tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63421690287986788462024-02-22T16:09:13.870+00:00Two Viewstimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-76568366051151515332014-02-14T18:28:00.000+00:002014-02-14T18:28:17.059+00:00The Floods of 2014 by The Brunette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Blimey! I had forgotten how to even use Blogger after SO long away! But I got there in the end! Thanks to TJ for inspiring a new post, and for explaining my absence! It's been a busy year for me and especially the last 7 months following the birth of my first baby (a girl called Robyn!) But it's time to carve some "me" time out of Mummy time and get back behind the camera! Living in Datchet as I do, finding some good subject matter was easy, I just stepped out of my front door! I strapped Robyn in her sling and went out as often as I could to monitor the flooding levels although carrying a 17lb baby I didnt take my "proper" camera with me, so these are all taken with the frankly stupendous Samsung Galaxy S4 camera phone. I really liked the moodiness of the black and white shots below, but like TJ in the end opted for colour and minimal editing. I think the shot shows the extent of the flooding as you can clearly see what's underneath the river water, namely the main road running through the village! Including on the far right an abandoned car. Its been devastating with power cuts and many houses in the village now inundated and evacuated. With more rain forecast this weekend, we can only hope and pray it doesn't get any higher. It's strangely serene, with no cars and no trains running and many businesses closed. But heartening to see the community spirit, and strangers talking to strangers and checking if anyone needs assistance, the British Dunkirk spirit in effect :)<br />
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Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-55099334154867558972014-02-13T11:54:00.000+00:002014-02-14T18:00:58.154+00:00The Floods of 2014 by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the 15 months or so since we last tackled floods much has changed and not just The Brunnette becoming a mother! The flooding back in 2012 caused a lot of devastation, but fortunately although getting close the waters never reached my work estate. As I publish this post there is still a very real danger of us being flooded out and the units at the bottom end of the estate have been flooded. The landlords have pumps running 24/7 to try and keep the flood water at bay, and I have had to move some stock off the flood as a precaution. So this time I am taking and publishing a photo with the floods having much more of a direct impact.<br />
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The view in the photo is off what is normally a wheat field next to our work estate and where I can usually take the dogs for a walk. My unit is right behind the telegraph pole top right and these waters have spilled over from the River Thames which lies a few hundred metres further back. I have photographed the same scene as I did in 2012, but if you go and look at that photo by clicking <a href="http://twoviewsphotographic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/floods-by-tj.html" target="_blank">here</a> you will my different approach this time. I have gone with a natural shot taken at the waters edge rather than a panoramic view with a coloured filter. There is no editing except for the usual tweaks to the contrast and sharpness. I tried a number of different shots zooming in and zooming out, but felt that this photo captured the whole scene perfectly. The flood's made for a large expanse of water for the swans to enjoy, the blue sky with puffy white clouds provide a great backdrop and add to the reflection on the water. For me on a personal level it also shows the sheer magnitude of the water and yes although a beautiful scene it also shows the awesome power of nature. Click <a href="http://timdarv.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/harvest-time.html" target="_blank">here</a> to have a look at this scene from the harvesting of the wheat in this very same field in 2013 it's hard to imagine it could be the same field.<br />
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My other photos under consideration concentrated on the beauty aspect of the scene. I used the zoom on the camera to capture the swans and the tree in the two photos and then used a low key editing effect to create the under exposure effect, it's an effect I really enjoy using and feel it adds a lovely effect to these two photos.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-89219954496099131252014-02-13T07:43:00.002+00:002014-02-13T07:43:34.398+00:00The Floods of 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">After some time away whilst The Brunette brought little Robyn into this world last summer we are back out there with our cameras. If we thought that the floods of 2012 gave us a bonus blog opportunity, the floods that we are currently experiencing in 2014 are on a scale not seen in our lifetime. Our situations are unchanged in that we both live and work close to the Thames with The Brunette living in besieged Datchet, and the devastation all along the river through Berkshire and beyond gives us the opportunity to get the cameras out. These current floods have brought utter devastation and yet at the same time have created spectacular imagery. It will be interesting to see what we come up with, and compare the photos of 2014 with our previous efforts just over a year ago.</span></div>
timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-42467654672678226142013-07-15T14:11:00.000+01:002013-07-15T14:11:02.266+01:00Blue by The Brunette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am in the last week of my pregnancy now! So I knew I probably wouldn't be venturing far from home for this one :) Given our Fabulous summer so far I knew there would be a good chance I would find a day with the weather on my side for the shot I had in mind. Living very near Heathrow airport, I originally planned to shoot some airplane vapour trails, and did attempt it one day (see below left) but it just didn't do it for me really! I then remembered my love of lens flare, and that they usually come out blue, so I could potentially have a blue subject - the wonderful summer sky and some funky lens flare too - win win! Lens flare is created as I am sure you know when you photograph a light source directly and the light hits the aberrations in the camera lens, most photographic books will strenuously tell you to avoid it using lens hoods and coatings, but I have always loved the effect. The one thing you must not to do is look directly at the sun through ANY kind of lens, so you do have to be prepared to blindly point and shoot and crop a good deal in editing! Other than cropping, I merely enhanced shadows to turn the side of the house black and into silhouette and saturated the blue of the sky a little more. I am really pleased with the finished shot, both the sky the sharp lens flare and the more nebulous blue circle of it over the house too. And also like TJ - I have a plane in the top left corner which I hadn't planned to capture! </span></div>
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Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-40217641727440782142013-07-15T13:48:00.000+01:002013-07-15T13:48:24.263+01:00Blue by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes in photography you can stumble across the unexpected without even realising it. In this instance I wasn't actually trying for my "Blue" photo. I was fortunate enough to be at London's Hyde Park to see The Rolling Stones on a gorgeous summers evening, and I was busy snapping away at the various sights with my compact camera. Spotting an aircraft flying over London I decided to try and capture it with one of the speakers and HD screens in the foreground. It was only when I got home and was able to see the picture on a decent size screen that I realised I had got a decent "Blue" photo! If I am guilty of one thing in photography at the moment it is my readiness to fall back on editing to enhance and create photos, so in this instance I have deliberately steered towards a natural scene. The only real editing was to tweak the brightness and contrast to add a slightly more dramatic effect to the photo. For me there is plenty to keep the viewer interested, as it is a photo from an historic occasion, has the plane in the distance and the large and looming screens which were dotted all over the venue.<br />
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For my other photos editing had taken a lead role. The blue rose top left was a very tempting photo to go with as in terms of a macro shot I was really pleased with the detail and texture I captured. However I have to concede that it is actually a pink rose turned blue in editing! Top right is another photo from Hyde Park with some beautiful Brazilian dancers attracting a rather large crowd :) I used selective colouring to isolate the blues. The photo at the bottom is one I took using my iphone at Wembley Stadium recently watching The Killers and I used an on board effect to take the photo like that. They were playing a song which meant a lot of the crowd were using their phones as torches and I liked the way the blues were also prominent in a subtle way.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-60522139794051116652013-07-08T12:53:00.001+01:002013-07-08T12:53:13.133+01:0035) Blue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our next topic is "blue". In December 2011 we covered <a href="http://twoviewsphotographic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/4-red.html" target="_blank">"red"</a> so we are more than ready to tackle another colour. This subject offers the photographer a huge blank canvas with plenty of choice. The colour blue is all around us in many shapes and forms, and not only that it also encompasses that rather sad emotion which we all feel sometimes. Dare I mention blue also has a rather rude connotation too! There is also the time of day known as the blue hour, which occurs just before sunrise and just after sunset. There is plenty for us to get our teeth into, so why not join us on this topic and send us a blue photo...</div>
timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-72397142674752399002013-06-29T19:19:00.000+01:002013-06-29T19:19:36.363+01:00Flame by The Brunette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having just invested in a chimnea for the garden, I had an easy source of fire to hand for this shot, so you can guess which one of us suggested this topic :) I had never photographed fire before and was going to get a tripod all set up and make a big deal of it all. Then one evening the husband and I were out there toasting marshmallows and I thought "Why not just grab the camera and some lenses and try out a few different exposures and shutter speeds" I did, and was SO pleased with the results! I ended up using a very long focal length lens to allow me to get in close to the action and maximise a small aperture and fast shutter speed. I had so many shots I loved for different reasons, it was hard to choose my favourite, but I love the variety of different flames in the one I choose, the variations in colour and the almost magical / sculptural quality of the flames against the black background. Of the ones in the filmstrip, I nearly choose the second from left as I love the "D" shape created by the rounded edge of the chimnea and a piece of wood, and also the one on the far right capturing sparks from a block of wood. I'd quite like a series of these on a canvas print I think! As for post production - not much at all, a tweak to contrast, to blacken the shadows, and a tiny tad more saturation to bring out the colour range and that's all! Well happy with the results of this one!</span> </div>
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Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-33348310932666653382013-06-29T18:57:00.000+01:002013-06-29T18:57:08.961+01:00Flame by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This topic provided some interesting challenges, not only did it make me work hard on camera exposure settings, but I also had to get my creative juices working. I knew pretty much straight away that I was going to photograph a candle, but the challenge was how to make it an interesting shot. I came up with the idea of trying replicate a scene from the 19th century when everything would be done by candle light once the daylight hours were over, so I had to gamble on buying a few props and hoping that the idea would work. The candle was an easy thing to source although I was unsure as to just how much light it would give off. I also bought a flat brass candle holder, although it can't be seen in the final shot. The paper was cream wedding parchment paper, and I just hoped that it would look realistic once it had been printed. For although I also bought an ink quill and ink I knew my handwriting would not be quite up to the task. I chose a script type font and was very pleased with the results. I actually printed off a page from my <a href="http://beatingbowelcancerbook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/beating-bowel-cancer-fundraising-book.html" target="_blank">Beating Bowel Cancer Fundraising Book</a> blog. Getting the right exposure was a real challenge. I tried using the candlelight setting on my camera, adjusting the shutter speed and also using manual settings. It seemed that to get a definitive sharp shot of the burning candle a short exposure worked best, but as you can from the bottom left picture the rest of the photo came out very dim and lifeless. For lighting the room I tried using just the candle light, a torch and the normal room light. In the end I settled for just the lighted candle and a slightly longer exposure as although the flame in the shot might not be as sharp as it could have been, I loved the glow around the flame which adds to the atmosphere of the photo. I did have increase the shadow effect in editing mainly to remove the modern furniture in the background. A challenging topic, but very interesting and enjoyable.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-31946393342271169772013-06-14T15:14:00.000+01:002013-06-14T15:14:58.852+01:0034) Flame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A completely different challenge this time - we have upped the complexity by introducing an unexpected light source to photograph which will come with it's own demands! The topic is Flame, which of course conjures up fire, but also candles, bonfires and anything in between! You can find some inspiration and technical advise <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fire">here</a> and <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/playing-with-fire-how-to-photograph-fire">here</a>. Good luck, lets see if we can come up with some really stunning shots..... :)</span></div>
Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-51806189444741330452013-06-12T17:22:00.001+01:002013-06-12T17:22:21.875+01:00Gardens by The Brunette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a couple of
ideas in mind for this one, but as soon as I laid on my sun bed on one of the
fabulous sunny days we have had here in the UK recently and looked upwards, I
knew what I was trying to capture. I must admit I have become a real convert to
my “outside room” AKA my garden ever since having been on a “glamping” holiday
in a yurt in Wales where we spent 99% of our time outside for a week. I just
find the nature and birds and wildlife to bring me back to centre and
peacefulness. So I am now spending as much time as possible outdoors in the
garden at home too. Lying there reading a book and looking up occasionally to
see the sun streaming through the beautiful texture of a tree full of green
leaves against a blue sky, just makes me happy! What can I say?
Photographically I set as low a film speed as I could get away with for
quality, with a small aperture and just enough speed to freeze the leaves so
they didn’t </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">move in the wind. I knew I would
want to crop in, so it had to be a high quality shot to start with, and I also
used a telephoto lens, to get me as close as I could in camera before cropping
in editing. Only a tiny tweak to contrast in editing, I find with naturally
vibrant colours you have to be very careful to retain the natural look and not
play too much in editing else it looks contrived, and I just wanted it to be a
simple joyful reflection of a summers day in an English garden – hope you like
it!</span></div>
Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-1324129193906631362013-06-12T17:22:00.000+01:002013-06-12T17:22:06.911+01:00Gardens by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Having had a break from Two Views I thought photographing gardens in the spring with all the colours would be a simple task... Oops got that wrong for starters! I always wanted to get a photo of something with a personal touch to it rather than take the big stately garden route, although I was considering visit a National Trust property at one stage. I had 2 gardens to choose from, the first being my own tiny garden out the back of my terrace property in Reading, and secondly my mothers more sizeable garden in Maidenhead. Initially I had almost discounted my own garden as I couldn't see how anything there would be interesting to photograph or even be interesting to the viewers out there in blog land! But then I took the advice from a link on the "Gardens" page we posted, and I spent time in the garden both looking hard at what was there and getting a feel as to what I could photograph. The end result is the rose, which is currently in full bloom and has been in my garden for 5 years or so now since I got three rose plants as a present for helping one of mum's friends with a computer problem. I used the macro setting on my camera to get right up into the rose whilst keeping the whole of the flower in bud in shot. The original photo is in my "almost" shots below and you can see what a gorgeous yellow it is. The effect in editing was achieved by using a low brightness and very high contrast setting with the photo being converted to black and white for added effect. In fact the reason why I decided to go with black and white was for garden photography that was probably on the last things expected with all the colours on display at the moment. But for me the contrast between light and dark is beautiful, and on a personal note with my mother winning a bowel cancer battle this week and the anniversary of my father's passing it just seemed right in quite a poignant and emotional period.<br />
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The other photos I considered using apart from the rose top left was a shot of the vegetable patch in my mum's back garden top right. This was interesting as I wanted to capture a snapshot of time, with the old shed my dad built over 40 years ago in the background and my mother's unique approach at keeping up dad's vegetable patch including her windmills to keep the pigeons at bay in the foreground. Bottom right the red flowers in mum's garden were lovely, but just too bright and believe me they even look like this to the naked eye! The animals bottom left are tucked away in mum's garden and I love them, but just couldn't get them to quite pose right for me!<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-27199631880399272942013-05-31T11:17:00.000+01:002013-05-31T11:17:33.179+01:0033) Gardens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here we are! The first challenge of 2013 - we thought we would start close to home with Gardens. although of course this can be your own "kingdom and castle" garden, or a formal stately home. It could be a close up of a beautiful bloom, or a panoramic shot of the whole garden, or anything in between! Here's some inspiration <a href="http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/shooting-articles/quick-tip-5-great-garden-photography-tips/">here</a> and<a href="http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag2-6/mag2-8nb1.shtml"> here</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/gardening/2010/10/photography-tips-from-the-expe.shtml">here</a> as well! Lets see if TJ and The Brunette can remember how to work their cameras... Please join us if you can!!</span></div>
Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-20683608689054256722013-05-31T11:14:00.000+01:002013-05-31T11:14:19.223+01:00We're Back!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging... shocking and a shame but true! Both TJ and I have had a few things on our plate over the last 6 months. Well to be fair plates overflowing is more close to the truth!! BUT as life calms down for both of us, blogging ramps up! I HOPE we have a few followers left out there :)</span></div>
Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-45287479713346467902012-12-05T06:55:00.001+00:002012-12-05T06:56:33.509+00:00A charitable appeal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">Today I would like to publicise a wonderful creative effort by my best buddy TJ. In April 2012 the dreaded cancer word came into his family. One minute he was sitting with his mother expecting a normal discharge from hospital, and then in the blink of an eye their world was turned upside down when they were told that his mum had bowel cancer. She has battled strongly through various treatments and is making a fantastic and full recovery, her whole family are so very proud of her. TJ decided to write a book and contribute the proceeds to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. The book features a diverse collection of TJ's fantastic photographs, including the stories, ideas and technical approaches behind each one. </span><span style="background-color: white;">The e book version on</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beating-Bowel-Cancer-ebook/dp/B00AB3L1NG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353626036&sr=1-1-fkmr0" style="text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">is only £1.65 of which the £0.97 he earns will be donated to the charity. It is for the Kindle, but there are freely available Kindle reader apps for Ipads, Iphones, android phones and computers! </span><span style="background-color: white;">The physical book version can be now be bought from </span><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4070775" style="text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Create Space</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">and is now available for £7.21 on</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beating-Bowel-Cancer-collection-photographs/dp/1481088084/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353875101&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white;">. All physical copies will raise £1.00 for the charity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">His plan is to try and sell 1000 copies! Absolutely every penny earned is going to be donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. To have any chance of doing this he is asking people to buy a copy, and help spread the word to as many people as possible through as many channels possible.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I of course bought my copy 2 seconds after release and I highly recommend it - its full of photographic inspiration and techniques as well as some touching and amusing stories of the photographer and his family. Buy it! you will love it and you will also be making a contribution to a wonderful and worthwhile charity!! :)</span></div>
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<br />Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-13053715789193196932012-12-03T09:57:00.001+00:002012-12-03T09:58:14.618+00:00Floods by The Brunette<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like TJ I found it hard to take a shot of the flooding that would show that the water is not <i>supposed</i> to be where it was! I drive past the Thames on the way to work everyday and had noticed the water level rising day by day until the footpaths and some of the benches on them were <i>entirely</i> covered!! So I decided that that would show the extent of the flooding. Luckily as I was taking a series of shots trying to show the path disappearing an obliging swan rocked up to demonstrate where a person would normally be enjoying a nice walk!! I liked his casual style, he looks just like he is out for a nice afternoon stroll, and behind him you can see the footpath descend into feet of water!!! The other shots (below) show some more attempts to portray the disappearing footpath, but for me the swan make the shot!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-50043872154153098122012-12-03T09:42:00.000+00:002012-12-03T09:42:39.066+00:00Floods by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was lucky on two fronts with my photo. Firstly I work very close to the river Thames so when the river burst its banks I did not have to go far with my camera. Secondly the flooding came level to and in fact past my work estate and we were only saved from flooding by being on slightly higher ground and some effect banking defenses. The scene is of what usually is a crop field, but for a while has become part of the river. One interesting question I posed myself was what happens to the fish in a lake back right in the picture that sits between the field and river? Until the river sunsides I will not be able to investigate and get my answer.... I found that capturing such a huge mass of water was not so easy as apart from having the tree in the centre of the photo it really was just a solid mass of water. So I decided to use the panoramic function on my camera. I held the camera in a portrait position as I wanted to get as much as I could into the shot, as my early landscape efforts didn't get as much of the scene in as I wanted. In the photo above there are seven photos stitched together. In editing the main effects I used was a pink tone, which I feel brings a nice atmosphere to the photo, and also a vignette effect to darken the edges of the photo.<br />
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I used the same effects in my other photos. Top left was a single shot of the tree in the main shot taken closer in. I like this picture and might have used it if the panoramic photos hadn't worked. Top right I moved around to the left and took a picture of the same flood from a different angle, and this was as far as I could go on foot. The panoramic shot at the bottom was taken using the camera held in landscape mode from the same position as the main picture and shows how the two photos differ. This photo had three photos stitched together. <br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-23198498637977434592012-11-30T22:27:00.002+00:002012-12-03T09:42:30.819+00:0032) Floods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The recent wet weather and the resulting floods presents a bonus topic for the blog. We both live and work close to the Thames and the river bursting its banks gave us the opportunity to get the cameras out. Flooding brings devastation and yet at the same time can also create spectacular imagery. It will be interesting to see what we come up with...</div>
timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-44678249096067857752012-11-29T22:43:00.001+00:002012-11-29T22:43:36.799+00:00Autumn by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to autumn in that I love the vast array of wonderful colours that we are blessed with in the UK. Each year I make a mental note of exactly the best week of year to capture the golden leaves on the trees just before they fall, and of course I always forget. The setting for my photo is a view at the start of the Whinlatter Pass in the English Lake District taken at the beginning of November. Not only was I fortunate enough to be in a stunning location, but on that weekend the first snow of the year fell. So what I was able to capture was a picture that shows an autumnal setting encompassing the dieing throws of an English summer in the foreground and the fast approaching winter with the snow on the mountains in the background.<br />
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My other shots were of three different settings closer to home. The left hand photo is of the woods above Medmenham close to work. The centre photo is of Stubbings Nursey on the edge of Maidenhead Thicket, and the right hand photo is a low level shot taken on a farm in Littlewick Green near Maidenhead. The problem I had with all three shots was trying to replicate what I could see with the human eye, and I think that is the difference between these photos and the main Whinlatter Pass photo.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-9699892009458244842012-11-29T11:25:00.003+00:002012-11-29T11:26:19.800+00:00Autumn by The Brunette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to be on honeymoon in Poland for what is known as the Golden Polish Autumn.... you can see why! I couldn't believe my eyes at the depth and variety of colour, I wanted to roll down these wooded slopes - they looked like soft down!! It was hard to choose my favourite, as you can see from the filmstrip below, but in the end I went for one that was ALL about the colour with no other distractions. Edit wise, they are pretty much as taken, with just a touch of <i>boost</i> on the saturation dial!</span></div>
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<br />Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-62000625501941941792012-11-20T13:15:00.001+00:002012-11-29T11:17:46.307+00:0031) Autumn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For our next topic we are tackling the current season of autumn. The season is full of rich colours as summer fades away and winter approaches. There are numerous possibilities for this topic in terms of location and subject matter. There is a really interesting website <a href="http://www.phototechnique.com/how-to/how-to-shoot-autumn-pictures/" target="_blank">here</a> that gives some great tips on autumn photography. A bit of planning may reap big dividends, but also the ability to capture a snapshot of the glorious colours is key. Let's see what we come up with...</div>
timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-45694452232426643332012-11-14T16:40:00.003+00:002012-11-14T16:40:36.107+00:00Panoramic by The Brunette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to try the panoramic setting on my new Samsung Galaxy SIII phone, as it makes it EASY for you! It tells you to start and then directs you as to where to take the next shot, keep focus and exposure static for you and then stitches it altogether! I decided my trip to the beautiful Natural History Museum in London would be my location, and took four panoramas that I am really pleased with using just my phone! My favourite HAD to be the dinosaur in the main hall, which would be impossible to get into one shot without a panoramic photo! I am really really pleased with it, I like the distortion created by the super wide view on the building, and the fact that you can see a more than 180 degree view into the archways either side, including my husband, standing patiently waiting for me on the right hand side (the bearded handsome man by the archway :) Below are the other three shots, taken across huge swathes of the inner great hall, and one of the ice skating rink outside, they would be fun to print up I think!</span><br />
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Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-14957837725761662292012-11-14T16:40:00.002+00:002012-11-14T16:40:23.262+00:00Panoramic by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeXW5x-swHY/UKPF3O7ISuI/AAAAAAAADp8/g2207hy-Zq4/s1600/Viaduct01bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeXW5x-swHY/UKPF3O7ISuI/AAAAAAAADp8/g2207hy-Zq4/s640/Viaduct01bw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had great fun with taking panoramic photos. I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend in Cumbria so I was presented with plenty of stunning landscape scenery to try panoramic photography. I knew what I wanted to photograph before I got there. The Ribblehead Viaduct which is actually just across the border in North Yorkshire on the Settle to Carlisle railway, and somewhere I had last visited in the 1980s with my dad. It was a bitterely cold afternoon when I got there with icy strong winds, rain in the air and the light was fading fast. I used my tripod although it was not easy finding a flat surface and in addition the wind was causing the camera to move at times. The panoramic view contains 3 photos I took using the panoramic setting on my Lumix FZ45, which I then put into Adobe Photoshp Elements 9 to stich them together into one complete image. I was really pleased with the final results as there was no other way to photograph such a wide structure close up, which therefore made it a perfect subject for this topic.<br />
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My two other photos were taken the following day in the Lake District. The top photo is 5 photos stitched together of the stunning Derwentwater. The main problem I had with this photo was I took it by hand and didn't quite get the level right to start with, which meant I had to rotate the photo and crop it losing some of the lake, but it was a good lesson learned. The bottom photo was 3 photos stitched together taken from the Whinlatter Pass looking down towards Braithwaite Lake, and this one worked to plan and I was really pleased with it.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-62777994616321654952012-11-13T09:54:00.001+00:002012-11-13T09:54:53.086+00:0030) Panoramic<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any subject, anywhere as long as it's panoramic! Panoramic Photographs as you probably know are SUPER wide angle, made by taking several photographs of the same scene and then "stitching" them together to provide a seamless looooong photo! Some cameras do this in their own panorama settings, some you need to take several photos and then stitch them yourself in post editing software. There are some things that can really trip you up in the creation of a good panoramic shot, you need to make sure, focus, depth of field and most importantly exposure stay exactly the same for all the individual shots, so that when stitched together its seamless. <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/8-guidelines-to-taking-panoramic-photos-with-any-camera">Here's a good guide</a> on how to get started! Good Luck! :)</span>Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-63090345575683243032012-10-28T22:54:00.000+00:002012-10-28T22:54:29.572+00:00Wedding by TJ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Firstly congratulations to The Brunette on her recent marriage to Ryszard at Denbies Vineyard in Surrey. I was so happy when I was asked to take some informal pictures of the day, although there was still a little bit of pressure as I wanted to do a good job for the happy couple. Yet the photo I have chosen is probably one of only two taken during the day when I actually got the couple to pose for me, as most of the other photos of the day were ones I took when people were unaware of the camera. I had decided that for this topic I wanted a picture of the couple together and this one was taken after the afternoon festivities came to an end. There was some lovely sunlight shining on them and the amazing background of the vineyard gave me a great photographic opportunity. The image was sharpened, converted into black and white in Paint Shop, and then I used Picasa to add some warmth and boost effects to the photo before using the cinematic effect to give the image a more dynamic and classical letter box finish. In my humble opinion I think I captured the magical chemistry and unconditional love that my two friends share.<br />
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In my other photos I captured the couple having their first dance and was so very close to using this one as main photo as it also shows two people happy in love on their wedding day. The photo top right captures a radiant bride looking beyond the camera at something that has certainly brought a smile to her face, a smile which was a common theme throughout the day.Bottom left is the original photo that I edited for the main shot, and bottom right was another lovely photo capturing another happy moment shared by the couple.<br />
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timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08607527651740832496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342169028798678846.post-50952763019951305082012-10-28T12:24:00.000+00:002012-10-28T22:54:40.241+00:00Honeymoon by The Brunette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am guessing that I know which one of us will be posting a wedding shot and which a honeymoon shot *wink* I of course was the subject for a day of photos on my wedding day! Let me tell you I <i>much</i> prefer being the other side of the camera!! For our honeymoon we went to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains and then Krakow, both in Poland of course (because my husband is half Polish!) And although I fell in love with both places, and have some fantastic mountain landscapes, for me Krakow was just <i>so </i>romantic, I just knew the shot for this post would come from there. We were lucky enough to have a hotel room overlooking t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he main square and it had a balcony, so every time of the day or night I looked out, because of the changing light and weather I got some amazingly different views of the same place. The shot I choose is actually from my first group of shots I took as soon as we arrived which was at dusk, the light is amazing, the soft pink glow from the setting sun lighting up the buildings with a rosy glow. I thought it was just so appropriate for a honeymoon vista! The filmstrip shows two others I loved, the left hand side a candlelight procession to St Mary's church at about 10pm, there was beautiful singing by a choir for about an hour - very evocative. The second one early morning with the square full of mist, again very moody and romantic. It's a fantastic place to visit! I can't wait to go again - for much longer than two days as well!!</span>Jules Nowobilskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09088745695008582391noreply@blogger.com1