Woke up in the morning to a bright sunny day…The weather has been really poor here in the UK for most of the summer. But on this occasion it was just glorious, and it called for a trip to the south coast.
On the way down I spotted that the RAF Battle of Britain airshow was on. So, I stopped to enjoy two hours of some brilliant flying action. The RAF Typhoon was awesome! The airshow was so good, that I forgot to have lunch!!!
After the airshow, I headed down to the beach and spent a good two hours soaking the sun…Still no food since breakfast…
One hour before the sunset, the light was just magical. The subtle tones of pink and blue, is what attracted me to this scene. I could just see that the sunset was going to be a very special one…But by this time, I was seriously hungry, so I decided to get in the car to go and find a place to eat.
Photo 1 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 0.7s at f16, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
After drinving for about 30 minutes, I found a restaurant, parked the car and looked back in the direction of the sun, and oh boy! The sun had just come through the clouds and it was big and orange! When I say big, I really mean it!…A missed opportunity…Should have not turned my back on the sun…
Lesson: never go out photographing on an empty stomach…
When photographing a scene, one of the things that I am always on the lookout for is the way the light interacts with the clouds. Clouds play a big role in either adding drama to a scene, or adding a bit of colour to it.
With photo 1, I wanted to add a bit of drama to the scene. The idea was to combine the heavy clouds and the heavy wind that swept them, with the little splash of colour on the horizon provided by the rising sun.
I opted to use a combination of the 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter with the Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo. The 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter not only helped in balancing the exposure, but also kept the detail in the clouds. The LB ColorCombo filter alllowed me to keep the definition of the clouds, intensified the colours and also allowed me to work at a much slower shutter speed in order to get the sweeping efect in the clouds. The combination of the ND filters and the LB ColorCombo is one that I am liking a lot…
Photo 1 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 10s at f16, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
In photo 2, the clouds had much subtler colours. What initially attracted me to these clouds was not so much the light, but the brush stroke effect on them and their shape. The idea with this one was just to keep the subtle colours of the clouds and not enhance them too much. For this reason, I opted to only use a 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter to balance the exposure and keep enough detail on the clouds.
Photo 2 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 0.7s at f16, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter
These two shots were taken on the same day as my previous post at around 5:30 in the morning. The best thing about photographing at this time in the morning is that you really get a sense of silence and calm as the world feels almost empty…
I did mention in my previous post that I wanted to be in a location where I could see the sunrise. Well, there was nothing but really fast moving clouds in the sky. Never got to see the sun…The light was nonetheless interesting…
In photo 1, the sun had already risen to the left of the frame. There was just one brief moment, when the sun light broke through the clouds and touched the top of the groyne. This resulted in the green colours in the pillars being enhanced.
Photo 1 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 4s at f16, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
Photo 2, composition wise, is maybe not so hot. From where I was standing, there were some distractions to the right of the frame that I needed to leave out. However, the inclusion of the rushing clouds adds a bit of dynamics to the shot, I think…
Photo 2 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 5s at f16, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
I used 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter to retain details in the clouds and bapance the exposure and Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter that acted both as a polarizer and helped improve colour saturation. These two shots were actually my first use of the Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter.
Yesterday, I started the day very early. I wanted to be in a location where I could benefit from the sunrise light. Something else that I wanted to do was to test the Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter under my normal shooting conditions. This filter is in essence a polarizer with a colour intensifer to improve colour saturation.
I had driven past this location many times, but the light was never that appealing to me. This time the combination of the light, and the passing clouds with it’s shadows interacting with the landscape is what made me stop and photograph this scene.
After setting myself up, I composed the shot and then spent about 10 minutes or so observing the way the shadows produced by the passing clouds affected the light in the landscape. The idea in the end was to get two different shots with some subtle differences. With photo 1, I wanted the foreground and the trees to be exposed to the light.
Photo 1 : Nikon D2X, 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/8s at f11, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
With photo 2, I decided that I wanted the foreground and the trees in the shadow. The rest was a matter of waiting…And lot’s and lot’s of luck. I never really managed to get all the trees in the shadow on the second shot, but I was pretty close…And I personally have a preference between these two photos…
Photo 2 : Nikon D2X, 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/8s at f11, 2-stop Hard-Step Singh-Ray ND filter, Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo filter
The Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo really did help to improve the colour saturation of both photos. I also used a 2-stop Soft-Step Singh-Ray ND filter over the sky to balance the light and get the correct exposure.
Sometimes a change in direction and acting on impulse really pays off. I was actually driving east and about two hours away from the location where these two shots were taken, when I decided to drive south, by the sea…
It was really an impulse decision purely based on how nice the light could turn out to be. So I headed down to Birling Gap, a location that I know very well, but had not photographed in a long time…In the winter the sun sets over the sea at Birling Gap. In the summer, however, the sun sets over the cliffs. This is were I knew I would be pointing the camera later on.
Photo 1 was taken about 5 minutes after the sun had set. In this photo, I was pointing the camera in the opposite direction to where the sun was setting. The afterglow, the time just after the sun has set, can be quite rewarding with the right combination of light and clouds. I used a 3-stop Soft-Step Singh-Ray ND filter to balance the light and preserve the colours in the sky.
Photo 1 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 2.5s at f16, 3-stop Soft-Step Singh-Ray ND filter
Photo 2 was taken 10 minutes or so after the sun had set. These two photos were taken with me standing exactly in the same position. All that I had to do was to keep an eye on what was happening behind my back, wait for the right moment and then turn the camera 180 degrees, to where the sun was setting. I used a 4-stop Reverse Singh-Ray ND filter to balance the exposure on this shot. The filter was placed in a slanted position to follow the slopping cliffs on the horizon.
Photo 2 : Nikon D2Xs, 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, ISO 100, 2s at f16, 4-stop Reverse Singh-Ray ND filter
I have been working on extending my nature patterns portfolio. The intention, is not to focus too much on the subject, the flowers and the grass in this case. When approching this type of subject I tend to focus more on shapes, patterns and strong colour contrasts in the scene.
Photo 1: Nikon D2X, 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/60s at f3.5
Photo 2: Nikon D2Xs, 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/60s at f5
Today I went for a walk in the park. The weather wasn’t particularly good…The intention was to get some close up shots of flowers. Critical to flower photography is the wind. And today there was plenty of it!…Not having a tripod in hand does not help much either…Yes, I was traveling very light today…
Anyway, all of these shots were taken handheld with the 60mm f/2.8 AF-S Micro Nikkor. I can tell you one thing…One really sharp lens!!! The colour contrast in pictures taken with this lens is truly stunning! Not really a replacement for my 85mm f/2.8 PC Micro Nikkor, a personal favourite, but convenient at times when you need to focus fast.
The whole week I have been noticing the beautiful sunrise light. Today I made the effort of getting out of bed a bit earlier, at around 4:30. The light was absolutely awesome, and this is the result…Strawberry skies…That’s what it was called…
Photo 1 : Nikon D2X, 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/100s at f3.5
This shot was taken sometime last year, an hour or so before sunset. It was taken at Birling Gap, a location that I have visited a few times. What attracted me to this shot was the contour of the cliff combined with the blue skies and the light.
Photo 1 : Nikon D2X, 17-55mm f/2.8G, ISO 100, 1/250s at f9
This shot is part of the nature pattern series that I am currently working on. It was taken yesterday in the New forest. The weather in the west of England was overcast, which made it really perfect for this kind of photo.
My intention was to spend the whole day exploring the New Forest but later on I ended up by the sea…Long story… But to cut the story short, the nice weather that we experienced yesterday in the South East of England was calling me… : )
Photo 1 : Nikon D2X, 85mm f/2.8D PC Micro-Nikkor, ISO 100, 1/60s at f9
