One lesson I’ve firmly learned is that without fail I must use RAW mode than ever resort to using .JPG mode. Now, I’m not sure what the quality is like on DSLRs, but on the FujiFilm S9600 the compression is terribly noisy. It might sound like a n00b mistake, but there were a couple of reasons why I still shot in .JPG mode:
1. Memory space.
2. Uncertainty in handling the camera in various conditions

The second combined with the first meant that until recently, I got into the bad habit of shooting wildly. I’m sure you know what I mean by that statement, and it’s enough to say these days after a fair bit of reading and reflection that I need to give more consideration to the shot before I take it. That’s something that has only very recently changed, perhaps since summer. Even now when I’m shooting in RAW I usually use up the space pretty quick if I’m not careful, so I’ll be picking up extra memory soon. I’m also more comfortable using the RAW editor in Photoshop these days, and it can’t be denied that the options provided via this are huge compared to adjustment-layer editing in JPG mode.

So on to the shot itself, and with a little experimentation and thought I think I got something I’m happy with for now. I intentionally blurred an overlay of this image and reduced the opacity to bring up the blacks and give the image an idyllic glaze. There were a few other things I altered in several Adjustment Layers, such as bringing down the saturation somewhat, but the Gaussian blur is something I like to do to soften up the image if a high contrast is required.

This is one I’ll want to try nailing again, and I’m sure I will.

Another update then, this time from a shoot I did a few days ago. Continuing with my attempts to stay out of auto(matic) modes and into the manual more often, I did probably make a few blunders taking a few photos from that excursion. No matter however, because whilst being an incredibly beautiful place it also happens to be less than an hour’s drive away. I’ll be going back there often. I just can’t wait to get out there when Autumn comes around!

The trek from the village of Pontneddfechan through the woods takes you steadily uphill, and at times is slightly perilous, for those whose choice of footwear is more suited to the beach than the undergrowth. It did feel at times as if you are following the course of the river on a well-trodden, perhaps even medieval track. Not sure I can substantiate that claim, but as I’m just relating my experience of the place in words, that’s fine! I tend to like thinking of it like that too.

Back to the falls themselves, well there are several along differing routes, and we visited some of the most popular on this trip. The one featured here is “Sgwd Y Ddwli”, Pontneddfechan, Wales. This waterfall is one further up this particular route. This photograph is actually taken from the top of “Sgwd Y Ddwli”, as I didn’t think I’d have time to get down where the falls would presumably look more impressive, but that’s one to look forward to.

Now on to matters of photography, if this trip has told me anything I need a few filters; it was sunny weather that day, which ironically I wasn’t hoping for – I wanted clouds!. A few pics I shot have irreversible blow-out on highlights, and as such did finally convince me of the need to have some filters to work with the environment. Also, from now on I’m always going to shoot RAW on trips like these. N00b mistake, but I did shoot the first half of the trip in JPG mode, and this camera does suck on its compression I’m afraid to say. If I didn’t have much, much more to learn still, I’d be itching to buy a decent entry-level SLR right now. As it is, I still want to explore further with this camera for now. I just have to put up with a few faults which I’m now beginning to notice as I delve further into this positive addiction.

One other thing about these falls, is the sound. It simply fills your ears; only after a while can you begin to hear other background sounds again. If you wait further, eventually you adjust to the sound and begin to hear perfectly again. It’s like tuning into nature, as cliché as that sounds, because you don’t want to leave these places once you are there.

I can’t say how grateful I am to have found such a beautiful place nearby to take such a wide range of shots. I’m a sucker for the delights of the forest or river, and I do like places where I can tend my preference for portraying a sense of isolation and quiet, and I want to expand that theme in my photography. Finally, if you want a tip on how to find places of interest to visit with your camera, then google earth is a good one to use.

Some Links and Resources on Pontneddfechan

1. Wiki Link about this area of Wales
2. A photographer’s guide to Ponteddfechan.

Anyway, here’s one I picked out of the trip to puzzlewood from back in April. I spent some time post-production on this, to ease away the saturation mostly, but to find a nice balance in the lighting.

That brings me to another point regarding this image; it is heavily photoshopped. Of course the metering on point-and-click often over-compensates, and with this picture the camera happened to destroy the scene by over exposing the shot to compensate for the low light. The final result here looks a lot like it did on that evening, with the dark blues/purples/oranges and reds mixing together along the horizon as the sun’s penultimate rays crept over a deepening sky.

Took this on a trip Back from a village near to where we were staying. I really want to go back there actually but for the reason that during the morning a heavy low-lying mist takes over the land, and some spectacular views are to be had. I wish now I had bothered to wake up early enough to go down to the road and photograph the corn fields in this mist, even with a crappy camera.

Ever wished that you’d followed your intuition and gone out there to take a photograph after the opportunity? I have no doubt every budding photographer has had similar thoughts.

In keeping with what I’ve been doing with these blog posts, I’m adding a few extra pics in here at the end to titilate your visual fancy. Nothing mind-blowing, but it is surprising how much can be done (sometimes) to save a picture that is crap. Well, to put it bluntly.

Cafe des Colonnes

This pic happily reminds me that it was August 2007 when I was in France, at the height of the Rugby World Cup. There are a few pictures from this trip that did turn out ok by themselves, i.e no photoshopping necessary, but I’ll keep hold of those for other posts.

One good thing about this trip is the fact that it did convince me I needed a decent camera, and not just a power-shot syle point-and-shoot, but something more substantial that I could work with. To that end, it was a great experience, and the following March (My birthday month) I gathered together some cash for my current piece, the Fujifilm S9600.

I’m looking forward to the holiday that convinces me I need to get a DSLR.

I don’t have any more information to share about the butterfly, as I took this picture some months ago and now do not recall or have any of the guide material. Oh well, I suppose I’ll have to try and do better on that next time.

Here’s one I photoshopped a little, due to the fact the Butterfly wasn’t so clear and to give it a colour boost.

I took the opportunity to grab a number of shots of abandoned industrial stuff lying about outside. This thing, whatever it was, did probably serve a useful function as a machine once, but alas now it sits as as a pleasant prop to this tourist attraction.

My feelings about the picture are that I should have perhaps tried to get a greater depth of field, and so really focus the eye at the forefront of the picture. Either way the detail is what I like about it and I hope you like it too. Do you have the same love of old rusty things?

Here’s Another one I liked:

We took the scenic route so as to avoid as many motorways as possible and I’m glad we did. The further north we travelled the better the weather got that day, and while many of the pit-stops didn’t produce good pictures (when is a grey sky every that appealing?) this one came out very nice. I like the peacefulness of this picture, and it was indeed quiet.

Certainly, I cannot often experience that kind of tranquility here in South Wales, although it is possible to find some secluded places, those are usually not very far from some kind of human activity. In this picture I can feel the stretch of land just by looking at it. It assumes a stretch of land going on for miles undisturbed, and likewise you can travel along these roads and rarely meet another vehicle. I like that kind of peace very much, and this photo particularly reminds me of it. As you see the weather had become very fine, and the wind was pressing briskly against my back in this shot, but it wasn’t a disturbance but rather a comfort from the unusually hot sun.

I have a few more images from that trip which are decent enough to share but not that eye catching enough to warrant their own post per-se. I’ve included them below. At the time I took this pic I was still getting to know the workings of my Fuji FinePix s9600, and so I probably relied upon the automatic settings – what I thought would best suit given my lack of experience.

A lonely Farmhouse

The vast expanse

I just had to get a pic of these guys up close and so I turned quickly to snap a few shots. This one, being the first was the best since it had the centurion at the head followed by the officers and the regiment behind them. The original photo showed up a lot of people in the background, and I wanted to make the picture say something more than just ‘ooh look, and interesting day out’ so I photoshopped it to meet what I wanted to portray.

Of course, I darkened the pic, duplicated some layers and applied some editing to some and then applied others to blending modes, and adjusted the saturation and hue to counteract some of the extremes that bending modes sometimes throw out. I’m quite happy with the final version here, although I do admit it didn’t take 30 mins at most to come to the conclusion I had what I wanted here. To me, it looks like the head of a massive army marching out to war, and so the dark and reflective aspects of the photo work to my end. What do you think? Could it be better somehow? I’d love to hear your feedback on it.

There were a few talks going on alongside the shows themselves, and I learnt a few interesting facts: This is the most well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre in the United Kingdom, and that it is of international importance since the second garrison was stationed here for nigh on two-hundred years. The settlement dates from 90AD. Many of the sites were excavated by a well known Archaeologist who once curated the National Museum in Cardiff, although the majority of the site was directed by his wife. The Daily Mail paid for exclusive rights to report on the findings of the excavation to the sum of 3000 pounds circa 1920. The amphitheater itself was then just a slight dip in the ground back in 1920, and was water-logged. What survives is the stone base-structure. The timber mews rising 12-15 seated-storeys were long ago lost to history.

We only got Milly a few months back, and we didn’t even know her real name, since she was passed between a few families until it was discovered she didn’t like Children much. So her name when it she came to us was, yes it’s really silly, donut. I don’t know why either, but it sounds the sort of name a kid would give a cat. Thankfully, she’s gotten used to her more appropriate and sensible name. She is after all a every sensible cat. She won’t even play with toys, with the only exception being sometimes she’ll play with a ball.

I’m sure she’d entirely dissaprove your lolcat submission, but please do entertain me with your “capshuns” in the comments.

The beach itself is somewhere between St. James and Holetown on the west coast of Barbados, looking inward to the Caribbean sea, as opposed to the Atlantic the other side of the island. At night, the sand begins to literally crawl with many small crabs. We had to get out of there pretty quick or else my partner would have had a meltdown. Well, if you are wearing sandals then its probably sensible. Although, due credit must go to her for prompting me into taking the pic.

Whenever I look at this picture, I can immediately recall the sight and all those intermingled feelings that arise when reminiscing. The air was cool, and a slight breeze was flowing toward us from the sea. We’d been walking to a restaurant for an evening meal, most likely it being the Crocodile Den, which once we found it, couldn’t let go and returned for several nights. The cool owner even let us run up a tab based off of knowing our names and the hotel we were staying at. So on this evening we chose to walk the beach instead of taking the main road, which follows the coast up the west side of the island from Bridgetown, the capital. The road was never far from the beach as I recall, about 15-30 meters or so. Some of the more expensive hotels dot that route, but we stayed at a wonderful self-catered hotel called Angler Apartments.