Cemetery Sunrise

It was probably the first warm Sunrise we've had so far this year, so stopped off to take a few shots in a location I've passed a few times and thought it would provide some good opportunities. The shots below are all HDR, some of which have been converted to monochrome. this time I wanted to get a lot of detail and a wide range of tones so 7 shots were used. I bracketed in 1/3 increments and went from -2.0 to +2.0 ev.It was windy, so there was a bit of movement on some of the larger branches. Enjoy!

Floral (tutorial)

Over the years I've taken umpteen studies of flowers. Here I'm demonstating some basic techniques which can be used to enhance your work and hopefully give you some pleasing results.

Where you are not cropping in very tightly to the subject, think about the background..

Here I used the black glass to show the rest of the boquet but still isolate the main flower, it also added some nice contrast. It pays to try a few different angles to ensure the background is not too distracting.



Cropping in tightly can show texture and colour

In the shot above, I cropped in to fill the frame (hence no distracting background). Try to avoid getting the centre of the flower in the centre of the shot, again, try different angles. I have opted to have the centre of the flower in the top left third which is more pleasing. I also used strong flash to get some rich colour, but be careful of the overly strong contrast this can cause.



Desaturation of surroundings

Another way to remove distracting backgrounds and to give a 'pop' of colour is to apply what is sometimes referred to as 'selective colouring'. This can be achieved in many ways. In Photoshop or Gimp you would need to go into layers (there are many tutorials about this on-line); in Lightroom, it's dealt with fairly simply, either by an adjustment brush, or saturation sliders.



Hi-key shots can look fairly 'arty' if you can be patient enough to get the lighting just right

Here, I took a few shots manually, adjusting the aperture and shutter speed after each one until I was happy with the outcome. If you're going to attempt this you'll need to go into 'manual' mode or if you're using a point and shoot camera, deactivate the flash. Take an initial shot and review the results. Again, depending on what sort of camera you're using it's probably going to sense that the scene is very brightly lit and the exposure will come out with a very dark foreground and nicely exposed sky. To remedy this, point the centre of the camera to a darker area and press the shutter half way down, this will lock the exposure, now move the camera back to the scene you want to shoot and press the shutter the rest of the way down. Hey-presto (or maybe not, like I said it takes practice!)

Try different things and see what works

In the shot above, the plan was to create an image that could be used as a wall print. I've broken the general 'rule of thirds' by placing the subject dead-centre. However, I have made this image different to others by desaturating one side of the flower to add and interesting effect, I also added some blurring to the desaturated side.

Soft tones have a calming effect

Almost a macro shot concentrating on the stamen of the Lilly. Soft shadows giving some texture and a tight crop to fill the frame completes the shot.

Macro shots can show the everyday to be special

By using a very close up pov this Dandilion (what we usually refer to as a weed) has been transformed into an image with a soft texture and bold background. If you have a macro setting on your camera get creative, you'll be surprised with the results.

I hope you found this useful. I'd be interested to know if you've gained some good results from the advice. Please feel free to get in touch via commenting or email. I'd be happy to collate an entry on the blog with your images and names!

Lucky Dip

As the end of the year approaches (or the end of the world, if you listen to the various cults around the world) it's a time to reflect on what you've achieved; look forward to next year and a time to make plans and follow your dreams.. I've put together a number of images that I haven't sorted into any particular category that I've taken over the past year. I wouldn't say it's a reflection of the year but worthy of sharing.. :) Enjoy the holiday season and here's to an adventurous and happy new year!

Barnard Castle, County Durham

Barnard Castle is the main town in Teesdale. It takes it's name from the Castle which was built in Norman times and was used extensively during the 12th Century. The town itself is very picturesque and well worth a visit, especially on market days but I wandered around the castle and nearby river to grab the shots below. This set is a mixture of b&w and HDR. The mono shots are all conversions from colour RAW files and the HDR's are all taken using 3 exposures; 1.3 stops over and below & standard exposure.

Bishop Auckland

I decided to take a trip to Bishop Auckland and have walk around the market place and Auckland Castle & grounds whilst the weather was nice at the weekend. I took advantage of the autumn colours and strong light to create a vibrant set of shots looking at the architecture and history of the area. Hope you enjoy...



The Town Hall in the centre of the Market Square



This shot is from the rear of the town hall with St Anne's church on the left


The Deer Houe in the two shots below was built in the 1800's to offer shelter to the Deer that roamed the Castle grounds.

The grounds around the Castle offer a pleasant walk, refferred to locally as 'The Bishop's Walk'

Just outside the entrance to the estate lie some cottages and the Clock Tower, leading to the estate.

If you'd like to purchase prints of any of the above images please drop me a line. Thanks for visiting!

A more sombre approach



I'm not sure if it's just the change in the weather or the shorter days but I've been a bit meloncholic recently. Using more monochrome or capturing scenes of a more tranquil, or 'lonley' nature.

 

During the summer this is a hive of activity but during the cooler months all that can be heard is the gushing water and the odd Land Rover Defender passing by. (Below) Early morning mist providing an erie cover for the Cathedral in the background

Clearing mist reveals fisherman. I increased the red levels in this one to accentuate the dawn light and warm the scene a little

Desaturated this one a little to keep to simple tones and concentrate more on the leading lines



I'm a bit indecisive about this shot. I wanted to get the impression of being left behind by capturing people walking away into the distance.



Sunrise

Stopped on the way to work the other day to capture the Sun coming up. Beautiful Aumtumn Sunrise; hope there's lots more to come!