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April 2008
I have been taking mainly landscape shots recently to build up my collection and since I treated myself to a new lens, the Sigma 12-24mm HSM EX DG, I decided to put this to good use. This is an ultra wide-angle lens giving a 122° angle of view and adds a different dimension to my images. It is actually difficult sometimes to take a shot without getting your feet included - that's how wide it is !
The image below was one of the first I took as an experiment. The camera was simply pointed upwards towards the sky, and produced a very interesting result.
Here is the same woodland taken from a different angle. The wide angle accentuates the height of the trees and also the shadows. A small aperture gives a startburst effect with the sun as it breaks through into the wood.
I decided to use the Sigma for some seaside shots at Burham. I found the old wooden lighthouse a particularly attractive subject and when the sun is in the right place it produces some fantastic shots. More images can be seen here.
More shots taken with this lens can be seen in the Latest Photos gallery.
It is impossible to describe all of my field trips, but a most memorable one was to Slimbridge, to attempt to capture some flight shots of Bewick's swans before they were due to leave for their return journey back to Northern Siberia. Every year these swans migrate thousands of miles to the same place on the Severn estuary. It is difficult to appreciate why they return to an area that we are so familiar with and perhaps think that there is nothing that special about. Compared to Siberia, though, it must be nice and warm with an abundance of food.
The bird shown below was one of several who circled a number of times before landing to feed. The evening sun has given its feathers a wonderful 'golden glow' that emphasises the detail. This shot was taken handheld.
Even the common species of bird can make an interesting photograph. Ducks are one my favourite subjects and I couldn't resist one day when I came upon this Mallard flapping his wings about wildly. Although it appears as though he is trying to walk on water, he was in fact just drying himself after a bath. The irridescent colours around his head have been intensified by the bright sunlight. A slower than usual shutter speed allowed me to freeze the body but allow the movement of the wings to become blurred.
Back home, I have introduced some new Showcase galleries featuring some of my favourite images. I have also made other small refinements to this website in the interest of improvement. I am after all a software engineer by trade and can't resist playing !
Well, spring time is upon us again. It is a season of many changes and is my favourite time of year, so please keep visiting the Latest Photos gallery to see what I get up to in the coming months.
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January 2008
October 2007
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