Day 45 - Geometry in Photography

As I started shooting for more than plain old fun, as a newbie wannabe hobby photographer, I found it hard to use composition and perspective to improve my photos, but as the years have gone by, it has become something I can't shut off anymore. Using Geometry in photography is fun! This shot from a courtyard at Castel Sant'Angelo got me thinking about that.

Fist off, geometric shapes (circles, squares, rectangles etc.) are lovely things to incorporate into photography. It's something that draws you into a picture whether you're aware of it or not. As you can see, this shot has several shapes in it, and I think that's part of why I find it so attractive. And besides, as an old math nerd I always love it when photography and math come together.

Apart from the shapes, this shot is mathematical in another way as well - the classic rule of thirds can be applied to it too. I especially enjoy how the diagonal lines of the stone  railing connects two hotspots together and how the rectangle that is outside the bust's arch fits inside the middle lateral third. I hope you like it too :)

/MrsHjort

Day 22 - Superman

As we went out on our morning walk along the mini mountain path, I stepped up the last steps of the stairs and found this - the light shining down on my hubby as he stood there, looking out on the city as if he was its protector. An unreal sight, almost magical. "Hold it right there!" Guess if he was pleased as I showed it to him :D

/MrsHjort

Day 15 and 16 - Picturesque

As you can tell by the top picture, this is a place that is a little crooked. Some buildings lean a little bit this way and other a tiny bit that way. It's unusual to work with, but what it lacks in straight lines it makes up in charm. So, since nothing is really straight here anyway, I decided to let it be that way and not correct it in post-ed. This feels more true to the real thing to me :)

There is only one main street in Manarola, and along it you'll find many small boutiques and shops. There are some nice places to eat too, and we were lucky to find an amazing ice cream shop a bit higher up, away from the main crowd. I'm sorry to say I don't remember its name but it was the best ice cream I had during our entire trip. I love cherry ice cream, but I often get disappointed since most of the time, it's really just vanilla with a bit of cherry jam in it. Not here though. This was the real thing! And they had really, really nice cinnamon flavored gelato too. Yum!

/MrsHjort

Day 4 and 5 - Light, Lines and Details

Yesterday was a busy day, in many ways and so I didn't have the time to post. So I'll catch up today instead. I promised you I'd let you have a look inside the church, so here you go :).

I'm not a religious person, but I do love to marvel at the amazing pieces of art that churches so often are. This was no exception... The details, the artwork and the architecture is absolutely marvelous. I went into many churches in Italy, but I think this one is my favorite. I was even lucky enough to remember to remove the CPL-filter from my lens as I went inside. Sadly, I did not remember that a few other times, and I gritted my teeth at it afterwards as I saw the pictures... Oh well, we'll see if I can save those shots later on I guess...

/MrsHjort

Day 3 - Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore

As a crazy cat lady I can never resist the urge to shoot cats... errrr, no scratch that, it came out totally wrong! I can never resist the urge to photograph cats haha! This little lion made for a perfect interest point in my photo. I love places like this, with so many details and gorgeous lines. It's a treat to work with.

This church was founded in 1137. It always blows my mind to be at places like this. It has stood there for almost 900 years... What was it Yoda said "When 900 years old, you reach. Look as good, you will not". Well this place still looks stunning!

I'll let you have a look inside tomorrow :)

/MrsHjort

CCC - September: Cool

These vines are actually from our garden, and no, they're not in a green house or in any other protected place. They're totally unshielded from the elements, right in the middle of our back yard, growing in a beautiful arch! Who would have thought it possible? Not me anyway... I never knew there were vines this hardy before - I do live in Sweden after all, but these vines are not only surviving, but thriving.

On to subject of photography... Back when I was a beginner I used to search for pretty subjects, groan at stuff that ruined the composition and move on (or shoot anyway and hope for the best). But experience has thought me that nature shots can be every bit as arranged as still life photography. This is one of those pictures. Grapes may be beautiful but it's super hard to find a perfect ones, and finding two perfect bunches of grapes right next to each other is next to impossible, especially when you need an exact angle, or the DoF will ruin one of them. Yes, I could do focus stacking, but I'd rather not! Fixing things the natural way is faster. So, the bunch of grapes on the left are really growing there, but the ones on the right are not. I hung them there after I picked them from an other part of the plant. Also, that little leaf above them both was placed there, in order to hide an ugly twig. And, last, but not least, I tugged at the leaves in the background to create a pleasing set of lines. It took som coaxing, but it turned out nicely. This picture even won my second golden CCC challenge trophy :)

/MrsHjort

Day 25 - Crooked

I like this shot despite the fact that it breaks one of the basic photographic rules. But then sometimes it is good to break a rule or two, so I chose to leve the crooked lines as they were. It looks more interesting this way... like something out of one of the Harry Potter movies, and I like that thought!

/MrsHjort

Day 24 - Curved Street

This picture shows off a typical Edinburgh street.. or well, at least that's my view on the city :)

As you probably know by know I absolutely love the architecture of these old stone buildings. They're so pretty and I love how there are small secret terrassers outside, below street level, where you can find all manner of lovely mini gardens. It's a smart way of creating privacy in a big city. I also love how many of the streets are slightly curved, like this one. It provides a great motif for photography, don't you think? So many lovely lines and repeating shapes...

/MrsHjort

Day 16 - Inpendling Boom

This is one of those shots that was just for fun, but ended up being better than I expected. It's shot from one of the cannon apertures of the castle, as we took those usual funny shots where we pretended to shoot the cannons ourselves and stuff. No trip is complete without some silly pictures haha.

The shot is a bit hopeless though, since it seams to slope a bit no matter how you rotate it. Either the horizon is level but the top is no or the other way around, and either way things don't seam quite right. I ended up going with the clouds, but I don't know if that was the right thing to do either. Tricky indeed...

/MrsHjort

Day 4 - Odd One Out

Speaking of modern architecture, this building can be found at the lower end of the Royal Mile. It's the Scottish parliament building and it certainly stands out, don't you think? The shapes, material and colors are quite singular. It's one of those building that you either love or hate... or love to hate, or hate to love haha.

I like it as a subject for photography, it's design is provocative and it's a fun subject to play with. I shot it a lot, from many different angles and from different sides of the building. While I'm more fond of traditional architecture, this kind of modernism.. I don't know... I guess you can say it's unconventional design makes me want to be a bit unconditional too :). and it's always fun to be unconditional.

Cheers

/MrsHjort

Day 24 - Bricks and Stone

The juxtaposition of these very different types of stone caught my eye as I was wandering through the castle. Not that I know when they started laying brick walls like this, but I have a feeling it wasn't in the Medieval ages - it looks way to even and well maintained to be that old. I guess they had to redo this fireplace at some point. I like the effect nonetheless.

This will be the end of my abstract texture high key shots, and I'll move on to... I don't really know what I'll move on to... I've sort of exhausted the best of my shots from the day at the market, but I might be able to dig up some more if I really try. Otherwise you'll se some of the other pictures I took in France. Either way, I'm no way near done with this challenge :)

I'll see you tomorrow

/MrsHjort

Day 23 - Carved by Hand

I'm showing you an other beautiful piece of interior today. Looking back, I remember that I found it particularly hard to do a partial subject in this case, since it was so beautifully detailed and I wanted to have it all and show it off in all its splendor. Sometimes, it's not easy to find the right balance between the marvel you feel when you've found a lovely subject and cold calculated composition. I'm still doubting myself when it comes to this shot, and I've experimented with the cropping a bit, but I'm satisfied enough to show you my take on it today. I don't remember if this was a cabinet door or a piece of the wonderful wall panels. But whatever it is, it certainly managed to captivate me :)

/MrsHjort

Day 22 - Aged

I can't help but wonder how this would have looked when it was brand new. The fine apartments of the castle were all beautifully decorated and filled with wonderful details such as this. It must have been stunning! Though as beautiful as it must have looked back in the day, I think I like this better, not to live in mind you, but as a subject for photography.

Speaking of photography, I've gotten a brand new camera (Nikon D7100) as a birthday present from my family, and I'm having so much fun checking it out! All the new functions are so much fun to explore. I was just outside in my garden testing the HDR-settings and I'm very satisfied with the results I got. It's so much easier than the way I used to do it. As a matter of fact I've just entered one of the HDR shots from today into the Calendar Corsair Challenge for this month at DaggerBay. So you'll get to see it in a bit over a week. Time will tell how it all goes.

/MrsHjort

CCC - April: Fresh

Back in April, I wen't out shooting the budding trees without high hopes of getting anything I would like. I've tried my hand at buds many times before you see, and it has always ended in disappointment. Trees are complex things, and it's hard to get that perfect shot without too many distracting elements. Wind is a huge pain in the trigger finger. The smallest gust can move everything around which makes composing difficult, and it has the added bonus of motion blur, and moving stuff out of the depth of field, ah whooptidoo! That day however, my attempts turned out different. The light really worked with me, and the wind wasn't blowing at all (I live in a windy city, so those days are rare) which made things so much easier! Also, the bright blue sky turned out to be a gorgeous backdrop. The outcome exceed my expectations that day. YEY!

/MrsHjort

Day 30 - Newspaper

Sorry, no story about newspapers this time - there's simply too much else to say ;).

So! It's finally arrived! The final day of the 30-day challenge is here! Like always, it's a bitter-sweet moment. It's a bit of a relief that it's over - I won't have to plan a specific shot each day anymore. Surprisingly (not) carrying the camera around everywhere can be a bit of a nuisance, not to mention the times the battery has died on me (one of them being today), which has been very irritating to say the least. And I can live without the embarrassing shots of bus-stops as people walk by thinking I'm crazy! Also, no more cases of "camera-eye" (fucuseyeus stangeis) or "trigger-finger-itis" (itchyis spasmus), fellow photographers, you know what I mean!

However, I also love the challenges! I'ts such a great opportunity to get to know the wonderful people who play, and see their awesome shots each day. I've seen so many beautiful shots that make me think and break my own habits, and it's been such a joy to see people develop and breaking barriers of their own.

Another great thing is the comments I have received. They have been such a silver lining to every day (not cloud). Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to stop by and sharing your thoughts. You're the reason why W1K is a great place to be and I hope we'll keep in touch :).

Also, thank you to all you other visitors who have stopped by to take a gander each day. Seeing the stats map of all the people who come here, from all over the world, is just sooo cool! I hope I'll see you around here too! And feel free to drop me a line whenever :)

Finally I want to say congratulations to everyone who made it, and well done to those who tried! It's been an amazing challenge this time! You're all winners in my book!

Cheers!

/MrsHjort

Day 15 - Pocket

I never liked this blouse... The color is lovely and all, but I never liked the way it fits. It's one of those that has a rubber band sown into the lover hem, and it always ends up creeping up towards my waist, so I have to pull it down all the time. Ugh! I just hate that!

We've all had those clothes that we never really liked. Whether it be that we dislike the way they fit, their color or the material. That last one especially was a pain growing up. Remember those itchy sweaters our mums had us wear, haha, terrible!

Thankfully we can dress any way we want as adults. Now we're left to make our own bad choices shopping ;)

/MrsHjort

Day 13 - Coat

Today's picture was really simple, both in shooting and editing. I simply hung Mr's coat on a hanger, used a garment roller to remove the cat hair and draped his scarf by the left breast pocket. Post-ed was real simple too - just some routine sharpening, contrast adjustments, color enhancements and I'm done.

Today has also been filled with ups and downs. The ups have been at work - things are going very well and I really like it in general. I just could not ask for a better boss or colleagues! The downs have been really heartbreaking though - my mother-in-law's cat had to be put to sleep today (from old age). So, needless to say, there has been a lot of laughter and smiles today, but tears and sadness too. My thoughts are with you today, Aila, if you're reading this. I send you all my love and hope you find the strength to move forward. Know that you're always welcome at our place!

/MrsHjort

High Tides

Water has always fascinated me. You see, I grew up just a stone's throw away from Sweden's second largest lake. It's called Vättern and it's is sort of like a small sea - sometimes its waves are several meters high and it's deepest point is at 128 m. It's a very cold lake, even during the summer, and the temperature very seldom rises above 20 degrees C. That didn't stop me though, no siree! I was in more than I was out growing up, and when I finally came out of the water I was full of goose-bumps with clattering teeth. Nowadays I (mostly) limit myself to shooting water from afar though. It's more comfortable that way :).

Waves are such a joy to shoot. I love the contrasts you get from the foam and the beautiful natural lines. This shot in particular is very special to me. I shot it from Cabo Girão, Madeira, which is the second highest sea cliff in the world (approximately 580 m). Let me tell you, the view from there is breathtaking! It's so high up, that some days you're right among the clouds.

The top picture was shot using my Sigma lens. It's shot straight down, at maximum zoom (300 mm). I'm very glad it turned out so crisp, and I just love the angle - it really brings out the drama.

The photo to the right is shot with the Nikon lens at minimum zoom (18 mm). It allowed me to get the whole scope of the place. I had to wait a while for the clouds to clear a bit though, but I think they add a whole new dimension to the shot - landscapes tend to look flat in pictures, and they very often loose their drama. This way however, the size becomes more tangible. I just love the context a cloud or two can bring to a shot.

I've started carrying both my trusty lenses lately - ever since I got a small lens case that I can wear on my belt. I just love the flexibility you get that way. I've been thinking of getting a one legged stand too - they're not as bulky as the tripods are, and it would fit my trekking habits a lot better. Maybe I'll put it on my X-mas list ;).

What's your favorite gear?

/MrsHjort

Rugged Around the Edges

This is one of those pictures that really breaks from what I usually like to shoot. I'm really more of a nature photographer, or someone that likes nice clean shots, but sometimes I'm drawn to subjects like this. The ruggedness and the reflections just took me in, and all those lines and circles were very interesting to me.

When shoot similar subjects I like to go with with diagonals - they usually make for an interesting composition, but non-level water always looks strange. So, therefore, I broke with my habits a second time and shot it straight.

Thirdly, I very seldom go with blue, I really don't know why, but I've always been drawn to warm colors. So, here we have a rugged, level, blue shot, as far from my usual style you can get, but hey, sometimes it's nice to break with your habits. Maybe I'll try to do something like that for the next 30-day challenge.... Hmmmm, that's an interesting thought!

What do you usually avoid shooting?

/MrsHjort

10 Pictures of One Subject Challenge

Having scored the most points on both my entries on last week's challenge, I got to choose the new one for this weekend. So, this time it's 10 shots of one small subject, which really gets you thinking about angles and composition. Fun fun fun!

So, I chose my teapot as my subject. I love its design and its different surfaces, it makes for an interesting theme. So, I sat it down on the kitchen counter and turned it around... a lot! I got down on my knees and I stood on a chair, I zoomed in and out, and I twisted my body into many uncomfortable positions haha, and in the end, I got my 10 unique shots.

This exercise reminded me very much of when I did the 30-day challenge a year and a half ago. The hunt for abstracts was very rewarding and it made me look upon the world with new eyes. I can still find myself looking for lines and harmonic shapes throughout the days sometimes and I sometimes stop for a minute or two to appreciate the beauty of the world around me. I love that photography has brought me that!

/MrsHjort