Last one from the shoot and a slightly different view of the tracks taken from the right hand side.  I used a polarizing filter to bring out more color contrast without using photoshop.  It worked rather well.

Here's something interesting.  I have posted four different processes of the same image.  All of the same scene.  I took the shots on top of the Bridge which I had photographed for my previous Post.  They show how a picture can look so different and interesting when textures are applied.  The First (top) is taken as a five exposure shot from the tripod and then tone-mapped to bring out the details.  Next is a Black and White which shows how much amazing contrast comes out when shooting multi-exposures.  The third one is a mixture of the first two.  Just letting the colors bleed through....        I cropped them to look like the tracks were leading into a distant hole.  Turned out good in my opinion.      Click on them for a closer look.                            which do you like best?

Another drive down scenic Route 6a and this time I got to stop and shoot a landmark I have always wanted to take a closer look at.  The bridge in itself if a really good subject but when you add on the unique Graffiti it becomes something completely Great.

I drive past this view at least five times a week and it is one of the places I have wanted to stop and photograph as it is such a "picture perfect" scene.  Well tonight I did just that and managed to capture the trees in their first Spring coat of the Season.  I will return to this later in the Summer I think when things are in full bloom.  Five exposures taken with Pentax.

I have been having a lot of fun lately "playing" in Photoshop....  so much to learn. Almost too much.  However, I have been treating a few of my older shots with some interesting effects and processes.  This shot of Follins Pond really needed something that looked antique.  After many attempts I came up with this effect.  Many layer styles combined with paper texture and I think it looks rather nice.  I may even have this one printed and framed.  The original shot was taken with 3 exposures on my $180 Canon point and shoot.  Get creative people!  Take a look.....

What to shoot on a rainy cold weekend?   How about a bowl of water and some flash photography.  My first time trying this and it was a fun project to waste away an hour or so....   Taken with my Pentax (on tripod) at 55mm  @ F5.6.

Shot One:  Isn't it amazing how nature has a funny way of repeating patterns?  This one came out looking very much like a tudor rose.



















Shot Two:  A much softer image with some extra light added to smoothen things out a little.













Shot Three:   Just as the droplet hits....

Just a few more of my "leftover" shots from my evening shots at Scudder Lane.  First is a sunset over the rocks and the second is one of those scenes that caught my eye.  It was a footprint (not mine) which was about to be washed over by the incoming tide.  A perfect definition of a "snapshot" if there was one...

Sometimes I find it fun to play with compositions.  This was a piece of Mill machinery on display. I went for a symmetry in this one. Almost as though it were a building drawn on paper by a architect.  Converted to Black and White for more impact.  I like the way it turned out.

Here I wanted to write a few words about my "style" which I think I am falling into.  I tend to enjoy taking shots which are full of detail and micro detail.  Ones which you can get lost in by looking around at all the details instead of just looking at the "bigger picture".  On my way home from work today I stopped at a Grist Mill which I have driven past 1000's of times before without even thinking of taking a closer look.  Tonight however I stopped and as I always carry my trusty Canon Point and shoot and tripod in my car I thought I would do a couple of quick shots.  I wanted to give you an idea of what I try to "capture" at a scene like this.  The top image is the one that I used to take.  It's a fairly nice shot.  One I would normally have been happy with. However, it lacks tone and definition simply because my camera is unable to pick up all of the details/colors/contrast in a single shot.  Look how over-exposed the wall and water is on the bottom right of the image and how the grass on the left is very "flat"  The bottom image is where I am at right now on my journey.  Taken from a low vantage point (I was on my belly getting wet!) and after a total of five different exposures it came out so much more vibrant and packed with the details I was looking for.  The wall, the grass, the water.  Zoom into both shots to see the difference.  So yes, I think my style is developing nicely.....















And here is another angle.  This time looking down from the top of the slew.

More shots from the beach again ....   These were much later in the day and the sun was almost over the horizon.  The last rays were being cast onto the rocks on the first shot which give it a very "alien" landscape.  Wonderful!   The other shot is a close-up of an old wooden stump leftover from some long forgotten Jetty which is now barnacle encrusted and almost completely washed away....

An evening stroll along the beach always produces fantastic opportunities for interesting shots.  What was there one day can look completely different the next.  Here are three examples of my trip to Scudder Lane.  These three were 6 exposure shots taken with my Pentax 18-55mm

I forgot about this one which I took a couple of weeks ago.  Low POV which Im really enjoying using.  I made the bad choice of compressing this by accident so it's a little "washy"

Not the greatest of days to take pics but even when at work I find a few minutes to find something interesting.  Again, shot with my trusty Canon (easy to fit in my pocket) I found some nice looking rusty pipes in a wood pile....   3 shots....  done!

I used my small Canon camera for this as it works best at showing micro detail on shots such as this one.  It feels like you could almost reach out and touch the reeds and grasses.

Although this shot has a TON of noise and looks so over-processed I posted it on here to show how much detail multi-bracketing can bring out.  The 3 shots for this were taken in almost complete darkness and the final exposure was 22 seconds!  NO FLASH USED!  All things considered it turned out better than I thought it would.

Shot for today.  Took this vista at the back of my apartment.  Around 5.30pm so the sun wasn't too low.  Taken with my Canon Elph.

Tonight I went to a secluded spot and had some fun as the sun was setting.  Wish I had my lens hood on as I was getting a fair amount of flare...  funny thing is I kind of like the effect.   Great evening.

I like finding interesting textures and formations in things. Things people wouldn't normally be interested in shooting because they seem so "normal" Today I saw these wooden blocks and instantly thought they would make a fairly good shot... turned out okay I think. Pentax with 70-300mm

A couple of real quick shots I took with my Pentax. They suffer somewhat from a little too much background blur which I am trying to work on.... still a beautiful evening to take pictures though...