Calm Before the Storm

I managed to get out for a walk today; so I went down to the lake for some inspiration. The weather wasn’t amazing today so I had to dash out between the rain showers. But when it wasn’t raining the weather was really nice, presenting some great photographic opportunities.

There were a few clouds in the sky to scatter the sun’s rays, so the lighting was perfect. I composed the photo so I had a small bush in the foreground, this created some foreground interest. I focused on the background so the small bush would be out of focus. Also I tried to get equal amounts of the foreground and the sky into the frame, to create a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

When I got to the editing stage, I decided that it didn’t need very much editing. I increased the colour temperature and saturation; this makes the photo look much more vibrant. Also I turned down the highlights; this made the sky darker and the clouds clearer.

This may be the last chance I get to take a sunny photo this week. The weather forecasts are starting to change; the rain is on its way! So I think this is just the calm before the storm. Prepare for the rain, but enjoy the sun while it lasts.

Mat

Stormy Horizon

I’m missing my holiday already, so I thought that I should upload a photo from it. This image is from one of the long walks that Bex and I went on the Saturday; the weather had been changing rapidly all day. The constantly changing weather presented some great photos, but also caused some problems while taking them; (as the camera isn’t water proof)!

The clouds had just started to break apart after a short spell of rain. I thought the clouds looked very dramatic, so would make an interesting photo. I tried to do something slightly different so I tried to get some of the ground in the photo as well. I really like how well the photo has worked, with the tree in the corner giving some perspective and ‘size’ to the composition.

I thought that the photo could be improved slightly through the use of Photoshop. I adjusted the histogram to crop out the shadows, losing all detail and turning them into silhouettes. I also increased the brightness of the highlights to increase the contrast and make the clouds look more violent.

I think the edited photo looks a lot better now than it did straight from the camera. I really like how the silhouette of the tree stands out against the sky. We both have plenty of material from our holiday to keep the blog running for quite a while now, but it won’t stop us going out for our photography wanders! I hope everyone who is on their summer break is having as good a time as we are!

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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A Lone Daisy

This is another photo from yesterday’s short wander. It was actually taken about 50 feet down the path from yesterdays upload!! I noticed how the water droplets had settled onto the daisy; I really liked the effect that it created on the flower.

I thought I should put the camera onto a portrait format; I did this so as to only show the daisy in the centre, it also focuses the attention onto the head of the daisy. I used a large aperture to blur the background so as to not distract the attention away from the daisy. I preselected the white balance to make sure that the daisy petals came out a really clear white against the green background.

After putting the photos onto the computer, I used photoshop to edit them. I reduced the colour temperature to make the white petals even whiter; I also tuned the shadows down a little so as to keep the interest on the flower itself.

I really like how the photo has come out, with the detail of the water droplets and the detail in the petals. Hopefully the weather will make a turn for the better so that I can take some sky shots. Bex and I have been making the best of the bad weather with our photography. Have you been making the most out of the wet weather too?

Mat

Small reflections

This morning, Bex and I went for a walk in our local wood. It had been raining and had just stopped when I saw this piece of grass with the fresh rain dripping from it, and thought it would make a good photo.

I cropped it to focus the attention on the droplet itself. When the taking the photo I used a large aperture to blur the background and keep the attention on the grass and the rain droplet. I love how the reflection is really clear on the raindrop with the reflection of the grass.

I know this is very similar to one of Bex’s earlier photos, but I really like the effect of the water droplet so I thought I would ‘reflect’ Bex’s idea in my own shot!

I really like going for walks after it has rained in the morning because of how the grass and the trees reflect light off of them. When is your favourite time to go for a walk, morning, afternoon, or evening?

Mat

Taking Shelter

The weather has been stereotypically British today, meaning I’ve spent a lot of time hiding under my umbrella. Despite the rain I decided to go for a walk, hoping to get some dramatic shots.

I freely admit that this isn’t the most dramatic picture, and it started off as an accident in a desperate attempt not to get rain on the lens. In one picture, the umbrella tipped too far forward and ended up in the shot. After this I decided that it might make a good effect, so made my umbrella the subject and the lake the background.

I think it turned out well, and I love how I caught the raindrop just as it was falling from the umbrella. I really enjoy taking pictures in the rain, but I’d love a bit of sunshine soon!

Bex

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Young at Heart

Yesterday, I mentioned that I helped Bradley Stoke Radio at our local community festival. The stalls, music & dancing of yesterday is just one part of a three day festival. Unfortunately I missed Part 1 of the festival (a children’s picnic and circus) as I had work to do.

This is part 3 of the festival, a 10km run. By some work of a miracle I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and was ready to capture the runners at the finish line!

I took pictures of most of the runners, but I especially liked this one. There weren’t many runners of age, but this was one of my favourites as it shows that age doesn’t always limit you!

I used my telephoto lens to get a close up of each of the runners. Later on, I increased the saturation and the contrast, as it was a very grey day.

I’ve really enjoyed the festival weekend, and I’m looking forward to the extra day off, with thanks to her majesty.

Bex

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Distractions

I will readily admit that I am incredibly easily distracted and, like most people, when I need to do work everything becomes much more interesting- today was no exception.

Mat and I have had a lot going on recently, and I brought some work home with me to finish off during the course of this evening. The glorious sunshine we’ve had over the last few days hasn’t lasted and instead we have rather reluctantly welcomed back the rain.

I try to make the best of situations, and one characteristic of rain is that it can give some interesting shots. This afternoon I was in my room when it had just stopped raining, and there were raindrops on my window. This seemed a lot more interesting than work, so I grabbed my camera to try and get some interesting photos.

I took a few that I thought were successful, and this is one of my favourites. I used the macro setting on my camera with a smaller aperture to create a more shallow depth of field. This meant the raindrops on my window were in focus while the trees behind were blurred.

After my impromptu break I did continue my work, so I apologise for yet another late post!

Bex

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