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

I do like to be beside the seaside

This is another photo from our tip to Weston. We enjoyed it so much and took so many photos. The beach was packed with people, mainly sun-bathing and soaking up the sun. I wanted to take a photo that emphasises how crowded the beach was.

We decided to go for a walk down the pier to see what it was like after the re-build.  I borrowed Bex’s camera for this photo so that I could use a really short focal length for a true wide-angle photo. I wanted to get as much into the frame as possible, because this would show how busy the beach was. I like how the sea curves round to the edge of the frame; it makes the beach look like it goes on forever. Also having the buildings on the left it frames the photo very well; with the beach being contained between the buildings and the sea. Having the beach in the middle of the frame helps to create the over-crowded effect that I was trying  for.

In the editing stage I increased the colour temperature to create a warm and ‘sunny’ effect to the photo. I also cropped the photo a small amount; I did this to aid the overcrowded effect. I liked the photo straight from the camera so I didn’t change anything else. The camera exposed the photo perfectly; the sky didn’t white out and the shadows still have a lot of depth to them.

Another message from Bex, she says that her holiday is really fun and she's having a great time. She adds that she misses the blog very much and can’t wait to get back and upload some photos from her holiday.

I hope your all enjoying the sun. I think the weather is going to turn very soon; so I would get out and enjoy the sun while it lasts if I was you.

Mat

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

Country Contrast

This photo was taken a while ago at TruckFest South West. I must confess I have a slight obsession with heavy goods vehicles, so TruckFest was heaven for me. I had taken the trusty Pentax ME Super with me and I managed to use up a whole reel of film while out. I’ve been quite busy recently, which is why I haven’t had a chance to get the film developed until a few days ago.

It was about half way through the day when we saw this pair of Tractor Units from country supplies specialist: Countrywide. The cab art really caught my eye, the bright and vibrant scenes that surrounded the cab were very impressive. I thought that the contrast between the classic country scenes and the very modern cab was very interesting; it shows how much farming and transport have changed and improved together over the years. With each decade more efficient and cheaper processes have been introduced: starting with horses towing everything on the farm and on the road; and culminating in today’s incredibly modern and high precision designs, with computers controlling every process.

I really think that this is more than just a photo, it contains much of our agricultural and transport history, showing the legacy that we have produced over the past 100 years. A legacy that will be left to the future, to increase the efficiency and profitability of agriculture and transport. This could be good or bad depending on your own opinions, making agriculture and transport more efficient could be good because less fossil fuels will be burnt and the world will be a greener place; but on the other hand, with more machinery and even tighter tolerances the work will become more stressful and the green country will become much more mechanised with vehicles working everywhere.

What you take away from this photo is dependent on your own opinions, but maybe take a minute to think about how much progress has been made in the past 100 hundred years; and then think: what do we do now, where does this take us? These are the questions that future generations will be asking themselves.

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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Catching Eyes

I had the opportunity to join Bradley Stoke Radio on another outside broadcast this Tuesday. Once we had set up the first thing we switched on was the bubble machine, which really attracted the attention of passers by. I love it too, even if I’m not a young child!

I used F5.6 on my macro lens to get a shallow depth of field. I like how the first fan is out of focus, and only a small part of the second is in focus. I used a fast shutter speed so that the fans wouldn’t be blurred.

I had to edit the picture as it looked dull. I increased the contrast and saturation to make the picture more vibrant. I also sharpened it to make the part that I focused on more obvious.

I love this picture; it grabbed my attention as well as the smaller children! It was a great day as usual- I really enjoyed myself and can’t wait for the next one.

Bex

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Peering through the gaps

Mat and I took a train to the seaside today, as the weather has been nice all week. We spent a whole day there, so both of us are looking rather red!

It was incredibly hot and by midday the energy had been almost completely sapped out of us. We decided to eat lunch, and in true British fashion we had fish and chips on the beach (the only difference being it was sunny!). It seemed that many others had the same idea as us, and the beach was packed! We walked a little further to the other side of the pier where it was quieter. The tide had gone out, and as we were eating lunch I noticed this picture.

I metered off of the background so that the structure of the pier was a silhouette. I think it worked really well, as it acts a bit like windows- drawing attention to the background through the gaps.

I’m absolutely exhausted but had an amazing day! I really do hope the good weather lasts. Evening all!

Bex

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