Friday, 15 January 2021

10 Macro Photography Project Ideas

In our article today, Julie Waterhouse gives ten subject ideas for your macro photography. Julie writes for Ultimate Photo Tips, which provides friendly education and encouragement for photo enthusiasts around the world, presented in a way that’s clear, organized, and easy to understand


Are you looking for some interesting and out of the ordinary project ideas for your close up or macro photography? Want to break away from the usual flowers, leaves, plants and mushrooms? Tired of bugs, butterflies, and spiders? All of those can make great close up subjects, but certainly not unique ones. Here are a few macro photography project ideas that may inspire your creativity. Follow this link to read Julie's ideas:.....10 Macro Photography Subject Ideas:
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Here are a few of my attempts at macro photography which I hope you will enjoy.

Eye of an Elephant
An elephant close up in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, Africa.
Fly on Petal
Macro of a fly on the petal of a lacewing hydrangea at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England.
Azure Damselfly
An azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) seen in Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire.

As usual, my work is available to purchase as original  Wall Art, in a variety of formats from stretched canvas or framed prints, metal or acrylic prints,or simply as standard prints for you to mount in your favourite picture frame. They are also available as greeting cards or printed onto iPhone or Galaxy phone cases, throw pillows, duvet covers or tote bags. Simply click on the  image and you will be taken to my gallery where you will find full details.



Thursday, 14 January 2021

Beauty of Birmingham

How Green is our City

Even though Birmingham is known as being at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and the City of 1000 Trades, many people who have never visited there are surprised at how green the city is, even close to the City Centre.

The city has more miles of canal than Venice, more trees than Paris and more parkland than any other European City. All of the images below were taken within a couple of miles of the City Centre.
Photo Art of Bluebells Winterboune Botanical Garden
Bluebells at Winterboune Botanical Garden

Winterbourne is one of the best surviving examples of an Edwardian Arts and Crafts suburban villa garden in Birmingham. The garden was lovingly created by the homeowners, Margaret and John Nettlefold, of Guest Keen and Nettlefold, using the books of Gertrude Jekyll as guides and inspiration. It is located in Edgbaston, just about 2 miles from the City Centre
Photo Art of Edgbaston Pool
Edgbaston Pool

Edgbaston Pool, located just two miles from Birmingham City Centre, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Edgbaston. Also known as Edgbaston Park, the site is adjacent to Winterbourne Botanic Garden and Edgbaston Golf Course and close to the University of Birmingham. Access is via Winterbourne Botanic Garden.

Not far from Edgbaston Pool, we have Edgbaston Reservoir.
Edgbaston Reservoir

Edgbaston Reservoir, on a crisp January morning. Originally a small pool, it was extensively enlarged by Thomas Telford between 1824-1829 to supply water to the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Levels of the Birmingham Canal Navigations canal system via Icknield Port Loop at the foot of the dam. It was formed by damming a small stream. The dam is a 330 metre long earth embankment with a height of 10 metres near the centre.
Buy wallart of Birmingham City Skyline
Birmingham City Skyline

Birmingham City Centre skyline as seen behind the dam of Edgbaston Reservoir. Showing the Post Office Tower to the left, and the new Birmingham Library in the centre.
Buy wallart of Birmingham
City View

The view from the roof of the Birmingham City Library (the orange building in the centre of the photo above) looking towards Edgbaston, demonstrating just how green Birmingham is. The building to the left is the National Sea Life Centre, while on the right is Birmingham's National Indoor Arena (NIA).

You may see more of my images from Birmingham by visiting my Birmingham Gallery.

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As usual, my work is available to purchase as original  Wall Art, in a variety of formats from stretched canvas or framed prints, metal or acrylic prints ,or simply as standard prints for you to mount in your favourite picture frame. They are also available as greeting cards or printed onto iPhone or Galaxy phone cases, throw pillows, duvet covers or tote bags. Simply click on the  image and you will be taken to my gallery where you will find full details.




Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Rules of Composition

With the advent of the mobile phone and tablet, everyone seems to be taking photographs, and for many people all they want is a record of a holiday or family event or a special moment in their lives which they are happy to share with their friends and perhaps to look at some years later when it will bring back a fond memory of times past.


Some of us however want to take their photography one step further and turn it into a hobby which we can develop and improve. So we dispense with our point and shoot camera and stop using our phones and invest in a reasonably decent camera. Personally, although I had been taking pictures for almost 50 years, I only took it up as a serious hobby in 2010 when I purchased a Panasonic DMC-FZ38 prior to visiting Kenya on my first Safari.

To begin with, I looked at the 128 page manual, hardly understood a word, so set the camera to auto and went off on safari. I took some great photos but it was only after I joined a local camera club and started to learn about the art of composition that I began to actually look through the lens and think about what I was doing, instead of simply pointing the camera at an object and pressing the shutter.

Like me, I suspect that many new photographers get confused, or even totally put off, by such things as focal length, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focusing, exposure, etc., etc., and while I believe that it is very useful to understand the more technical elements, and I shall be covering some of those in later articles, I do believe that the most important element for a new photographer to get to grips with, is Composition. All digital camera manufacturers spend a large amount of time and money on software to help the user get the correct camera settings to capture that shot and, as I did initially, if you set your camera on auto, the vast majority of time you will get technically good results. However the one thing that no camera is able to do, no matter how much money you have spent buying it, is compose a photo that is attractive to the eye.

So what do I mean by Composition? Putting it into its very basic form, composition can be said to be the way to create a photo that is aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Google “composition in photography” and you come up with such results as:- 20 Composition Techniques That Will Improve Your Photos: 10 Top Photography Composition Rules: 9 Top Photography Composition Rules You Need To Know: 18 Composition Rules For Photos That Shine: 5 Elements of Composition in Photography: 5 Easy Composition Guidelines: The 10 rules of photo composition (and why they work): 12 Rules for Effective Composition in Photography: etc., etc.!

While you will undoubtedly learn by reading all of those articles, (and I would suggest that you do in time), I will concentrate on a few simple rules that I follow. Before I go further, while some of these are called rules, remember rules are there to be broken. What I am trying to do is to encourage you to think about what you are trying to achieve when looking through the viewfinder. I will start then with something that you have probably already come across:-

The Rule of Thirds


Basically, if you imagine a photo divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, the main subject of the image should be where a vertical line cross a horizontal one, as in this photo of a leopard in the Serengetti. Also the branch runs along the bottom third of the frame. This is much more pleasing than if the leopard was bang in the centre of the image. 


the rules of composition in photography - rule of thirds
Leopard In Serengeti

Many modern cameras allow you to place a grid in the viewfinder which can be used to place the object where two lines intersect. While we are talking about the Rule of Thirds, it is generally best to place the horizon on one of the thirds, rather than in the centre of the frame, dependant on whether the main points of interest are in the sky or on the ground. 

Leading Lines


These lead the viewers eyes into the picture either to the main subject or on a journey through the whole of the picture. In the image below of the Old Town in Stavanger, the viewer is taken into the picture by the lines of the timber boards of the building towards the centre while the curves of the pavement and road, coupled with the pedestrians walking down the road, help the viewer complete their journey.

the rules of composition in photography - leading lines
Old Town Stavanger

Symmetry

To demonstrate that the rules are no more than guidelines, the next one contradicts the Rule of Thirds. If your image is symmetrical, then it could benefit from being centred either on the horizontal, or vertical centre line. This works particularly well for reflections, as is the case below, where the mute swan and its reflection are centred along the horizontal centre line, or for architecture where in the shot from the Dome of St Peter’s, the image is centred on the vertical line.

the rules of composition in photography -symetry
Mute Swan

the rules of composition in photography - symetry
View From Dome Of St Peters

Rule of Space

This rule is talking about giving the subject in the photo, space to move into the frame. This particularly applies to animals and vehicles. The first photo below, of a Secretary Bird, was taken on my first safari before I had begun to learn anything about photography and as you can see, it looks a little odd, with the bird looking out of the frame, and all the space behind it. The second image was taken three years later when I was aware of the need to give the subject some space to move into.


the rules of composition in photography - rule of space
Secretary Bird

the rules of composition in photography - rule of space
Secretary Bird

I hope you will agree that the second one looks more natural and is better on the eye.

Rule of Odds

Generally speaking, it is thought that photos with an odd number of subjects is more visually appealing and natural looking than those with an even number, where the viewers eyes may flick around the image, unsure of where to settle. The main reason that I have included this is that it gives me an excuse to include my award winning image of a three-headed giraffe. Other than this, which was a purely lucky shot, I do tend to use the rule of odds if taking a close up of flowers or the like.

the rules of composition in photography - rule of odds
Three Headed Giraffe

Patterns

I will close on patterns, which can be found everywhere, both in nature and architecture and the image below, which shows reflections in the Birmingham Symphony Hall, combines patterns with one of my personal favourite composition techniques, the use of reflections.


the rules of composition in photography - patterns
Birmingham Symphony Hall Reflections

I hope that I have given you a brief insight into composition and that when you next look through your viewfinder you will at least stop and think for a few seconds at what you are looking at and how the shot may be improved. But just remember, these rules, and all the others you will come across, are simply guide lines to help you go in the right direction, they are not railway tracks that you have to stick to rigidly. Finally I will end with the words of Pablo Picasso - Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” 

Tony Murtagh
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As usual, my work is available to purchase as original  Wall Art, in a variety of formats from stretched canvas or framed prints, metal or acrylic prints,or simply as standard prints for you to mount in your favourite picture frame. They are also available as greeting cards or printed onto iPhone or Galaxy phone cases, throw pillows, duvet covers or tote bags. Simply click on the  image and you will be taken to my gallery where you will find full details.