Tag: Photography

Begonia (at length)

Lacking any suitable objects to photograph today, I turned to the Begonia plant on the kitchen sill. These photographs all use long exposures (up to 50 seconds) and no flash, using nothing but ambient kitchen light.

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f/11 19 seconds. Click on the photograph to see a larger version on Flickr.
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f/16 22 seconds. Click on photograph for a larger version in Flickr
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f/16 40 seconds. Click on photograph for a larger version.
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f/16 50 seconds. 32mm extension tube used. Click on photograph for a larger version on Flickr.

 

The idea behind these photographs were ostensibly to test out the new shutter release cable I purchased a few days ago. I was also experimenting with the use of cool white LED lights and their effect on the overall white balance of the photographs.

Technical Details:
Nikon D7000 with Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens
ISO 100
Processed in Adobe Lightroom 5.3
Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with Giotto MH5011 head
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Winter Rose

It is a sign of the mild winter here in Cambridge so far. I photographed this rose in my garden over the weekend (14 December, 2013). It is rather strange to see a bright rose at this time of the year, and therefore merits a blog post of its own!

A rose in winter!!
A rose in winter!! Click on picture for a larger image..

Three-shot bracketed HDR processed in Photomatix and Adobe Lightroom.

Gnarled and twisted..

A tree at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Park in Glen Rose, Texas. Handheld HDR of 3-bracketed exposures merged in Photomatix Pro.

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Click on the photo for a larger version on Flickr

A Demoiselle (not in distress) fly

Earlier this summer, I spotted this beautiful banded demoiselle fly (female) perched on a flower bud. And it just so happened that I had my camera with macro lens! Some results are below.

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Banded Demoiselle (Female). Click on picture for a larger version on Flickr
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Banded Demoiselle (Female). Click on picture for a larger version on Flickr

There are, according to this handy website, only two species of demoiselles in the United Kingdom, of which I have now photographed one. The other I have seen on occasion in the west country but never been close enough to take a decent photograph. Demoiselles belong to the same family as the dragonflies but are more closely related to the damselflies.

Technical Details:
Nikon D700 with a Sigma f2.8 105mm macro lens
ISO 200 with f8.0 aperture priority
Nikon D600 speedlight flash
Processed in Adobe Lightroom 5.2

 

Brandenburg Gate

A potent symbol of Germany and a poignant reminder of the Cold War and the division of a nation after the Second World War. For over 28 years, the Brandenburg gate was behind the wall in East Berlin.

Immediately after the war, one of few structures that remained standing amongst the ruins of Berlin was the Brandenburg Gate.

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