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

In A Rush

Bex and I didn’t have anything planned during today so we went down to the harbour in our local city. It was quite late by the time we got there. So I thought instead of trying to get a sharp image, I’ll make the most of the conditions and use a slower shutter speed to blur the movement of passing cars.

We were walking alongside a busy road which gave me the idea of blurring the movement of a passing car. So for this photo I slowed the shutter speed of 1/30^th of a second this means that the background will be blurred but the car will still be relatively sharp. As it was dark I used the widest aperture of F4.5 which gave a shallow depth of field.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and the brightness. I did this because I thought the photo could do with a bit more ‘punch’. I also de-saturated the photo because I thought the photo had a bit of a colour cast to it.

Overall I am impressed with this photo, and I really like how the lights of the car have become refracted through the lens to make the patterns on the image. I’m glad I didn’t change much in the image because I like the overall effect that I created.

Mat

Following the Path

This is another picture from my walk that I went on a few days ago. As I mentioned previously, I went for a walk to my local harbour. When I first walked towards the harbour I noticed a rocky outcrop, which happened to look like a winding path. At the top of this path, a man was walking around. He started to walk back towards the path shaped rocks, so I grabbed my camera and tried to set up the shot as best I could before he moved.

The shot was a little under exposed as I had used a really narrow aperture and had forgotten to take off exposure compensation. When reviewing the image, I actually liked that it was under exposed as it accentuated the shadows and made the clouds look moodier. Apart from sharpening the image slightly, I haven’t edited it at all.

I like how the path seems to lead you to the horizon, but the man who seems to be looking for the start of the path, or perhaps following the trail distracts your attention. I like how his motives are mysterious; you have to look at the image closely to make up your own mind. I’m really pleased with my snapshot!

Bex

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Autumnal Amble

I’m back… sort of. I was feeling a little brighter today so Mat and I went for a walk around the outskirts of town. Towards the beginning of the year, we found this place by accidentally getting on the wrong bus (don’t ask). It may have been cold and late whilst we were anxious to get home, but it was a nice place to wait for the correct bus.

I explained to my family that evening, and they told me how I could get back there. Since then we have visited the same place a few times and different points in the year. It’s amazing how as the year progresses, it changes completely; it seems almost as if you’re visiting somewhere new each time. I think my favourite season of the year to photograph is in autumn; it sounds a little cliché, but the colours of the leaves really do add so much interest!

It’s really odd to see when walking, as one road is completely green then as soon as you turn the corner you are faced with a sea of fire. The vast stretch of pavement is lined by trees each side with benches in between. Around this time of year you completely lose sight of the floor as it gives way to a carpet of colour.

In this photo I used a custom white balance (6000K) to make the colours warmer; I also increased the contrast and sharpness on the camera. I haven’t done any editing after this as I was pleased with the photo and didn’t want to make the colours appear artificial.

This is one of my favourite places to visit, as it doesn’t seem possible that you could ever tire of it. It’s difficult to get to, but really is worth it and I can’t wait until I can go again. There’s also a very nice café near by – coffee please!

Bex

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Mountain View

I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had a chance to go out for a wander. So again I looked into my computer’s memory for some photographic inspiration. So I looked through some of my holiday photos from a few years ago.

This was one from a trip to North Wales; I had gone for a walk along a river near mount Snowdon. I didn’t have access to an SLR back then so I used my compact camera. I put the camera into landscape mode which boosts the greens but also selects a narrower aperture to normal.

As this was taken on a compact camera, so I had to make a few adjustments. The main was to change the exposure: I increased both the contrast and the overall brightness. This corrected the camera to make the photo much more balanced. I also increased the colour temperature; this brings some warmth into the photo and makes it look much more vibrant.

I really like some of my old holiday photos; some of them are actually quite good. But most of them have required some sort of editing in one way or another. Bex and I have planned to go out for a short wander tomorrow if we both get some spare time. So hopefully we shall have some photos to share for you.

Mat

Stalls

This is another photo from my holiday, as I still have many to upload and so little time to take new pictures!! I took this photo on the first full day of our holiday when we went shopping.

As described in a previous post, the shopping centre opens out to reveal a long high street with small pathways spiralling off of it. I’ve visited the same place several times, so I’ve been down most of them. The trouble is that they ALL lead to another winding alley, which leads to another and another, and so on.

I walked a little further down the street before turning off this time, and I found two large archways in what seemed to look like a long forgotten part of town. I heard noises so walked in to see what was going on and was faced with the buzz of a traditional market place.

I took this picture using ISO 1600 so that I could get a fast enough shutter speed whilst still being able to use an aperture of F8 to get a deeper depth of field. I didn’t do any editing apart from noise removal, as I wanted to keep the photo as close to the original as possible.

It’s near impossible to find the same streets more than once, but I certainly hope that I’m able to find this one again- I love it!!! Retro sweets anyone?

Bex

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Country View

I didn’t have a chance to go out today unfortunately. So I was looking through some photos that I had taken on one of the trips Bex and I went on. We had gone for a walk along a country lane, the scenery was amazing and the weather was amazing. Bex and I were taking photo after photo because there were so many photo opportunities.

For this photo I put the camera onto a tripod and used an aperture of F22 (the minimum on the lens I was using). This ensured the depth of field was at its maximum. Also I under exposed the on the camera, I did this to increase the contrast between the sky and the clouds. I was using ISO 100 for maximum detail; because of this the shutter speed the camera chose was ¼ of second. This didn’t matter because I was using a tripod.

When editing the photo, I decided to increase the colour temperature; I did this to make the photo look more vibrant with the greens and oranges being increased. Also I cropped the photo because I wasn’t completely happy with the composition. Cropping out some of the foreground has made the composition much more pleasing I think.

Hopefully Bex and I will get a chance for a photography wander soon. Because we’ve both found many good locations for photography which we would both love to share with you.

Mat

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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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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Aisles

Once a year in my local area, there is an “Open Doors Day”. This is when local places of interest let the public access all areas for a single day. Among other places, Mat and I decided to go to a church on the outskirts of town. It’s well known for the bell tower, which is what was open!

I walked up to the roof of the bell tower with my camera; the views were stunning but looked more like snapshots than photography. When reviewing my photos in the evening, I saw this picture. It was taken just before I went up to the roof. I was waiting for my turn, so decided to go for a wander through the main building. As I got to one end of the church, I turned and saw the archways. I noticed how the pews acted as lead in lines, as well as pillars.

I had to wait for 10 minutes to get a shot without any people at the back of it. I had to use a high ISO in order to avoid using flash. This meant that I needed to edit my picture in the evening. I increased the contrast and saturation to make the picture seem brighter without losing the colour. Afterwards, I used the noise removal tool to make the picture look clearer.

I’m really pleased with it; it was definitely worth the wait! I think it’s one of those pictures that you don’t realise it’s potential until you’ve see it on a larger screen.

Bex
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A Church With A View

The church we visited yesterday had a tower that was also open to the public. Bex and I thought the rooftop would have some interesting photo opportunities so we climbed the stairs to the top (All 133 of them!). But when we got to the top, it was more than worth it!

In each corner of the tower there was a small spire, I thought if I took a photo peering through the gaps it would make an interesting composition. I used a narrow aperture so that both sides will be in focus. Also I waited for the clouds to move into a more interesting position to improve the composition.

Afterwards I straightened the photo, and increased the colour temperature. I increased the colour temperature to recreate the colours of the sand stone. I needed to straighten the photo, because I hadn’t quite taken the photo completely vertically.

We both took plenty of photos yesterday, so we still have plenty of picture to upload over the coming week.

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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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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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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Seaside Takeaway

Because of the fantastic weather we’ve been having Bex and I decided to go on a trip to Weston-super-mare. We caught the train down for the day, walking around the beach and pier soaking up the sunshine.

We had just finished our lunch, and I was taking some photos of the statue when I noticed that a young boy had left his chips on the side. There were hundreds of seagulls flying around impersonating vultures, waiting for their prey below (this being an odd chip left behind). When they saw a box full of chips they all dived down to steal the leftovers!

I thought I couldn't miss this opportunity. Fortunately the camera was already in continuous drive mode, so I simply selected a fast shutter speed and took as many photos as I could before the buffer filled up! I ended up with around 15 photos looking very similar. After looking through them I decided that this was the best. It clearly shows the seagulls fighting each other for the food and flying off after they had got some.

The photos had been taken in a hurry so they needed some editing in Photoshop. I cropped the photo to remove the over-fussy background. The photo was slightly over-exposed so I darkened the highlights to try and gain some detail back into the white areas.

I think the photo looks a lot better after being edited; it brings back all the good memories from the trip- a very enjoyable day. I hope that we can go back again soon, if we do then I’m sure there will be many more photos for us to upload.

Bex is currently on holiday; she is having a great time and wishes you all well. She also says that she’s missing you and the blog already! As she is away I have been left in charge of the blog for the next week. I will carry on as normal with a different and (hopefully) interesting upload every day!

Mat

Going for Gold

Like many others this evening, I have been watching the opening ceremony. It’s rather surreal to think that after all the preparation of the last seven years; the Olympics are finally upon us.

I took this picture the last time Mat and I went on holiday. On the first day, we went into the city centre. In the afternoon, it was incredibly hot so we sat down outside of the town hall. The torch had just gone past meaning London 2012 flags were prolific. As I was walking up the steps of the town hall I looked to my left and saw the flags stretching down the street. I took this using a shallow depth of field so only the first two flags could be read easily.

I have been saving this picture for the most suitable time; and none seems more suitable than the evening of the opening ceremony. I have never spent longer on a blog post than today- I started typing nearly 2 hours earlier! However, I will admit that my attention was divided.

I hope you’re enjoying the opening ceremony too, and enjoy the Olympics- wherever you’re from. One thing I must say… GO ON BRITAIN!!!!

Bex

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A Trip Out

Today my family and I went to Blaise castle for the day. The weather was amazing, with the sun blazing down. While taking a rest in the shade I saw this statue. I really liked how symmetrical it was with the background bursting out from behind.

I had left the camera in automatic as I was taking a lot of photos and didn’t have much time to change the settings. I think the camera did a very good job with calculating  the exposure. The only thing I would have done was to take the photo with the low key feature. But also I would have liked the white to be a bit brighter.

After taking the photos off of the camera I decided to correct a few details that I wanted to change. I made the shadows darker and increased the brightness; this created the low key effect that I wanted. I also cropped the photo equally on both sides; this improves the symmetry of the statue in the frame while also focussing the attention onto the statue.

I'm enjoying the good weather and hope that it will stay around as I’m planning a few more trips out around the countryside.

Mat

Suspended

I went on a bit of an adventure today, as I didn’t have anything to do- taking my camera with me as ever. I decided to go to somewhere that I hadn’t been to many times- the Clifton suspension bridge.

I’ll admit that this photo  isn’t completely my own idea. As I was walking towards the bridge I saw another photographer taking a picture looking up at the towers, but in the centre of the road. If I take a similar shot of something I try to make it more original- in this case by taking the picture from the bottom of one of the chains.

The camera used flash automatically; because of this and metering off of the grey sky I lost a lot of the colour in the photo overall- the top of the tower being the only part of the photo with obvious colour. I decided I liked this effect so made it more prominent with the use of Photoshop.

I selected the cream area at the top of the tower and increased the saturation; I then inverted the selection and decreased the saturation in the rest of the picture. I also increased the contrast, which makes the dirtiness of the chains stand out, making the picture seem grittier.

I love this photo; I think it looks really quirky. I had a lot of inspiration for this photo yet I think it’s still original.

Bex

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