A Lincolnshire Summers Day.

The weather in Lincolnshire, England has been lovely the last few days.

So grabbing my camera I set out down the back lanes near Spalding to see what photo opportunities presented themselves.

This was just taken by the side of a country lane in the middle of nowhere. Just acres of sky and agriculture. The tracks across the field lead the eye into the distance and the tree adds a focal point on which to calculate perspective.

Close-by where I parked was this solitary poppy.

I've used the photo editing package Photoshop on the photo, to give it a slightly more artistic feel.

Lastly this image of one of the main drainage waterways that flow from the fenland into the River Welland.

The blueness of the sky is mirrored in the waterway which disappears straight as an arrow into the distance.

Sat by this waterway listening to the birds, feeling one with nature, was a great way to end a lovely afternoon.

Sky Pictures.

Sat at my computer I look out over the flat landscape of South Lincolnshire, England.

Because the land is so flat the sky plays a large part of the landscape.

This evening it was crying out to be photographed.

I didn't need to go far just to the boundary of our garden to get these pictures.

The constantly changing shapes of the clouds give a different picture from the same location very quickly.

Changing the format of the picture from landscape (above) to portrait gives a whole new effect to the composition.

The clouds in this picture above seem to be in three distinct layers towering over the landscape.

Unlike the landscape formatted pictures I have included the horizon in the frame. This was done to emphasise the magnitude of the sky and to give a reference point allowing the eye to pan from the ground up into the sky and clouds.

Looking out now on the same landscape there are no longer any clouds to be seen.

This goes to show that with photography half the challenge is being in the right place at the right time.

Not only that but seeing the opportunity for a photo and taking it.

The advantage with modern digital cameras is that you can take as many shots as you want and it will not cost you any more than taking just one.

You may take 50 photos of one subject and if only one photo turns out to be really good then it was worth it.

 Go on take some photographs.

Bee's in Close-up.

I wandered into our garden for today's photo's.

My first choice had been to just take some pictures of flowers or plants. However, when I started taking pictures of our flowering hedgerow, the bumblebees started to fly into the frame. The photo shoot changed to that of a impromptu macro session.

I used my Canon EOS Rebel XTi camera with Canon EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens to take the photographs.

The bumble bees were constantly moving, so I had to make sure that the focal point was it and not the flower it had just moved from. 

Because the bee was flitting about so quickly, I had to set the shutter speed fairly high so that the whole bee did not become a blur. Unfortunately this also froze his wings in some of the shots.

Getting an even exposure as the bees moved around the hedgerow was another challenge. I  used both shutter priority mode and aperture priority mode, as well as manual, to try and find which gave the best shot. On this occasion shutter priority gave the better combination. It ensured a fast enough shutter speed that the bee was not blurred, but also allowed the camera to select the best aperture for the available light. I took the shots early evening, before the light started to fade, but after the harsh light of midday. This helped to create a much softer light on the subject.

I tried to use the rule of thirds, (explored in an earlier post) to compose the picture to make the composition more interesting. The depth of field has been kept short, thus enabling the background to remain out of focus. This ensures that the eye is not distracted away from the bee and the flower in the picture.

The white and subtle yellow of the flowers also help to enhance the prominence of the bee in the frame.

For an impromptu macro shoot I really enjoyed it and I hope you did too. I will try and do another close-up photo shoot in the near future. 

Why not add a comment or suggestion of what you would like to see as the subject of that shoot. I will then, if possible, carry it out and then I will post the photos on here once I have done it for you to see.

The art of photo composition

One of the key arts of taking a good photograph is its composition.

Have you ever had a photo like the one here that was just, well, boring!




There's no focal point. The eye has nowhere to rest. The eye may flow with the water but it doesn't lead anywhere.

If you change the perspective and perhaps add a bit of foliage you get this.




This shot gives a bit more by showing the fast moving stream with a strand of foliage.

Its better but still not brilliant.

Lets try yet another angle.



Here the stream has been framed by the tree.

This allows a good comparison with the fast movement of the water and the stillness of the tree.

Its not perfect but of the 3 it is well on its way to getting there.