Broom

Canon EOS 350D with Canon 18-200mm IS lens
1/125 sec at f/5.6 ISO 100 at 35mm

I should probably admit to having a bit of a broom fetish when it comes to pictures. Since I probably won't stop taking pictures of them, what should I be doing to get a better picture?


Updated 2nd Jan 2011

 

So here's the same broom, with a bit brighter top section of red.  It was originally this colour when I took the picture, but I darkened it by accident when I added a filter to soften the white bit behind the broom.  

Arch

Here's another shot open for discussion.

I liked the historic look of this arch, its reflection in the moat and the broken gate within. I wanted to convey something of the quiet mistery about its rundown appearance in the early morning rain.

Arch
Canon EOS Kiss Digital X with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM at 177mm EFL
1/400s, f2/8 & ISO 400
Handheld in light rain.

So what do you think? Does it leave you wondering what this place once was, what happened here and why is it deserted now?

Modern Architecture

Hi Guys,

This is an alternative take on pattern studies. Usually pattern studies are abstract, close up images, but this one is quite literal.

I kept this out of a number of candidates for it's blocky architectural shapes and the subtle hue variances between the apartments.

Modern Architectrue
Canon EOS Kiss Digital X with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens at 320mm EFL
1/800s, f/5.6 & ISO 100
Tripod mounted with IS and remote shutter release.

Does it look like an interesting and colourful architectural pattern study to you, or...?

Sunset

Asian sunsets always seem to appear more orange and red than those in Australia. This one was taken in India near the Pakistan border. We were camped out in the Thar Desert under the stars on a relatively clear night. While waiting for dinner to cook, we could watch the sun set across this rather desolate location.

The setting sun was struggling to shine through layers of thin cirrus clouds making them go a beautiful red colour. For this shot, I biased the exposure towards the sun and clouds which left the foreground a little dark.

In post processing, I further increased the contrast in this image, made it a little darker and added some more saturation to the clouds.

Sunset
Canon EOS Kiss Digital X with a Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens at 320mm EFL.
1/125s, f5.6 & ISO 100
Handheld with IS on.

So, what do you think? Does this capture an Asian orange sunset in an empty place? Should I push the foreground more towards a silhouette or try to brighten it up and add some detail?

Into The Eyes of a Dragon

Hi Guys,

I had a really lucky run with some macro photography this weekend.
I have two subjects that I particularly liked and I thought I would share.
My first subject is a Dragonfly.

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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 1: 1:1 crop.
Note: I also did a couple of spot removals on a couple of tiny bits of junk on the compound eye in image 1 that I thought were a little distracting. I did not remove them in image 2 at the bottom.



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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 2: Full image from above. This was as close as I could get and still focus.




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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 3 : Just another angle to show off the pattern in the wings, and the colour of the tail.


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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 4 : A pretty red Dragonfly was algo buzzing around.


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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 5 : Same red Dragonfly perching on another twig.


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Canon 40D at 100mm (EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM)
1/250 sec f/11, ISO 100
Canon 580EX II Flash with a home made light diffuser trying to soften the light.
Hand held.
Image 6 : 1:1 crop of Image 5 to show detail in the compound eyes.



Cheers!
Craig.

Who Likes Trains?

Canon EOS 350D with Canon 18-200 IS lens
1/400 sec at f11, ISO 200
Taken at 60mm (EFL 96mm)



Ok, no background for this shot. What do you like, not like about it?



Geoff.

The Pot

Here's an interesting shot taken in Asila, Morocco.

I'm not sure what prompted me to take this photo, but while reviewing my shots later, I've come to really like it. I enjoy it's simplicity of design and the blue orange colour pair.

The Pot
Canon PowerShot S2IS at 270mm EFL
1/1000s, f/4 & ISO ???

Does it work for you? Or is it just another arty attempt at a pot on a wall?

Edit: 21 Dec 2010,

Here's a slightly different crop based on feedback. However, I don't know if I like it any better than the frist.

So, which appeals more to you?