Faro (that's lighthouse)

Here is another one of my experimental long exposure shots. The lighthouse is at the entrance to the marina by the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore. I was using a long  exposure and variable ND filter so I could smooth out the surface of the water, there was a fair breeze so the lagoon was a little choppy. As I clicked the shutter a small boat passed in front of the camera, initially I was annoyed but when I saw the resulting image I was actually quite pleased because the blur of movement and the swirling water have added a really nice effect.
 

Experimental Film

 

In February last year (25th to be precise) I posted under the title "whoosh" some long exposure images of the snow drops at Chirk, inspired by driving through snow on the journey there. Each shot was about 2 seconds duration and I used my 24mm-105mm L series zoom lens staring at 105 mm and zooming out to 24mm.

Looking back at those images I am not very happy with them and I thought I would try the same effect again on my most recent visit to Chirk. This time I used a shorter exposure, for the first image it was 1 second and for the rest it was 0.8 seconds. I am overall much happier with the results this time round and feel the effect is much more in line with what I hoped to achieve... something like the look when you make the jump to light speed!

Anyway I hope you enjoy these images and while you look why not listen to this tune by They Might Be Giants, and hopefully your face will not implode.

If more conventional photos of snowdrops is more your thing stop by tomorrow as i also have some of those.

More From The Dell

 I continued to mess about (experiment) with long exposures, these two were both 6 second exposures to see what sort of effects I could create. Fortunately down in the dell by the riverside there was not too much wind and so the foliage is still fairly sharp despite the lengthy exposure but the water has a sort of brushed on appearance which I rather like.

I like the overall feel of the setting in the first image and in the second I like the steely or leather like quality to the water. By using this technique there are so many colours visible that you would miss as the water rushes by.

Pearlescent Bark

I have stuck with just one image today, an abstract image of the bark of a tree. 

I have played about a little with the edit in lightroom for this image and I am really pleased with the result. I wouldn't normally take risks with colour because I know that I don't see things the way most people do and while I like the effect of this edit I cannot be sure what other viewers will see.

The colours in the bark were all there, the result of sap leaking out of the tree, as well as stains from the rain and algae. I have increased the saturation of specific colours to add a little drama and to emphasise the pearlescent effect. 

I  grew up believing trees are green and brown but when you look closely there is always so much more to see, and enjoy.
 

Whoosh

As I said yesterday I went to Chirk Castle to see the annual display of snowdrops in the castle's beautiful grounds. I took a few photographs of the carpet of flowers but I wanted to try something different and I would love to know what you think of the images below.

 I have used a long exposure for these images (2 seconds for the first image and 0.8 seconds for the other two) using my EF 24 - 105 mm f4L USM zoom lens. While the shutter was open I pulled back through the full range to create the movement in the finished image.

I was inspired to try this effect because on the way to Chirk I drove through a snow storm and I wanted to create something that represented the experience of driving through snow. With the snowdrops it seemed appropriate. I think that maybe in the second image I have come closest to what I had hoped and I think that pictures two and three are the better images but as with any abstract image it is open to interpretation.

I would really like to know what you think.

The Holly and the Bokeh

 So, following on from yesterday here are a few more shots experimenting with bokeh.

This time instead of lichen I have used holly as the subject but the naturally fragmented light in the shrubs behind the holly has created marvellous bokeh. 

I love the rich tones of the first two images but I also think it works well in high contrast black and white as in the third image.

Written in Fire?

 I know these may n0t be to everyone's taste but I rather like these images. I enjoy looking for the abstract images that can be found in ripples and reflections. I posted some shots on a similar theme on a website about two years ago and got barely any response but about 6 months later I saw very similar posts by other regular contributors who were using the same approach so I thought I may have influenced their own experiment.

Here the shots were taken at night of a hotel sign reflected in one of Bruge's canals, different angles, exposures and crops have produced very different images of the same thing, all of which I think are quite effective and interesting. Water that had appeared flat and smooth is revealed to have lots of movement and miniature peaks and troughs each catching the light and reflecting it back in different ways. Walking by the reflections just look like splashes of light but frozen in time and looked at more closely there is so much detail and beauty to be found in something simple and fleeting.

"Wish" on a Star

 So as promised yesterday here are the other shots from my experiment with bokeh, I figured that star shaped bokeh was appropriate for these images which I think have turned out quite well. The lights in the background are just standard white LED Christmas lights but the effect is created by shooting through a star cutout placed over the lens. That is not all there is to it but that's the starting point.

Anyway I hope you have enjoyed the pictures over the past two days

Happy New Year to everyone, hoping that 2021 has good things in store. That's definitely a wish worth sharing.

Historic Docks

 

I know that by experimenting I will improve my photography so recently I have been practicing with long exposures and night time photography and I am enjoying the results, hopefully you are too. 

As well as extending the exposure times I have also tried using different settings for the white balance and if you compare the first image with one of the similar shots I posted yesterday you will be able to see the difference quite clearly.

In the second of today's pictures I am looking into the heart of the dock. At one time this would have been full of ships unloading and loading their cargoes and there would have been a real energy to the place. Now there is a maritime museum, the Tate Gallery, boutiques and bistros and the warehouses are now loft apartments and the only boats to moor here are pleasure craft.

If you look carefully in the second image you will see a couple of light traces on the water. These were caused by a group of kayakers who were exploring the docks after dark. I can imagine it is quite an experience to do that and although I was surprised to see them I wouldn't mind having a go at that myself.

Whorls and Swirls

Here are three more images from my smoking experiment.

As I said yesterday there is an element of chance when photographing things like water and smoke because you cannot easily control or predict what will happen. You just have to try and set the conditions as best you can and hope that with a bit of experimentation and a lot of patience you can get some decent images.

Yesterday's ribbons of smoke were fairly simple but after a little more practice I achieved these more intricate and really beautiful whorls and swirls.

Drip Drip Drop

Here are a few more shots from my experimental macro/flash shoot yesterday.

Today I have also experimented with some of the settings in Lightroom, mostly just adjusting highlights and shadows and in the first image raising the temperature.

I am pleased with these and hope you like them too. I will be back tomorrow with some more.

Lockdown Fun

Although I still have lots of pictures I could sort through and share from past shoots I thought that today I would try something I have never tried before and I am really pleased with the results.

For these shots I used my 100mm macro lens and my ring flash and I set up a mini studio on my dining table with two small spotlights to add extra highlights. I hadn't really used the flash properly before so my first challenge was working out how to synchronise the flash so I could use a fast shutter speed (1/1250ms to 1/2000ms). Once I got that sorted I used a medicine syringe to drop water into a bowl filled to the brim. It was a case of trial and error to get the droplets in the right spot and to fire the shutter at the right time.

I was able to create a lot of interesting effects; I will share a few more over the next few days but for today enjoy these. I think they are really cool!

Snowy River (and some thoughts on photo editing)

A few weeks ago I went to Snowdonia on a cold and grey day hoping to find some snow and some great landscape shots. Unfortunately it was a very grey day and the light didn't lend itself to the task I had set myself so when I got home I found most of the images I had taken were a bit dull and didn't really reflect the beauty that I had hoped to capture.

Up until now I have only ever done the most basic editing of my images in Lightroom, in part I have been afraid to try new settings/adjustments and in part I have told myself that if I didn't get it right in camera then it is cheating to mess with the image too much.

When we look at any image that is printed or online there has been some degree of editing or post production and as long as we are honest about that it doesn't matter what we do if the final result is a decent picture.

If the original composition is off then no amount of post production is going to make it a brilliant image so having a good eye is a key skill and an important starting point. With this picture I would say the composition is spot on. However even though the composition is good the colours and the contrast in the original image was affected by the poor light and for weeks I have overlooked this image having decided it wasn't worth sharing. 

Today however I wanted to explore the possibilities in this image and I have experimented with different settings in Lightroom to bring the image to life. I have practised on a few other shots too and I will be sharing them over the next few days.

You can only see the finished product but when I have shown people the before and after images their responses have been really positive, surprised that such a vibrant image could come from the original picture.

Starburst and Tie Dye

Today I am posting the last of my selection of light pictures. I will have another go at this type of image in the future but tomorrow I will return to something from the natural world, I have something in mind but that will be reliant on the weather and light conditions tomorrow morning so wish me luck.

I like these two images the colourful spikes in the first and then the tie-dye effect in the second.

Light Fantastic

Hopefully yesterday you saw the first of my light painting efforts where I had tried to create specific shapes. I thought they looked ok but apart from the rainbow fan they were a bit clumsy.

I have looked through the other images I shot and I am pretty happy with the results, in particular the more abstract ones like these two in today's offering.

I love wildlife photography and landscape photography but every now and then I like to experiment with something else and this little experiment has been really satisfying.

Light Painting

This evening I have been experimenting with light. I would have to say with mixed results but there are some decent shots and here are a few of them.

Getting a smooth image required a steady hand and moving the light source at a steady rate.

The first image of a heart shape was really tricky but it sort of works.

The second is a bit like taking the jump to light speed or a portal to another dimension (at least it is to someone like me).

The third shot blends two fanned images for quite a nice effect.

Autumnal Colours

Autumn is a great time to capture the fantastic colours all around as the season changes and we move closer to winter. A walk in the woods at this time of year presents a riot of greens, yellows, oranges and shades of brown and just about everything in between.

Recently at Dunham Massey I took a few pictures of the fallen leaves. In the first of today's images I thought it would look most striking in monochrome making the pale leaf stand out in stark contrast to the dark and leathery background.

In the second shot I have used a selective colour technique (something I have had fun experimenting with before) to really bring out the rich and vibrant colours of the fallen leaves.

I think both techniques work really well and I love both of these images, I hope that you do too.

Painting With Light

Here are the other pictures from my experiment with light painting to follow on from yesterday's selection.

I really had fun doing these pictures and will definitely be trying something similar in the future.

I hope you like these as much as I do.