Apple Blossom Heart

Apple Blossom Heart, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

"And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart:

Your seeds shall live in my body,
And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,
And your fragrance shall be my breath,
And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons."
— Khalil Gibran

The Apple trees are in full bloom at the moment. The village green is a riot of pink!
I took several shots of the blossoms and this is my favorite. I like the way the bokeh moves from green to pink and the way the leaves and branch provide a diagonal to draw your eye across the image.

They say photography is all about composition and I agree :-)

* Pentax K20D and Samsung D-Xenon 50-200mm Lens

Digital Self Reflection

Digital Self Reflection, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

From Song of Myself By Walt Whitman

Here's a self reflective product shot for you :-) This is the Samsung EX1 used to take the previous few posts, a great little 'enthusiast compact'. Taken with my trusty Pentax K20D DSLR

This shot is a 3 shot HDR combined using Photoshop's HDR Pro function. I took all three shots with different 1 stop separated exposures using a Tripod. I normally don't use a tripod and take all my shots by hand as the image stabilization and  auto alignment during the HDR combination process are usually sufficient to create a sharp image. In this case as I was doing my first ever product shot using just natural light I thought I would try out the tripod. Once in photoshop I have used the 'Highlights & Shadows' function to bring out more detail in the shadows and then added 3% black using the 'selective colour' function to compensate and give the image more punch. I have also altered the contrast.

I'm pleased with the crisp result.

Prior to this shot I took a more standard Product Shot and there was a small fly on the shutter release that almost succeded in taking a shot of me taking a shot of it. Thats what gave me the idea for the self reflective shot :-)






* Pentax K20D and Samsung D-Xenon 50-200mm Lens

Tiptoe Through The Tulip

Tiptoe Through The Tulip, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

Knee deep in flowers we'll stray
We'll keep the showers away
And if I kiss you in the garden, in the moonlight
Will you pardon me?
And tiptoe through the tulips with me

From Tiptoe Through The Tulips - Al Dubin 1926

As performed by Tiny Tim in 1968 - Watch on Youtube

*Samsung EX1 - SOOC

Straight from the camera from my Samsung EX1. Lovely macro abilities and great wide angle 24mm view.

This flower conveniently had two petals missing so provided the ideal opportunity for a Bee's eye view.

Got me thinking about Tiny Tim and the song remembered from my youth - I must have been about 10 - played by this weird character on a ukulele!

My daughter plays ukulele these days... so this one's for you Cleo :-)

Churchill Still Walks In Parliament Square

Churchill Still Walks In Parliament Square, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
- Sir Winston Churchill

Its easy to forget we are a country at War ,but walking down to Parliament Square in the heart of London, the seat of British power, reminded me. See my blog Tom's Mog for more on my thoughts on A Country At War

Postcards From London Series #3

*Samsung EX1 - 3 shot HDR (-1, 0, +1 EV)

The articulated screen/viewfinder on the EX1 came in handy again for this shot. Parliament Square is currently cordoned off with high fences so this shot is taken with my arm held up as high as possible to get a good viw over the fence. I can also use my monopod to get an even higher 'ground based aerial view' :-)

The very bright F1.8 Schneider-Kreuznach lens in the EX1 is excellent for bright light shots at ISO200 and gives a great level of detail and density from a relatively small 10 megapixel 1/1.7” CCD sensor. I feel I'm getting results from the 3 shot HDRs that are comparable to those taken using my 15 megapixel APS-C sensor Pentax K20D DSLR.

All in all a great result from this small easy to carry around 'enthusiast compact'. I am well pleased with my investment especially as it cost a lot less at 250GBP than a DSLR lens alone would cost me.

It can also shoot in RAW and I have done some experimenting in that regard but these shots are all done by combining 3 10mp 'superfine' jpegs. Excellent results from single RAW files also once you get the hang of the bundled Samsung RAW Converter software, although I still prefer using Adobe Camera RAW within Photoshop CS5.

Churchill Still Walks In Parliament Square but no one else can... Tom's Mog

Field of Pink

Field of Pink, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

"Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells"
— Pink Floyd Time (Breathe Reprise)

Postcards From London Series #2

*Samsung EX1 - 3 shot HDR (-1, 0, +1 EV)

Lovely 24mm wide angle view - the moveable and wonderfully bright AMOLED display on the EX1 makes it so easy to take low angle shots without bending over or getting down on the ground. I have always avoided compact digital cameras due to the lack of viewfinder but find this articulated display is giving me even more creative possibilities. The bracket function also makes it real easy to take three different exposure shots with just one press of the shutter. I then take these and combine them in Photoshop CS5 using the HDR Pro function.

More on the Samsung EX1 (TL500 in the US) and the process I use to make my Flickr photos coming soon.

Enjoy the springtime :-)

Large Benjamin

Large Benjamin, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

Just purchased a Samsung EX1 as a go anywhere compact camera for when I don't want to lug around my DSLR. So far I am very impressed... here is one of the first images I have shot with the EX1

Bud Light

Bud Light, originally uploaded by TomRaven.

Spring is sprung...