Photos you have taken in the last month of which you are proud?

Thanks Malvern!

The nightcrawler
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Unintended self portrait - it's definitely the curved lens of the glasses that distort my riding physique.....[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8610/15886290586_d0c039fbc9_k.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qcPoHQ ]P8240381.jpg" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8610/15886290586_d0c039fbc9_k.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qcPoHQ ]P8240381.jpg"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr

Shapes and Shadows
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15505038225_4e4cae731c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3952/15505038225_4e4cae731c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pC8nFg ]Shapes and Shadows[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr

Moss Side Tree
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/16032084889_196e394f22_k.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qqGChH ]P1010336.jpg" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/16032084889_196e394f22_k.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qqGChH ]P1010336.jpg"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr

[list]RD - chapeau !!
Great photo

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[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/16204486159_358c2e856a_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/16204486159_358c2e856a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qFWebp ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/22550523@N08/ ]polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

cheers Elshalimo

That photo of Didcot is great, although it does look a bit like how I imagine chernobyl.....

were is that? rocket,it looks local 🙂

Local to where?

My first play with TriggerTrap and balloon popping - really enjoyed it!

[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/16204976369_550bab3cb7_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/16204976369_550bab3cb7_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qFYJUi ]Balloon Pop I[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/16365219716_bd32251e1d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/16365219716_bd32251e1d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qW92EC ]Balloon Pop II[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/16391194215_e20787c5df_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/16391194215_e20787c5df_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qYr9YP ]Balloon Pop III[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/97031505@N03/ ]simondarney[/url], on Flickr

My first go at astro-photography, this is the Pleiades star cluster also know as The Seven Sisters. I need to play around a bit more in post as the colour looks a bit too purple but I'm very happy with it.

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@ jairaj - settings?

What were the trigger trap settings?

Really good tutorial including [url= http://howto.triggertrap.com/howto/capture-a-water-balloon-popping/ ]Settings here[/url]

TT sync times aren't quick enough to trigger the camera so it is done from flash. You need a flash trigger rather than the standard camera trigger.

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Taken with my phone,through the bedroom window. I popped this up on twitter where the BBC, Daily mail and Met Office all found it and subsequently used it. Sometimes it's not the quality of the image, it's the mood or current that it captures.

Nice.

The thing I get most from that photo is actually the sound...or lack of it. I LOVE the silence you have after a heavy snowfall.

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/16213543728_5bfbcf24cb_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qGJDFo ]cidImage_FOT486E.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/16213543728_5bfbcf24cb_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qGJDFo ]cidImage_FOT486E.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr

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Stirling Train Station from over the bridge

@GregMay

I used an Astrotrac tracking mount a mates old Cannon DLSR (my Pentax k30 is being repaired) with Tamaron 70 - 300 mm F5.6 lens. Its a stacked image, 6 x 2 min exposures @ ISO400.

I took about 12 images in total but a few were ruined with passing car lights and during the end I got a lot of dew on the lens so the pictures were blurred.

I need to spend more time getting my polar alignment better too, if you zoom in you can see motion blur from the stars. It was only my second time using the set up, so while I can improve a lot I'm still happy with the result.

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8638/16394740176_bf03685d22_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8638/16394740176_bf03685d22_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qYKk55 ]Border Collie with Stick[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/58162507@N07/ ]SGMTB[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/16236375257_8eb558ae51_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/16236375257_8eb558ae51_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qJKEGr ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/22550523@N08/ ]polarisandy[/url], on Flickr

sledging field with a view, click on image to get larger size.

A couple from yesterdays snowy jaunt. xherbivorex of this parish....

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Snowy in'th'ills....

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Sometimes it's not the quality of the image, it's the mood or current that it captures.

That and it's royalty free 😀

On the subject of sync timings and very fast photography, have a look at this from a chap I follow on Flickr. I'm not usually a fan of this genre of photography (though I always admire the technical skill it represents), but this shot really is brilliant in how it portrays the subject:

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/15734450404_f106ee8a3e_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/15734450404_f106ee8a3e_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pYpaVE ]Testing the Waters...[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/19312459@N00/ ]fearghal breathnach[/url], on Flickr

😯 to the above. Impressive!

Not sure I could persevere through the 1000 ways that didn't work it must have taken..

(hangon is that why I am getting nowhere with this lark!)

Pretty dull weather and scenery round here at the moment. Did like this though. View from the bathroom window.

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And I liked this one as I had forgotten how shallow a depth of field I could get.
(And yes, that IS the bit I wanted in focus..)

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polarisandy - Member

The bathroom and this one were taken with a camera that has no light meter and i had left my hand held at work.
I had to estimate exposure using the sunny 16 rule, the one below could have done with a bit more but not bad as it was a very contrasty scene.

It's an interesting exercise, turn the LCD off if using a digital camera, don't look at the light meter, estimate the exposures then look at them later.

I read this yesterday and then remembered I had this 'light meter' at the bottom of an old camera bag. It is disturbingly accurate.

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My dad used to have something like that! I wonder if it's in his old bag of kit. Will have a check when I'm at home this weekend.

Last night in Avenue Rd

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A very cold morning -22 degrees

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/16046044667_050df63d71_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/16046044667_050df63d71_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/musselburghbikers/16046044667/ ]P1200625[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/musselburghbikers/ ]Andrea & Rick[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/16401632815_c7c4cf7e67_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/16401632815_c7c4cf7e67_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qZmE1F ]Launceston Friday[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/16949733@N00/ ]Mike Smith 79[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8622/16344402686_c3147194b5_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8622/16344402686_c3147194b5_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qUikuj ]Straya day[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/16949733@N00/ ]Mike Smith 79[/url], on Flickr

funny to see that Eddie, i've got the very same exposure wheel somewhere and used it for a bit. It works..

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A phone point and click.

edit: right click "view image"

Question:

Do you Guys ever retouch or enhance your photos after taking them?

Just wondering, I've a simple Canon SX500-IS and have been trying to get upto speed using it, clearly I've some way to go.
But, but what I have been doing is using iPhoto to enhance/straighten some of my shots... seems like I've some way to go and don't really want to spend loads on equipment.

Just wondering.

For some reason my iPhone shots turn out better than the Camera 😐

[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/16445405755_0af46d98cb_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/16445405755_0af46d98cb_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/r4e1bx ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/27084274@N08/ ]john_henry_mtb[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/16258525087_7523145484.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/16258525087_7523145484.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= http://flic.kr/p/qLHc54 ]Tarantaise Inversion by -crewlie-[/url]
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/16256782208_0d3c6f7d27.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/16256782208_0d3c6f7d27.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= http://flic.kr/p/qLyfYq ]1600 by -crewlie-[/url]

New Sony A6000 and I don't have a clue! But this came out ok. Doesn't follow the 3rds thing but I like it.

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Think more like a guideline than rule.

Do you Guys ever retouch or enhance your photos after taking them?

Yes. Every shot I end up keeping and posting to my Flickr account will have had some work done to it.

The development process is as much a valid part of photography as the composition and shooting process and it always has been. Back in the days of film, especially B&W, people would develop their negatives in a specific way to create the image they wanted. The terms 'dodging' and 'burning' that are used in post production packages light Lightroom and Apperture, come from B&W film development and refer to lightening or darkening certain areas of the image to create the desired effect.

What has happened with digital photohraphy is that we have far more control over the creative process and can now create images that were never seen by the camera.

I know people who deride that process and while it's not something I am interested in, it's entirely up to you and is perfectly justified if the image you end up with pleases you and pleases others.

One thing to highlight is that shooting in RAW format, as opposed to JPEG (and for reference you're almost certainly shooting in JPEG unless you've specifically chosen RAW) almost demands you do some PP. The RAW format captures a far greater range of information for things like colour, exposure, highlightls, shadows etc. The options you then have to decide how you want the image to look are much broader. JPEGs capture a lot less information either side of the 'out of the camera' result.

Everyone will have their own work flow. I tend to confine my adjustments to increasing the contrast (using an s-curve usually) which greatly enhances the vividness of the colour as well as the contrast, lifting shadows, lowering highlights, adding a vignette if it's a portrait, maybe some sharpening but not usually much if at all, maybe a graduated filter or a conversion to B&W.

That all said, I know one (talented) photographer who eschews all shuch jiggery pokery and insists on only ever shooting JPEG and using out of the camera results. He's a bit of a purist and has far more pedigree in film photography.

BTW Crewlie, I really like 'Inversion'. Great image.

The first two are slightly older than a month, but hey ho! All taken on my iPhone.

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8683/16132502568_9c5044c0c9_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8683/16132502568_9c5044c0c9_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qzzhY1 ]Weymouth Beach[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91843706@N08/ ]SamDexter[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/16294121336_6132a91fc6_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/16294121336_6132a91fc6_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qPRCAu ]Baslow Edge[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91843706@N08/ ]SamDexter[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16319440502_12bbd90e7a_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16319440502_12bbd90e7a_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qS6p6Q ]Long Mynd - View 2[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91843706@N08/ ]SamDexter[/url], on Flickr

Its a shame my bikes in this one.
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16340920926_e2b3088c93_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16340920926_e2b3088c93_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qTZutY ]Hope Valley[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91843706@N08/ ]SamDexter[/url], on Flickr

Do you Guys ever retouch or enhance your photos after taking them?

No, not even cropped.