Light Painting

Ive been meaning to do some light painting for a while, last night i finally got around to trying it out.
I turned out all the lights in my room, and set the camera up on my desk. I set the aperture to F16 as i didn't want any stray light to get into the sensor. I started out using a 30 second exposure, but i soon realised that, that was too long. So i set it to 8 seconds instead, which work really well. I used a blue and a yellow LED light to make the trails.
They came out much better that i expected. It took a few shots to get the light in the right spot, but over all I'm really pleased with how the photos came out.
I edited some so that the colours were slightly different, and i added them to Flickr. Again, the shots shown here have not been edited.

New Sunset Photos

A couple nights ago while i was walking to my local shops, i happened to notice the sun had started to set, and was turning part the sky bright red over Hopwas Woods near to where i live. I tryed to get back home in time to grab my camera, but by the time i got back it was too late. So yesterday just before 5, i set out hoping the for the same kind of sunset.
There wasnt the same kind of clouds in the sky this time, so the colours wernt as vibrant like the previous night. I managed to find a gab in the tree line on top of a hill in which to shoot the sunset. There was still some snow left on the ground from a few days ago, so i tryed to include some of it in the foreground.
I set my camera to F8, hoping that this would leave enough in focus while letting the right amount of light into the sensor. I used shutter speeds from 1/80 to 1/300 depending on the amount of light avalible at the time. The ISO was set to 100, to avoid any nosie in the image.
Because i was pointing my camera straight into the sun, the filters on my lens were causing a flare on some of the images. I have managed to remove most of it while editing my photos. The ones shown here have not been editied, the ones which have are on my Flickr page.

New Flower Photos

Ive been taking photos of flowers this week. My sister has some potted Pansies in the window, so I've been experimenting with different techniques, using the flowers as my subject.
I had to get very close to the flower, so my auto focus had trouble focusing on the part of the plant i wanted. I put the camera into manual focus, which helped a lot, but i had to keep moving the camera about the get it just right.
I put a piece of plain white paper behind the flowers so there wasn't anything in the background to distract from the subject. I made sure that the sun light could still reach the flowers, as this was the only light source i was using.
My camera was set to fully manual mode. I set the aperture to F5, and used shutter speeds between 1/100 and 1/200, depending on the amount of light available. I didnt need a tripod as there was more than enough light to be able to use a fast shutter speed, meaning i could hand hold my camera.
The photos i have posted here are a few of my favorites, and have not been edited. Tho i have added a couple edited versions to my Flickr page.

New Photographs

Ive taken a few more landscape shots these past few days. All taken in manual, most were using F5.4, then adjusted the shutter speed to however i needed it.
Ive not edited any of these shown here, in case i decide to use them for my portfolio, and want to edit them later. Al tho i have added edited versions onto my Flikr page. I finally got the link to work, so its now available on the right hand side of this page.
After playing around with the shutter speed i quickly settled on one i liked. So all the shots after that came out correctly exposed. The land in the foreground is slightly under exposed, but i wanted that, so the clouds in the sky have more focus. Most of the photos i took featured clouds as the main subject, this was because i liked the way they were formed at the time, some just letting sun poke through.
I used my Nikon D3000 with the kit lens to take the photos. I also had a UV filter attached to the lens. These worked well in the conditions i used them in. There was enough light available for me to take the photos without the aid of a tripod. I was able to get the image i wanted using my 18-55 mm lens.
These photos shown here are just a few i liked most.

Clyde Butcher

Clyde Butcher's black and white photographs explore his personal relationship with the environment. The exquisite beauty and depth of his work draw the viewer into a relationship with nature. For more than forty years, he has been preserving on film the untouched areas of the landscape. His images are captured with an 8"x 10", 11"x 14", and 12"x 20" view camera. The large format camera allows him to express the elaborate detail and textures that distinguish the intricacy of the landscape. The photographs range in sizes from 8"x 10" inches to 5'x 8' feet.

As a fan of black and white photography, ive been looking at the work of Clyde Butcher. He primarily produces his images in black and white. I love these types of photos because they add a certain feel to the image. There isn't any colour to distract you from the subjects within the image. Some photos can feel quite cold without the colour. The landscape looks completely different in black and white.

Ive experimented with different black and white photos in the past. Some photos work really well like this. I tend to shoot in colour then edit the image later, giving me more options to work with.

Clydes images work really well this way. A lot of the images were taken on beaches, something which most people prefer to shoot in colour. Black and white gives a whole new look to the beach.

Tony Howell

Tony Howell is one of England's best-known landscape photographers, and is based in Somerset. His style is instantly recognizable - simple, uncluttered compositions and an overall sense of peace and stillness borne out of his deep love of the land.

As well as landscape photography im interested in flower photography. Tony Howell is photographer who does both. I prefer his images to others ive seen. Ive looked at a lot of flower photos which seem fake, and edited too much. They have been taken in studios rather than outside in the garden or where ever. Tony photos have been taken outside, making them seem more real and alive.

I like how simple the photos appear. He only uses one type of flower in his photos.

Im going to try and get down to the botanical gardens in Birmingham at some point. Try and take some photos of the flowers down there. I don't know how well my kit lens with be at these close up shots, i prefer to use a lens designed for macro photography.

Grant Gunderson Pro Ski Photographer

A former Powder 
magazine photo intern, hes now an administrator for WheelsandWax.com (a 
online community for action sports photographers dedicated to improving 
knowledge and business skills). Hes been producing images for editorial 
and commercial use since 2000 and is photo editor of The Ski Journal.
Over the years, he has shot for every major national 
and international ski publication, including Powder, Freeskier, Skiing, 
Frequency, Transworld Snowboarding, Skieur, AkaSkidor, and Backcountry, as 
well as plenty of commercial clients. From his home base near Mt. Baker, 
Washington, he skis over 100 days a year, traveling throughout North America 
and beyond.

As a skier myself Ive always been interested in ski photography. So have been looking at the work of Grant Gunderson lately. Hes been able to turn something he loves into a successful career.
In his photos hes able to capture the culture of skiing. The freedom you feel while skiing. Some of the photos have been taken on the tops of mountains, looking as tho hes on top of the world. Most skiers wear brightly coloured clothes, this really stands out against the white of the snow, same with the skis. The photos are very simple, just the skier and the mountain.
Id love to try this type of photography. I rarely have a chance to go places like this, so its not likely ill get much practice with these types of shots. The closest i have is the Snowdome by me. When i do get to go out on the mountain tho, id like to try and get something similar. Silo lute of a skier maybe.
My favorite of his photos is the one at the top of this post. Its two photos edited together. One of a startrail, then one of a skier flying down the hill. One photo taken with a very long exposure, the other with a very fast one. I love the colour in the photo, the orange glow from the night sky. This is one of his most famous photos.