Sunset over Mudeford Quay
I live very near to this location so on a cold early evening I took my tripod, camera and a selection of ND filters to the edge of the Quayside.The tide was going out and moving at some pace so I put on an ND 10 filter to smooth out the fast flowing water together with an ND 4 graduated filter to control the sunset and bring some foreground detail out without needing to fix too much in the editing. At ISO 100 and f/22 an 8 second exposure did the trick.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO 100, 17mm, 0ev, f/22, 8.0s
A Touch of Spring
White Daffodil
This was taken back in Spring 2012 whilst I was shooting in a wood that has a great reputation for wild bluebells. It was growing wild but stood out for me as it seemed perfectly formed, flawless almost. It was also at the peak of it’s bloom and looking so proud.
By getting in close I was able to drop the background out of focus, and by exposing for the very bright petals it has created a background with zero distraction to the main subject.
It’s making me want Spring to come around again soon.
Canon 60D: EXIF ISO100, 85mm, 0ev, f/5,6, 1/50
Dolphin in Black and White
This is a re-edit of a photograph I published over a year ago. I’ve always loved this photo as I feel fortunate to have captured this beautiful creature in such favourable conditions – swimming wild in calm waters just a few miles off the coast of Vilamoura in Portugal.
My recent addiction to Black and White images prompted the re-edit and I like the results. Bearing in mind that most of his body is under water is a clue to just how calm the water was that day. I’d happily spend the rest of my days photographing wildlife like this.
Edited in Aperture 3. EXIF: ISO400, 90mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/1000
The Tree
This tree caught my eye as it made an imposing shape against a clear blue sky on a crispy Winter morning. Probably a more imposing figure in it’s glory days, it still made a shot worth taking. I didn’t have my DSLR with me on the day so my Samsung Galaxy S3 took the picture and I subsequently edited it in Aperture 3.
For what it’s worth the EXIF is: ISO80, 4mm, 0ev, f/2.6, 1/558
The location is the grounds of Wroxall Abbey, now a hotel but formerly the family country seat of Sir Christopher Wren – the most famous architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Focus on Black and White
I seem to have found myself editing into Black and White. I post regularly to Streamzoo and my content seems to show a journey from vivid colours, through experimentation with HDR to now being firmly settled in the world of monochrome.
I’m not complaining, maybe Black and White is now “my thing”. It certainly makes me think differently about the shots I take, knowing that that texture, light and composition have to be spot on to make the end result even remotely interesting. I also enjoy the editing, there just seem to be so many possibilities to take the image in any direction you choose.
So let’s see how long it lasts, but for now I’m sharing an old photograph but a favourite. This chap came back to life because I wanted to see what a monochrome version of the image would be like. He is currently my wallpaper on my iPad and has been for some time. Hope you like it too.
Edited in Aperture 3. ISO 100, 190mm, 0ev, f/7.1, 1/400
Lily Stamen
It’s that time of year again when a Lily will make a good subject for a photograph. Lately I’ve been exploring macro photography a bit more and going through a steep learning curve with the different lenses I have been using. This shot started out as one of the whole of the flower but as I cropped in I noticed how interesting the sharp focused stamen were and with the background nicely thrown out of focus creating a cool background.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO200, 80mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/100
Sunset Refections
I went out during the evening golden hour and stayed out to see if there would be anything interesting to shoot at sunset. We had a lot of rain last week and this was the first dry day, but still stormy and cloudy. As I walked along the quay I noticed the reflection of the sunset and clouds in the wet sand of the harbour, it was low tide so there was very little water on the surface. I like this, it could have done with something in the foreground to create some interest but you can’t have everything.
EXIF: CANON 60D, ISO200, 85mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/4000
Life’s a Beach
So, I was walking along Manly Beach with camera at the ready and watching out for people surfing that might make an interesting shot.
When I came across this surf rescue board carefully resting on it’s side with the waves in the background I felt this encapsulated all that was great about this place – safe and relaxing.
Manly Beach is a beautiful place and one where all your cares and worries melt away as soon as you step off the ferry. I thoroughly recommend it if you are visiting Sydney and if the choice is between Bondi or Manly then in my opinion there simply is no choice to be made.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO100, 300mm, 0ev, f/10, 1/125
Burnt Wood
This tree stump had been burnt and this emphasised the character of what was once the bark. I love how vivid the colours have worked on this, having tried a few black and white variants I am really pleased with the colour version.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO100, 85mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/50
Tree Trunk
Long dead but an interesting tree trunk from my visit to the New Forest today. I try to avoid portrait orientation usually, no particular reason, but the shape said I had to go there on this one.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO100, 85mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/60
Tree Roots, Part 2
This is a part of the tree root system shown earlier, roots grow in all sorts of interesting directions and are not often visible unless uprooted – as this tree was suddenly in a storm in the late eighties.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO 100, 75mm, 0ev, f/5.6,1/250
Tree Roots
These are the dried out roots of a fallen tree in the New Forest, Southern England. Many trees fell in storms twenty or more years back and I guess this was but one of them.
EXIF: Canon 60D, ISO 100, 73mm, 0ev, f/5.6, 1/40
Two Swans
It was as if I asked these two to pose for the camera, love the way they both look straight at me for this one.
Also the water droplets have been caught in the light nicely.
EXIF: ISO100|135mm|0ev|f7.1|1/500
Pesky Seagulls.
I saw these two seagulls sitting on a car park roof top. As I approached they stood up and started to cautiously look around. I took a number of shots but i like this one because of the shape they make and that each one is looking 180 degrees to the other, as if they are organised in their defensive posture.
EXIF:ISO100|135mm|0ev|f5.6|1/2000
Is This Love?
I feel fortunate to have captured this, I saw the two swans nuzzling each other and it started to look like a heart shape in the gap between them. I had the shutter on auto and took four or five frames with this one getting the picture I wanted.
Exif: ISO 100/135mm/0ev/f7.1/1250
Dolphin Swimming Free
I took this a few years back, we had to take a boat a few miles off the coast to find a family of Dolphins that were happy to play alongside the boat. The water was flat and I waited for this chap to break the surface of the water, but with the still surface his detail shows below the water line. The shutter speed really helped here with the water breaking off his back and fin just perfectly.
Location: a few miles off the coast of Vilamoura in Portugal.
Dolphin Swimming Free
Lilly about to Bloom
This is a Lilly about to open to full bloom. I liked the shape of the flower but needed something a bit different to make it an interesting picture. Hence the increased intensity in the post processing.
Lilly about to Bloom
Another Lilly Picture
It is the time for these rather interesting flowers to bloom so why not take advantage of them. Yes, I have processed this one to add some extra interest to what is a naturally beautiful plant but it kind of works.
This was taken on a fairly long exposure in order to get a decent depth of field.
White Lilly in Bloom
P-P-P-Pick Up a Penguin
Another up close and personal shot, this time of a penguin. I like the detail on this one, the focus is pin sharp where it counts and it highlights some great texture – particularly in the fur and the beak.
Closer and Close
This bloom is perhaps the size of your thumb. I’ve zoomed in to pick out some of the detail and dropped the background completely out of focus to concentrate on the subject. I’m certain I can find more perfect examples to photograph but it is perhaps the imperfections, as in life, that make the subject that little more interesting.
Lilly about to bloom
This is the first of the Lilies from this plant that is ready to flower, time for some time lapse photography perhaps!
I like the texture here and of course the colour, the depth of field is keeping interest in the main subject.
Lemurs in a Row
Ok, so yet another Lemur picture but this is the one they seem to like the most on Flickr so I thought I would share. No more Lemurs after this.
It’s not easy getting animals to all pose the same way, the same distance apart and at the right moment to turn to their left. But these guys were promised fame and fortune, and here it is….
Lemur Lemur Lemur Lemur Lemur!
You have to sing the title in your head to the tune of the Kaiser Chiefs famous hit, RUBY – I always do when I see the photo.
This has always been a favourite photograph of mine, I caught this chap against a brilliant blue sky and his eye in particular just stands out beautifully. Add in his well conditioned coat and a cool photograph is the end result – well I like to think so anyway.
JAWS
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the restaurant!
This picture was taken in a restaurant in Madrid, Espana. This rather large fish was on display in the window and was eye catching enough to make we want to capture the image. Quite striking.
