Setting

It’s mine and Mat’s last evening on holiday together so after we ate we decided to go for a mini photography wander along the local canal. It was about 9pm so the sun was beginning to set.

We didn’t get very far down the canal; the cameras took over and we sat on a bench to take some shots of the sunset. It’s been a cloudy and somewhat miserable day- the clouds hadn’t lifted by the evening.

I love how the trees are just silhouettes; the black really makes the colours in the sky stand out. I increased the saturation in Photoshop when we got back. I know it’s not the most impressive sunset ever, but I loved the colours and wanted to share my last evening on holiday with you.

Bex

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Tree Vista

We’re still on holiday and having a great time! We went for a quick walk today in the park. The view was fantastic; I saw just a single tree on the horizon. I really liked the view of the tree on it’s own on the side of the hill.

I thought that having the tree in the right hand third would make a more interesting composition. I managed to expose the sky, the tree and the foreground correctly, which really enhances the photo. I like how the wispy clouds in the sky can still be seen clearly travelling across the bright blue sky.

The only editing that I did was to crop the photo down and to rotate the photo slightly to ensure that it is vertical. Apart from that I didn’t change anything else, because Bex’s camera had chosen all the right settings (once again!).

We’ve still got two more days left of our holiday, and I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Mat 

Endless Arches

Mat and I went for a walk in the town centre today. We hadn’t been into the centre before so we weren’t sure where to go and it looked like all the buildings were new. We walked down a small lane, as it looked rather interesting. As we walked, I spotted a short cut that lead back to the main shopping precinct.

It was really out of place against the modern buildings (perhaps why it grabbed my attention); I loved how it stood out from everywhere else. I really like the rows of arches. After every few archways there were exits on the left and right to different paths.

I think it creates a really interesting effect, as it looks like an endless length of arches and the exits to the left and right create shadows on the ground from the pillars. I love trying to take arty shots on holiday, because you always notice a lot of different things at once.

Bex

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Another Time

Bex and I are on another holiday together! (Lucky us). We arrived quite early and decided to go for a short wander while there was a gap in the rain.

We walked along a public footpath that went across a field. The clouds where composed perfectly at the time, and the sheep where spread across the foreground, which created some interest without causing a distraction. Overall I really like the composition of the photo, and taking the photo in black and white makes the clouds contrast more against the sky and the foreground.

When I put the photo onto the computer I cropped a small amount of sky from the top and increased the mid-tone contrast. I also lowered the brightness of the highlights. I did this to increase the detail in the sky and to increase the contrast in the foreground.

I think the photo works very well with the foreground interest, the sky and the clouds flowing across. The editing also helped to improve the photo overall, increasing the contrast between the sky and clouds.

I really like this photo, and hopefully I can take some more like it, or maybe some macro photos instead. I’ll wait to see what’s in front of the lens when I’m out on our next wander.

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

Flower Spotting

I haven’t been on any wanders recently, so I had to search my computer for a picture from a previous outing. While searching I stumbled across this photo of a gorgeous red flower.

I took this while going for a short walk when I noticed a group of flowers in someone front garden. I really liked how the flowers where naturally arranged. I boosted the red to make the flower look more vivid. I used the maximum possible aperture to blur the background and create a pleasing effect on the photo, focusing the attention onto the flowers.

When I checked the photo I didn’t think that it needed any adjustments because I had already boosted the reds and had taken the photo with a high contrast setting. I really like this photo, the bright flower really summed up the weather that we were having at the time I took the photo; I hope that the good weather makes a quick return!

Mat

The Best Cocktail

I’m afraid I haven’t had chance to go for a walk today, but I have another picture that I’d like to share from my party. There definitely isn’t a better use of a cocktail glass than this!

The table decorations were themed around sweets, with lollipops scattered around the table, love hearts on the side plates and cocktail glasses of mixed sweets in the centre. Needless to say these didn’t last long, but I managed to get a picture before they disappeared.

I love how everything on the table is white, while the contents of the glass are colourful; it makes the sweets stand out in the foreground. I really like how you can see the sugar dusted on some of the sweets, and the light on the rim of the glass.

On another celebratory note, the blog is 4 months old today. Happy birthday Daily Wanders!!!

Bex

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