Category: Postcards

Images from my travels

A Secret Door

I used to photograph doors almost obsessively – and have several posts on this site about them. But for this week’s challenge from Sofia I wanted to simply show one door that I don’t think has been posted.

Wisteria covered secret door in a walled garden

Lens- Artists Photo Challenge #361 | Looking back at Doors

Monochrome Madness | Backlight

This week’s Monochrome Madness is being hosted by the lovely Brian from Bushboy’s World (hence why I often refer to him as BB)  and his chosen theme is Backlighting.

What is backlighting I hear you say? Essentially it is using a light source that is not directly behind you to create a more dramatic scene. It’s best not to shoot directly into the sun for instance, but having the light coming from in front or to the side of you can work well to highlight shapes and patterns in leaves or flowers, or to create soft light around the subject or to create a dramatic silhouette where the subject matter is a solid black shape.

I often shoot into the sun when I am at the beach because it creates that lovely sun glitter on the water and here I think it accentuates the rolling waves.
And in this instance you get the liquifying effect of water on the sand and the silhouettes of happy dogs chasing along the shoreline.

Shooting the light through leaves can create a transparent effect. I’m not sure this works as well in black and white as it does in colour, but it is something I do frequently when photographing leaves and flowers. A backlit tulip can be stunning.

Ballerina

In winter when the light is low you can often utilise this by shooting directly with the sun behind your subject. Here I waited until the sun was almost below the horizon.

I will end with one of my favourite ‘contre-jour’ photos of the entrance into the courtyard of the Louvre, Paris, France. The figures closer to the light source are more defined, whilst the figures closer to the camera are more solid shapes.

All photos were taken in colour and edited using Photoshop Elements and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Thank you Brian, I hope you enjoyed these!

Red Squares in July

It’s the last day for Becky’s SimplyRed Squares.

A Red Letter Day

I had this photo in mind right from the beginning of the challenge, but decided to use it for the end. A family portrait taken at Christmas 2011 with four of the grandchildren. Now there are eight, but chances of getting them all together is very slim.

Once again thanks to Becky for another interesting challenge – the only rule being that at least one photo must be SQUARE!

Day 31

But What If She Says Yes?

It was all the fault of his wife thought Daniel as he stood nervously on the doorstep of the rather rundown bungalow. She had bought him a DNA Ancestry test kit for his 50th birthday thinking it would be fun for him to trace his ancestors and create a family tree.

Except it threw up all sorts of questions especially concerning one extremely strong familial link.

Taking a deep breath Daniel knocked for the second time, with only one question on his mind as he watched an elderly lady make her way slowly to the door.

“Are you my mother?”

My first and probably my only attempt at a ‘drabble’ challenged by my blogging pal Margaret for a 100 word Saturday based on this photo she took.