Spray

Spray
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

I never thought I would say this, but I can now see why one may have use for a ND Grad filter!

The white sea here is not white because it was choppy, in fact quite the reverse, but because it is over exposed. With an ND Grad I could have exposed the rocks correctly and also the sea, retaining detail and reducing the glare. I suppose I could have used a circular polariser as well/instead because that is good for -1EV or there abouts.

So new shopping list! I will go for Cokin P-System filters owing to the price/performance issue I need the following:-

2 adapter rings, one 52mm for the nifty and one 58mm for both the telephoto and the kit 18-55mm
1 P system Filter holder
1 ND Grad 4 - good for a couple of stops of exposure.

The trouble with using this arrangement is that the slower shutter speed will increase the water blur, which in turn will prevent one from seeing the spiky effect as the water crashes (!) over the rocks.

Another suggestion has been that I take an equivalent picture but in landscape orientation. next time I get over to Kimmeridge I will try that as well - after all I have a tripod and I am not really afraid to use it!

Machine Elbow

Machine Elbow
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

At long last I have found some more machinery to photograph. This is a fork loader, used by Wessex Water or their contractors whilst repairing what I guess is a sewerage pumping station at Osmington mills.

I love machines - I think too much watching Koyaanisqatsi, under the influence of certain substances, in my youth is responsible; though thinking back to age 3 or 4 I remember dragging my mother round Salisbury looking for "workems" and their associated machines.

The colours are good and strong - Auto Levels just emphasises the shininess which wasn't my impression of the image when I took it so yet again I post a picture with no post processing.

I should perhaps have made the silver coloured bolt head the focus of the picture, however hind sight is a wonderful thing and I like the picture as it stands.

Blue

Blue
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

Here is the first proper picture taken using the tripod and 3-way head I got for Christmas.

I quite like it - though it is not square, but that adds to the atmosphere I think.

I have a stop motion film to make tomorrow, with the younger daughter directing, so that will be fun. Hopefully we can use this rather eerie light for effect.

Stop Motion - Balls 1

Well, now I have a tripod and a couple of lights, here is a simple stop motion tale of silver balls who escape from the pot and vanish off on adventures who knows where... we may catch up with them another day...



I find it a bit bizarre using a dSLR to produce stop motion video, but the wonders of modern software and computers mean that the process I last undertook in a dark, hot animation studio at the age of 14 can be relived in the comfort of my own kitchen, with beer available on tap.

Sunset

Sunset
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

I really must get out more.

This was the best of 3 passable shots, selected from 80... my 'hit rate' has fallen from 30% to 3%!!!

I haven't been out with the camera much because walking and getting into awkward positions has been difficult with the last nagging bits of my ankle injury.

I think my new year's resolution must be to get out at least once a weekend with the camera, otherwise I will loose any learning I have done over the last year.

Legs

Legs
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

Ok,

well here is a picture of legs. Wrapped in fishnets. The composition of this picture is rather bad to be honest - I should have crouched lower on the floor and lost the heads of Claire and Sam who were modelling for the shot.

I did try flood filling the top of the photo with plain black but it just looks rubbish - so here is the picture to remind me that getting down on the floor sometimes means getting really low.

There are other, less discrete, pictures but they remain firmly in my archives.

Claire and Livi

Claire and Livi
Originally uploaded by Ben Mottram

Here is a candid portrait that I stumbled upon at a Halloween party this year.

If I run autolevels on it, everything goes over exposed and blown; I prefer the straight out of camera look to the composition. It also is slightly grainy - though the camera was (and still is) on ISO 100.

Had I really posed the shot, I would of course ensured that the dress label was hidden or removed and fixed any number of other things which aren't quite working.

However this is my favourite picture out of the many I have taken this year. OK Livi is squawking but that adds something I think.

On to the next post - more of Claire, I am afraid :)