it always gives a unique picture, as each stall holder sets up in their own way. I find that taking pictures across the stall makes it more informative, while making sure that the shot is still artistic. I manage to get a different effect every time.

Bex
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Wild Flowers

I managed to get out today during a quick break, so I thought I would go out for a quick walk with the camera. On my walk I saw these wild flowers, I really liked how they were bunched together without anything surrounding them.

When I took the photo I used quite a small aperture to retain a large depth of field. It was quite dark so I used the flash, by doing this the background became blacked out. By using the flash it meant I could use a low ISO and retain the full detail in the flowers.

When I took the photo off the camera I thought it needed some editing. The flash wasn’t quite powerful enough, so I had to boost the brightness to make the flower look a bright white. I also cropped down the photo to concentrate the attention onto the flower.

I really like this photo, the editing worked very well. The photo looks exactly how I wanted it to. I would like to think that my editing is getting slowly better.

Mat

Close Detail

I managed to get out today for a short wander, so I went down to the local wood. I like it in the woods because it is peaceful and very tranquil, I can sit down and just watch the world go by while I think.

While I was sitting down I noticed this really pretty flower. I used aperture priority to use a large aperture and create a shallow depth of field. By creating a shallow depth of field the background becomes blurred and isn’t as distracting. Also I used the pop-up flash to reflect off the flower and create a luminous effect.

The photo needed quite a lot of editing so I increased the saturation and heavily cropped it down to focus the attention onto just the centre of the flower. I really like the effect of focussing the attention, it creates a really interesting effect to the photo.

I’m away for a while but I’m still able to carry on blogging. I’m very busy so won’t be able to take many photos, if I don’t get a chance I’ll look inside my hard-drive for some inspiration.

Mat

Inspiration

I took this photo a while back while out wandering with Bex. The weather was very nice so we had gone for a walk in the local nature reserve.

I used the aperture priority mode so I could use the maximum aperture. This has the effect of making the subject very sharp while blurring the background. Having the subject in the centre of the frame creates a better composition because of the symmetry.

I tried editing the photo but every time I tried I didn’t like how it looked, so I asked Bex to try to edit it. She increased the contrast, while decreasing the saturation and brightness. I really like the effect of the editing she did. It looks much better than how my editing looked.

I really like the photo and Bex’s editing, it looks exactly how I wanted it to when I took the photo.

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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Drops

I managed to get out today between the spells of rain. Unfortunately Bex is ill at the moment so I shall be doing a few more posts until she gets better.

This one is another macro photo (I’m even starting to sound like Bex!). I managed to get in quite close so that I could keep just the leaf in the photo. I left the camera in the macro setting so that the camera would choose the best settings for the situation. I also used the flash so it would give the leaf a luminous effect.

When I edited the photo I decided that it would look better with the brightness turned down and the contrast increased, it gives it a moody feel along with looking luminous. The picture was very noisy so I had to rigorously sharpen the photo to retain the detail.

Overall this photo has worked very well and I’m quite impressed with it. The editing worked very well and I think I’m slowly getting better at it.

Bex will be better very soon and will be back to blogging as normal. She says that she can’t wait to get back to blogging.

Mat

Branching Out

I was quite busy today but I managed to get out in the later part of the afternoon. Bex was busy today so I had to go out on my own. The weather was wonderful and I was looking at the beautiful sky when I saw these dead branches.

I thought that if I could silhouette them against the sky then it would make an interesting composition. I had to use quite a small aperture, because the depth of field is irrelevant. Also I underexposed the photo so that the branch is a silhouette. I really like the effect of the branch being a silhouette.

When I edited the photo I darkened the shadows to increase the effect of the silhouette. I also cropped out part of the tree in the left corner.

I really like the overall effect of the photo, also the editing made the photo look much better.

Mat

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

A Mystical Flower?

I took this photo a while ago; I had recently purchased a soft focus filter so I decided to try it out on one of our wanders.

Bex and I were walking in our local nature reserve when I saw this flower. I thought it would make a perfect subject to test my new filter on. I used a medium aperture of F5.6 so that I could blur the background but keep the flower in focus. The soft focus filter blurs the subject slightly and gives a mystical feeling to the overall photo. I really like the effect of using the filter, and I plan on using it again in the future.

The only editing I did was to increase the saturation and the brightness. This increased the warmth of the photo and made it even more mystical. I really like the overall effect of the photo; it came out exactly how I wanted it to, with the flower looking blurred and mystical.

It’s very good to be back; I shall be blogging as usual now. When I get my film developed, I shall upload a few pictures from my holiday.

Mat

Blue Moon Sunrise

This is another picture from my early start at the balloon fiesta yesterday morning. I feel I should explain the title as well as my picture on this occasion. Anyone who knows me personally will also know that early mornings are not my forte! With this fact in mind, this is the first sunrise that I have seen, and I definitely started on a high!

This was the first balloon to have taken off, just a few minutes after 6am, when the sun was just beginning to rise. I’m not entirely sure why, but when I took this picture the basket looked like a silhouette while the rest of the shot was in colour. I like it; it makes it seem more anonymous- like they represent actions instead of people.

I had to use an incredibly high ISO (1000) as it was still quite dark, so I couldn’t pick up any details. However, it introduced a lot of noise to the picture. Despite all the noise in my photo, I absolutely love it! I’m impressed at how I managed to catch the flame. The colours of the sunrise have been picked up brilliantly, and it’s amazing how you can see the bottom of the balloon being lit up. I can’t wait till next year’s event!

Bex

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Baptism of Fire

I had an early start this morning as I was going to a balloon fiesta, so I feel I should apologise for the probable illiteracy. Each day, the balloons are launched at 6am and 6pm, meaning my alarm went off at three this morning!

I hadn’t been to a morning launch before, but decided it would be good to go, as it would have plenty of photo opportunities! I took this picture at about 5:30 this morning, which is why the background is quite dark. The sun was just starting to rise, and the clouds were beginning to turn pink. The most light was coming from the balloons being inflated.

I used a telephoto lens to get as close as I could (while leaning as far over the fence as possible!). I had to use ISO-250 with a shutter speed of 1/320 to allow me to capture the flame in full, and to leave the background quite dark. I increased the saturation and contrast in Photoshop, in order to pick up the colours that were cast. Apart from this, it didn’t need any editing!

I had a great morning of photography, managing to take 998 shots, making it incredibly hard to choose a single picture! I’m really pleased my results, I can’t wait to go back tomorrow for the evening launch.

Bex

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Going Places

This is another picture from my trip to the seaside. This is the first picture I took during the day and in some ways it is one of my favourites. I needed to get on a train as I was going further away from where I was staying than I could reach by bus or by walking. I took this photo just after I got on the train; others were just getting on, as it wasn’t due to leave the station for a few minutes.

I took inspiration for this shot from another blog that I used to read. It was also a photography blog and inspired Mat and I to set up Daily Wanders. The author did something quite similar, taking a picture on the underground in the middle and looking straight down. It was taken early in the morning so no one was on it.

I made this shot my own by taking it at a busier time, catching people in the picture and taking it from a slight angle. I edited the picture in Photoshop, increasing the contrast and removing some of the brightness to make the photo seem more dramatic.

Bex

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Contradictory

You may recall that during my post on the 5^th August (“Indeed”), I uploaded a picture of a sign next to some graffiti. In this post, I mentioned that the pictures I took of the artwork itself were more like snapshots-which I thought they were… until I found this picture!

I saw this graffiti by chance as I was walking past the wall on my way to a local art gallery on the edge of the harbour. I noticed this out of the corner of my eye. Wondering what it was, I stopped to take a look. I walked over to the other side of the road to get a view of the artwork in full.

I had to use a wide-angle lens at a 45mm focal length. I used a small aperture to get a large depth of field so none of the scene was out of focus. Later in Photoshop, I increased the contrast while decreasing the brightness, and then increased the saturation.

If you hadn’t previously guessed, I’m firmly on the side of artwork when it comes to the “art or graffiti” argument. I love this; I think it’s amazing how every time you look you spot another detail that you missed before.

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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1000 Words

I’m afraid that when you’re a photographer, going on holiday doesn’t mean you leave your job at home! With this fact in mind, I managed to take somewhere in the region of 500 photos each day.

I took this photo on my last full day in the seaside town. I had been incredibly busy over the week so decided to have a relaxing day close to my base for the week. I stayed out for the day- walking through the high street, looking in the local museum and even painting a pot! It was late evening by the time I was walking back to the house so it was beginning to get dark.

I noticed a pile of fishing nets that had been left from the day’s work. They were rusty and looked like they’d been forgotten. I decided to take a picture, focusing on the pattern of the netting. Later in the evening, I increased both the brightness and the contrast then reduced the noise, as I had to use an incredibly high ISO.

I find this shot really interesting, as it’s a snapshot of daily life. A picture tells a thousand words, and this picture is no exception.

Bex

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Indeed

Admittedly this isn’t a stroke of photographic brilliance, yet I like it all the same. I took this picture at the local carnival, on the same day as the red arrows display. Graffiti was painted onto the wall of a derelict building, which depicted a knocked down section of wall with a small scene of the inside of an ancient house.

I took a picture of this scene but it looked more like a snapshot and didn’t seem very interesting. In the bottom right corner of the artwork this sign was written. I found it ironic as where it was written was dirty with paint peeling off. I felt this added to the overall originality of the shot and made it eye catching as much as the graffiti itself.

Later in the evening, I edited the picture in Photoshop. I increased the contrast to highlight the dirt and worn-away pain on the wall. I then lightened the highlights to pick up more detail.

I think the sign sums me up incredibly well; if there is ever a photo opportunity then I will find it! I know it doesn’t exactly count as an amazing piece of photography, but it’s unique and I like it!

Bex

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Travels

I’m back and I have really missed the blog! It felt strange to have so much spare time in the evenings- normally dedicated to writing and editing. This week it’s Mat’s turn for a holiday (he deserves it after the last week!) so I shall have the blog to myself for the next seven days.

I have had an incredibly eventful holiday; I could do with another just to get over it! On the first full day I went to a local carnival that was happening in the town next to where I was staying. One of the highlights at the carnival was a 20- minute display from the red arrows.

I took my telephoto lens with me as I had found out about the display prior to going. I had to use a 150mm focal length to get close enough. I also had to use a fast shutter speed so that the picture wouldn’t blur; this meant I had to use a higher ISO, which downgraded the picture quality.

I’ve had an amazing week off with plenty of photo opportunities. I’ve taken enough photos for Mat to go on holiday for a month! I was gutted at missing the 1^st August post, but I’d just like to thank Mat for keeping the blog going and to you for staying loyal to our blog. Five months of continuous posting already? It still seems like only a few days since we started!

Bex

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Hiding Flowers

I didn’t get a chance to go for a walk today as I was busy packing and getting ready for my holiday. So I dived into my computer’s hard-drive in search of a photo to upload. I was searching around when I came across this photo, again from the holiday Bex and I went on in early July.

We went for a walk to the small lake nearby, and on the way I spotted some flowers hiding in a bush. To isolate just the flower I used the widest possible aperture to create a shallow depth of field. It was quite a dull day so I had to boost the ISO to be able to use a faster shutter speed.

Because of the high ISO the photo was quite noisy; I had to use the noise reduction tool in Photoshop to reduce the amount of noise in the photo. At the same time I increased the colour temperature to bring some ‘warmth’ back into the photo. After editing the photo I was very pleased with the end result, I think it looks much better now.

Team GB did a fantastic job in the Olympics today, bringing back even more gold medals. We’re currently 4^th in the medal table! (At time of writing). So with each medal, we get closer to winning the Olympics. Good luck Team GB!

This is my final post until I get back from my holiday. So I shall leave you in Bex’s very capable hands. I hear that she has plenty of amazing photos to upload from her holiday. I hope you will enjoy them, and I trust that you will all cheer on Team GB.

So until I get back, have a great time and enjoy the blog.

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

Converging Arches

I did manage to get out today (between rain showers again). So I went into our local town to pick up some photography supplies. I caught the bus in and walked the long way to the shop so I could take some photos.

About half way to the shop I walked through an indoor market; I really liked the structure that supported the roof. I thought that if I took the photo with the camera facing upwards it would cause the vertical lines to converge making an interesting composition. Also having the arch going through the centre of the frame makes the composition much more interesting, because all the contradicting lines lead your eye to different parts of the photo.

The exposure was spot on so I didn’t need to change the brightness or contrast in the editing stage. The only editing I did was to crop out the bottom of the photo, I did this because the framing didn’t quite come out as I had planned.

Just a quick congratulations to the Great Britain Olympic team for winning two gold medals today! One from the women’s rowing, and the other from the men’s cycling time trials. A very well done to you both! Hopefully these will be the first of many gold medals. Good luck Team GB!

Mat