Absolutely Quackers!

I’m back, I’m revived and I’m ready to blog!! I had a lovely time in Devon with plenty of retail therapy to keep me occupied!!!

On one of the days we went to a local shopping centre; I love it because it stretches from a main building around many winding streets and alleyways laced with markets and quintessentially British pubs. I’ve visited this particular area before, so I decided to take my camera as I missed out previously!!!

I spotted my first photographic opportunity not long after I walked into the main precinct. A man was promoting a local wildlife scheme, with a little help from a friend! The man walked side by side with this incredibly stylish duck! It was quite funny to watch everyone doing a double- take as they realised that this amusing site was actually  real!!

I tried to take a picture but had to use a high ISO to get a fast enough shutter speed to capture the duck before it moved. I couldn’t keep it’s attention long enough to take a decent photo, but when the man saw me he made the duck face me by walking along side.

There was a small roundabout behind it, which gave this shot more interest. I’ve been really into pictures with a more retro feel to them and as I increased the contrast the noise became more prominent creating this effect. I normally strive to illiminate this but I’ll admit that I liked it! To emphasise this, I sharpened the image, increased the contrast and used a grain effect in Photoshop.

I’m really pleased and slightly surprised that something a little arty can come from a snapshot, but sometimes these photos are the best type.

Bex

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Damp Grass

I had taken this photo on Sundays walk after the rain. This photo was taken about 3 feet away from the one I had taken on Sunday! I wasn’t sure which of the two photos I should upload, but I eventually decided that I should upload both of them.

To capture the whole scene, I used an aperture of F8; as the camera was close to the subject a small aperture was required to keep the depth of field large enough. I was experimenting with the pop-up flash on the camera. This time it worked very well, catching all the tiny droplets perfectly; I love how all the droplets reflect the light off the flash. It was quite late in the evening so I had to use a tripod as the shutter speed was 1/8^th of a second.

When editing the photo I decided to adjust the exposure, the photo was a bit dark and I thought it could do with a bit more light. I also increased the saturation because the photo was a bit bland for my liking. Also I cropped the photo down, I took out the left part of the frame because the grass was close to the lens and so was out of focus; also I think the composition has been greatly improved.

Hopefully Bex and I will get a chance to go out for a wander together soon. We have another trip planned soon, but we’re not sure when we will get a chance. When we do go we shall upload some of the photos to show you.

Mat

Green Arch

Bex and I managed to get out for a walk today, so we went for a quick wander round our local area. I managed to borrow Bex’s camera for a short while, so when I saw the branches leaning over I thought it would make an interesting composition.

To make the best composition I used the camera in portrait format. I used the camera in aperture priority and selected an aperture of F8 and a focal length of 14mm. By using these settings I ensured that the whole of the arch was in focus but the background was slightly out of focus. Also I metered of the tree in the background, by doing this the arch turns into a silhouette. I tried a few exposures and I felt that this one had the best effect.

When editing the photo I increased the saturation, I did this to bring increase the green in the photo and to make the colours more faithful to when I took the photo. Also I cropped the photo because I thought it would aid the composition if I took out the bottom right corner of the frame.

Overall I really like this photo, it came out how I wanted it to; with the arch silhouetted in the foreground and the tree in the background.

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

Bridging Leaves

This photo was taken during the wander Bex and I went on a few days go. Bex was taking photos of this leaf when I had an idea. I thought by using an off camera flash gun would make an interesting lighting effect.

So as Bex was taking the photo I held the flashgun for her. She used an aperture of F5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/6th of a second. By using a slow shutter speed the camera is able to sync with the flash gun. Using the flash off the camera created an interesting effect by lighting the underside of the leaf. It illuminates the leaf from a different angle creating a very different effect to normal lighting. We both really liked the effect of  using the off camera flash.

When editing the photo Bex and I had decided to only change the framing and the contrast. By cropping the photo so the leaf was in the bottom left corner of the frame, we both thought this really helped the composition of the photo. We also decided to increase the contrast, this makes the lighting effect ,much more dramatic.

We both really liked the effect of using the off camera flash, I’m definitely going to use it in some of my own photography.

Bex also says hello from her holiday, she had a great time today. And she is missing you all and can’t wait to get back with all her new photographic material.

Mat

Autumn Leaves

I managed to go out for a walk today so I went back to the nature reserve, but I went a different way to normal. I did this because I wanted to find some different places to photograph. It was quite early, the sun was just starting to rise and the low light levels made some interesting photographic opportunities.

The light was spot lighting this tree in particular, so to exaggerate this effect I decided to use the built in flash. This made the background go very dark but kept the leaf very bright and clear. I used an aperture of F5.6 to ensure the whole leaf was in focus but the background was left blurred. Also I reduced the green to ensure the amount of yellow was reproduced correctly.

The only editing I did to the photo was to crop the photo so the leaf was in the bottom right of the frame. I didn’t change anything else because I like the effect of the photo, the exposure was calculated perfectly and all the colours have been reproduced faithfully.

I took quite a few photos today, and I’m sure I will return to take some more in the near future.

Bex says hi from her holiday, she says that she’s missing you already and will be taking many photos throughout her holiday to show you when she returns.

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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Designer Leaf (It’s all about the labels…)

Mat and I went out for another walk today; this time in the afternoon. We took a few photos, and a few that I am especially pleased with. This isn’t one of them, but I fancied a fun upload, instead of a more abstract shot that I might normally upload.

I took this picture as we were on our way home after a short walk. As we were walking along the path, I noticed this rather strange looking leaf. A sticker from an apple had been left behind, perhaps from a school child walking home. It brought a smile to me, just because it was so out of the ordinary!

The picture didn’t stand out as much as I would’ve liked it to, so I tried to edit it in Photoshop. I increased the contrast, whilst decreasing the brightness to create a more striking effect. I also increased the saturation and sharpened the whole image.

I think it’s nice to relax and see the funny side of things instead of being serious all the time.

Bex

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Trails

I’m back!!! Firstly I must apologise for abandoning the blog, and secondly I should thank Mat for keeping Daily Wanders running smoothly while I have been munching on throat sweets like they were smarties!

Today, I was feeling better and was in need of getting some fresh air. Mat and I have wanted to try taking photos of light trails ever since we first started the blog back in April, but it’s gone dark too late throughout the summer season.

This evening, we walked to a bridge over the motorway, not far from the town. We took Mat’s tripod, my E-500 and several layers to try and capture the action! For this particular shot, I used an exposure time of 20 seconds at ISO100 with an aperture of F18. I tried to take out as much light as possible to allow for a longer exposure time.

When using a slower shutter speed, I was presented with the problem of the white burning out, but needing this time for more vivid reds. To combat this, I tried to take the photo when there was a lot of traffic on one side, but not a lot coming towards us.

Later, I used the remove colour cast tool to correct the yellow tint to the picture; I also increased the contrast to make the colours stand out. I love how you can see a few stars in the sky and reflections on the wet road. I also like how it wasn’t completely dark when we took the pictures, so you can still see some light on the horizon.

Apart from all the thoughts of rain, illness and general melancholy brought about by the thought of winter, it can’t be all bad! At least I can do more shots like this without becoming deprived of sleep. At last- a cheery note to winter!!

Bex

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Small Items

As planned Bex and I went out for a walk earlier today, so we went into the nature reserve and found a new pond.  It was a nice place and we decided to have lunch there. While there Bex had taken her shoes off and we had made a small pile of our stuff in a corner.

I thought it would make an interesting photo so I put the camera into aperture priority and selected F6.3. I chose this aperture because it meant that the whole pile was in focus and the background was suitably out of focus. I used the pop-up flash as a fill in flash because there was a lot of direct sunlight.

When I edited the photo I decided to increase the colour temperature and the saturation, I did this to make the photo more vibrant and to ensure the colour of the shoes was accurate. I didn’t change the angle on the photo because I thought it looked quite arty and different.

Overall I really like this photo the effect was exactly what I was planning for. Bex has planned a wander for both of us tomorrow. We’re going to look at a new area which we haven’t covered before.

Mat

Water Blur

I didn’t manage to go out today so I used one of my photos from yesterday. Where I was walking there was a large pipe which transports water under the path, it had been raining previously so there was a lot of water rushing through. I thought that I could make an interesting effect out of it if I slowed down the shutter to blur the water.

To suitably blur the water I put the camera in shutter priority and selected a shutter speed of ¼ of a second. At ISO 100 the camera chose an aperture of F18, this gave a large depth of field which enhanced the effect of the photo. Because I was using a long exposure I had to use a tripod to steady the camera.

When I edited the photo, I decided to increase the shadows and the highlights to make the photo clearer. I also de-saturated the photo to make the water look clearer and less orange. I also turned the colour temperature down to make the photo look calmer, because I was aiming for a calm and relaxed atmosphere to the photo.

I will hopefully get a chance for a wander tomorrow. But if I don’t then I have plenty more photos from yesterdays walk that I can upload.

Mat

Flowery Opportunities

I managed to go out for a walk today, so I decided to go round my local area in the hunt of photo opportunities. After walking for around 30mins I saw this small purple flower. I thought it made an interesting composition.

I decided that using a small depth of field would make an interesting composition so used an aperture of F5.6 at a focal length of 40mm. This created the shallow depth of field that I required and made the composition much more interesting.

While editing the photo I increased the brightness to make the flower brighter, and I increased the saturation to make the colours more vivid and attractive. I also darkened the shadows to improve the effect of the photo.

Hopefully I shall get a chance to go out again tomorrow, because I spotted a few more opportunities that I had to miss today.

Mat

Water on the Web

Today I went out for a short walk round my local area. It had been raining overnight, so the rain drops where clinging onto whatever they could. I saw this spider web that had been spun between a lamppost and a nearby bush.

To create the most interesting photo I used an aperture of F4, this ensured the spider and the web where in sharp focus, but the background was suitably blurred. I also used the flashgun to make the web easier to see and to make it shine more; Also using the flash makes the colours on the spider look more vibrant.

When I edited the photo I increased the saturation and the colour temperature to make the photo look more vibrant; also to make the colours on the spider stand out more against the background.  I also increased the contrast a bit to make the highlights and shadows stand out more.

I’ve missed doing very close up macro photos, I’m so glad I got a chance to do some close up work again. I plan on doing some more macro work very soon.; or maybe I might do some more landscape work.

Mat

Mountains

Earlier today I was looking through some holiday photos on my computer when I stumbled across this photo. It was taken on a family holiday to North Wales; we had decided to walk up Mt. Snowdon and when we got to the top the views where amazing. I had taken the photo a few years ago so my photography skills weren't as developed as they are now, but I like this photo so I thought I should share it with you.

The weather was quite cloudy so the light was being diffused perfectly. I had put the camera into the landscape mode, this ensured that a small aperture was being used for the greatest depth of field and the greens had been boosted as well.

The only editing I did was to increase the saturation slightly; I did this because it boosted the greens even more to make them really vibrant and it introduced some warmth into the photo. I didn’t change anything else because I like how the photo was.

I enjoy looking through old photos that I have taken, I find it interesting to look and remember back to the holidays that I have been on.

Today is our 200^th post! So a very big thankyou to all of you dedicated readers out there! We can’t keep this blog running without you, I hope you have enjoyed the past 200 posts and I’m sure you will enjoy the next 200 as well.

Mat

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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Vintage Return

As promised Bex and I went on a photography wander today. We didn’t go very far but we found many interesting compositions. This photo I spotted about half way through the walk, we had walked out of town and into the countryside and where about to turn round to return back.

I saw this tree half way along a hedge between two fields. I haven’t taken any photos in black and white for a long time so I thought that I should take the photo in black and white with a sepia digital filter. As I was a long distance from the subject the aperture that I chose would make very little difference to the depth of field so I left the camera in Program Auto. I did preset the ISO to 100 to ensure that there was plenty of detail to the shadows.

When editing the photo I decided to crop the photo down and alter the histogram. I cropped the photo to enhance the composition: by using the rule of thirds I moved the tree into the top left of the frame. By altering the histogram I lowered the highlights and the shadows, I think this made the exposure look more vintage which was the effect I was aiming for.

I’m glad that we got out for a photography wander, because I was starting to get a bit low on photographic material. I’ve now got a good stock of photos for all of you to enjoy.

Mat

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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Decaying Petals

I managed to get out for a walk today so I went to the same place as the other day. It was really nice there and I thought I should go back there again. So I took the camera out with me for my wander.

While I was there today I saw a small group of white flowers, one of them was starting to lose it’s petals. I thought it would make an interesting and different photo. So I used a moderate aperture of F8 to ensure the whole flower was in sharp focus but the background was suitably blurred. There was enough light around so I managed to use a low ISO, this meant that all the detail has been retained. And I didn’t need to use flash.

While editing the photo I decided to crop the photo to put the flower into the bottom left corner of the frame. Also I increased the contrast because I thought the photo could do the contrast being increased. I left everything else as it was, because I like the effect of the photo.

I’m glad I got a chance to go out for a wander today, I really like this spot I’ve found. There always seems to be something different going on.

Mat

Fly Away

I attended a friend’s wedding recently, and of course my camera came with me!!!! Although I was taking pictures of the happy couple, I couldn't help but slip a few arty shots in along side!

The theme of the wedding was based around birds; it was mostly white and cream with roses, white birdcages and doves as decorations. They were stunning and really caught my eye (and my camera…). As we walked out of the ceremony, I noticed that at the tables, paper doves were perched on each glass with a name written on it, which served as a place setting.

It caught my eye because it stood out; all the paper doves were placed on the same side all the way around the table, with white roses in the middle. I decided to take a close up of the glass to focus on one dove. I used a wide aperture to get a shallow depth of field so that the glass and the dove were the main focus of the picture.

I love the opportunities that are presented with different types of events. I’ve done a lot of event photography recently and the opportunities are endless!

Bex

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Vibrant Flower

Bex and I spent the whole day together, which means that of course we went out for plenty of photography wanders. Before the rain came we managed to slip out for some flower photos.

This flower really caught my eye, and when I went to look at it more closely I discovered that there was a small insect on it as well! To take the photo with an interesting composition I used the largest aperture possible and got in really close to the flower. This ensured that the depth of field would be very small. I also used a flash gun to make sure the illumination was correct; also this makes the background go very dark.

I decided not to edit the photo because I really liked the overall composition and the effect was exactly what I had intended. The pink is so vibrant that I didn’t need to change the colour temperature or the saturation. I really do like the effect of the photo.

I had such a nice day today, hopefully the weather should be nice for tomorrow (fingers crossed the forecast is correct).

Mat

Looking

I had chance for a short wander today, but I was being a bit of a perfectionist and didn’t think any of my pictures had the “wow factor” that I try to capture normally. As I was editing my pictures in Photoshop to see how I could improve them, I saw this picture flash up on my desktop. To start with, I didn’t think it was much but it had a little potential so I decided to mess around with it.

I love churches for their amazing architecture and towering spires; there’s something quite mysterious about them when in the right conditions. I took this photo on the roof on my local church. When I first walked out of the door, I saw the stunning view and focused on that. If you’re anything like me, curiosity will always get the better of you and this case it did. I began to look at the structures closest to me, instead of the view from it.

At each corner, the structures were hollow with arches all the way around. Pandering to my curiosity, I ducked under the archway to see what it looked like from the inside. I took this picture led down on the church roof with my camera; I looked a little odd but it was worth it. I like to add a sense of mystery to certain pictures and this was one of those; I de-saturated the picture slightly and increased the contrast, creating this more striking image, which emphasises the shadows cast by each gap in the stone.

I think if there are any rules in photography, this should be one of them; ALWAYS make the most of your surroundings. Explore everything from every angle and challenge yourself to capture things in a more abstract way. If people don’t look at you thinking “what on earth…?” while you’re taking the picture, then you’re not being creative enough!!!

Bex

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Aspiring

Unfortunately Bex and I didn’t have a chance to go out today, so I was looking through my computer when I came across the photos from the church. I was looking through them when I came across this photo, I really wanted to upload it at the time but I never had a chance so I thought I should upload it as I have a chance.

As the spires are all at the same distance from the camera, the depth of field didn’t need to be very deep; so it didn’t matter which aperture I chose. As this was the case I used an aperture of F5.6, with a shutter of 1/250^th. I managed to use ISO 100 so there was no chance of any noise getting into the photo.

I didn’t edit the photo because I love the composition; it was symmetrical with the two spires. The sky behind the spires was also spot on, which just enhances the overall composition.

Bex and I have planned a photography wander for the near future. So expect lots more interesting photos soon.

Mat

Angular

I’ve been ill recently, so Mat was left to his own devices- and credit where credit is due, he didn’t break it! I decided to go for a walk around my local area. After about an hour I had walked to a super market. Normally, I wouldn’t bother to stop but I still had a sore throat so went to buy a drink.

As I walked out of the shop, I spotted the pattern of the corrugated steel on the walls. I liked how the rivets broke up the seamless lines. When standing next to it, the steel acts a lead in line to the rivets; it draws your eye right into the picture. In Photoshop, I increased the contrast and decreased the brightness to give the effect of under-exposing. It also lost the detail in places, making the photo more abstract.

I think this works well, and can be a widely transferable effect so long as you know when and where to apply it.

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

Flying Birds

I managed to get out today so I went for a walk to the local lake. It’s always very peaceful there so if I’ve got a lot going on I like to go for walk around it to relax. I’m glad I managed to get out as it really helped me to relax, and the photography was really good fun as well.

While I was at the lake, there was a lot of birds flying around I thought they would make an interesting photo if I got the composition right. I used an aperture of F10 this gave me a good depth of field and meant I could use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze what was happening. I also underexposed the exposure slightly to make a moodier atmosphere.

I didn’t edit the photo because I really like the overall atmosphere of the photo, with the birds flying away and having the trees in the background. Also with the underexposure the atmsopherre is very moody which is exactly what I wanted.

I hope I get a chance to go out again tomorrow, there are a couple other places that I want to go walk to. If not then I still have many more photos form today that I could upload.

Mat

Tiny Leaves

Bex and I managed to get out for a walk today as planned. So we walked around our local area as we didn’t have much time. We walk the same area quite a lot but take different photo each time, as we see something different each time.

While walking there was an open area of grass that was surrounded by a hedge. I liked the area as there was a lot of photo opportunities, I thought that I should do some macro photography in this area. So I put the camera into aperture priority to give the smallest depth of field possible and I moved as close as I could to the leaves. By moving in close and using a large aperture the depth of field was only a few centimetres. I like this effect because very little of the leaf is in focus with the background blurred completely out of focus.

I rotated the photo so it was in the correct orientation and I cropped it down slightly to improve the composition. I also increased the colour temperature because I like having a little extra ‘warmth’ to my photos. I didn’t change anything else because I like how the photo was exposed and the colour recreation was perfect.

I’m away for the weekend, hopefully I shall have a chance to take some photos. If not then I’m sure Bex will be able to do a great job of supplying some amazing photos for you.

Mat

A Walk Through The Woods

During one of my breaks today I managed to go out for a short walk. It was nice to get out into the calm brisk air. I followed the gravel path for around 30 minutes, taking photos as I went.

There weren’t any clouds in the sky and the sun was beaming down on me as I walked. As I walked down the path a great photo opportunity sprang out at me. The scenery to the sides of the path almost made a mirror image of each other, along with the sun being nearly central in the frame. This made an interesting composition that I really liked. I used a small aperture to give the greatest depth of field and I had my tripod with me to steady the camera on so I could use ISO 100.

When I put the photo on to the computer I turned down the highlights by a small amount while increasing the shadow areas to make the detail more visible. I only made subtle changes because I tried to keep the atmosphere of the photo the same as when I took the photo.

Bex and I have planned to go out tomorrow for a walk together. I’m quite looking forward to it as I have many more photos in mind.

Mat

Luminous

I must apologise for leaving Mat to his own devices for the past few days; I've been snowed under with work!! I had a free afternoon today so I decided to mess around with the filters again. There’s been torrential rain all day, so I was confined to whatever I could find around my house.

I used a +1 and a +2 close up filter in conjunction with an 8-point starburst filter. Using these close up filters meant I could get a lot closer to the top of the lamp (whilst standing on a chair…!) without struggling to focus. The 8-point starburst filter adds more mystery around the lamp, instead of using a 4-point filter, which would give the conventional cross effect.

I boosted the contrast and increased the sharpness to make the starburst effect more prominent. I did this on the camera before taking the shot, so I didn’t need to do any editing afterwards. I wasn’t sure how much use the filters would be, but I thought they’d be good as a bit of fun. I’m quite impressed at some of the shots that I have got with them!

Bex

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Busy Bee

I managed to go out for a walk earlier today before the rain started. When the rain was away the weather was actually very nice. I went down to our local duckpond to catch some wildlife shots.

While I was down I saw a bee flying around some flowers, I followed it until it had landed on a flower. Luckily for me it had gone onto the flower itself and created an amazing photo opportunity. The camera was already in exposure bracketing and in aperture priority. So I used an aperture of F8 to ensure that the whole flower was in sharp focus. This photo came out the best of the three that I had taken.

When editing the photo I didn’t change the actual exposure because the camera got it spot on. The only change I made was to crop the photo to enhance the composition; I cropped the photo so the flower was in the top left of the frame.

I’m glad I managed to get out for a walk today; it was really nice to get out into the fresh air. Hopefully I’ll get another chance to go out soon.

Mat

Old Barn

To make a change away from all the festival photos that we’ve been showing I thought I would upload a photo that I took a while ago. This one is from one of our holidays away together, when we had gone for one of short wanders.

We had walked down a country road for a short while when we past a small farm yard. The land owner saw us walking along the road with our cameras and we got talking, after a while he let us take some photos around his yard. When I saw this old cow shed, the composition was perfect so I had to take a photo. I thought it would look interesting if I took it in sepia. To improve the composition I used a small aperture (F11), by doing this it means that the whole scene is in focus. I also underexposed the photo to introduce a moodier atmosphere.

While editing the photo I decided leave the photo exactly as it was. I think the photo came out just right. The composition is exactly how I wanted it and the sepia effect suites the scene perfectly.

I haven’t uploaded any black and white/sepia photos for a while. The next time I’m out I think I shall sneak in some black and white photos. I really love the effect of black and white photography, and I shall do some more when I next get a chance.

Mat