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A beautifully ordered queue for ice cream, now that the weather has warmed up. I reduced the aperture to f11 so that it would still be possible to read "Ice Cream" on the little hut, and I cropped some of the path at the bottom off to obey the rule of thirds. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/12feb2013-photo-43 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1602498589511abb635a04d.jpg12Feb2013: Photo 43 Box of chocolates. I like the abstract nature of this photo, and how crisp the chocolate in focus is. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19mar2013-photo-78 https://images.on-this.website/23306_424851462514f5692a8312.jpg19Mar2013: Photo 78 For some reason, we save beer bottle tops in a jam jar, and I thought the Stella ones (vast majority) would make an interesting photo. They are remarkably tricky to pick up and place where you want them! The photo has good texture and I added a white vignette, which I'd not done before. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18jun2013-photo-169 https://images.on-this.website/23306_211347668151c0cfa7b794e.jpg18Jun2013: Photo 169 The moon looked amazing tonight, so I got my zoom lens out to see if it could capture the detail. I used the tripod so as to keep the camera still, and am amazed by the result. If I can do this with a standard DSLR camera and zoom lens, it is no wonder scientists are able to take such stunning photos deep inside the universe with the aid of better technology. I do like the moon, it is a constant presence in our lives where, often, change is the only constant. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/23mar2013-photo-82 https://images.on-this.website/23306_2023113662514f6639cba37.jpg23Mar2013: Photo 82 After buying a super warm coat, I've been able to get out this weekend, in the freezing temperatures, to practice my photography. This shelter is in Lily Hill Park, Bracknell Forest, and I had it in mind to use to practice HDR technique again. You take 3 or more photos at different exposures (one good exposure, one too bright and one too dark), and then merge them in photoshop. You are able to make all kinds of adjustments until the dark areas are not too dark and the brighter areas are not burned out, at the same time greatly increasing the contrast and texture. I think the detail in this final image is great, and overall it has an eerie sense about it, which is just what I was aiming for, for this building deep in the woods. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/26may2013-photo-146 https://images.on-this.website/23306_92362417451ada36a018aa.jpg26May2013: Photo 146 View from Bayard's Cove, Dartmouth to Kingswear. This cannon is part of the memorial to commemorate the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers in the Mayflower in 1620. I wanted to get a photo looking along the cannon, with the houses on the hillside in Kingswear in the background. I used a small aperture (f/16) to keep the village identifiable, but still in soft focus, to keep perspective. With a larger aperture, and a completely blurred background, the image just didn't work. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/22apr2013-photo-112 https://images.on-this.website/23306_13755707985176331653195.jpg22Apr2013: Photo 112 We got a keyboard for Christmas and I've been looking at it recently, trying to determine how best to photograph it to make the photo interesting. Here, I went for a low angle looking along the keys, and chose to keep just a couple of keys in focus. Perhaps the photo could be enhanced with a couple of hands playing the keys? http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/21mar2013-photo-80 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1573178686514f57c5e6e55.jpg21Mar2013: Photo 80 Spring is looking a bit miserable this year. These little daffodils were looking sorry for themselves, working hard against the wind and the cold to stay upright and bloom. I got the camera down really low, so that I could have the carpet of flowers in the background, and like the result. I hope Spring improves soon... Photos in Spring should be full of new life, not miserable! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/12jul2013-photo-193 https://images.on-this.website/23306_191181453551ec017b86718.jpg12Jul2013: Photo 193 This is a lavender flower taken from above with the largest aperture possible. The flowers have grown on very long stems, and this has allowed the background to be completely out of focus. It wasn't what I expected, but I rather like it. Although the purple colour contrasted with the green background, the flowers were much more prominent when the image was converted to monochrome. It is very simple, and in our busy lives, it is good to study simple images every now and again, to calm the mind and relax the body. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20mar2013-photo-79 https://images.on-this.website/23306_306595713514f56b98c9ef.jpg20Mar2013: Photo 79 I've wanted to take a photograph like this for ages, so finally gave it a go. I conceded to having assistance with it, after struggling to cope with holding the light above the glass, pouring the liquid and simultaneously clicking the shutter... After a few attempts, we snapped this one - and its better than I had thought we'd get. I kept saying "I want it to slosh", and that's exactly what it is doing here. A faster shutter speed may be better - I'll have another go later in the year. I am disappointed with the wall behind as it is a bit distracting, so I added a blur in Photoshop. It was the first time I'd used this and although I do like the effect, I think I will need to work on how to soften the boundary because it seems a bit too harsh. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04nov2013-photo-308 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1126352043527abc7e4a597.jpg04Nov2013: Photo 308 I wanted to photograph an apple, with a lot of contrast, and a recognisable shadow, and this photo was the closest that I achieved. I added some sepia tinting, but kept a lot of the red colour for the apple. Perhaps a different background would have made the image better; I can't put my finger on it, but there is something not quite perfect with it. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/06nov2013-photo-310 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1262975354527abcba40741.jpg06Nov2013: Photo 310 I saw this kind of image online months ago and have wanted to try it ever since, but had no confidence that I would be able to recreate the images that I had seen. However, this was my first attempt, and I'm chuffed to pieces with it. Considering I didn't know if the camera would be focussed on the swinging torch, if the first swing would be the right size, or if the exposure time would be long enough, I think it is a really good effort. I'm not sure I could recreate it though! I'll definitely be doing more of these. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19oct2013-photo-292 https://images.on-this.website/23306_10592456325264455b0c3c5.jpg19Oct2013: Photo 292 The whole purpose of the trip to the New Forest was to find a pig roaming around, eating acorns (to prevent the ponies from eating so many). Much to my great delight, this huge sow was not difficult to spot and she took a rest from eating to pose for me. That's what I thought, but shortly after taking this photo, she turned towards me, crossed the road and came trotting in my direction snorting all the while. I was stood in a little stream, in a ditch, and had I not legged it, the pig's snout would have been level with my face as she came onto my side of the road. I didn't risk it, and quickly turned and avoided being her next meal! If you look carefully, you can see in her right eye that she has spotted me... http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/06jun2013-photo-157 https://images.on-this.website/23306_81104350851b4dd83ed4e8.jpg06Jun2013: Photo 157 Last year I bought 4 rose plants that flowered well, and I cut them back following all instructions I could find, and hoped for the best for this year. I haven't been disappointed. They have grown very well and have lots of buds on them now. This photo is of the bud closest to flowering today. I had another go at isolating the colour to only the flower head, and like the result. I'm sure I will post more of the roses as they flower even more. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03jun2013-photo-154 https://images.on-this.website/23306_7824302951b4dca1edbb0.jpg03Jun2013: Photo 154 The chives in the garden have burst into flower, and the purple heads contrast fantastically with the green leaves and stems, and the orange fence behind. I only had to straighten and crop slightly in post production. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15mar2013-photo-74 https://images.on-this.website/23306_19389089335144f96e8022d.jpg15Mar2013: Photo 74 The chair. One of the first things I learned about photography was to use different angles from the "norm" to view subjects and take photos. Very high and very low profiles can provide unusual perspectives of day-to-day objects. The harsh lighting on this chair has produced a great shadow behind it that adds to the image. I increased the contrast hugely before converting to black and white. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13jul2013-photo-194 https://images.on-this.website/23306_12527476051ec01ae90e8c.jpg13Jul2013: Photo 194 I was taking photos of this bee for ages, busy in the flowers of the runner beans, until I finally took one that I was pleased with. The bee is nicely in focus, but what makes it the best shot, is the sun shimmering on its wings. The simple flowers do not overpower the image, but their vibrant red colour contrasts amazingly with the green leaves. It is no wonder the bees are attracted. Just a shame there are so few bees this year, as hardly any of the flowers are emerging as beans. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/07jun2013-photo-158 https://images.on-this.website/23306_114022868751b4ddca51f4a.jpg07Jun2013: Photo 158 I started to eat this little cake when I thought it would make a nice photo on the white plate with the table behind. The tones seemed to work well. I was right, it is a nice little photo that makes you want to eat the cake! In post production I added a black vignette, that made the cake in the centre stand out a lot more. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/23feb2013-photo-54 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1391124253512a7a5c27877.jpg23Feb2013: Photo 54 Tonight was my brother's 30th birthday party, at which there was a "just-for-fun" casino. This photo is of my sister-in-law, as she made her way to winning the most "fun money" of all the guests. I like the image because the orange chips contrast brilliantly with her black dress, and also because she doesn't like photos of herself - so excluding her face meant that I was allowed to keep the photo. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/29apr2013photo-119 https://images.on-this.website/23306_10568465125180b483ba23f.jpg29Apr2013:Photo 119 Working in the pharmaceutical industry, and seeing regularly photos like this in the newspaper whenever there is something in the news about a drug, I wanted to take a photo that could be used in such an article. However, I had to use vitamin pills, as, other than painkillers, they are the only tablets we have in the house... At first, I took the photo handheld with auto-ISO, and when I cropped the image down to this size, I realised that there was a huge amount of noise. I checked what the ISO was, and it was 1000. I put the camera on the tripod and re-took at ISO 100, which reduced the shutter speed down to 0.5seconds, but the use of the tripod allowed this. The photo is back-lit (by my computer) to give shadows at the front of the tablets, which I thought would add more contrast to the image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/30may2013-photo-150 https://images.on-this.website/23306_213996766451ada4b753bd5.jpg30May2013: Photo 150 Exmouth. Again, I wanted to practice with my 10 stop filter, and for this one, I also used a 0.9 stop graduated filter to even out the sky and water but darkening the sky a little. The 10 stop filter adds a nasty blue cast to the image, and so quite a lot of post production was required to correct for this. I focussed on the rocks in the foreground, because I thought the image wouldn't be pleasant to look at if they were blurred, and it has worked very well. I used a 1 minute exposure for this image, as I wanted to flatten the water and show motion in the people walking and fishing on the beach. I'm pleased with how this has worked out. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16jul2013-photo-197 https://images.on-this.website/23306_119768610751e5c53e398aa.jpg16Jul2013: Photo 197 Three years passed since my orchid last flowered. I persevered with the rather uninspiring plant without any flowers for all this time, to be rewarded with possibly the biggest orchid flowers I've ever seen. Unfortunately the top of the flower branch had a problem, and there are only three flowers. Regardless, I wanted to capture them in all their glory - and I really like how the petals seem to glimmer in the light in the photograph. I'm not sure how long the flowers will last, or how long until it will next flower, but today, at this moment in time, it is beautiful. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03mar2013-photo-62 https://images.on-this.website/23306_202850974751367317d92ca.jpg03Mar2013: Photo 62 Garlic makes for good still life photography because of the layers, textures and unusual shapes. It took a while before I was happy with the composition, and then converted it to black and white. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/31mar2013-photo-90 https://images.on-this.website/23306_9705753725161c594d1ea1.jpg31Mar2013: Photo 90 I took a few photos of this merry-go-round, but they all seemed a bit static and lifeless. I increased the shutter speed to 1/6 second, and was amazed with how little camera shake there was. I enhanced the vibrancy in photoshop, and really love the golden colour. The motion captured is just what I was hoping for, with the parents in the foreground watching their little ones go round and round. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/11feb2013-photo-42 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1540433616511abb278db6b.jpg11Feb2013: Photo 42 This is the most amazing wine in the world, that we bought from the vineyard in Saint Emillion in 2009. I don't think the photo really does it justice, but I didn't want to play around with it too much as I wanted the label to be readable. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/24feb2013-photo-55 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1883586667512a7adfb5b8a.jpg24Feb2013: Photo 55 Playing with myself. I love playing on the playstation 3, and can get very involved with the game that I'm playing. I saw a similar image to this on someone else's 366 project from 2012, and wanted to see if I could replicate it with myself as the subject. It was hugely challenging, and I took loads of photos of myself with different expressions, before deciding that this aggressive one was the most suitable for what I was trying to achieve. I made it black and white, bringing just a little colour back in, mainly because the beige colour of the sofa was a bit overpowering. I am really pleased with this final image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/28may2013-photo-148 https://images.on-this.website/23306_70830978251ada3fb7ff12.jpg28May2013: Photo 148 Waiting. I have to be honest and say that I saw this pigeon on the other side of the platform at Paignton Steam Train station, but didn't think anything of it. I was told it would make a good photo, and so took the picture, but still didn't really think it would be anything special. That was until I converted the image into monochrome. It only works because the station is so old, and the platform is completely devoid of life apart from the one seagull, appearing to be waiting for his train to arrive. It is one of my favourite photos of the project so far, but I only wish that the seagull had been better focussed. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19apr2013-photo-109 https://images.on-this.website/23306_211014263751745bfc6685c.jpg19Apr2013: Photo 109 Another white blossom tree in Virginia Water. Spring is just starting to emerge after the cold Winter, and the colours in the sky and grass are starting to make landscape photography interesting again. I walked round a corner and this scene unfolded in front of me, surprising me as I didn't realise I was so close to the lake. I walked forwards down a slope so as to get the best composition I could. You simply cannot beat the English countryside on a sunny day. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/25jan2013-photo-25 https://images.on-this.website/23306_19829494865102f5ceb2eb9.jpg25Jan2013: Photo 25 I wanted to do something more abstract with the daffodils from yesterday, and wanted to use the f2.8 feature of my new 17-55mm lens. Image was trimmed and levels and curves adjusted slightly in Photoshop, and I do rather like the final result. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/14jan2013-photo-14 https://images.on-this.website/23306_145362707550f486647be53.jpg14Jan2013: Photo 14 I wanted to practise spot metering, so used my life long companion as my model, with my SAD lamp right behind. Slight adjustment to levels and curves in photoshop to improve contrast. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20oct2013-photo-293 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1003975324526445956488f.jpg20Oct2013: Photo 293 You can't go to the New Forest and not photograph some ponies. Most of them were not interested in posing, and didn't bring their heads up from eating the grass. However, this one was different, and every time I pointed the camera, she would raise her head and turn towards me. Shame I cut her ears off, but it is beautifully focussed on her eyes, which is what makes the image work so well. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04jun2013-photo-155 https://images.on-this.website/23306_61110509651b4dd06e1242.jpg04Jun2013: Photo 155 Whilst lying on our lawn, I wanted to get a worm's eye view of the grass, to show it off in all its glory. I used a large aperture to give a shallow depth of field, and tilted the camera to make the focussed area diagonal in the image. The final result is just what I was aiming to achieve. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/08feb2013-photo-39 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1926023102511561ae1fe82.jpg08Feb2013: Photo 39 Tonight was the opening night of the Bracknell Forest photo competition exhibition, where two of my photos were "Highly Commended". The theme was "red, white and blue, in the borough's parks and open spaces". Although I didn't actually take the photos of me, I did set the camera up - and with hindsight, the aperture should have been a bit smaller to get the photos in focus too. I included the originals of the actual photos in the montage as they are pretty small in the frames. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/10mar2013-photo-70 https://images.on-this.website/23306_190151516513ee76d58d77.jpg10Mar2013: Photo 69 It is a rare occurrence that my 8 year old nephew poses for my camera - so I took full advantage of the few minutes he allowed me, striking poses as he jumped around the room. I really like this shot because it it a very natural smile, and his eyes are well focussed. There was not really any colour in the photo, as the cupboard and wall were similar colour tones to his face and hair, and so I converted to black and white, adding a touch of sepia filter to make it a bit warmer. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/25feb2013-photo-56 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1511608680512bd68839ae9.jpg25Feb2013: Photo 56 I didn't have much time tonight to take the photo, and found some rubber bands. After initially realising that a pile of rubber bands doesn't make for a very interesting image, I decided to create my initials in three different photos, and merge them in photoshop as a montage. I realise it is no work of art, but I've never seen anything quite like it before, so for that reason, I do quite like it. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/26mar2013-photo-85 https://images.on-this.website/23306_16344569285161c3d11c143.jpg26Mar2013: Photo 85 I saw this dog, and loved her collar. As I was taking the photos, the other dog came along, and the little one turned and seemed to poke her tongue out at it. I was very pleased to capture the moment, although it would have been slightly better had the other dog's head been in the frame as well. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/14mar2013-photo-73 https://images.on-this.website/23306_4508311845144f9d90c59c.jpg14Mar2013: Photo 73 New life. I received these tiny plug plants in the post today and have potted them up into bigger pots. I love the season of Spring, and being able to watch seeds germinate into little plants, that I can see change on a daily basis. I originally cropped this image so that my hand was central, but I decided to try to crop it off centre, and I prefer it like this. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/29mar2013-photo-88 https://images.on-this.website/23306_11369264915161c4af4c29b.jpg29Mar2013: Photo 88 The buildings in Marseille all really looked like they could either do with a lick of paint, or being torn down and re-built. It was very rare for a building's front wall to be truly vertical, and there were cables running all over the outside walls. Most of the houses had shuttered windows, with bars on the ground floor, as in this image. I wanted to make this photo look even older, so I added some graining in photoshop. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17mar2013-photo-76 https://images.on-this.website/23306_809418124514f55fe92330.jpg17Mar2013: Photo 76 My first self portrait reflection. I noticed the reflective surface of the inside of the metal laundry basket, and took a few photos of myself. I had to move it several times to get the lighting right, as the ceiling spot lights were casting too much glare. Its a bit more unusual than a photo in a straight forward mirror. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13oct2013-photo-286 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1422007121525a9940d732b.jpg13Oct2013: Photo 286 After far too long out of this project, today I have got my photography bug back. This is a photo I've seen many photographers attempt, some being more interesting to look at than others. This book, with its gold edging was an easy choice, but the background took more consideration. A pale cream or white background did not look right, but when I tried with a red jacket behind, the image seemed complete. I'm really pleased with the black outline inside the heart, which more clearly defines the shape. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/30mar2013-photo-89 https://images.on-this.website/23306_5440297925161c53730924.jpg30Mar2013: Photo 89 Stunning view of Marseille's Old Port, from the church of Notre Dame de la Garde. The church stands atop a hill, so that the 10m high statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus can guard over the city. It is lovely how the houses are all white, with orange roof tiles, that contrast magnificently with the blue sky and sea. With the cloud shaded area towards the background, it shows how much the Sun enhances colour in photographs magnificently. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01feb2013-photo-32 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1295474392510c2eff27ec5.jpg01Feb2013: Photo 32 Conundrum for February 1st - what's going on here? http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/23jan2013-photo-23 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1310946380510064d4c400f.jpg23Jan2013: Photo 23 Olive oil on water is a classic still life photography idea, that I've never tried before. You can put anything underneath to create different colours in the bubbles. I chose a catalogue that had quite a busy front and it has worked quite well. I don't have a macro lens so this is hugely cropped. I'll probably do a few of these during the year, will be interesting to see any improvements. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02may2013-photo-122 https://images.on-this.website/23306_370278565518824815a041.jpg02May2013: Photo 122 Water rainbow. I do like this image, but can't help thinking that it would be better if there were leaves on the trees behind the fountain. The water is quite green and the bushes on the bank are a similar shade. It would have been nicer if the water was less green, and the trees more so. That said, it is a great (partial) rainbow. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17apr2013-photo-107 https://images.on-this.website/23306_51196174351745ad0340df.jpg17Apr2013: Photo 107 A single magnolia flower. The magnolia trees in Virginia Water varied from small and young, to absolutely enormous and mature. I don't think the flowers are open and photogenic for too long, as they go brown at the edges. This one was just lovely, and at a great angle to the sun to be well lit. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18jul2013-photo-199 https://images.on-this.website/23306_130222490851ec01e85959b.jpg18Jul2013: Photo 199 Looking for inspiration today, I came across an idea of "beautiful ugly", whereby you photograph something "ugly", but in such a way that the photo is "beautiful". The photos for the next few days will be exploring this theme. I don't think I can say this photo is particularly "beautiful", but it certainly is a lot more pleasing to the eye than the original photograph of a wound up hosepipe, and if you were to have photos hanging on the wall in your shed, this would be perfect! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03apr2013-photo-93 https://images.on-this.website/23306_15945689365161d5a84c937.jpg03Apr2013: Photo 93 Whilst on a train journey, in the rain, around the coast, the train stopped at a station and this was outside my window. It is a shelter over the underground passage that ran under the railway, and it looked so forlorn and of a previous century. I think the image could be better, but I'm not sure what I could have done at the time, before the train departed. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20jul2013-photo-201 https://images.on-this.website/23306_76694501951ec026bc7ba9.jpg20Jul2013: Photo 201 Beautiful Ugly Theme: The bright sunlight at this time of year, makes for some fantastic contrast photography. The angle of this photograph makes it, as taking it further from the right and more front on, meant that you couldn't see so much of the shadows behind the cogs and chain and so there was considerably less contrast. I'm sure in someone's eyes, this is a "beautiful" image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/25may2013-photo-145 https://images.on-this.website/23306_214520182751ada3156fbae.jpg25May2013: Photo 145 Sunset in Devon. We only just made it - never have I set up the camera on the tripod so quickly! It would have been good to have used filters to smooth the water, but the sun would have set. If you look at the photo from the bottom up, you first sense the dark, choppy, cold water, and as your eyes move up to the horizon, tranquility sets in with the red and pinks of the sky and the illuminated wispy clouds. You soon forget how angry the bottom of the picture feels. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/11apr2013-photo-102 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1607337149516b2116bb9b8.jpg12Apr2013: Photo 102 I wanted to photograph myself sitting down with one leg outstretched and only the foot in the foreground in focus. This is kind of what I had imagined, but not quite. I had the camera resting on a book, perhaps it should have been on the ground. I chopped my head off, because it really wasn't necessary for the image! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05mar2013-photo-64 https://images.on-this.website/23306_598950951367041d7468.jpg05Mar2013: Photo 64 Little and large. The small lens is my original kit lens that came with my camera, and the bigger one is my new, expensive lens that has similar focal length (17-55mm) but far superior glass and mechanics inside. The kit lens served me well and helped me get to grips with how my camera works. Now I am looking for better quality images, so it was time to improve my kit. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/25sep2013-photo-268 https://images.on-this.website/23306_35781618552434d000fcfe.jpg25Sep2013: Photo 268 OK, so I didn't take this photo, but I am in it, and have tweeked it. Matt Dawson came to my office today to give a motivational talk and to judge the cake competition. My lemon polenta cake won the "healthy cake" category, and won me this photo opportunity. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/28jan2013-photo-28 https://images.on-this.website/23306_4186912105106e0615e38a.jpg28Jan2013: Photo 28 This pine cone is French. I picked it up from the floor of a rural campsite we were staying on in Sanguinet, Western France. It is huge. I tied it to the front of my bike and it stayed there as my good luck charm (and company, to whom I chatted to when the going was tough), all through France, into Northern Spain and on the Ferry home from Santander. That was in 2010 and I still have it. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/24mar2013-photo-83 https://images.on-this.website/23306_302614410514f692a31d2f.jpg24Mar2013: Photo 83 This is the longest picnic bench in the country - made entirely from one fallen fir tree in the woods. Today, however, there were not many people picnicking on the snow dusted benches, with icicles hanging from them. I used a short focal length, which has increased the perspective and made the table look even longer than it is. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17feb2013-photo-48 https://images.on-this.website/23306_169899922512140523726d.jpg17Feb2013: Photo 48 We have spent the weekend painting the spare room, so I had to get a photo of a paint pot and the old ladder. I used spot metering, on the inside of the paint pot, to make sure it wasn't too dark in there, and a large aperture to make it stand out more in the foreground. This is one of my favourite photos that I've taken for this project, because it isn't just a photo, it tells the story of our weekend. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/28apr2013-photo-118 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1122337973517d82ae08b24.jpg28Apr2013: Photo 118 This is my first attempt at floating sliced fruit/vegetables, and I don't think it is too bad at all. The focus could be a lot better, but I wouldn't want the first attempt to be perfect! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/29may2013-photo-149 https://images.on-this.website/23306_66516953051ada4516a965.jpg29May2013: Photo 149 I took my filters to Devon and wanted to practice using the 10 stop filter with the sea. I needed some foreground interest, preferably a dilapidated pier or something. This was the best I could find, and it isn't ideal because it doesn't go very far into the water. That said, I gave it a go and am pleased with how smooth the water is. I converted to black and white to give the image a more eerie look. It is unfortunate that the posts are not very well focussed, I am not sure how I managed that. This photo was taken with a 25 second exposure. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16mar2013-photo-75 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1080248445144fa698d6f8.jpg16Mar2013: Photo 75 Almost. Today was the final day of the 2013 6 Nations Championship, and if England could have beaten Wales, or even lost by less than 7 points, we would have taken the championship. It wasn't to be. I took a photo of this beer can reflected in the kitchen work surface, and noticed that the TV was also reflected. I re-took the photo, waiting for some players to be on the screen and reflected nicely. You can clearly see the red and white team colours, and they compliment the beer can beautifully. Its not the image I had in mind when I started, but I really like it. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/10feb2013-photo-41 https://images.on-this.website/23306_116557872751181a1da9dd9.jpg10Feb2013: Photo 41 This was the best shot I took at a karting session this morning. I had to use panning technique, and even then the ISO had to be 3200 to get anything decent, as there was so little light in there. I like this photo because the boy in green is focussed nicely, and the boy in blue has motion blur and it shows a good battle between them. The colours of the actual image were quite garish, and so I made it black and white, and then added the colour of the overalls back in. This has isolated the action well I think. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/08jan2013-photo-8 https://images.on-this.website/23306_192762713450ec862d21763.jpg08Jan2013: Photo 8 The Beatles, the best way to listen to them. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15jul2013-photo-196 https://images.on-this.website/23306_196460000851e5c4dd00115.jpg15Jul2013: Photo 196 These lilies have been planted in a terracotta trough for several years now, and come up without fail every time. They are yellow, and although I photographed them in colour, I reduced the colour saturation to see what it would look like, and really like the striking nature of the black and white photo. I didn't think it would work, but it did. Just goes to show that sometimes the photo you have in mind, isn't always the best one you can produce. In memory of Lucy, (the rabbit), who brought happiness to the lives of several members of my family. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/31may2013-photo-151 https://images.on-this.website/23306_102583506551ada51c74e40.jpg31May2013: Photo 151 Waiting for the tide. A hole was dug in the sand with two thrones for the children to sit on to try to evade the incoming tidal water. I took several photos of the hour or so from beginning the building to the final moments before it was all submerged, and this is my favourite as it shows why they are sitting in the hole, and you can sense the anticipation as the waves are approaching. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01may2013-photo-121 https://images.on-this.website/23306_6456075585181931ad359b.jpg01May2013: Photo 121 Scooby. Apparently, Scooby likes posing for photos, but he didn't really want to be a very still model tonight. Nevertheless, I got some lovely smiles out of him, even if I did have to whack the shutter speed right up to freeze his action! I converted to black and white as he is a black dog, and so the colour was not necessary in the image. I lightened the background behind him, to make him stand out more, and I had to "fix" his eyes, because they had gone blue with the camera flash. I'll have to visit in the day time and get some shots outside in the sunshine, without the need for the flash, or else read up on getting rid of dogs' "blue-eye". http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/31jan2013-photo-31 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1362780195510adf2d07b43.jpg31Jan2013: Photo 31 Last photo of the first month! I love how a short focal length completely distorts perspective. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/30jan2013-photo-30 https://images.on-this.website/23306_18402878725109a64657f3d.jpg30Jan2013: Photo 30 Yoga - my favourite pose: Pigeon pose. I like how it looks like the chap at the back seems to be looking over thinking "how am I going to get down that low?". http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/26feb2013-photo-57 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1859036959512d370cdab79.jpg26Feb2013: Photo 57 Gosh, this took a long time tonight! An hour and a half, and 50 photos later, and I am finally pleased with the result. Ended up using my zoom lens on the tripod, quite far out, so as to avoid having the camera and/or me in reflected in the shiny surface. As I take photos in raw format now, I just adjusted the blacks and highlights in photoshop (camera raw), and this really brought out the golden colour nicely. I am pleased to have captured a nice shot of this barometer, as it is my prize for winning the running club's annual handicap series of races in September. I'll have to give it back in September, but the photo will last forever. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/09feb2013-photo-40 https://images.on-this.website/23306_543148076511679468f1ec.jpg09Feb2013: Photo 40 My mum was given this lovely bunch of roses, that deserved to be photographed. I used a large aperture to blur the background (and because I didn't have my tripod with me). I gave the final image a dark vignette, which I think has increased perspective even further. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15apr2013-photo-105 https://images.on-this.website/23306_999036802517459c5ac6e3.jpg15Apr2013: Photo 105 So, all of this week's photos were taken at Virginia Water, specifically, the Valley Gardens. This was a gorgeous autumnal (in April...) scene that we came around a corner to. The long shadows of early Spring added a lovely touch to the image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02jan2013 https://images.on-this.website/23306_17771072650e5354d58d3f.jpg02Jan2013: Photo 2 Before the Christmas tree is removed for the year, I wanted to have a go at using it in the background of a photo to create bokeh. After a game of scrabble this evening, I was playing around with arrangements of the scrabble board in front of the tree, and quickly decided to try to create a Christmas card for next year. Very pleased with the result. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01-jan-2013-photo-1 https://images.on-this.website/23306_91266189850e31c8f9bbaa.jpg01Jan2013: Photo 1 This is a very old and dead tree in Warfield, Berkshire, but with the light from the setting sun, it is more striking than many living trees. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/09jan2013-photo-9 https://images.on-this.website/23306_90496549750ed89b8119f3.jpg09Jan2013: Photo 9 Word of the day on fatmumslim.com today was paper. Paper makes books, hence I wanted to photograph a pile of books. Rather than a random selection, I chose my photography books. Turned it black and white, with tint, in photoshop, as the colours were nothing special. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19jul2013-photo-200 https://images.on-this.website/23306_48500316151ec024647337.jpg19Jul2013: Photo 200 Beautiful Ugly Theme: This bike has been resting against a fence for a while, and the bindweed has found its way around the spokes. I moved the bike to allow for much better lighting from the sun, and added a bit of sepia to give the photo an aged look. The splash of colour from the bindweed makes it more than just a photo of a bike wheel. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/08jun2013-photo-159 https://images.on-this.website/23306_16151283651b4de2c12ff5.jpg08Jun2013: Photo 159 A day at the cricket, England vs Australia in the ICC Trophy at Edgbaston. I tried to photograph the batsmen as they hit the ball, and this is my favourite of the day, because you can see the bails being knocked off - in this instance, I didn't manage to photograph the batsman hitting the ball... He missed it and was bowled. The photo works also well because he is looking towards the camera and you can clearly see his face. Given the distance away that I was, I am quite pleased with the image, although as always, there is improvement to be made on the focussing. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02feb2013-photo-33 https://images.on-this.website/23306_957961969510ead76723e5.jpg02Feb2013: Photo 33 My nan's button collection. Perhaps surprisingly, it took a few shots before I was happy with the composition! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13feb2013-photo-44 https://images.on-this.website/23306_24053089511c14fde67bd.jpg13Feb2013: Photo 44 Today would have been my nan's 91st birthday. So pleased we were able to celebrate her 90th last year. Carnations were her favourite, so I took this, and then added the text in photoshop. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15jan2013-photo-15 https://images.on-this.website/23306_92134227350f5c8edd89e2.jpg15Jan2013: Photo 15 A penny, messed up in Photoshop (inverted with a leather texture blended on top). http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03jan2013-photo-3 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1765109450e5f1c57662b.jpg03Jan2013: Photo 3 The Brussel Sprout. They seem to linger in the fridge, long after Christmas. I had an idea to get a dramatic shot of a sprout sliced in half, showing the delicate layers of leaves, but with the lenses I have, I couldn't get close enough. So instead I went for the whole sprout, on the reflective black tiled work surface in my kitchen, with the flashlight of my mobile phone lighting it from the side. The actual image was a little too over exposed, but that was difficult to detect on the LCD screen on the camera, so I reduced the exposure by two stops in photoshop. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20apr2013-photo-110 https://images.on-this.website/23306_206493356251745c629f4fb.jpg20Apr2013: Photo 110 I laid on the ground under this magnolia tree at Virginia Water and photographed it from underneath. I imagined that the white petals would contrast well with the blue sky, and I was right. It took a few attempts before I was happy with the placement of the sun behind the buds. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/29jan2013-photo-29 https://images.on-this.website/23306_171847112510839c43b060.jpg29Jan2013: Photo 29 I was thinking about playing cards with my grandparents tonight, so thought I'd take this. It was a bit boring with just a hand of cards, so added a bit of movement with one of them. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/south-hill-park-fountain https://images.on-this.website/23306_57041214552f9f209c5726.jpgSouth Hill Park fountain http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02mar2013-photo-61 https://images.on-this.website/23306_82688427851366eee786e6.jpg02Mar2013: Photo 61 Mange tout. I wanted to get an image of a back lit bean pod, showing the peas inside. I think this has worked well, but the final image was a bit bland, so I used a feature in photoshop that allows you to turn photos into oil paintings. It seems a lot more fun now. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18mar2013-photo-77 https://images.on-this.website/23306_601359068514f562dcfadd.jpg18Mar2013: Photo 77 I love brie. After taking a bite, I wondered if it would make a good photo. It certainly looks appetising (in my opinion...). http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16feb2013-photo-47 https://images.on-this.website/23306_692534793512140a4511b7.jpg16Feb2013: Photo 47 Not the most exciting of subjects, but still a good exercise for exploring lighting effects. I focussed on the chewed pencil in the foreground, as it had the most "character", and I am pleased with the lighting, shadows and highlights in the final image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/14feb2013-photo-45 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1293046615511dfa40316cf.jpg14Feb2013: Photo 45 St Valentine's Day. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/12mar2013-photo-71 https://images.on-this.website/23306_2087455456513fb02bd5b51.jpg12Mar2013: Photo 71 A Printed Rainbow. Red: Thailand means a lot to my boyfriend - I think I need to go there... Orange: Cold Comfort Farm - my favourite GCSE English text... Yellow: The genius that is, Bradley... Green: Before seeing Wicked in the West End, I read the book. Brilliant book, much more to it than in the stage show... Blue: My PhD Thesis. The best book on my bookcase (if I do say so myself!)... Indigo: I'd love to have the mind of Sherlock Holmes. I never get bored of reading these stories... Violet: I am a scientist... http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/south-hill-park-fountain-2 https://images.on-this.website/23306_14653319452f9f1f42ef9a.jpgSouth Hill Park fountain 2 http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04may2013-photo-124 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1774512195188255ff2bf0.jpg04May2013: Photo 124 The Long Garden at Cliveden. So, this is what 20,000 bulbs look like once in bloom! I tried the shot with a small aperture to bring the back of the scene in focus, but I prefer it like this with a large aperture (f/2.8), and a blurred background. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/07mar2013-photo-66 https://images.on-this.website/23306_625240921513ee65369df1.jpg07Mar2013: Photo 66 Genius bread... I don't know where I'd be without it! Until I tried it, I'd forgotten how good hot buttered toast can be when you're starving hungry. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/24jan2013-photo-24 https://images.on-this.website/23306_9248118355101a2378d424.jpg24Jan2013: Photo 24 Spring is on its way! Used a small aperture to allow fairly large depth of field. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/14jul2013-photo-195 https://images.on-this.website/23306_12949682851e5c49aefc27.jpg14Jul2013: Photo 195 This is the second rose variety I planted in the garden - William Shakespeare. It has flowered beautifully and has a very different smell from Gertrude Jekyll. I've been playing with low light still life scenes and painting them with light. It certainly makes the colours vibrant. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/23apr2013-photo-113 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1094014224517d8b2c37e13.jpg23Apr2013: Photo 113 Whilst searching through kitchen drawers, I found these cocktail sticks and thought perhaps with the right lighting, they might make a vaguely interesting contrasting photo. The aperture was decreased a little, to ensure focus was good. I reduced the colour in the final image, but not completely. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/south-hill-park-duck https://images.on-this.website/23306_15121691852f9f1df45a26.jpgSouth Hill Park duck http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01mar2013-photo-60 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1541297253513672a82dad1.jpg01Mar2013: Photo 60 St David's Day. I've taken some daffodils before, so wanted to do something a but different with this one. After turning the image black and white, I added one flower's colour back in. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19jan2013-photo-19 https://images.on-this.website/23306_172451187150faeb81579f3.jpg19Jan2013: Photo 19 Interesting snow photography on a cloudy day isn't as easy as you may think. Photos are quite flat. So, this photo of the top of a snowy tree in the forest was inverted in Photoshop and the image is quite interesting and unusual. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/11mar2013-photo-70 https://images.on-this.website/23306_669421928513ee7a36ea52.jpg11Mar2013: Photo 70 Photo 70 - another milestone in the project. It is often difficult to think of something to photograph, so today I was thinking about how to define photography - and how better than to photograph the dictionary definition! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16apr2013-photo-106 https://images.on-this.website/23306_194286980151745a55570e9.jpg16Apr2013: Photo 106 The most beautiful part of the Vally Gardens in Virginia Water, in my opinion. A small signpost directed us towards "daffodils". Never did I imagine so many! The carpet was stunning, and with the clear sky as well, the whole scene was quite breathtaking. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13jan2013-photo-13 https://images.on-this.website/23306_203759045250f2c98395c6f.jpg13Jan2013: Photo 13 The uniformity of the beech trees in the forest is periodically interrupted by old oak trees like this one. Its like the old guy is keeping the young ones in line. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/06mar2013-photo-65 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1891425009513da67669744.jpg06Mar2013: Photo 65 This radio was a Christmas present and I love it. It took a few tweaks before I was happy with the composition - placement of the headphones. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/26jan2013-photo26 https://images.on-this.website/23306_20909997785103f7020a0ca.jpg26Jan2013: Photo26 I took this photo at f2.8, and love how even the sofa behind is blurred. This is the first photo that I've taken in RAW format and adjusted all settings in photoshop myself, rather than letting the camera set the white balance etc. Its a very different field of photography, that I have a lot to learn in. I added a slight vignette here as well. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18apr2013-photo-108 https://images.on-this.website/23306_54233710851745b7fc5e5b.jpg18Apr2013: Photo 108 There are so many winding paths in Virginia Water, and with blossom emerging on some of the trees now, the contrast in the scenes can be brilliant. This one tree of pure white blossom really stood out against the green leaves of the early growth on surrounding bushes. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/11apr2013-photo-101 https://images.on-this.website/23306_302415751672649961ba.jpg11Apr2013: Photo 101 I am so pleased with this photo. It was so easy to take, in a completely dark room, 8 second exposure, with a torch shining at the flowers from the side, through a piece of paper to diffuse the light. I read up on the technique, but didn't imagine creating such an image on my first evening trying it out! The possibilities for this are endless!! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05jan2013-photo-5 https://images.on-this.website/23306_24684216450e9af926435f.jpg05Jan2013: Photo 5 Nice to have some "unplanned" photos in the project portfolio - the owner of this hand did not want his photo taken! Interesting detail in the ring makes the photo. It was taken in black and white in camera, no post-production. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05feb2013-photo-36 https://images.on-this.website/23306_207901121151118798a7b71.jpg05Feb2013: Photo 36 Bit tired tonight... Unusual angles should be explored in photography - took this lying on my back. Altered colour a bit in photoshop to make it a bit more striking/unusual. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04jan2013-photo-4 https://images.on-this.website/23306_74951770250e75c62e1cab.jpg04Jan2013: Photo 4 Weekday photos will lack daylight for a few months, so indoor still life photography ideas will need to keep flowing! Espresso - tick... Used the mobile phone flashlight again, holding it in different places until the shadows were just right and there was no glare. Converted to black and white in Photoshop, and enhanced with levels and curves. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/07jan2013-photo-7 https://images.on-this.website/23306_55968045650eb3bff0a0a2.jpg07Jan2013: Photo 7 Chips for tea tonight! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/27may2013-photo-147 https://images.on-this.website/23306_6423281051ada3acdfc8b.jpg27May2013: Photo 147 On a windy evening in Exmouth, the kite surfers came out to take advantage. The surfers were all in wetsuits, which has worked well in the photo as they are almost like silhouettes on the ocean. Can you match the kite with the surfer? http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/21jul2013-photo-202 https://images.on-this.website/23306_100333150851ec028f44a7d.jpg21Jul2013: Photo 202 Beautiful Ugly Theme: I really liked the colour of these thorns, and how they contrast with the green leaves, but I thought the branch fitted in with the Beautiful Ugly theme because of the ugly intent to cause harm! I cropped the photo so that the branch spanned perfectly from one corner to the other. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/22feb2013-photo-53 https://images.on-this.website/23306_341154326512a7a16082cb.jpg22Feb2013: Photo 53 More painting, this time white gloss. There are so many paint photos that I have in my mind, but I liked this one because you can see the bristles through the paint at the end of the brush, which adds to the texture and contrast of the final black and white photo. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/28feb2013-photo-59 https://images.on-this.website/23306_135547513351366e7812cab.jpg28Feb2013: Photo 59 I am fascinated by fire. It's so easy to create now a days, and yet so destructive. The power held by this single match is immense. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/06feb2013-photo-37 https://images.on-this.website/23306_17319648275112dd3118647.jpg06Feb2013: Photo 37 Fork triptych. Experimenting with light again, this time with cutlery. Thought the fork looked better than other items photographed, and one fork was a bit of a boring image, so combined three. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05apr2013-photo-95 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1055210409517632c202540.jpg05Apr2013: Photo 95 Altering depth of field can significantly affect your photo - whether it be used to blur backgrounds to make the foreground more prominent, or to keep an entire scene in focus. It can also be used to make an unphotogenic subject, photogenic - as in this photo of a page of music. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18may2013-photo-138 https://images.on-this.website/23306_52528414551993a6f795df.jpg18May2013: Photo 138 This steam pleasure boat went past us as we cruised on the Thames from Cliveden. It wasn't until I reviewed the photos at home, that I realised how much I like it. The colours of the boat and its reflection are great - they compliment the natural colours of the trees really well. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/24apr013-photo-114 https://images.on-this.website/23306_759760297517d8b61ef6a1.jpg24Apr013: Photo 114 I got down really low to take this photo, to show how perspective, with a short focal length, can completely change what you are looking at. I blurred the background in photoshop to detract it from the focus of attention, and I converted to black and white, adding a tint. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13mar2013-photo-72 https://images.on-this.website/23306_10528631235144d9f245d1d.jpg13Mar2013: Photo 72 Dusty guitar. This is the first HDR image I have created, combining three photos of the same subject, at different exposures. I really like how the contrast is increased so much. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/22mar2013-photo-81 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1447488315514f582ce136f.jpg22Mar2013: Photo 81 Today I was awarded this bottle of champagne for 5 years service at Lilly. I used a black background behind and underneath and a light below, to isolate the bottle and cellophane. It worked far better than I thought it would. Now, to drink it... http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/25mar2013-photo-84 https://images.on-this.website/23306_6734588205161c36f6cdd0.jpg25Mar2013: Photo 84 I really like photographing feet. They can tell you so much about the wearer, despite the rest of the body being omitted from the image. When the shoes are colourful, it makes the photo much more pleasing to the eye! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/09jun2013-photo-160 https://images.on-this.website/23306_83555875851b4de8420a13.jpg09Jun2013: Photo 160 Today we bought an espalier discovery apple tree for our garden. It already has quite a lot of mini apples, fingers crossed the tree likes the garden, and the apples grow. I didn't have to do much with the photo after I took it, except ensure that the colour balance was accurate. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/07feb2013-photo-38 https://images.on-this.website/23306_201654375651141c1cace7f.jpg07Feb2013: Photo 38 This is going to take some more practice later in the year, perhaps when it isn't 9.30pm. I wanted to photograph this blood orange, as it isn't very often that a bag of oranges has some blood ones in it. They are certainly more interesting to photograph. I think next time, some light over the top surface will help define the cells. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18feb2013-photo-49 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1578832178512531253a21c.jpg18Feb2013: Photo 49 This is a small beaded cushion and I like how the reflection in each bead is different. It is a nice texture photo that could come in useful in the future as a background for something else. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20feb2013-photo-51 https://images.on-this.website/23306_553833431512530538c966.jpg20Feb2013: Photo 51 This is a bit of an experimental photo, of a ceiling light through a "crystal ball". The light rays were somewhat of a surprise. The photo symbolises reaching for the stars - a seemingly apt photo to post on the day that my new (internal) job was announced to my colleagues. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/22jul2013-photo-203 https://images.on-this.website/23306_23380078351eee71181031.jpg22Jul2013: Photo 203 To celebrate the birth of the Prince of Cambridge, who was born today at 4.24pm at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. We actually won this bear at a school fete recently, where we had to guess on a treasure map where he was hiding. Nice coincidence now we have a newborn Prince. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16jan2013-photo-16 https://images.on-this.website/23306_131887078050f7300c7638d.jpg16Jan2013: Photo 16 There are so many different abstract photos you can take of a cheese grater... After taking a few and then messing with colour balance in photoshop, I thought this one resembled a Christmas tree! It was quite late when I was doing it... http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/07may2013-photo-127 https://images.on-this.website/23306_105021963751896c4db59c4.jpg07May2013: Photo 127 Hot chocolate with marshmallows before bed. Tried to turn up my creative juices with the composition and final crop. Think I can imagine the photo on the wall of a cafe! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16jun2013-photo-167 https://images.on-this.website/23306_123203685951be1e9f6fd4e.jpg16Jun2013: Photo 167 Our garden on Father's Day. When we moved into this house two years ago, we vowed to plant an apple tree in memory of Paul's dad. Today, Father's Day 2013, we completed the planting and it has completed our garden. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01jun2013-photo-152 https://images.on-this.website/23306_208541568651b4dc290b504.jpg01Jun2013: Photo 152 I would love a rose garden like this one at Hampton Court Palace. Even before the flowers had really come out, it looks lovely. I think this photo is very well balanced, with the pale green lawn to the foreground, rose bushes in the middle, and the red brick buildings of the Palace behind. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02apr2013-photo-92 https://images.on-this.website/23306_9742209775161d4f6c7f98.jpg02Apr2013: Photo 92 Paul spotted this laundrette in a Marseille back street and thought it would make an interesting photo. I think he was right. I played with the colour saturation in photoshop, to give it an older, forgotten look. All the other shops on the street were boarded up, and covered in graffiti. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/11jan2013-photo-11 https://images.on-this.website/23306_106517583650f07fcb60355.jpg11Jan2013: Photo 11 A Google images search for "Photograph" brought up an image like this, so I had a go at re-creating it. I used mobile phone flashlight to create long shadows. Seemed as thought it needed to be a bit more arty than a pair of trainers and laces, so posterised it in photoshop and gave it a pink tint to go with the theme. I prefer this to the one Google found. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05jun2013-photo-156 https://images.on-this.website/23306_74075625151b4dd488619f.jpg05Jun2013: Photo 156 Whilst lying on the lawn for yesterdays photo, I had the idea for today's, which depended upon washing being done, and a blue sky with a few clouds. Et, voila. It doesn't happen too often that the image I have in my mind before taking the photo, is actually the photo that I post, but today, it is. I cropped the photo tight to the sides, and so that the line was in the centre vertically. I also rotated slightly to get the line more horizontal than it originally was. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/englemere-pond2 https://images.on-this.website/23306_61069624252f9f1cbcf50b.jpgEnglemere Pond2 http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/21apr2013-photo-111 https://images.on-this.website/23306_189790721951745d1495412.jpg21Apr2013: Photo 111 Another tree starting to display signs of Spring at Virginia Water, this time, in the form of bright yellow leaves. I loved the shape of this tree, as well as the colour, but zoomed out of the scene a bit so as to include some surrounding trees to provide contrast. I was so luck with the weather, providing excellent lighting, and a brilliant blue sky. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18oct2013-photo-291 https://images.on-this.website/23306_16110128725264451478e58.jpg18Oct2013: Photo 291 A rare appearance from the Sun, prompted me to point my camera towards where the rays were shooting through the leaves of this huge oak tree. I converted the image to black and white, as the leaves were very dark and were not providing much colour anyway. For me, this is one of those images that I can sit and look at for ages without getting bored. How dull the world would be without the Sun. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04feb2013-photo-35 https://images.on-this.website/23306_136201032151103d14af0a1.jpg04Feb2013: Photo 35 Rubik's cube. I will post another photo later in the year, of the completed cube. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/10jan2013-photo-10 https://images.on-this.website/23306_169396096450f07f8626d4b.jpg10Jan2013: Photo 10 First self-portrait. Looking online, a lot of people do self portraits so I thought I'd give it a go. Difficult to focus on yourself, but this one isn't so bad. No post-production apart from cropping to square format. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/28mar2013-photo-87 https://images.on-this.website/23306_12535990015161c442d7c83.jpg28Mar2013: Photo 87 Marseille's Old Port. The Mistral wind was really blowing the clouds into fabulous formations during our stay in Marseille. This is the heart of the city, and was always buzzing with life. I cropped to panoramic format to remove blank pavement at the bottom, and to obey the photographer's rule of thirds! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05nov2013-photo-309 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1899675996527abc94617de.jpg05Nov2013: Photo 309 This is the orchid that Matt Dawson presented me with, and I've been thinking about how best to photograph it for a while. I suddenly remembered the painting with light technique and gave it a go. This was a 2 second exposure with no lights on in the room, and a torch used to wave a little light from one angle, to leave the background completely black. I took a few images, and this was definitely the best one. I love the colours and the way it seems to be floating in mid air, suspended in zero gravity. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04mar2013-photo-63 https://images.on-this.website/23306_73620583951366f745a1d3.jpg04Mar2013: Photo 63 I saw a photo like this online, so thought I would try to emulate it. I cropped it harshly in photoshop to increase the abstract nature. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/20jan2013-photo-20 https://images.on-this.website/23306_194974671850fbe65d8af75.jpg20Jan2013: Photo 20 One of the most beautiful consequences of this cold snap of weather we are having, is the icicles that form from gutters and roofs as the snow melts. These ones have formed under an avalanche of snow over the conservatory door, meaning the door can't be opened. The crystals are quite stunning. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/16oct2013-photo-289 https://images.on-this.website/23306_562361337526444ae78c24.jpg16Oct2013: Photo 289 Another fungus - this time growing out of the side of a dead log. I got down low to take the photo, so that the white underside was included, to add some contrast to the image. The moss on the surrounding logs adds some much needed colour, and helps provide some scale. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03feb2013-photo-34 https://images.on-this.website/23306_778387404510eadb1ca5a4.jpg03Feb2013: Photo 34 My dad's new "project" - Betsy. I didn't review the photos on the computer before leaving, and I think this would be better with a slightly smaller aperture to have more of the words in focus. Another time. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/27jan2013-photo-27 https://images.on-this.website/23306_49103326651056d0886507.jpg27Jan2013: Photo 27 OK, I know I took this photo yesterday, but I'd already uploaded yesterday's photo when I took this and wanted it to be part of the portfolio. It was edited today at least! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/03may2013-photo-123 https://images.on-this.website/23306_888979041518824f6c9065.jpg03May2013: Photo 123 The Pagoda at Cliveden. This has to be one of the most beautiful places in Bucks. At this time of year the green on the trees is very fresh, and the red leaves on a couple of the trees adds a splash of colour to both sides of this scene. But what makes the photo, are the fountain and pagoda, which instantly identify the location. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/10jun2013-photo-161 https://images.on-this.website/23306_136064057051be1e1b745f8.jpg10Jun2013: Photo 161 Beautiful sunset tonight over Bracknell. Walked the few hundred yards over to the railway bridge to see the last moments of the sun until tomorrow. Very peaceful, until the next train arrives. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/04apr2013-photo-94 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1967592412516729641d0fd.jpg04Apr2013: Photo 94 Without a macro lens, this is the best I can get. Bit disappointed with the focus, but I like the composition an crop. The border helped define the edges of the cropped image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/02jun2013-photo-153 https://images.on-this.website/23306_164894452251b4dc56da537.jpg02Jun2013: Photo 153 I am trying to practice getting the eyes of people in portrait photos in super crisp focus. In this photo, he is eating a sandwich, whilst staring dreamily out of the window, which has given lovely light to the image. I like how the hand obstructs part of the face, drawing attention to the eye more so than otherwise. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15feb2013-photo-46 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1496989548512140ef17e8f.jpg15Feb2013: Photo 46 I found this today, and had forgotten I'd won it. It was tricky to photograph, as it isn't the most photogenic of subjects, but I put it on a red jumper and had the light from the window behind it to prevent glare from the plastic. I desaturated the colour in photoshop, and now quite like the light and texture of the jumper behind. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17jun2013-photo-168 https://images.on-this.website/23306_11545456851c0cf9b6e021.jpg17Jun2013: Photo 168 So the roses are finally opening up :-). This one is "Gertrude Jekyll". It is easy to make the rose look manipulated and fake in post-production, so I didn't do very much. Shame you can't get the smell from the photo. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/05may2013-photo-125 https://images.on-this.website/23306_8998821025188259565cd1.jpg05May2013: Photo 125 I've never seen a flower bed quite like this. I used an aperture of f/9 to ensure front to back focus was maintained. I like how although it is a deliberately planted flower bed, there is still a sense of randomness about the positioning of the tulips. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19feb2013-photo-50 https://images.on-this.website/23306_11542956745125309635095.jpg19Feb2013: Photo 50 Photo 50! This had to be a good one! On a day trip to London, I had a go at using slow shutter speeds, with the camera hand held, to capture light trails from London buses and black taxis, with Big Ben in the background. This is my favourite photo that I took - I love how it looks like the taxi has eyes popping out if its head! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/01apr2013-photo-91 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1869849275161d3b8d39be.jpg01Apr2013: Photo 91 Sur le pont d'Avignon... The remaining four (of 22) arches of the bridge made famous by a nursery rhyme. To the right, the Papal Palace of Avignon. A longer shutter speed (with tripod and filters), may have enhanced the reflection and made for a fantastic image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17oct2013-photo-290 https://images.on-this.website/23306_2124399191526444fea4889.jpg17Oct2013: Photo 290 This photo was just a quick snap directly above my head, and I was surprised with how much I like the image. The randomness of the dark oak branches, provides a good level of contrast, and I really like how you can see some autumnal colours peeping through. This is the last colour of the forest, until Spring. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/21jan2013-photo-21 https://images.on-this.website/23306_106157471950fdc13657584.jpg21Jan2013: Photo 21 Spanish tortilla for dinner tonight - wondering how many photos of my dinner will make up this portfolio! Good practice for composition, lighting and exposure. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/22jan2013-photo-22 https://images.on-this.website/23306_19498870350ff0172da7cc.jpg22Jan2013: Photo 22 Still life: Fruit bowl. Lighting is tricky in still life, but this is not bad. Added texture in photoshop as I don't have a textured background. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/27mar2013-photo-86 https://images.on-this.website/23306_19009409905161c3f50dd91.jpg27Mar2013: Photo 86 I have to admit that this photo was taken a couple of days after the stated date, because we travelled to France on 28th March, and the preceding day was hectic. On a walk around the back streets of Marseille, I spotted this Vespa bike parked up on a graffiti'd alleyway. I cropped to a square crop, removing the top portion of the original image, which has really made the path considerably more prominent. The path to wherever. I like the fact that the bike is off centre and the fact that the photo really could have been taken anytime in the past 50 years. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/13apr2013-photo-103 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1219880975516b21472be55.jpg13Apr2013: Photo 103 After yesterday's photo, I wanted to get another photo of my feet. Toes are quite odd looking aren't they? I added a bit of a glow in photoshop, to make it a bit more "arty", seeing as it is only a photo of feet, after all. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/27feb2013-photo-58 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1692746914512dbf813e0db.jpg27Feb2013: Photo 58 A thorn between the roses (or a courgette between the carrots...). OK, so this isn't a photo to have on your wall, but it was a good exercise in using spot metering to get the exposure correct for the dark courgette in the middle. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/12jan2013-photo-12 https://images.on-this.website/23306_51951245250f2c96261809.jpg12Jan2013: Photo 12 The first time I have seen deer in the forest behind our house. It was difficult to get close, considering it is hard to creep through waist height ferns, so this was the best I could manage. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/18jan2013-photo-18 https://images.on-this.website/23306_2177786050fa880c6d26d.jpg18Jan2013: Photo 18 Due to high workload, photos 17 and 18 were taken on day 19. This "apple bird feeder" was a Christmas gift from my parents, and the apple was put on before the new year. Today was the first day that I have seen birds using it, and this photo is extra special as you can actually see the apple in the bird's beak. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/21feb2013-photo-52 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1789891277512a79bb86581.jpg21Feb2013: Photo 52 This book will always be special to me. My goddaughter was named Rebecca after it, which prompted my Great Aunt to give me her copy of the book. It had been given to her on her birthday by her sister, in 1940. It is the oldest book I have. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/14apr2013-photo-104 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1469891303516b215d7631e.jpg14Apr2013: Photo 104 I had in mind a self portrait with my SAD light behind me, bleaching the background. However, this is how it turned out, and I actually quite liked it, so I didn't try any more to get what I previously had in mind - maybe another day. I turned it black and white to add mood, and contrast. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/09mar2013-photo-68 https://images.on-this.website/23306_1462814078513ee6eb69b0c.jpg09Mar2013: Photo 68 The innocent face of my 4 year old niece. She was concentrating so hard on not falling off a wobbly bridge (designed for children at least 3 years her senior). I liked the original, but when I added a sepia filter, I thought it really enhanced the mood of the image, adding serenity. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/08mar2013-photo-67 https://images.on-this.website/23306_533978293514f637db9d9f.jpg08Mar2013: Photo 67 I found this fallen tree in a local park, and I liked how straight the trunk was and how I could see all the way down it from the roots. The shapes of the roots are great, lots of contrast and the colours are very autumnal (despite being March). There is also a sprinkling of snow on the top, which makes the tree almost glow. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/19may2013-photo-139 https://images.on-this.website/23306_202917594251993861409a6.jpg19May2013: Photo 139 Bluebells in Swinley Forest. Two hours, and several photos later, I finally achieved what I set out to do this afternoon. A carpet of bluebells, tall, straight trees with new Spring foliage, and a glint of sunlight coming through the trees. I feel very lucky to live within a 10 minute walk of such natural beauty. I would have liked he trees to be a bit more in focus, and will work on that next May! http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/15oct2013-photo-288 https://images.on-this.website/23306_16319706835264446cbebe7.jpg15Oct2013: Photo 288 This week's photos were taken in the New Forest. The toadstool photographed in this image made me do a double take as I walked through the forest. With all the brown leaf litter on the ground, the red of the cap really stood out and caught my attention. The small crab apples on the ground add to the autumnal feel of the image. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17jul2013-photo-198 https://images.on-this.website/23306_52990981051ec01d8e727a.jpg17Jul2013: Photo 198 As we are in the middle of a Summer heat wave at the moment, I've noticed that bananas are ripening much, much faster than usual. It made me think that the spots on the skin are really quite strange - why do the perfectly round spots appear as it ripens? Whatever the reason, the spots make bananas more photogenic. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/30apr2013-photo-120 https://images.on-this.website/23306_7176013885180be270043d.jpg30Apr2013: Photo 120 The Winter blues should be well on their way out of our minds now, as May is almost upon us. I am learning to dance in the rain. I turned the photo into black and white, and increased the contrast in Photoshop. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/17jan2013-photo-17 https://images.on-this.website/23306_205409706450fa87fe29f02.jpg17Jan2013: Photo 17 Due to a high workload, photos 17 and 18 were taken on day 19, after the snowfall. This was taken through the window (in the warm), and I like the way this "small" bird can reach the food from the outer cage. Image quality isn't great because of the low light level meaning a high ISO was required. http://www.jlg-photography.co.uk/06jan2012-photo-6 https://images.on-this.website/23306_178085129850e9d88fe3dba.jpg06Jan2012: Photo 6 Percy. Percy is the new young cat of a good friend of mine, and he was absolutely full of crazy energy. He was quite inquisitive with the Christmas tree, as he wasn't really allowed in the room where it was. When I called his name, I think he knew he shouldn't be there, and he turned and froze. In the moment that I took the photo, I think he is trying to decide whether to continue investigating the tree, or get the hell out of there...