Photo Post: WRC Subaru Impreza

Another car from the Flitwick Classic Car Show 2014. A rather tasty looking Subaru Impreza. Don't know much about it as I just took the photos and had to move on. HDR, 3 exposures shot with my Canon 600D. There were people in the photo which I removed (badly, PS is not my strong point).

Photo Post: HDR Eye

Something I always wanted to try, a close up HDR image of an eye. In this case, my 6 y.o.'s, so I got him to sit still for 2 seconds to take the photo(s). Turned out alright, but to many reflections though. Love his blue eyes though.

Photo Post: Ford Mustang Engine Bay

The same blue Ford Mustang at Flitwick Classic Car Show, but a bit of a wider angle.

HDR, 3 exposures, Canon 600D.

Photo Post: Sunrise over Fuengirola Beach

During our holiday to Fuengirola in Spain, I decided I had to get up early one day to see what the sunrise over the sea was like. Turned out quite nice. To be honest I don't think I have ever witnessed a complete sunrise. It was great. I got there about 20 mins before the sun was due to come up so just sat down on the beach and awaited. When it comes up, it comes up fast, surprisingly fast. Was well worth getting up early for. Although it wasn't too early. Sunrise was about 0720 local time. This is no HDR, just a straight shot out the camera.

Photo Post: Sunrise over a Field

Early one morning on the way to work I stopped the car as I noticed a nice looking sunrise and I had my camera with me. I just walked off into a field to see what I could find. Not a lot, but a sunrise can make any scene look good... kinda like snow. HDR, 3 exposures shot with my Canon 600D.

Photo Post: Ford Mustang V8 Engine

A lovely blue Ford Mustang's shiny V8 engine from the Flitwick Classic Car Show 2014.

Trip to Portland, Dorset, UK

This last weekend (03 January 2014), my wife and I managed to get away for a small 2 night break in a hotel she found on Wowcher. The hotel was the Venue Hotel which is located high up on top of Portland, which is situated on a small piece of land that juts out from the mainland, connected to Weymouth by a very thin strip of land (literally just a road).

We were set to go just when bad storms were hitting the south coast of England (great timing), but we had rearranged the date several times already so did not want to put it off again. We didn't have the kids with us so we wouldn't have to worry about entertaining them in the rain. Being on our own we could just do something to suit ourselves...for a change! I think it was the first time we had both been away from the kids (currently 3 and 5) for two nights.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Here's a warm HDR photo of our Christmas tree; 3 exposures taken with my Canon 600D, merged in Photomatix and processed with Lightroom and Nik software.

Photography - Got a DSLR!

I have been interested in Photography for some time now, mostly just as a hobby, but also enjoying looking at what the professionals do and wishing I could do that one day.

I have always enjoyed making the most of the equipment I have. My last camera was a Fujifilm HS10 which was a great camera to 'bridge' the way from simple Point And Shoot cameras and phone cameras to DSLR.

BUT I have recently been blessed (by my wife, +Lisa Reynolds) who bought me a Canon 600D DSLR for my birthday! What a fantastic present! Thank you Lisa :)

And so now I am hoping to further improve my photography skills now that I am finally in the world of DSLR. Already, just shooting general photos, the quality of the images is so noticeable compared to the HS10.

One reason would be the sensor size. The HS10 is only 6.17 x 4.55mm vs 22.3 x 14.5mm of the 600D, so light collecting ability is just so much greater.

Also the lenses for a DSLR are going to be much better quality.

One thing I am really interested in is doing some HDR photography. +Trey Ratcliff is very much a source of inspiration for me and he very generously shares his photography and knowledge freely over the Internet via his Google+ page and his own website, http://www.stuckincustoms.com/.

I am certainly going to be purchasing his tutorials in the very near future as I am merely starting to scratch the surface of HDR photography.

I have tried a few HDR shots before using the HS10, but here is my first attempt with my 600D (click to view full sized version).

It isn't the most exciting, in terms of the sky, as I have been waiting and waiting for some decent sunsets and its been cloudless for the last week or so! so this was my first chance.

Got a lot to learn to improve the quality, but its a start.