Playing With Panoramics 2

 Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Today is the second part of my panoramic photographs that I want to share.

Just to set reminder I made the photographs hand held and taking between 5 -7 photographs vertically and then stitching them in lightroom.

I would crop them to get a 3x1 Aspect ratio as that is what seems pleasing to the eye without having to look up and down a picture.Also if someone was to hang on a wall you could have two or three possibly different photographs in the space of one normal sized photograph.

The first photograph is the old bit of machinery where they used to have a net at Fremantle harbour which was used to protect from Japanese mini subs during World War 2.

I processed and made it a Black and white and I thought interesting. I'm sharing because its not perfect but at same time it helps with my thought process as to where can improve.

The second photograph is of the South Mole Lighthouse but from the front as a ship would see on the way into harbour. This was a seven shot stitch, All photographs of the last 2 panorama posts were made with an Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II and shot with a 25mm lens which equates to a 50mm full frame lens.

The photograph was shot in the afternoon and I liked the structure at the front which I think used to be somewhere the heavy guns used to be during the war.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read as is always appreciated. If any comments please leave below.

Vedran

Playing Around With Panoramics

 Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I recently have been inspired to try something a little different with my photography.

What we see mostly on social media are photographs that are in they're usual aspect ratios. After watching some You Tube videos I came across a person who made mainly panoramic images. His reason being ishe thought it was much easier on the eye as the images were narrow amd took up less wall space if printing and hanging. 

Now depending which type of camera you are using the picture aspect ratio could be 3:2 on normal DSLR'S or 4:3 on medium format or micro four third's cameras. Cell Phones tend to have an aspect ratio of 5:4. A nice aspect ratio that I like is aproximately 3:1 which I generlay try to go for.

I am still trying to figure out how many images to take but at the moment have been trying for between 5-7 images using a vertical style. With the images down below they were hand held and I overlapped each shot by 50% so it would stitch easier when putting it together in editing.

The first image below I kind of got it although it was only 5 Shots and in looks it wasn't quite the 3:1 I was looking for and I couldnt crop it because I wanted to use all the pixels and the shadows.

 

 

The second image was 8 shots vertically hand held and closer to the 3:1 aspect I was looking for.

I still need some practice but I am enjoying the challenge. 

The last image is also an approximate 3:1 aspect.

Of course a good composition is vitaly important as always and there are always challenges with water etc.

What do you think? Panoramas or not really fussed by it?

If any comments of course please leave down below.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read. 

Vedran

When Looking At Light

 Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Today I have a couple of images where I liked the shadows, lines and shapes.

The first image looked interesting the way the light plays and the lines and shapes that were formed. I underexposed to get a really black looking shadow to emphasize the lines. The image was made with my olympus omd em1 m2 using the 40-150mm lens.

The second image I took at the front of the house and I liked the angles and the dark shadows.

I again underexposed to get the look that I wanted and after changing my positioning a few times I settled on this final shot.

In the end it seemed to work out quite well.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read. If any comments please leave down below as always appreciated.

Vedran

Bibra Lake Sunrise

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

To capture a sunrise at a nice location can be a challenge as you obviously need to get up early.
Getting up early can be a real challenge if you like pillow time lol.
I set my alarm early and woke up an hour before sunrise and drove to Bibra Lake as it was not too far from where I live.
You often wonder what type of condition you will see as majority of time your there while still dark.
As it was there was cloud cover although on the far horizon there seemed a slight break in the clouds.
I parked my car and grabbed my tripod and my camera bag and I already knew what composition I wanted. I set everything up and waited for the light and hopefully some colour.
I fired up some test shots to set my exposure and still waited. Eventually the clouds started to gain some colour and I made a click just to have a shot already.
after a while longer everything lit up and the clouds took on a lovely magenta/purple colour.
Here is the resulting photograph after processing.

What I had not noticed so much was the reflection in the water which completed the photograph for me. Its interesting how you can notice things after the fact.
It made it worthwhile to get up early although a lot of times you dont get the light or colour you want.
Having said that it is always a nice experience ounce your up and about.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read and as always if any comments please leave below.

 Vedran

A Morning At The South Mole

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Today I'm sharing a few photographs from one of my favorite places.
It is the South Mole in Fremantle and at the end of it stands a freen lighthouse.
The southern entry marking into Fremantle Harbour or the entrance or exit of the Swan River.

Often when I'm driving its nice to go there and sit in the car park there and observe the boats or ships coming in or out. Today Im not featuring the boats but mainly different views of the lighthouse using a wide angle lens. I looked around and found a composition I liked and put camera on the tripod in a portrait orientation and used the chain as a leading line.

The next photograph i moved the camera to the right about a metere and used a landscape orientation.
I used the remnants of a netting winder as a foreground interest and with the boulder in the mid-ground leading up to the lighthouse.

 

I processed the image as a black and white for a slightly differnt feel.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read

Vedran

A Different Perspective At Sunset

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


Today I have two photographs taken within a couple of minutes of each other at sunset.

Often when making photographs we usualy set up a tripod set up the composition and wait for the right light. It can get a bit daunting because you wonder are there any other photographs that could be made and its hard to set on the one subject.
Occasionally I like to hand hold especialy if at sunset. It also depends on the amount of time left where setting up a tripod and camera causes you to miss the shot.
If I was at a scene where I wanted to jave some motion blur or smooth out the water then of course would use a tripod coz shutter speed would be to long for hand holding effectively.

The first photograph here I saw the sun was going down and I was at an area where I thought could capture it nicely. I made the photograph hand held and it was ok although nothing spectacular in my view.

It gave a nice warmish feel but nothing to write home about.
I then looked at the shrubbery in front of me and thought why not go for a lower and different perspective.
I crouched down and was going for a silhouette with maybe a sun star but the sun star didn't quite work out lol

It was interesting in a way. It always is an idea to look for a couple of different compositions rather than remain static.
Having said that there was ounce when I photographed some boat sheds and all afternoon there were clouds a not a hint of light  to give some contrast. I would have waited for an hour and a half during which I made some nice long exposures. Then out of nowhere the sun broke through and I ended up with my photo of the day.
I hope to find that photograph and will make a blog post about it. I do have a series called waiting for  the light but that photograph is not included.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read.

Vedran

An Afternoon On Water

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I hope everyone is well and staying safe from covid - 19.

My Observations for today were from early March during an afternoon watching and capturing the people who enjoy Sailboarding and Kite Surfing.
The light was soft and golden and made for some lovely backlit images.

The first image I enjoyed the way the kite surfer was cutting through the waves and the way the water was coming of the board. The light was shining through and made a nice orangish hue.

The second image another kite surfer was basically skipping over the waves and looked really cool doing so. He must have been a strong individual as he was holding onto the kite one handed.
The way the camera and lens was pointed it was more of a coolish colour although ther was still a warm subtle glow in the wave off shoots.

There sailboarders were also in abundance and the light was just fabulous at this time.

The image below was interesting as I thought they would collide but some how the collision was avoided. With all the different water sports I photograph I am often amazed at the skill level they all have. Granted some are better than others but even so still amazed.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read.
Im always appreciative and hopefuly you will leave a comment good or bad.


Vedran

A Bit Of Bird Photography

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


Today I have some nature photography although it is birds exclusively.

I was at Point Walter on the sandbar one morning and looked for what sort of birds I could see.
There were seagulls and ducks and various other variety's.
The light was lovely early in the morning and I managed to get a few nice images.
I was looking more for action shots rather than static.

Below is a bunch of images from that morning.

Having An Adjustment

Spreading Out To Dry

On The Prowl

Something Else Spotted

Going For It

A Slightly different write up today with more photographs but I like to change things up from time to time.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read.
As always if you have any comments then please leave down below.

Vedran

Coffee And Biscuits

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


I hope everyone is doing well and things are nearly back to normal.
I have decided some macro photography in the form of coffee and biscuits.
When i was playing with the idea of macro I thought what would be interesting. I always liked closeups of coffee beans and so I went and poured out a handful of beans and put them on a small plate and set up my camera and macro lens.
I tried to get as close as I could so had to move camera back and forth until I got the beans as much in focus as possible.
I also held my flash in my hand because the light wasn't as nice as I liked and also it was a little dark.
Here is the resulting image.

I loved the texture and the colour as it turned out. I ended up making abou 6 or 7 photographs with that image my favourite.

After throwing out the handful of beans I wondered what else could I photograph. I looked around and saw some wafer biscuits and thought yesss.
I placed the wafers in a triangular type pattern on the dish I used for the coffee beans.
I moved my camera until everything looked good and again with flash in hand I fired off a few shots .
I changed the position of the light in a few different positions but it didnt seem to suit the subject.
Below is the photograph I chose.
 

The left wafer was the main subject in focus but I liked the feel of the overall image.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read. I hope you all stay safe. Im hoping to do some normal photography again in the next short while.

Vedran

A Morning At Noble Fall's

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observation's.

A couple years ago I went to a place in Gidgeganup called Noble Fall's.
I had never been there before and I went with my friend Tony.
It was out of the main city and I was really looking forward to going there and being among'st the red dirt etc.
Ounce we got there we had a look around and I liked this pathway which was part of a walking trail.
Tony saw a composition he liked and went to a different location further down the trail.

I Liked the way the path was leading and the slight curve towards the middle of the frame. It had an ethereal look as the bright light was coming from the tops of the trees but I liked what I saw.

A little bit more walking and I saw an outcrop of rocky boulders that were on top of the falls and with a wide angle lens to really fit them in.

I processed in black and white to bring out some more texture in the rocks. In hindsight the red of the rock and the green of the trees would have been nice also but I'm happy with the outcome.
After getting to the falls I positioned myself to get an overall scene.
Its amazing sometimes what a thought process can do in hindsight but at the time I guess I was close minded or had tunnel vision.
 The result is below.

Dont get me wrong as overall I am happy with the results with the rocks in the foreground leading to the falls. I think another visit should be on the cards during this winter here with a more vigorus fall and maybe a bit more water.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read. If any comments pleae leave below as would love to hear good or bad.

Vedran

Playing With Macro

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

While the restrictions for Covid-19 have eased somewhat I still find myself at home as not wanting to take any chances. At my age now and living with my elderly parents Im not willing to go out as the risk is still too high in my estimation.
Do I miss going and making photographs? Of course I do. I think people tend to be too overconfident.
As we all know a person may carry the virus and not know they have it and pass it too other people without knowing.

At home I have been playing with macro photography and its a genre that is a lot harder than it looks lol.
The first image, I used a silver vegetable/cheese grater and rested it on a colorful tea towell and used the reflection to try and get a decent shot. It was interesting as I tried going in as close as possible and had to move the camera back and forth until everything was sharp or as close to.

It was an interesting experience and I must say I liked the colour and texture in the image.

The next photograph I looked around and I found a pair of kitchen scissors which had an orange lime green colour on the handle side.
I placed them and set up the composition I wanted and here is the result.

I got in really close and low and is more abstract I thought.

Another look in the drawa I saw a silver kitchen utensil which I have no idea what it is although some type of tongs. I used the colourful tea towell again and positioned for the composition until the colours were where I wanted them. I made the shot and the result is below.

I thought it was interesting and the colours worked well.

I am hoping to do some light painting soon although finding an interesting subject or theme is a little challenging. Maybe a project for next week.

Thankyou for taking the time to read. If you have any comments please leave down below.

Vedran

The Wharf At Night

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Walking around the Fremantle Wharf one evening and wondering what would make an interesting photograph.
There are many interesting buildings and sculptures but I was looking for something that wasn't as much of a popular subject. I liked the atmospheric conditions at the time and looking at the wharf sheds with the nice wooden texture I thought this is it.

With the camera on a tripod and framed the shot and this is what I ended up with. Of course I didnt shoot in black and white as I did that in post processing. I couldnt get the right colour balance that looked natural which I guess speaks for my processing skills lol.  I sent the photo into nik Silver effx pro 2 and liked the mood I got in the finished image.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read.

Vedran

When The Mood Is Black And White

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I hope everyone is well and keeping safe.

Fremantle is a lovely little town and at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour you can lose yourself in the things to see when walking around.
I was doing my usual looking for a photograph oportunity around the harbour.
The weather was overcast and grey but the clouds had some texture. The first photograph was along the boardwalk and I loved the wooden texture and the leading line to the Restaurant at the end.
I framed it so I could see the clouds also.

As I said the scene was flat looking in the sense of no colour so in the end I processed as a black and white and added some grain for extra texture.

After walking to the end of the boardwalk I decided to come back as I couldn't quite figure a composition that I liked. When I got to the basic entrance I saw a monument or sculpture of a cray fisherman carrying a basket from days gone by.
I liked it very much so I set up my camera and tripod. After adjusting the paramaters and making sure I had the clouds in the photograph I made the click.

I liked the feel of the scene and turned out well but again I didnt like the colour so made it black and white. I thought I got tje feel of the scene and I also liked the star from the streetlamp.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read.
If any comments please leave down below.

Vedran

Long Exposure At THe North Mole

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I hope I find everyone all well.

I like to dabble in long exposures and the ideal place is where there are clouds and water among other subjects.
I also like to photograph  sunsets which by chance I was at the North Mole Lighthouse to do so.
I got there early and saw a marker in the ocean and decided seeing I was here early would make my first photograph.
I set up my tripod and camera and focused on the rocks about a third of the way into the scene. I then put on my Neutral Density Filter and Set the shutter to bulb after calculating the 6 stops needed.
here is that photograph.

The bank of clouds that were on the horizen were slowly moving towards me and as the sun was going down gave a nice warm feel. I also liked the motion blur of the car carrier.

My next photograph I focused on the marker and used a 10 Stop ND filter to flatten the water and to get some colour in the sky while getting motion blur or streaks in the clouds.

It was surprising how much colour came out but was also pleased with the streakiness and the flat water.

After the light had gone I thought I would photograph the lighthouse and hopefully get some car lights as the cars moved ahead of me. It had its challenges as focusing was a bit awkward but in the end I got this photograph below that I liked out of the dozen or so I tried.

The red of the lighthouse and the blue of the sky made for some nice subtle contrast.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read.
If any comments please leave below.

Vedran

Macro And Silver Spoons

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

While I have been stuck at home I have been playing with some macro photography.
I pulled out some silver looking spoons from out of the cupboard and arranged them in various patterns for each different shot. I used a flash and moved it around also for different lighting effects and out of all the different images i chose those two down below.

I liked this image because of the shapes and lines and also the texture i got.
The light was also interesting giving nice contrast.
The second image also was interesting but i dont think as interesting as the first.

It kind of reminded me of phases of the moon I think because of the contrast.
Although a metallic feel is quite evident obviously. I made the images in black and white to give a more contra sty feel.
I will have more posts with some more macro photographs with different subjects.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read.
Comments always appreciated.

Vedran

The Sculpture On The Foreshore

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


Hope all is well and its good to see lock down restrictions eased some what.

I have an image that I made from 2017 of a sculpture that at that time I had never noticed before.
I was driving and I had been looking for something I thought would be interesting as it was close to sunset. There was only about 10 minutes before the sun would disapear and I just saw the sculpture.

I was looking for a parking spot and nothing was close by so when I found one I literally had to run to get the shot. I run very fast if you consider I can run a bit faster than a snail but not as fast as a turtle.
I only took my camera as was no time to set up a tripod. It was interesting trying to frame the shot as the footpath was from where I had to frame the shot.
I had to be wary of the people walking by as I didn't want to interfere with them.

Here is the image below.

I under exposed to really take advantage of the silhouette and to bring out the orange and blue in the sky.

Thankyou for taking the time to look and read. Comments are always appreciated either good or bad.

Vedran

Fremantle In Black And White

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Fremantle being one of my favorite places and yet I never seem to photograph it.
Today I have a couple of photographs I made which are in black and white.

The first is the Fremantle Round House which used to be a prison. Underneath is a dedicated tunnel which used to be used for bringing in ship supplies and also captured whales.
I processed in black and white to give an old time feel.

I split toned the photo to give a slight yellow for the highlights and blue for the shadows.

The next photograph consisted of me turning around and walking about one hundred meters and getting an image of the Fremantle Town Hall from a distance.
I liked the leading lines of the street lamps which took the eye to the Town Hall.

The car moving across the street seemed to put a distraction but otherwise I don't mind.
You can see by the lights on in the street lamps to give an idea how close to darkness it was.

All images were before Covid-19 lock-down.
Remember to stay safe and self isolate.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Any comments good or bad always appreciated.

Vedran

The Boat Sheds In Black And White

Hi All,


Welcome to My Photographic Observations.



One of the things I like in photography is black and white and long exposure.
One place that a few people make photos of is a set of boat sheds in Freshwater Bay.
Not as popular as that much photographed iconic Blue Boat Shed which has been done to death lol. Although even I have made a photograph and even a timelapse there as well in the past.

I was looking at the boat sheds in freshwater bay and although the light wasn't particularly good on this occasion, I liked the clouds that were moving across the horizon.

I set up for what I thought would be the best composition and set the settings to make the shot.
I fired a test shot to make sure the picture looked correct and after a few adjustments made another shot. I then put my filter holder onto the front of my lens and put in a 10 stop neutral density filter.

A neutral density filter is like a pair of very dark sunglasses. ounce on then you need to adjust the shutter 10 times longer to get the same exposure.
With a longer shutter speed the water will tend to smooth out and the clouds would start to look streaky. When I eventually processed the image it was in colour and I didn't quite like it that much. I then changed it to a black and white with a few more minor adjustments and so below is the image.

The sail boats moved around while the photograph was being made which also gave motion to the image.


Thank you for taking the time to look and read. As always if you have any comments please leave below. Hopefully the lock down will finish completely soon and it will be safe to go out again.

Stay Safe

Vedran

Photography Close To Home

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

I hope everyone is staying safe and social distancing in these weird times.

Today I have three photographs from the last couple of years that I would share and talk about.

Sometimes we have all these plans to photograph a landscape that is not very close to where we live.
Nice landscapes in the country or in another country. I tend to look local as a lot of us do to see what can be found. In my area there is always subjects that have been photographed many times because they are photogenic.
At times you might be in your car in a side street parking area and the conditions are just right.
This particular morning before sunrise I had parked for a little while as to let the fog clear a little.
I liked the line of the road and just the general warmth of the incandescent lights.

The trees gave a skeletal feel which I liked also.

The next photograph was at a nearby park and as I walked around and it there was a water feature with a few little ponds. I played around until I got the composition I wanted making sure that I was featuring the little waterfall.

I didn't want the background and using a longer shutter speed to blur the water but still give some texture in the water.

The last photograph was at night and I went around a park that was of the main road. There was an old observation platform of which the stairs had been removed. I liked the lights they used to illuminate the platform and I added some light of my own with a torch.

I thought the contrast of the orange/red on the platform and the nice blue of the sky made for a nice contrasty image. I used just enough light on the grass so could see the foreground.
All the photographs were within a twenty minute drive from where I live.
All photographs were from a couple years back but for this post wanted to basicaly show what is around within a twenty minute give or take five minutes.

Thankyou for taking the time to read. Thoughts and comments always appreciated.


Vedran

Sunset And The Storm Clouds

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

There is nothing more exciting than seeing storm clouds around when close to sunset.
I was driving around and not planning a shoot but as always my camera is on my front passengers seat. I was near Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbor and looked at the scene around me. I didn't want to go to the South Mole Lighthouse as I always seem to make photographs there and so was a bit bored with it.
I arrived at the roundabout where the original sea rescue building is.
I was running out of time so I parked my car, took out my camera and this is what I ended up with below.

I underexposed a little to highlight the light on the horizon and the lovely light that was shining on the boat. There wasn't as much colour as I was hoping fore because of the heavy clouds. The clouds looked fabulous with the nice texture.

This outing was before the covid-19 lock-down.
Remember to stay safe and self isolate.

Thank you for raking the time to read. All comments good or bad appreciated.

Vedran

Admiring Perth From Across The River

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.


With time on my hands in isolation during lock-down, I had time to look at my photographs and came across two I thought interesting.
The first is a black and white photograph and what I liked was the tree in the little pond which I thought would make a good subject with the City Of Perth in the background.

The clouds were also interesting and that is why I went for a black and white look. I seem to think it gives it a contrasty but interesting look.

The second photograph I wanted more of the city in the background so I looked for a reasonable foreground subject. After walking around a bit I saw this green plant which was within a bed floor of wood chip mulch. I set the tripod very low to the ground. I used a wide angle lens and was about thirty cm away from the plant. I made sure I had the city as a backdrop and made the click.

It was a very moody day and again the clouds made for a moody image.

These photographs were made three years ago and so a good blog post I thought while I had some idle time on my hands.

Thank you for taking the time to look and read. Any comments aalways appreciated.

Remember to keep your distance with the restrictions eased and stay safe.

Vedran

Coogee Lake A Place Of Surprise II

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Today is a continuation of a previous post called,
"Coogee Lake A Place Of Surprise"
I mentioned how it wasn't necessarily a well known lake but, was where I did some of my bird photography. The dead trees and the dry vegetation and generally low water levels.

One of the birds I managed to photograph was a Osprey perched on a dead tree eating a fish it caught in the lake.

I didn't see it land because I was looking the other way and was surprised when I saw it on the tree.
I would have loved to have had an in flight shot but initially it was to far away.

The next photograph is of a Rainbow Larakeet which just landed and having a rest before it took off.
I had to be quick because they don't wait very long as they wait for they're friends.

Very colorful they are although they are considered a pest.
As I was about to leave I saw in front of me something that looked like a rat.
I got down reasonably low and fired a few clicks and this was about the best of the shots.

As I understand it is a Bandicoot. Which I have never seen before. If I am wrong in the ID of this mammal please let me know.
Coogee Lake has a little bit for everyone although the wildlife is not plenty but its fun waiting for a surprise.

All these images are before covid 19 lock-down
Remember to stay home or self isolate.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Any comments please leave below as would love to hear thoughts good or bad.

Vedran

A Little Bit Of Autum

Hi All,

Welcome to My Photographic Observations.

Sitting at home in isolation and going through some of my photographs, I came across a photograph that reminded me of autumn and the approaching winter.
With covid -19 and the banning of travel for the foreseeable future and the possibility of not going to Croatia this year for the northern summer.
I haven't experienced winter here or at least a full winter since 2011.
The photograph below is just a scene of a few fresh flowers blown of a tree and a dried up leaf.

When restrictions ease and we can get out a bit more freely I will be looking forward to the stormy type photos or even the landscapes just after a storm when the light breaks out after the rain.
It will also be interesting to see if I freeze my ass of during the winter lol.

I know some of you here in Western Australia will say you can go out now by yourself as long as you keep away from people. I understand that but my situation is I live at home with my elderly parents and I dont want to risk getting something that could be a disaster for all of us.

Anyway I thank you for taking the time to read. Hopefully will blog at least twice a week.
Remember to #stayathome and #staysafe.

Vedran