Small Growth

This photo was also taken on our recent wander into the nature reserve. Further along the path was a tree which had some saplings shooting off; on some of them small pieces of green were hanging off. I spotted two of these pieces of green which I thought could make an unusual composition.

I used a wide aperture to shorten the depth of field and I focused on the left piece. I did this to throw the right piece out of focus. I used the flash in this photo so I could create a high contrast between the background and the subjects. I had the camera in manual mode with a shutter speed of 1/50^th of a second and aperture of F5.6. I chose this combination to keep the depth of field very small and to ensure the background was dark in comparison to the subjects.

To edit the photo I boosted the contrast and lowered the shadows. I did this to make the photo look more dynamic with the very high contrast between subject and background. I didn’t change anything else as I was happy with the effects I had created.

Overall I’m very happy with this photo; I captured the effect that I was aiming for. I really like the effects that can be created with flash. I will defiantly be trying more varied effects in the future.

Mat

Brambles

Both Bex and I had some time off yesterday, so we decided to take a short walk around the local nature reserve. We were walking around when I spotted a small bramble bush; I thought that one of the ends sticking out made an interesting composition.

I had my flash gun and tripod with me so I set up the flash gun on the tripod to the right of the bramble bush; so that only the right side of the bush is lit up. I wanted to try this effect out because I have seen it before a few times and wanted to try it out myself. I used the camera in manual mode and selected a shutter speed of 1/40^th and an aperture of F8; I chose this aperture to ensure that only the bramble bush was in focus. I underexposed the flash by one stop to get the effect that I wanted.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and lowered the highlights to stop them from clipping. I also increased the colour tone to give the green leaves more punch. I also cropped the photo down slightly as there was some dead space to the left of the frame. Finally I converted the photo into JPEG format.

I’m very pleased with how this photo turned out, I like the moody effect the flash gun has made. I shall defiantly be experimenting more with different flash gun setups.

Mat

Standing Tall

Mat and I went to the Focus on Imaging Show on Sunday, and it was AMAZING! It really was photographic heaven, and well worth the two-hour train journey. While at the event, there were a plethora of things to try out, from lenses to lights and soft boxes to cameras.

One of the things I tried were some lights. In order to help attract customers, a mini samba class was run at the stall. Before this started, those with cameras were invited to take photos of the dancer using the lights. I didn’t have a lot of time as there were a few people waiting, but I managed to get this photo, and I absolutely love it!!

As ever, I found that the image from my camera looked a little dull on my computer screen, so increased both the contrast and the saturation to make the image look more vibrant. I also increased sharpness to make the glitter on her eyes and the details of the individual jewels stand out. I absolutely loved visiting Focus, and really wished I could have stayed! Roll on next year!

Bex
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Homeward Bound

The Focus On Imaging event that Bex and I went to yesterday was awesome!!! We both had a fantastic time, and were given a lot of useful information from every stall. Everyone we spoke to was very friendly and willing to help us look for the right equipment. Unfortunately the time came for us to depart and return back home. We both took our cameras with us, but for the first time for a large event we didn’t take that many photos!

I took this one on our way home waiting for the train; before ours arrived, a series of other trains past ours by. As one was pulling away I thought it mad an interesting composition passing the signal at the end of the platform. I used the camera in manual mode so I could select both the shutter speed and the aperture. In this case I chose an aperture of F5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/500^th of a second. The aperture I selected gives a reasonable depth of field which is the effect I wanted to create in the final image. The shutter speed I chose was fast enough for the focal length that I was using.

To edit the photo I boosted the contrast and lowered the highlights to stop them from clipping. I didn’t crop the photo down, because I was happy with how I had framed the photo at the station. I didn’t change the colour tone or the saturation, as I was happy with how the colours had been replicated.

We both had such a good time at Focus On Imaging; we will defiantly be going back again next year. We both recommend it to anyone with even the smallest interest in photography.

Mat

Netted

Bex and I decided to pre-prepare a blog post for today. This photo was taken on yesterdays trip. In the park we had stopped in; there was a small climbing frame made from rope. I thought that if I took the photo at an odd angle then I could create an interesting composition.

For this photo I used my telephoto lens to create a very short depth of field. I pointed the camera up towards the sky to get the composition that I wanted. I used the camera in aperture priority to keep the depth of field to the minimum. As it was sunny day I pre-selected an ISO of 100. The camera matched this with a shutter speed of 1/400^th of a second; this was fast enough to account for the focal length.

To edit the photo I increased the contrast and then I decreased the shadows. I did this to make the photo more dynamic. I didn’t crop the photo, as I was happy with the composition. I like the effect I created after editing the photo.

As this post was created yesterday we will tell you how Focus On Imaging went in tomorrows post. But I’m sure it will be a very enjoyable and informative event.

Mat

Branching Up

Bex and I managed to get out for a walk today; we went slightly out of our town today to a park that we haven’t been to for quite a while. We decided to sit down and watch the world go by for a while, we were about to move on when I noticed three trees standing on their own; which I think made a very interesting composition.

I used the camera in aperture priority and selected an aperture of F11 to ensure the whole scene was sharp front to back. I under exposed by two stops to silhouette the tree and to enhance the blue sky. I composed the photo so that the tree was in the left hand side of the frame.

I didn’t edit the photo, as I was happy with the effect that I had created. The levels were as I wanted them and the composition was spot on what I wanted. I thought I might spoil the effect if I changed the composition or the light levels.

Tomorrow Bex and I are going to the Focus On Imaging Show in the NEC at Birmingham. We’ve been very excited about this trip for a long time! Both of us have planned the day out to the last detail. We will let you know how we get on when we get back.

Mat

Rusted

This is another photo from my trip to the architectural salvage yard a few days ago. As I mentioned previously, a few metres past the entrance, no patch of wall is left uncovered. This photo was taken of another object along the wall.

There is no rhyme to what is placed there; it seems to be anything that the owner likes the look of. On my way out, I stopped to admire everything that lined the wall, and spotted a group of cogs. I decided to focus on one cog as I wanted to capture all of the details that can only be seen close up. I only focused on part of the single cog to add interest to the photo, as it makes it seem a little abstract.

I had to under-expose the photo slightly to get a fast enough shutter speed to keep it sharp; I corrected this in Photoshop. I increased the brightness and contrast to make the image more vibrant. I then decreased the saturation almost completely, as I wanted to push forward the idea of age, while not completely losing the colour of rust. I’m really pleased with this image; it took a little longer to edit than normal as I was being fussy, but it was definitely worth it!

Bex

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