Water Tower - snow HDR

Water Tower - snow HDR, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Used HDR toning to draw out the colour of the un-fallen leaves on the trees in the foreground.

It's really unusual to see trees with their autumn leaves still on, covered with a dusting of snow.

Gorge HDR

Gorge HDR, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Bristol had a dusting of snow on Friday night. So I got up early on Saturday.. Wandered up to the Downs and took some photos. This is a HDR Photo.

HDR? High Dynamic Range. One takes at least 3 bracketed photos, one over-exposed, one under & one about right.

The 3 (or more) are then blended together. I have used this technique to draw out the colour of the un-fallen leaves.

I can not remember the last time it snowed in November. Hoping it is a sign of a proper winter ahead.

Depth of field and f/stops

As promised a while ago, a series of photos showing depth of field and visually explaining f/stops.

For the following photographs I used a Sony a550 DSLR with Sony's 100mm macro lens (SAL100M28).

I kept the same point in focus for all the shots.

1) f/2.8 most narrow depth of field and highest shutter speed.

2) f/4.5

3) f8

4) f/16

5) f/25

6) f/32 widest depth of field and lowest shutter speed.

Keep an eye out for coffee & tea related photos

eye like coffee, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

"eye like coffee" is the 2nd photo in a series of coffee & tea related photos, in order to submit to a local exhibition.

There will be more of these to follow.

I don't know what this says about me, but this was my 2nd idea.

Paddington Station

Paddington Station, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

I was on my way from one meeting to another.. the 2nd being in Paddington Basin. As I was walking out, I turned & saw a photograph. I always have a compact camera in my pocket, so here is my panorama..

The sweep panorama feature on my Sony TX5 cybershot camera is great. One can shoot in landscape mode and get 270 degrees or, as this picture is, in portrait mode.

Would you like a slice with that?

mine, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Herring gull swooped down & took the bread before the black headed gull (in the foreground) had a chance to get to it. These birds are often referred to as "seagulls", however I'm fairly sure that there is no such animal as a seagull.

These birds get a really bad press, they're another of the birds I really like & almost everyone else seems to hate.

They're fantastic fliers & are opportunists - thus their bad reputation for stealing icecreams from tourists & such-like..

They'll eat anything they can get down their necks.

frog, emerging

frog emerging 1, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Ok, I didn't take this recently, but thought that it might be a good blog subject.

How did I get this shot? I had to lie down in the middle of some mint (next to the pond), avoid being stung by the ants, as they didn't seem overly amused at my antics.

The pond has a few frogs in it & I knew that if I waited for a while one of them would surface.

This one did. It's just a common frog, but I think they're rather cool. Well camoflaged (unless the pond, like mine, is covered in duckweed) and they eat slugs! Every garden should have a pond.

My pond is home to a plethora of species including frogs, toads, 2 sorts of newt, drangonfly & damselfies (& their nymphs), water neetles, pond skaters, etc.

wet weather gear test

wet weather gear test, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

In June I went on a trip north of the Arctic circle. I realised that my cheapo waterproof jacket wouldn't quite "cut the mustard" in the arctic.

So, following lots of research, I went to taunton leisure in Bristol and procured a Berghaus Pro-shell gortex jacket.

How is this relevant to this photo?

Well.. When testing out new waterproof gear, I have always been told to test it out in the shower, with the shower on a level that replicates heavy rain. I decided that putting shower on full blast would make a better test.

I like extremes.

I also have a Sony TX5 cybershot camera - it's waterproof, but not as chunky as its rivals..

So into the shower I got:
Berghaus waterproof jacket
old cheapo waterproof trousers
berghaus gaiters
berghaus GR20 walking boots

net result - I stayed dry & got a few photos, of which this was the best.

Apple Bokeh (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (2))

Apple Bokeh (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (2)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

This was meant to be an arty shot. I love the texture of the water on the skin of the apple, although the water was laced with glycerin to make sure it lingered.

Tears of Decay (DSLR a550 w SAL100M28 (4))

Tears of Decay (DSLR a550 w SAL100M28 (4)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

I didn't have to add any water. A few frosts have really taken it out of the yellow flag iris leaves. As the morning's frost melted it had left these beautiful glass-like beads of water behind. The leaves are sagging and decay has set in.

Macro taken with a Sony a550 DSLR and Sony's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

1/100
f/5
ISO800
0 EV

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (11)

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (11), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

However.... Sometimes nature just does it better. Post frost dew on an evergreen honeysuckle leaf.

I love the magnification of the veins that one gets from water droplets.

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (23)

DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (23), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Artificial dew aka magic spray..

What is it?

I saw on some TV programme on BBC1 a tip for creating a dew effect that lingers just a little longer than water alone.

The tip was glycerin & water in a mist sprayer, no mention of concentration..

This photo was taken using a 30% glycerin with water solution. I think a slightly higher concentration may improve matters...

Crystal Ball (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (27))

Crystal Ball (DSLR a100 w SAL100M28 (27)), originally uploaded by tmv_media.

Dew from frost on the grass in my garden. As the sun moved across the sky, it forced a shaft of light across the garden, melting everything in its path.

I also added a spray of my magic mixture to promote more dew... Which I think may be what the main drop is in this photo...

The magic mixture? Detail to follow with a few more pictures..